[Federal Register: February 2, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 21)]
[Notices]
[Page 5365-5366]
[DOCID:fr02fe10-115]

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-61430; File No. SR-ISE-2010-08]

Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange,
LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule
Change To Allow All SPY and IWM Options Series To Quote in Penny
Increments

January 27, 2010.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the ``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given
that on January 21, 2010, the International Securities Exchange, LLC
(the ``Exchange'' or ``ISE'') filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II
below, which Items have been prepared by the self-regulatory
organization. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit
comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change

    The ISE proposes to quote all series of options on the SPDR S&P 500
Exchange Traded Fund and options on the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund
in penny increments pursuant to the pilot program to quote and to trade
certain options in pennies (``Penny Pilot'').

II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization
included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the
proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the
proposed rule change. The text of these statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below. The self-regulatory organization
has prepared summaries, set forth in Sections A, B, and C below, of the
most significant aspects of such statements.

 A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

 1. Purpose
    On January 24, 2007, the SEC approved ISE's rule filing, SR-ISE-
2006-62, which initiated the Penny Pilot.\3\ Under the Penny Pilot, the
minimum price variation for all participating options classes, except
for the PowerShares QQQ (``QQQQ'') \4\ (formerly known as the Nasdaq-
100 Index Tracking Stock), is $0.01 for all quotations in options
series that are quoted at less than $3 per contract and $0.05 for all
quotations in options series that are quoted at $3 per contract or
greater. Thus, the current minimum quoting increment for bids and
offers in options on the SPDR S&P 500 Exchange Traded Fund (``SPY'')
and in options on the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (``IWM'') is
$0.01 for all options series below $3.00 and $0.05 for all options
series $3.00 and above.
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    \3\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 55161 (January 24,
2007), 72 FR 4754 (February 1, 2007). The Penny Pilot was
subsequently extended a number of times and is currently scheduled
to expire on December 31, 2010. See Securities Exchange Act Release
Nos. 56151 (July 26, 2007), 72 FR 42452 (August 2, 2007) (SR-ISE-
2007-68); 56564 (September 27, 2007), 72 FR 56412 (October 3, 2007)
(SR-ISE-2007-74); 57508 (March 17, 2008), 73 FR 15243 (March 21,
2008) (SR-ISE-2008-27); 59633 (March 26, 2009), 74 FR 15018 (April
2, 2009) (SR-ISE-2009-14); 60222 (July 1, 2009), 74 FR 32994 (July
9, 2009) (SR-ISE-2009-37); 60865 (October 22, 2009), 74 FR 55880
(October 29, 2009 (SR-ISE-2009-82).
    \4\ Options on QQQQ are quoted in $0.01 increments for all
series.
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    The Exchange now proposes to eliminate the $3.00 breakpoint that
exists for SPY and IWM and designate all options series in SPY and IWM
as eligible to quote in $0.01 increments, regardless of premium value.
The Exchange will communicate the proposed change to its membership via
a Regulatory Information Circular (``RIC'') which shall also be posted
on the Exchange's Web site.
    The Exchange notes that although the Penny Pilot has contributed to
some increase in quote message traffic, it has been manageable by the
Exchange and the Options Price Reporting Authority (``OPRA''), with no
significant disruption in the dissemination of pricing information. The
Exchange believes that the benefits to public customers and other
market participants who are able to express their true prices to buy
and sell options have been demonstrated to outweigh the increase in
quote traffic. Moreover, the Exchange's rule change proposal is
sufficiently limited such that it is unlikely to increase quotation
message traffic beyond the capacity of the Exchange's or OPRA's
systems, or to disrupt the timely dissemination of information.
    The Exchange believes that its proposal to eliminate the breakpoint
for penny quoting of all SPY and IWM option series should facilitate
the continuing narrowing of spreads, thereby lowering costs to the
benefit of investors.
    This proposal is based on a recent Commission-approved proposal of
the NYSEArca exchange.\5\ The Exchange proposes to designate SPY and
IWM as eligible to quote and trade all options contracts in one cent
increments as of February 1, 2010. This date corresponds with the
second phase-in date for additional classes in the Penny Pilot.
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    \5\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61061 (November 24,
2009), 74 FR 62857 (December 1, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-44).
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 2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that this proposed rule change is consistent
with Section 6(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
``Exchange Act'') \6\ in general, and furthers the objectives of
Section 6(b)(5) of the Exchange Act \7\ in particular, in that it is
designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade, remove
impediments to and perfect the mechanisms of a free and open market and
a national market system and, in general, to protect investors and the
public interest, by allowing all SPY and IWM options series to quote in
penny intervals.
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    \6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    The proposed rule change does not impose any burden on competition
that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of
the Act.

