Notice2023-14682
Definition of Lead-Based Paint Joint Virtual Workshop; Notice of Public Meeting and Request for Comments
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 12, 2023
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is co-hosting a virtual workshop with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on October 17 and 18, 2023, to hear stakeholder perspectives on specific topics related to detection of and exposure to potential lead hazards from existing residential lead-based paint. This virtual workshop will be used to gather stakeholder input on innovative methods to address lead in paint and reduce lead exposure across the United States. EPA and HUD will use information shared during the workshop to inform their joint effort to revisit the federal definition of lead-based paint and revise it, if necessary. This document announces the virtual workshop and provides essential details for potential presenters and attendees in terms of registration, related activities and important dates.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 132 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44297-44299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14682]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0351; FRL-11152-01-OCSPP]
Definition of Lead-Based Paint Joint Virtual Workshop; Notice of
Public Meeting and Request for Comments
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is co-hosting a
virtual workshop with the Department of
[[Page 44298]]
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on October 17 and 18, 2023, to hear
stakeholder perspectives on specific topics related to detection of and
exposure to potential lead hazards from existing residential lead-based
paint. This virtual workshop will be used to gather stakeholder input
on innovative methods to address lead in paint and reduce lead exposure
across the United States. EPA and HUD will use information shared
during the workshop to inform their joint effort to revisit the federal
definition of lead-based paint and revise it, if necessary. This
document announces the virtual workshop and provides essential details
for potential presenters and attendees in terms of registration,
related activities and important dates.
DATES: Presenter Abstracts: If you wish to make a presentation at the
virtual workshop, submit an abstract for your presentation on or before
August 4, 2023. EPA and HUD will review the abstracts to determine
appropriateness and sequencing for inclusion on the workshop agenda.
Presentation abstracts and final materials for each presentation will
be made available in the docket before the meeting.
Virtual Public Meeting: Will be held virtually on October 17 and
18, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. (EDT) each day.
See the additional details and instructions for registration that
appear in Unit II of this document.
Written Comments: Submit your written comments on or before
December 31, 2023.
Special accommodations: Requests for special accommodations should
be submitted on or before September 29, 2023, to allow EPA time to
process these requests.
ADDRESSES: Virtual Public Meeting: You must register online to receive
the webcast meeting link and audio teleconference information. Please
follow the registration instructions that will be announced on the lead
program website at: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/lead/2023-lead-based-paint-technical-workshop">https://www.epa.gov/lead/2023-lead-based-paint-technical-workshop</a> by September 29, 2023. For additional instructions
related to this meeting, see Unit II.
Written Comments: Submit written comments, identified by docket
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0351, through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments. Do not electronically submit any
information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI;
broadly defined as proprietary information, considered confidential to
the submitter, the release of which would cause substantial business
injury to the owner) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Additional information on commenting or visiting
the docket, along with more information about dockets generally, is
available at <a href="https://www.epa.gov/dockets">https://www.epa.gov/dockets</a>.
Special accommodations: For information on access or services for
individuals with disabilities, and to request accommodation for a
disability, please contact Catherine Taylor, listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine Taylor, Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004; telephone number: (202)
566-3008; email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#98ecf9e1f4f7eab6fbf9ecf0fdeaf1f6fdd8fde8f9b6fff7ee"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1266736b7e7d603c7173667a77607b7c77527762733c757d64">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals who have
speech or other communication disabilities may use a relay service to
reach the contact phone number provided. To learn more about how to
make an accessible telephone call, visit the web page for the Federal
Communications Commission's Telecommunications Relay Service, <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs">https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Executive Summary
A. Does this action apply to me?
This notice is directed to the public in general. This notice may
be of specific interest to persons who conduct or may be interested in
lead-based paint (LBP) inspections, lead hazard screens, risk
assessments, renovations, paint testing, interim controls, or
abatements under the Toxics Substance Control Act or the Lead-Based
Paint Poisoning Prevention Act. This workshop may be of specific
interest to federal, state, local, and tribal regulators, LBP
activities and Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) experts and
professionals, paint manufacturers, x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology
developers and manufacturers, lead test kit developers and users, lead
testing laboratories, childhood lead exposure medical and health
experts, environmental and community organizations, and academic
researchers. Since other entities may also be interested in this
notice, the EPA has not attempted to describe all the specific entities
that may be interested in this subject.
B. Why are EPA and HUD having this workshop?
As part of EPA's and HUD's joint effort to revisit the definition
of LBP, this virtual workshop will gather critical input on innovative
methods to address lead in paint and reduce lead exposure from lead in
paint across the United States. The workshop will focus on current and
emerging measurement technologies used to quantify lead in paint
relevant to EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) program,
EPA's Lead-Based Paint Activities (LBPA) program, HUD's Lead Safe
Housing Rule (LSHR), and both agencies' joint Lead Disclosure Rule, and
how those technologies could be applied for low levels of lead in
residential paint. Through the workshop, EPA and HUD also seek to
obtain new information on LBP characteristics (e.g., density and
components) and any medical evidence related to adverse impacts to
humans as a result of exposure to low levels of lead in paint to help
with EPA and HUD's reevaluation of the definition of LBP.
