Title 40

SECTION 790.7

790.7 Confidentiality.

§ 790.7 Confidentiality.

(a) Any person subject to the requirements of a consent agreement or a test rule under section 4 of the Act may assert a claim of confidentiality for certain information submitted to EPA in response to the consent agreement or the test rule. Any information claimed as confidential will be treated in accordance with the procedures in part 2 of this title and section 14 of the Act. Failure to assert a claim of confidentiality at the time the information is submitted will result in the information being made available to the public without further notice to the submitter.

(b) A claim of confidentiality must be asserted by circling or otherwise marking the specific information claimed as confidential and designating it with the words “confidential business information,” “trade secret,” or another appropriate phrase indicating its confidential character.

(c) If a person asserts a claim of confidentiality for study plan information described in §§ 790.50(c)(1)(iii)(D), (iv), (v), and (vi) and 790.62(b)(6), (7), (8), (9), and (10), the person must provide a detailed written substantiation of the claim by answering the questions in this paragraph. Failure to provide written substantiation at the time the study plan information is submitted will be considered a waiver of the claim of confidentiality, and the study plan information will be disclosed to the public without further notice.

(1) Would disclosure of the study plan information disclose processes used in the manufacture or processing of a chemical substance or mixture? Describe how this would occur.

(2) Would disclosure of the study plan information disclose the portion of a mixture comprised by any of the substances in the mixture? Describe how this would occur.

(3) What harmful effects to your competitive position, if any, do you think would result from disclosure of this information? How would a competitor use such information? How substantial would the harmful effects be? What is the causal relationship between disclosure and the harmful effects?

(4) For what period of time should confidential treatment be given? Until a specific date, the occurrence of a specific event, or permanently? Why?

(5) What measures have you taken to guard against disclosure of this information to others?

(6) To what extent has this information been disclosed to others? What precautions have been taken in connection with such disclosures?

(7) Has this information been disclosed to the public in any forms? Describe the circumstances.

(8) Has the information been disclosed in a patent?

(9) Has EPA, another Federal agency, or any Federal court made any pertinent confidentiality determination regarding this information? If so, copies of such determinations must be included in the substantiation.

(d) If the substantiation provided under paragraph (c) of this section contains information which the submitter considers confidential, the submitter must assert a separate claim of confidentiality for that information at the time of submission in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section.

[49 FR 39782, Oct. 10, 1984, as amended at 51 FR 23713, June 30, 1986]