C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants or Others

    The Exchange has not solicited, and does not intend to solicit,
comments on this proposed rule change. The Exchange has not received
any written comments from members or other interested parties.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action

    The Exchange has filed the proposed rule change pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act \8\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) thereunder.\9\
Because the proposed rule change does not: (i) Significantly affect the
protection of investors or the public interest; (ii) impose any
significant burden on competition; and (iii) become operative prior to
30 days from the date on which it was filed, or such shorter time as
the Commission may designate if consistent

with the protection of investors and the public interest, the proposed
rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the
Act \10\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) thereunder.
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    \8\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
    \9\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
    \10\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
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    A proposed rule change filed under Rule 19b-4(f)(6) normally does
not become operative for 30 days after the date of filing.\11\ However,
Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) permits the Commission to designate a shorter
time if such action is consistent with the protection of investors and
the public interest. The Exchange requested that the Commission waive
the 30-day operative delay, as specified in Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii),\12\
which would make the rule change effective and operative upon filing.
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    \11\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii). In addition, Rule 19b-
4(f)(6)(iii) requires the self-regulatory organization to give the
Commission notice of its intent to file the proposed rule change,
along with a brief description and text of the proposed rule change,
at least five business days prior to the date of filing of the
proposed rule change, or such shorter time as designated by the
Commission. ISE has satisfied this requirement.
    \12\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
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    The Commission believes that waiving the 30-day operative delay is
consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest
because the proposal is based on a recent Commission-approved proposal
submitted by another options exchange \13\ and therefore does not raise
any novel regulatory issues. Further, waiving the operative delay will
allow the Exchange to commence quoting all series of IWM and SPY in
increments of $0.01 effective February 1, 2010, contemporaneously with
other options exchanges. Accordingly, the Commission designates the
proposed rule change as operative upon filing with the Commission.\14\
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    \13\ See supra note 5.
    \14\ For purposes only of waiving the operative delay for this
proposal, the Commission has considered the proposed rule's impact
on efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C.
78c(f).
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    At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed rule
change, the Commission may summarily abrogate such rule change if it
appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or appropriate
in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or otherwise
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.

IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:

Electronic Comments

     Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://
www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an e-mail to<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Please include
File Number SR-ISE-2010-08 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

     Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy,
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-ISE-2010-08. This file
number should be included on the subject line if e-mail is used. To
help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently,
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on
the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/rules/
sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all
written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are
filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to
the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other
than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for inspection and
copying in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 10
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available for
inspection and copying at the principal office of the self-regulatory
organization. All comments received will be posted without change; the
Commission does not edit personal identifying information from
submissions. You should submit only information that you wish to make
available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR-ISE-
2010-08 and should be submitted on or before February 23, 2010.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\15\
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    \15\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-2093 Filed 2-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


Placeholder: confidential business information item

Hudson Tech Meeting on 6-25-08

For more information please contact Ross Brennan by phone at
202-343-9226 or by email at   HYPERLINK<EMAIL_ADDRESS><EMAIL_ADDRESS>


[Federal Register: October 14, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 198)]
[Notices]
[Page 63166]
[DOCID:fr14oc10-50]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 516-459]

South Carolina Electric & Gas Company; Notice of Authorization
for Continued Project Operation

