(a) A written application for review of an alternate test procedure (alternate method) for nationwide use may be made by letter via email or by hard copy in triplicate to the National Alternate Test Procedure (ATP) Program Coordinator (National Coordinator), Office of Science and Technology (4303T), Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460. Any application for an ATP under this paragraph (a) shall:

(1) Provide the name and address of the responsible person or firm making the application.

(2) Identify the pollutant(s) or parameter(s) for which nationwide approval of an alternate test procedure is being requested.

(3) Provide a detailed description of the proposed alternate test procedure, together with references to published or other studies confirming the general applicability of the alternate test procedure for the analysis of the pollutant(s) or parameter(s) in wastewater discharges from representative and specified industrial or other categories.

(4) Provide comparability data for the performance of the proposed alternative test procedure compared to the performance of the reference method.

(b) The National Coordinator may request additional information and analyses from the applicant in order to evaluate whether the alternate test procedure satisfies the applicable requirements of this part.

(c) Approval for nationwide use.

(1) After a review of the application and any additional analyses requested from the applicant, the National Coordinator will notify the applicant, in writing, of whether the National Coordinator will recommend approval or disapproval of the alternate test procedure for nationwide use in CWA programs. If the application is not recommended for approval, the National Coordinator may specify what additional information might lead to a reconsideration of the application and notify the Regional Alternate Test Procedure Coordinators of the disapproval recommendation. Based on the National Coordinator's recommended disapproval of a proposed alternate test procedure and an assessment of any current approvals for limited uses for the unapproved method, the Regional ATP Coordinator may decide to withdraw approval of the method for limited use in the Region.

(2) Where the National Coordinator has recommended approval of an applicant's request for nationwide use of an alternate test procedure, the National Coordinator will notify the applicant. The National Coordinator will also notify the Regional ATP Coordinators that they may consider approval of this alternate test procedure for limited use in their Regions based on the information and data provided in the application until the alternate test procedure is approved by publication in a final rule in the Federal Register.

(3) EPA will propose to amend this part to include the alternate test procedure in §136.3. EPA shall make available for review all the factual bases for its proposal, including the method, any performance data submitted by the applicant and any available EPA analysis of those data.

(4) Following public comment, EPA shall publish in the Federal Register a final decision on whether to amend this part to include the alternate test procedure as an approved analytical method for nationwide use.

(5) Whenever the National Coordinator has recommended approval of an applicant's ATP request for nationwide use, any person may request an approval of the method for limited use under §136.5 from the EPA Region.

[77 FR 29809, May 18, 2012, as amended at 82 FR 40874, Aug. 28, 2017]