Kristin Fitzgerald/DC/USEPA/US 

12/20/2006 04:52 PM	To

	jdelahunt@coloradocollege.edu, Kent Clawson

	cc

	

	bcc

	Patricia Mercer/DC/USEPA/US@EPA; Meg McCarthy/DC/USEPA/US@EPA; James 

Michael/DC/USEPA/US@EPA

	Subject

	Follow-up Question to Colorado College's Comment

	

	

John DeLaHunt, Assistant Director of Facilities Services

Kent Clawson, Hazardous Materials Manager

Colorado College

 Thank you for your comments on EPA’s Proposed Rule: Subpart
K—Standards 

Applicable to Academic Laboratories (71 Federal Register 29712) on
behalf 

of Colorado College.

In response to Colorado College’s comments (Docket Number 

EPA-HQ-RCRA-2003-0012-0169), EPA has a follow-up question.  In the 

preamble to the proposed rule (page 29720), EPA estimated that hazardous


laboratory waste constitutes 9% of the annual hazardous waste generated
by 

college and university large quantity generators.  EPA based this number


on data submitted to EPA by colleges and universities that are large 

quantity generators, as part of the 2001 Biennial Report.  

In contrast, on page 1 of Colorado College’s comments to the docket,
you 

commented that, “We believe that EPA misstates the proportion of
hazardous 

waste that comes from laboratories in the preamble.  We believe that the


proportion is closer to 90% than 9%; this is certainly the case at 

Colorado College.”  EPA is very interested in any data that Colorado 

College has and can provide to support this assertion.  This information


would be beneficial to EPA in its development of the final rule, in
order 

to have a fuller understanding of the laboratory waste generation
patterns 

at colleges and universities.  Unfortunately, this comment is not useful


to EPA without supporting data that can substantiate or validate
Colorado 

College’s waste generation.  EPA would find it helpful if you could 

provide an explanation of the origins of the data (e.g., what year are
the 

data from, what is included/excluded in the categories of laboratory
waste 

and hazardous waste), and how or why the data may differ from the
Biennial 

Report data we relied on.  In addition, we would appreciate a timely 

response to allow us to incorporate any information you may provide into


the decision-making process, as appropriate.   Please provide a response


by the end of January 2007.  If you are unable to provide a response by 

then, please contact us to let us know if and when you could provide a 

timely response.  

Any supporting information you provide to EPA will be made publicly 

available in the docket for the rulemaking, unless the information is 

claimed as Confidential Business Information (CBI). Therefore, if you 

submit any information that you claim as CBI, clearly mark all of the 

information that you claim to be CBI.  Information so marked will not be


disclosed, except in accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part


2.  Please do not fax any information claimed as CBI.  For additional 

information on how to submit CBI, refer to page 29713, of the May 23, 

2006, Federal Register, proposed rule for academic laboratories, or 

contact LaShan Haynes, the Office of Solid Waste CBI contact, at (703) 

605-0516, Haynes.LaShan@epa.gov.

Again, thank you for your comments on the proposed standards for
academic 

laboratories.  Please direct any questions or response to this letter to


any member of EPA’s labs team:  

Patricia Mercer, (703) 308-8408, Mercer.Patricia@epa.gov

Meg McCarthy, (703) 308-8653, McCarthy.Meg@epa.gov

Kristin Fitzgerald, (703) 308-8286, Fitzgerald.Kristin@epa.gov

**************************************************************

Kristin Fitzgerald

US EPA - Office of Solid Waste

mail code:  5304P

phone:  703-308-8286

fax:  703-308-0522

email:  fitzgerald.kristin@epa.gov

work schedule:  Tuesday/Thursday

