[Federal Register: October 23, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 205)]
[Notices]
[Page 65114-65115]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23oc02-78]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7398-2]
Meetings of the Small Systems Affordability Working Group of the
National Drinking Water Advisory Council
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of public meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Under section 10(a)(2) of Pub. L. 92-423, ``The Federal
Advisory Committee Act,'' notice is hereby given of the forthcoming
meetings of the Small Systems Affordability Work Group, of the National
Drinking Water Advisory Council, established under the Safe Drinking
Water Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.).
DATES: The affordability work group will meet on November 7-8, 2002 (9
a.m.-5:30 p.m. on November 7 and 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on November 8),
then on December 18-19, 2002 (9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on December 18 and 8:30
a.m.-3:30 p.m. on December 19), and again on January 13-14, 2003 (9
a.m.-5:30 p.m. on January 13 and 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on January 14).
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at RESOLVE Inc., 1255 23rd Street,
NW., Suite 275, Washington, DC and are open to the public, but from
past experience, seating will likely be limited.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on the location
and times of these meetings, or general background information please
contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (phone: 800-426-4791 or (703)
285-1093; e-mail: hotline-sdwa@epa.gov). Members of the public are
requested to contact RESOLVE if they plan on attending at (202) 944-
2300. Any person needing special accommodations at either of these
meetings, including wheelchair access, should contact RESOLVE (contact
information previously noted), at least five business days before the
meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made. For technical
information contact Mr. Amit Kapadia, Designated Federal Officer, Small
Systems Affordability Work Group, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Office of Ground Water and
[[Page 65115]]
Drinking Water (4607M), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC
20460 (e-mail: kapadia.amit@epa.gov; Tel: 202-564-4879).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As part of the 2002 appropriations process,
Congress directed EPA to ``begin immediately to review the Agency's
affordability criteria and how small system variance and exemption
programs should be implemented for arsenic'' (Conference Report 107-
272, page 175). Congress further directed the Agency to prepare a
report, which EPA submitted (Report to Congress: Small System Arsenic
Implementation Issues: EPA 815-R-02-003), ``on its review of the
affordability criteria and the administrative actions undertaken or
planned to be undertaken by the Agency, as well as potential funding
mechanisms for small community compliance and other legislative
actions, which, if taken by the Congress, would best achieve
appropriate extensions of time for small communities while also
guaranteeing maximum compliance.'' (Conference Report 107-272, page
175).
In evaluating treatment technologies for small systems, EPA
currently uses an affordability threshold of 2.5% of median household
income. EPA's national-level affordability criteria consist of two
major components: an expenditure baseline and an affordability
threshold. The expenditure baseline (derived from annual median
household water bills) is subtracted from the affordability threshold
(a share of median household income that EPA believes to be a
reasonable upper limit for these water bills) to determine the
expenditure margin (the maximum increase in household water bills that
can be imposed by treatment and still be considered affordable). EPA
compares the cost of treatment technologies against the available
expenditure margin to determine if an affordable compliance technology
can be identified. If EPA cannot identify an affordable compliance
technology, then it attempts to identify a variance technology.
Findings must be made at both the Federal and State level that
compliance technologies are not affordable for small systems before a
variance can be granted.
EPA is asking the NDWAC for advice on its national-level
affordability criteria and the methodology used to establish these
criteria. Taking into consideration the structure of the Safe Drinking
Water Act and the limitations of readily available data and information
sources, EPA is seeking the Council's opinion of the national level
affordability criteria, methodology for deriving the criteria, and
approach to applying those criteria to NPDWRs.
As part of the Council's review of EPA's national-level
affordability criteria, the Agency is seeking input on (1) the Agency's
overall approach, (2) alternatives, if any, to the use of median
household income as a metric, (3) alternatives, if any, to 2.5% as a
metric, (4) alternatives, if any, to calculating the expenditure
baseline, (5) the usefulness of a separate criteria for ground and
surface water systems, (6) including an evaluation of the potential
availability of financial assistance, and (7) the need for making
affordability determinations on a regional basis. Other issue areas may
also be discussed. The meeting is open to the public; statements from
the public will be taken at the close of the meeting. EPA is not
soliciting written comments and is not planning to formally respond to
comments.
This will be the third, fourth, and fifth work group meetings on
this topic. At the first meeting held on September 11-12 , the work
group was briefed by EPA on the approach to affordability taken by the
Agency. At the first meeting, the work group also devised an approach
to answer the Agency's charge questions. For the second work group
meeting (to be held on October 21-22), other technical experts on
financial assistance have been invited to speak. The purpose of these
last three meetings is to continue the workgroup deliberations and to
draft a report for the full National Drinking Water Advisory Council.
Dated: October 17, 2002.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 02-26994 Filed 10-22-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P