EPA and HUD define LBP as paint with lead levels that equal or
exceed one milligram per square centimeter (mg/cm\2\), or equal or
exceed 0.5 percent by weight. Although LBP was banned for residential
use in 1978, many homes built before 1978 still contain LBP, a major
source of childhood lead exposure. EPA and HUD have prioritized
addressing the dangers of childhood lead exposure through EPA's 2022
Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities,
HUD's 2022-2026 Strategic Plan Focus Areas, and the 2018 Federal Lead
Action Plan, all of which commit to reducing exposure to lead in homes
with LBP.
C. What topics will be covered at the workshop?
EPA and HUD are seeking presenters possessing specific expertise
for this workshop. If you are interested in being a presenter, please
submit an abstract of your presentation by the deadline presented in
DATES to allow EPA and HUD to review an determine appropriateness for
the workshop and sequencing for the agenda. In addition to the topics
mentioned previously, EPA and HUD are also interested in presentations
on the following topics:
<bullet> Empirical information and/or the identification of
modeling tools that characterize the relationship between levels of
lead in paint <0.5% and <1 mg/cm\2\ and levels of lead in dust,
considering paint condition, maintenance, age, and other factors;
[[Page 44299]]
<bullet> Information on input, data sources and parameters for the
exposure scenarios for considering LBP regulations, including: the
frequency and characteristics of renovations, maintenance activities,
paint flaking and deterioration, and other scenarios that result in the
generation of dust-lead from lead in paint below 0.5% and 1 mg/cm\2\;
uncertainty due to other sources of dust lead aside from lead in paint;
and data for characterizing the direct ingestion pathway from lead in
paint below 0.5% and 1 mg/cm\2\, including quantitative measures of
ingestion and exposure (duration, frequency, paint chip
characteristics);
<bullet> Empirical data that provides paint density for different
mass fractions of LBP, and other information to assist in the possible
development of a conversion equation between the two units used to
define LBP (one definition being in milligrams per square centimeter,
and the other a percentage by weight), as well as information on
confounding considerations that might make such a conversion
unsupported;
<bullet> Consideration of LBP metrics under varied field conditions
such as the following: lead detection/measurement technologies used in
the laboratory and in the field; technical insights and limitations to
extending XRF ``thresholds'' (analogous to reporting limits) to or
below 0.5 mg/cm\2\, if any; performance of XRFs on layers of differing
concentrations of lead in paint, measuring through encapsulants, and on
a single layer of new paint; implications of material underlying paint
(e.g., old paint layers, plaster, metal, and concrete) on the
reliability of lead detection estimates; and capabilities and
limitations of alternative lead detection technologies;
<bullet> Considerations for comparing rhodizonate-based and other
lead test kit results to other technology results, especially for lower
levels of lead in paint;
<bullet> Consideration of how the distribution of lead in paint in
U.S. housing affects the programmatic implications and estimates of
health benefits of a lower LBP definition; and
<bullet> Consideration of any medical evidence that quantitatively
supports the imposition of a lower level of lead in defining LBP.
D. How are EPA and HUD seeking public input?
Through this Federal Register document, EPA and HUD are announcing
the intention to have a virtual public workshop on October 17 and 18,
2023, to hear stakeholder perspectives on specific topics related to
detection of and exposure to potential lead hazards from existing
residential paint using lower levels of lead than in the current
definition of LBP. In addition to the presentations discussed
previously, the workshop will include several audience question and
answer segments as another means of hearing stakeholder perspectives.
In addition, EPA and HUD are seeking abstracts from potential
presenters.
E. How can I access information about the meeting or submit an abstract
for consideration?
Information about this meeting is available at <a href="https://www.epa.gov/lead/2023-lead-based-paint-technical-workshop">https://www.epa.gov/lead/2023-lead-based-paint-technical-workshop</a> and in the docket for
this meeting, identified by docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0351, at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
The agenda and instructions for registration and for submitting
abstracts for this meeting will be added to the EPA website and public
docket established for this meeting at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>;
docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0351.
After the virtual public meeting, EPA will prepare meeting minutes
summarizing the meeting. The meeting minutes will be posted on the EPA
website and in the docket.
II. Public Participation Instructions
To participate in the virtual public meeting, please follow the
instructions in this unit.
A. How can I provide comments?
To ensure proper receipt of comments it is imperative that you
identify docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0351 in the subject line on
the first page of your request.
1. Written comments. Comments should be submitted using the
instructions in ADDRESSES and in Units I.B. and C, on or before the
date set in the DATES section. Anyone submitting written comments after
this date should contact the individual listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
2. Submitting CBI. Do not submit CBI information to EPA through
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or email. If your comments contain any
information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected, please
contact the individual listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT to
obtain special instructions before submitting your comments.
3. Tips for preparing your comments. When preparing and submitting
your comments, see Tips for Effective Comments at <a href="https://www.epa.gov/dockets">https://www.epa.gov/dockets</a>. Please note that once submitted, comments cannot be edited or
removed from the docket. The EPA may publish any comment received to
its public docket.
B. How can I participate in the virtual public meeting?
This meeting will be virtual and will be viewable via webcast. EPA
intends to announce registration instructions, as well as abstract
submission instructions, on the EPA website and in the public docket.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.
Dated: July 5, 2023.
Michal Freedhoff,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemicals Safety and Pollution
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2023-14682 Filed 7-11-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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