October 6, 2010.
    On August 28, 2008 South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, licensee
for the Saluda Hydroelectric Project, filed an Application for a New
License pursuant to the Federal Power Act (FPA) and the Commission's
regulations thereunder. The Saluda Hydroelectric Project is on the
Saluda River in Richland, Lexington, Saluda, and Newberry counties,
South Carolina.
    The license for Project No. 516 was issued for a period ending
August 31, 2010. Section 15(a)(1) of the FPA, 16 U.S.C. 808(a)(1),
requires the Commission, at the expiration of a license term, to issue
from year-to-year an annual license to the then licensee under the
terms and conditions of the prior license until a new license is
issued, or the project is otherwise disposed of as provided in section
15 or any other applicable section of the FPA. If the project's prior
license waived the applicability of section 15 of the FPA, then, based
on section 9(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 558(c),
and as set forth at 18 CFR 16.21(a), if the licensee of such project
has filed an application for a subsequent license, the licensee may
continue to operate the project in accordance with the terms and
conditions of the license after the minor or minor part license
expires, until the Commission acts on its application. If the licensee
of such a project has not filed an application for a subsequent
license, then it may be required, pursuant to 18 CFR 16.21(b), to
continue project operations until the Commission issues someone else a
license for the project or otherwise orders disposition of the project.
    If the project is subject to section 15 of the FPA, notice is
hereby given that an annual license for Project No. 516 is issued to
the South Carolina Electric & Gas Company for a period effective
September 1, 2010 through August 31, 2011, or until the issuance of a
new license for the project or other disposition under the FPA,
whichever comes first. If issuance of a new license (or other
disposition) does not take place on or before August 31, 2011, notice
is hereby given that, pursuant to 18 CFR 16.18(c), an annual license
under section 15(a)(1) of the FPA is renewed automatically without
further order or notice by the Commission, unless the Commission orders
otherwise.
    If the project is not subject to section 15 of the FPA, notice is
hereby given that South Carolina Electric & Gas Company is authorized
to continue operation of the Saluda Hydroelectric Project, until such
time as the Commission acts on its application for a subsequent
license.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-25798 Filed 10-13-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73397-73398]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25772]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0438; FRL-9954-50-OW]

Notice of Extension to Comment Period on the Request for Public
Comments To Be Sent to EPA on Peer Review Materials To Inform the Safe
Drinking Water Act Decision Making on Perchlorate

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the
comment period for the notice, ``Request for Public Comments To Be Sent
to EPA on Peer Review Materials To Inform the Safe Drinking Water Act
Decision Making on Perchlorate.'' In response to stakeholder requests,
EPA is extending the comment period for an additional eleven days, from
November 14, 2016, to November 25, 2016.

DATES: The comment period announced in the notice that was published on
September 30, 2016 (81 FR 67350) is extended. Comments now must be
received by EPA on or before November 25, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2016-0438, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from
Regulations.gov. 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. 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). For
additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy,
information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance
on making effective comments, please visit http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Russ Perkinson at U.S. EPA, Office of
Ground Water and Drinking Water, Standards and Risk Management
Division, (Mail Code 4607M), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington,
DC 20460; telephone:<PHONE_NUMBER>; or<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 30, 2016, EPA published in the
Federal Register (81 FR 67350), a notice announcing the release of
materials for public comment. The materials will undergo expert peer
review in support of the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Act decision making
on perchlorate. The Agency requests

comment on both the draft Biologically Based Dose-Response Model and an
accompanying draft model report entitled ``Biologically Based Dose-
Response Models for the Effect of Perchlorate on Thyroid Hormones in
the Infant, Breast Feeding Mother, Pregnant Mother, and Fetus: Model
Development, Revision, and Preliminary Dose-Response Analyses.'' These
materials will be reviewed by an expert peer review panel and the
panelists will consider the public comments received. For more detailed
information about this matter, please refer to the September 30, 2016,
Federal Register notice.
    The notice of request for public comment, as initially published in
the Federal Register, provided for written comments to be submitted to
EPA on or before November 14, 2016, (a 45-day public comment period).
Since publication, EPA has received a request for additional time to
submit comments. EPA is extending the public comment period for eleven
days until November 25, 2016.

    Dated: October 19, 2016.
Joel Beauvais,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2016-25772 Filed 10-24-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


			  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

		        DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

			  OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

			          WASHINGTON, D.C.

			Issued by the Department of Transportation on December 2, 2003

NOTICE OF ACTION TAKEN -- DOCKET OST-96-1320

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

This serves as notice to the public of the action described below, taken
by the Department official indicated (no additional confirming order
will be issued in this matter).

Applicant:  Air Marshall Islands, Inc.						Date Filed:  November 14,
2003

Relief requested:  Renew exemption from 49 U.S.C. § 41301 to conduct
scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property and mail
between Majuro and Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, and Honolulu, Hawaii;
and charter service between the Marshall Islands and the United States.

If renewal, date and citation of last action:  Notice of Action Taken
dated November 15, 2002, in this docket

Applicant representative:  Lawrence D. Wasko<PHONE_NUMBER>		DOT analyst:
 Shelita Smith<PHONE_NUMBER>

Responsive pleadings:  None

	DISPOSITION

Action:  Approved									Action date:  December 2, 2003

Effective dates of authority granted:  December 2, 2003 – December 2,
2004

Basis for approval (bilateral agreement/reciprocity):  1986 Compact of
Free Association between the United States

and the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands

Except to the extent exempted/waived, this authority is subject to the
terms, conditions, and limitations indicated:

_X_ Standard exemption conditions (attached)        __ Foreign air
carrier permit conditions (Order   -  -  )

Special conditions/Partial grant/Denial basis/Remarks:

Action taken by:   Paul L. Gretch, Director

		      Office of International Aviation

________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

We found that the applicant was qualified to perform its proposed
operations.

