[Federal Register: February 29, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 41)]
[Notices]
[Page 11112-11113]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29fe08-74]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0142; FRL-8535-5]
Consumer Products Environmental Partnerships Program--Public
Meeting
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting.
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SUMMARY: EPA will convene a public meeting to discuss opportunities for
industry-government partnerships to foster greater public awareness of
the environmental attributes of household and institutional consumer
products and help make consumers aware of efforts on the part of
consumer product manufacturers to improve the environmental performance
of their products and production facilities. The primary purpose of
this initial meeting is to establish a dialog among government,
industry, and public stakeholders leading to formation of a Consumer
Products Environmental Partnerships Working Group. Once formed, the
working group will identify and develop possible partnership approaches
such as product labeling, consumer education programs, environmental
information Web sites, product stewardship programs, and manufacturer
recognition programs.
DATES: The meeting will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, March
17 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, 2008.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in Building C of the EPA campus at
109
[[Page 11113]]
Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information concerning the
Consumer Products Environmental Partnerships Program, contact Mr. Bruce
Moore, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Sector
Policies and Programs Division, Natural Resources and Commerce Group
(E143-03), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, telephone
number: (919) 541-5460, fax number (919) 541-3470, e-mail address:
moore.bruce@epa.gov. If you plan to attend the meeting, please submit
your name and affiliation by e-mail or by telephone to Mr. Moore no
later than Thursday, March 13, 2008.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
Docket. EPA has established a docket for this program under Docket
ID Number EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0142. Publicly available docket materials are
available either electronically through www.regulations.gov or in hard
copy at the EPA Docket Center, Public Reading Room, EPA West, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The Public Reading
Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading
Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Air Docket is
(202) 566-1742.
II. Background
EPA envisions that the consumer products of interest to the working
group will encompass a wide array of personal care products, household
cleaners, automotive aftermarket chemicals, non-agricultural
pesticides, non-industrial adhesives and sealants, aerosol spray
paints, architectural coatings, and other formulated products. These
products are used by consumers in and around homes, offices, schools,
and in a variety of other settings. These important products can
enhance the quality of life of consumers, make household chores easier,
and have beneficial health functions through control of household pests
and pathogens in and around living spaces.
However, as these products are used, stored, and are disposed of,
some or all of their ingredients evaporate and enter the air. One
concern that has been raised is the effect of household and
institutional consumer product use on indoor air quality. In addition
to personal exposure during use, consumer products also contribute to
ground-level ozone formation, have solid waste and groundwater impacts
due to disposal of spent packaging, are sources of fine particulate
matter through secondary aerosol formation, and in some cases can
contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion and global warming.
Furthermore, increased use of nanomaterials in consumer products is an
emerging issue. With such potential multimedia and multipollutant
impacts, consumer products are ripe for additional environmental
attention.
Since the late 1980s, a substantial segment of these products
(e.g., architectural coatings, aerosol coatings, and many categories of
household and institutional consumer products) have been regulated
intensely by EPA and several States for purposes of controlling ground-
level ozone formation through limits placed on the volatile organic
compound content of the products. We commend the States and the
consumer products and coatings industries for their cooperative efforts
to reduce ozone formation resulting from use of these products.
Furthermore, some manufacturers voluntarily have improved the
environmental performance of their products over the years. However,
other potential environmental effects generally have not been
addressed.
The EPA believes that consumer choice in the marketplace can be an
effective means of bringing about change in the environmental
performance of household and institutional products. Key elements of
such a market-based approach include educating consumers and making
information available concerning the environmental attributes of the
products they use. We also believe that reliable information concerning
the degree of environmental stewardship exhibited by consumer products
and coatings manufacturers should play a role in consumers' purchasing
decisions. For this information to be useful, manufacturers who are
good environmental stewards should be recognized in a manner that is
readily apparent to the consumer in the marketplace.
III. Structure of the Meeting
The EPA envisions this meeting to consist of three major phases:
(1) Presentation of background information on consumer products,
existing stewardship programs, constraints on environmental marketing
claims, and EPA's initial thoughts on a few possible partnership
approaches; (2) several concurrent breakout sessions to explore these
approaches; and (3) formation of the Consumer Products Partnerships
Working Group, including subgroups for specific approaches.
Dated: February 26, 2008.
Jennifer N. Edmonds,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. E8-3936 Filed 2-28-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P