[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 17 (Thursday, January 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5002-5004]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01501]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0924; FRL-10439-01-OCSPP]


Stakeholder Engagement Opportunities on Inflation Reduction Act 
Programs To Reduce Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated With 
Construction Materials and Products

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the 
first opportunities for public input on new programs focused on lower 
carbon construction materials made possible by a $350 million 
investment from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The Agency will hold 
three public webinars and is accepting written feedback on establishing 
the new grant and technical assistance programs and a carbon labeling 
program for construction materials with substantially lower levels of 
embodied carbon.

DATES: 
    Webinars: March 2, 2023, 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST. Topic: Reducing 
Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Construction Materials 
Prioritization and Environmental Data Improvement. You must register 
online at https://esindustrial.webex.com/weblink/register/r3e2a14dee9e470bbe09e0c27857121b0.
    March 22, 2023, 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST. Topic: Reducing Embodied 
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Grants and Technical Assistance for 
Environmental Product Declarations. You must register online at https://esindustrial.webex.com/weblink/register/r7672c2c41979f2125343935a12d2ccb6.
    April 19, 2023, 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST. Topic: Reducing Embodied 
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Carbon Labeling. You must register online at 
https://esindustrial.webex.com/weblink/register/rfdbb89ff0328b17c371bf47c74d7bae7.
    Special accommodations: To allow EPA time to process your request 
for special accommodations, please submit the request on or before 
February 14, 2023. For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, and to request accommodation for a 
disability, please contact Alison Kinn Bennett, listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Written comments: Comments must be received on or before May 1, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Webinars: You must register online using the links listed under 
DATES in order to receive the webcast meeting link and audio 
teleconference information for the particular webinar.
    Written Comments: Submit your comments, identified by docket 
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0924, through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 
instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit electronically any 
information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) 
or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 
Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along 
with more information about dockets generally, is available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alison Kinn Bennett, Senior Advisor, 
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program (7409M), Office of 
Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone 
number: (202) 564-8859; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Executive Summary

A. Does this action apply to me?

    This is directed to the public in general. This notice may be of 
specific interest to persons who represent industry, program operators, 
institutional purchasers, researchers, academia, state, tribal, and 
local governments including U.S. territories and the District of 
Columbia, other federal agencies, community groups, non-governmental 
organizations, the public, and international organizations.

B. What action is the Agency taking?

    EPA is announcing stakeholder engagement opportunities through 
upcoming webinars and a Request for Information (RFI) to help shape 
implementation of IRA programs under the IRA sections 60112 and 60116.

C. What should I consider as I prepare my responses for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit CBI information to EPA through 
regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be CBI. In addition to one complete 
version of the comment that includes information claimed as CBI, a copy 
of the comment that does not contain the information claimed as CBI 
must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. Information so 
marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with procedures set 
forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. Multimedia submissions. 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. The 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).
    3. Tips for preparing your comments. When preparing and submitting 
your comments, see the commenting tips at https://www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html. 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.
    4. Request for information and comments. EPA has prepared a Request 
for Information (RFI) document that is available in the docket and is 
intended to facilitate your consideration and preparation of written 
comments. Only comments submitted directly through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov will be accepted. 
Electronic submission ensures timely receipt by the EPA and enables the 
EPA to make comments immediately available to the public. Comments 
posted in the https://www.regulations.gov website can be viewed by 
other commenters and interested members of the public.
    Information provided in response to this RFI will inform the 
prioritization of work and key design elements of these new programs. 
EPA's questions cover the following areas:
     What construction materials/products should EPA prioritize 
in implementation of these programs?
     What data accessibility and improvement approaches should 
EPA consider?
     What standardization, measurement, verification, and 
reporting approaches for use in procurement decision-making should EPA 
consider?
     What factors should EPA consider for the Environmental 
Product Declaration Assistance program?
     What should be considered for setting thresholds for 
``substantially lower levels'' of embodied greenhouse gas emission for 
qualifying materials/products under a labeling program?
     What would be the key elements of an effective carbon 
labeling program?
    If you elect to comment, you do not need to address every question 
and may focus on those where you have relevant expertise or experience. 
Please identify the question(s) you are responding to by question 
number in the RFI when submitting your comments.

II. Background

    In August 2022, Congress passed and President Biden signed the IRA 
into law, creating the largest investment to combat the climate crisis 
in United States history. The IRA will bolster U.S. energy security, 
help families save money on energy costs and prescription drugs, reduce 
the deficit and create

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good-paying jobs. EPA received $41.5 billion in appropriations to 
develop and support 24 new and existing programs that monitor and 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, protect health and 
advance environmental justice.
    These new programs funded by the IRA Sections 60112 and 60116 will 
provide grants, technical assistance, and tools, including a carbon 
label, to advance the President's bold agenda to combat the climate 
crisis, protect public health and advance environmental justice. The 
new programs will help manufacturers, institutional buyers, real estate 
developers, builders and others measure, report and substantially lower 
the levels of embodied carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions 
associated with the production, use and disposal of construction 
materials and products including steel, concrete, asphalt and glass. 
Additionally, this work will support President Biden's Buy Clean Task 
Force which is developing recommendations for Federal procurement and 
federally funded projects that would expand consideration of greenhouse 
gas emissions and other pollutants associated with construction 
materials.
    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1310.

    Dated: January 18, 2023.
Michal Freedhoff,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2023-01501 Filed 1-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


