Notice2023-28342
Waste Reduction Model (WARM) Version 16: Request for Public Comment
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
December 26, 2023
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the Waste Reduction Model (WARM) version 16 and its supporting documentation, along with the WARM v16 methodology external peer review report and the WARM v16 data quality assessment report. WARM is a tool that estimates the potential greenhouse gas emissions, energy savings and economic impacts of baseline and alternative waste management practices of materials. This Notice is inviting public comment on WARM v16 and its supporting documentation from a broad range of individuals and organizations. The EPA will consider the public comments received to inform future improvements to WARM.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 246 (Tuesday, December 26, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88913-88914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28342]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451; FRL-11466-01-OLEM]
Waste Reduction Model (WARM) Version 16: Request for Public
Comment
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the
Waste Reduction Model (WARM) version 16 and its supporting
documentation, along with the WARM v16 methodology external peer review
report and the WARM v16 data quality assessment report. WARM is a tool
that estimates the potential greenhouse gas emissions, energy savings
and economic impacts of baseline and alternative waste management
practices of materials. This Notice is inviting public comment on WARM
v16 and its supporting documentation from a broad range of individuals
and organizations. The EPA will consider the public comments received
to inform future improvements to WARM.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before February 9, 2024.
ADDRESSES:
Written Comments: Submit your written comments, identified by
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451, through the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a>. Follow the online instructions
for submitting comments.
Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>. EPA may publish any comment received to its public
docket. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio,
video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. Additional
instructions 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>.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451 for this notice. Comments received may be
posted without change to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a>, including any
personal information provided. For detailed instructions on sending
comments, see the ``Public Participation'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Priscilla Halloran, Resource
Conservation and Sustainability Division, Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery, Office of Land and Emergency Management,
Mail Code 5306T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-0311, or
Kimberly Cochran (same address); telephone number: 202-566-0308; email
address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3c534e5f4e6b7d6e714d49594f485553524f7c594c5d125b534a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b5dac7d6c7e2f4e7f8c4c0d0c6c1dcdadbc6f5d0c5d49bd2dac3">[email protected]</span></a>. For more information on WARM,
please visit <a href="https://epa.gov/warm">https://epa.gov/warm</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Participation
Response to this request for public comment is voluntary. Submit
your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451, at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a> (our preferred method), or the other
methods identified in the ADDRESSES section. Once submitted, comments
cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The Environmental
Protection Agency may publish any comment received to its public
docket. Responses to this request for public comment may be submitted
by a single party or a team. Responses will only be accepted using
Microsoft Word (.docx) or Adobe PDF (.pdf) file formats. The response
document should contain the following:
[ssquf] Two clearly delineated sections: (1) Cover page with
company name and contact information; and (2) responses by topic and/or
that address specific EPA questions.
[ssquf] 1-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides).
[ssquf] Times New Roman and 12-point font.
Comments containing references, studies, research, and other
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies or
electronic
[[Page 88914]]
links to the referenced materials. Do not submit to EPA's docket at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> any information you consider to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI), Proprietary Business
Information (PBI), or other information whose disclosure is restricted
by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the
official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish
to make. EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents
located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or
other file sharing system). Please visit: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/dockets">https://www.epa.gov/dockets</a>
for additional submission methods; the full EPA public comment policy;
information about CBI, PBI, or multimedia submissions; and general
guidance on making effective comments. No confidential and/or business
proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally
identifiable information should be submitted in response to this
notice.
Privacy Note: All comments received from members of the public will
be available for public viewing on <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>. In accordance with
FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be
accepted by the Federal Government to form a binding contract.
Additionally, those submitting responses are solely responsible for all
expenses associated with response preparation.
II. General Information
A. What is the purpose of this request for public comment?
The EPA will use the feedback and information received through this
public comment process, along with findings of the external peer review
and data quality assessment, to inform future improvements to WARM.
The Environmental Protection Agency launched the Waste Reduction
Model (WARM) in 1998. WARM has been updated and expanded fifteen times
since its launch in 1998. In 2022 and 2023, WARM underwent an external
peer review and a data quality assessment as part of the EPA's on-going
efforts to ensure WARM's scientific integrity. (Reports are available
in the docket EPA-HQ-OLEM-2023-0451 and on the web at <a href="https://epa.gov/warm">https://epa.gov/warm</a>.)
The EPA created WARM to provide high-level comparisons of potential
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, energy savings, and economic
impacts (labor hours, wages and taxes when considering different
materials management practices. Materials management practices
include--source reduction, recycling, anaerobic digestion, combustion,
composting and landfilling.
WARM models 61 materials commonly found in municipal solid waste
(MSW) and construction and demolition debris (C&D), including aluminum
cans, glass, paper, plastics, organics (including food waste) and
building materials.
WARM is a comparative tool rather than a comprehensive measurement
tool. WARM was not developed for and, as such, should not be used for
final site-specific materials management decisions, when other human
health and environmental impacts of the different management methods
may need to be considered (such as air pollution, water pollution,
noise, etc.). It also should not be used for developing GhG
inventories, which need to establish a baseline and measure reductions
over time on an annual basis for an entity.
III. Request for Information
The Environmental Protection Agency requests public comment on WARM
v16 and its supporting documentation from a broad range of individuals
and organizations with an understanding of and interest in tools and
models related to life cycle materials management, such as: federal,
state, tribal, territorial, and local governments; industry;
researchers; academia; non-profit organizations; community groups;
individuals and international organizations. EPA is interested in
receiving input on the following:
<bullet> How can the scientific rigor and adherence to modeling
best practices and assumptions in WARM regarding biogenic carbon
emissions, carbon storage in forests, soils, and landfills, and utility
offsets from combustion be improved?
<bullet> How can WARM better align with best practices in climate
change modeling and assumptions?
<bullet> How can the alignment of data, assumptions, and model
components in WARM with real market practices be improved?
<bullet> In assessing WARM, how well do the modeled management
practices represent the diversity of practices typically used in the
United States?
<bullet> When evaluating WARM, how accurately does it depict the
common secondary use of recycled materials in the United States?
<bullet> What recommendations can be made for enhancing the
clarity, transparency, relevance, and usability of WARM and its
accompanying documentation?
<bullet> Are there any studies or data sources that are relevant to
WARM but are currently not integrated, and how could their inclusion be
beneficial for future development?
<bullet> What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of
conducting future WARM model development in a more publicly accessible
development environment, such as GitHub, to encourage increased
transparency and public involvement?
<bullet> What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of the
EPA considering the use of readily available data from public sources
(such as the Federal LCA Commons) in WARM, especially the use of non-
waste management data, to enhance data consistency, accessibility and
reliability across federal government life cycle work?
The Environmental Protection Agency will use feedback and
information received through this public comment, the external peer
review and the data quality assessment to inform future improvements to
WARM. Please identify the question(s) you are responding to when
submitting your comments.
IV. Disclaimer and Important Note
This request for public comment is issued solely for information,
research and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for
Proposals (RFP) or a Request for Applications (RFA). Responding to this
notice will not give any advantage to or preclude any organization or
individual in any subsequently issued solicitation, RFP, or RFA. Any
future development activities related to this activity will be
announced separately. This notice does not represent any award
commitment on the part of the U.S. Government, nor does it obligate the
Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission
of any responses.
Dated: December 13, 2023.
Carolyn Hoskinson,
Director, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.
[FR Doc. 2023-28342 Filed 12-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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