Under authority assigned by the Department in its regulations, 14 CFR
Part 385, we found that  (1) our action was consistent with Department
policy; (2) grant of the authority was consistent with the public
interest; and (3) grant of the authority would not constitute a major
regulatory action under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975.
To the extent not granted/deferred/dismissed, we denied all requests in
the referenced Docket.  We may amend, modify, or revoke the authority
granted in this Notice at any time without hearing at our discretion.

Persons entitled to petition the Department for review of the action set
forth in this Notice under the Department’s regulations, 14 CFR
§385.30, may file their petitions within seven (7) days after the date
of issuance of this Notice.  This action was effective when taken, and
the filing of a petition for review will not alter such effectiveness.

An electronic version of this document is available on the World Wide
Web at:

http://dms.dot.gov//reports/reports_aviation.asp

Foreign Carrier Exemption Conditions

In the conduct of the operations authorized, the foreign carrier
applicant(s) shall:

(1)  Not conduct any operations unless it holds a currently effective
authorization from its homeland for such operations, and it has filed a
copy of such authorization with the Department;

(2)  Comply with all applicable requirements of the Federal Aviation
Administration, including, but not limited to, 14 CFR Parts 129, 91, and
36, and with all applicable U.S. Government requirements concerning
security.  To assure compliance with all applicable U.S. Government
requirements concerning security, the holder shall, before commencing
any new service (including charter flights) from a foreign airport that
would be the holder’s last point of departure for the United States,
contact its Principal Security Inspector (PSI) to advise the PSI of its
plans and to find out whether the Transportation Security Administration
has determined that security is adequate to allow such airport(s) to be
served;

(3)  Comply with the requirements for minimum insurance coverage
contained in 14 CFR Part 205, and, prior to the commencement of any
operations under this authority, file evidence of such coverage, in the
form of a completed OST Form 6411, with the Federal Aviation
Administration’s Program Management Branch (AFS-260), Flight Standards
Service (any changes to, or termination of, insurance also shall be
filed with that office);

(4)  Not operate aircraft under this authority unless it complies with
operational safety requirements at least equivalent to Annex 6 of the
Chicago Convention;

(5)  Conform to the airworthiness and airman competency requirements of
its Government for international air services;

(6)  Except as specifically exempted or otherwise provided for in a
Department Order, comply with the requirements of 14 CFR Part 203,
concerning waiver of Warsaw Convention liability limits and defenses;

(7)  Agree that operations under this authority constitute a waiver of
sovereign immunity, for the purposes of 28 U.S.C. 1605(a), but only with
respect to those actions or proceedings instituted against it in any
court or other tribunal in the United States that are: (a)  based on its
operations in international air transportation that, according to the
contract of carriage, include a point in the United States as a point of
origin, point of destination, or agreed stopping place, or for which the
contract of carriage was purchased in the United States; or (b)  based
on a claim under any international agreement or treaty cognizable in any
court or other tribunal of the United States.  In this condition, the
term "international air transportation" means "international
transportation" as defined by the Warsaw Convention, except that all
States shall be considered to be High Contracting Parties for the
purpose of this definition;

(8)  Except as specifically authorized by the Department, originate or
terminate all flights to/from the United States in its homeland;

(9)  Comply with the requirements of 14 CFR Part 217, concerning the
reporting of scheduled, nonscheduled, and charter data;

(10) If charter operations are authorized, except as otherwise provided
in the applicable aviation agreement, comply with the Department's rules
governing charters (including 14 CFR Parts 212 and 380); and

(11) Comply with such other reasonable terms, conditions, and
limitations required by the public interest as may be prescribed by the
Department, with all applicable orders or regulations of other U.S.
agencies and courts, and with all applicable laws of the United States.

This authority shall not be effective during any period when the holder
is not in compliance with the conditions imposed above.  Moreover, this
authority cannot be sold or otherwise transferred without explicit
Department approval under Title 49 of the U.S. Code.

08/2003


[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 8, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53720-53721]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21957]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2019-0504; FRL-10000-87-ORD]

Availability of the IRIS Assessment Plan for Inorganic Mercury
Salts

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 30-
day public comment period associated with release of the IRIS
Assessment Plan for Inorganic Mercury Salts. This document communicates
information on the scoping needs identified by EPA program and regional
offices and the IRIS Program's initial problem formulation activities.
Specifically, the assessment plan outlines the objectives for the IRIS
assessment and the type of evidence considered most pertinent to
address the scoping needs. EPA is releasing this IRIS Assessment Plan
for a 30-day public comment period in advance of a public science
webinar planned for December 5, 2019. The Agency encourages the public
to comment on all aspects of the assessment plan, including key science
issues.

DATES: The 30-day public comment period begins October 8, 2019 and ends
November 7, 2019. Comments must be received on or before November 7,
2019.

ADDRESSES: The IRIS Assessment Plan for Inorganic Mercury Salts will be
available via the internet on the IRIS website at https://www.epa.gov/iris/iris-recent-additions and in the public docket at https://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2019-0504.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment
period, contact the ORD Docket at the EPA Headquarters Docket Center;
phone:<PHONE_NUMBER>; fax:<PHONE_NUMBER>; or email<EMAIL_ADDRESS>    For technical information on the IRIS Assessment Plan for Inorganic
Mercury Salts, contact Dr. James Avery, NCEA; phone:<PHONE_NUMBER>; or
email<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About IRIS Assessment Plans

    EPA's IRIS Program is a human health assessment program that
evaluates quantitative and qualitative information on the health
effects that may result from exposure to chemicals found in the
environment. Through the IRIS Program, EPA provides high quality
science-based human health assessments to support the Agency's
regulatory activities and decisions to protect public health. As part
of scoping and initial problem formulation activities prior to the
development of an assessment, the IRIS Program carries out a broad,
preliminary literature survey to assist in identifying health effects
that have been studied in relation to the chemical or substance of
interest, as well as science issues that may need to be considered when
evaluating toxicity. This information, in conjunction with scoping
needs identified by EPA program and regional offices, is used to inform
the development of an IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP).
    The IAP communicates the plan for developing each individual
chemical assessment to the public and includes summary information on
the IRIS Program's scoping and initial problem formulation activities,
objectives and specific aims for the assessment, and a PECO
(Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes) for the systematic
review. The PECO provides the framework for developing detailed
literature search strategies and inclusion/exclusion criteria,
particularly with respect to evidence stream (e.g., human, animal,
mechanistic), exposure measures, and outcome measures. The IAP serves
to inform the subsequent development of chemical-specific systematic
review protocols, which will be made available for public review.

II. Public Webinar Information

    To allow for public input, EPA is convening a public webinar to
discuss the IRIS Assessment Plan for Inorganic Mercury Salts on
December 5, 2019. Specific teleconference and webinar information
regarding this public meeting will be provided through the IRIS website
(https://www.epa.gov/iris) and via EPA's Human Health Risk Assessment
(HHRA) and IRIS listservs. To register for the HHRA or IRIS listserv,
visit the IRIS website (https://www.epa.gov/iris) or visit https://www.epa.gov/iris/forms/staying-connected-integrated-risk-information-system#connect.

III. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at https://www.regulations.gov

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2019-
0504, by one of the following methods:
     https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
     Email<EMAIL_ADDRESS>     Fax:<PHONE_NUMBER>.

     Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket
Center (ORD Docket), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is<PHONE_NUMBER>.
     Hand Delivery: The ORD Docket is located in the EPA
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004.
    The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The phone
number for the Public Reading Room is<PHONE_NUMBER>. Deliveries are only
accepted during the docket's normal hours of operation, and special
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. If you
provide comments by mail or hand delivery, please submit three copies
of the comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages
consecutively with the comments, and submit an unbound original and
three copies.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2019-0504. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the
specified comment period. Comments received after the closing date will
be marked ``late,'' and may only be considered if time permits. It is
EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket
without change and to make the comments available online at https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless a comment includes information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information for which disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information through https://www.regulations.gov or email that you consider to be CBI or otherwise
protected. The https://www.regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous
access'' system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you
send an email comment directly to EPA without going through https://www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured
and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket
and made available on the internet. If you submit an electronic
comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact
information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you
submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties
and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to
consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special
characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit the
EPA Docket Center homepage at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Docket: Documents in the docket are listed in the https://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other materials,
such as copyrighted material, are publicly available only in hard copy.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
in https://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the ORD Docket in the
EPA Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: September 26, 2019.
Tina Bahadori,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2019-21957 Filed 10-7-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P