(a) Making confidentiality claims -
(1) Generally. Any person submitting information under this part may assert a confidentiality claim for that information at the time it is submitted, except for information described in paragraph (a)(2). Any such confidentiality claims must be asserted at the time the information is submitted. These claims will apply only to the information submitted with the claim. Instructions for asserting confidentiality claims are provided in the document identified in § 711.35. Information claimed as confidential in accordance with this section will be treated and disclosed in accordance with the procedures in 40 CFR part 2 and section 14 of TSCA.
(2) Exceptions. Confidentiality claims cannot be asserted:
(i) For chemical identities listed on the public portion of the TSCA Inventory;
(ii) For processing and use data elements required by § 711.15(b)(4)(i)(A), (B), and (C) and § 711.15(b)(4)(ii)(A), (B), (C), and (D); or
(iii) When a response is left blank or designated as “not known or reasonably ascertainable.”
(3) Substantiations. All confidentiality claims must be substantiated at time of submission, in accordance with the requirements in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d)(1) of this section, and must be signed and dated by an authorized official. Confidentiality claims for the following data elements are exempt from this substantiation requirement:
(i) Production volume information required pursuant to § 711.15(b)(3)(iii).
(ii) Joint submission information from the primary submitter, consisting of trade name and supplier identification required pursuant to § 711.15(b)(3)(i)(A) and (B).
(iii) Joint submission information from the secondary submitter, consisting of the percentage of formulation required pursuant to § 711.15(b)(3)(i)(A) and (B).
(iv) Information that is supplied in a petition submitted under § 711.6(b)(2)(iii) or § 711.10(d)(1)(ii) and that is described in section 14(c)(2) of TSCA.
(4) Marking information claimed as confidential in confidentiality substantiation documentation. If any of the information contained in the answers to the questions listed in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section is asserted to contain information that itself is considered to be confidential, you must clearly identify the information that is claimed confidential.
(5) Certification statement for claims. An authorized official representing a person asserting a claim of confidentiality must certify that the submission complies with the requirements of this part by signing and dating the following certification statement:
“I certify that all claims for confidentiality asserted with this submission are true and correct, and all information submitted herein to substantiate such claims is true and correct. Any knowing and willful misrepresentation is subject to criminal penalty pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1001. I further certify that: (1) I have taken reasonable measures to protect the confidentiality of the information; (2) I have determined that the information is not required to be disclosed or otherwise made available to the public under any other Federal law; (3) I have a reasonable basis to conclude that disclosure of the information is likely to cause substantial harm to the competitive position of my company; and (4) I have a reasonable basis to believe that the information is not readily discoverable through reverse engineering.”
(6) Company, site, and technical contact identity information. A submitter may assert a claim of confidentiality for a site, company, or technical contact identity to protect the link between that information and the reported chemical substance. Such claim may be asserted only when the linkage of that information to a reportable chemical substance is confidential and not publicly available.
(7) Processing and use information. A submitter may assert a claim of confidentiality for each data element required by § 711.15(b)(4)(i)(D), (E) and (F) and § 711.15(b)(4)(ii)(E), (F), and (G) to protect the link between that information and the reported chemical substance. Such claim may be asserted only when the linkage of that information to a reportable chemical substance is confidential and not publicly available.
(b) All confidentiality claims requiring substantiation at time of submission. For each data element (or information supplied in a petition submitted under § 711.6(b)(2)(iii)(A) or § 711.10(d)(1)(ii)(A)) that is claimed as confidential, you must submit with your report detailed written answers to the following questions:
(1) Will disclosure of the information claimed as confidential likely cause substantial harm to your business's competitive position? If you answered yes, describe the substantial harmful effects that would likely result to your competitive position if the information is disclosed, including but not limited to how a competitor could use such information, and the causal relationship between the disclosure and the harmful effects.
(2) To the extent your business has disclosed the information to others (both internally and externally), has your business taken precautions to protect the confidentiality of the disclosed information? If yes, please explain and identify the specific measures, including but not limited to internal controls, that your business has taken to protect the information claimed as confidential.
(3)
(i) Is any of the information claimed as confidential required to be publicly disclosed under any other Federal law? If yes, please explain.
(ii) Does any of the information claimed as confidential otherwise appear in any public documents, including (but not limited to) safety data sheets; advertising or promotional material; professional or trade publications; state, local, or Federal agency files; or any other media or publications available to the general public? If yes, please explain why the information should be treated as confidential.
(iii) Does any of the information claimed as confidential appear in one or more patents or patent applications? If yes, please provide the associated patent number or patent application number (or numbers) and explain why the information should be treated as confidential.
(4) Does any of the information that you are claiming as confidential constitute a trade secret? If yes, please explain how the information you are claiming as confidential constitutes a trade secret.
(5) Is the claim of confidentiality intended to last less than 10 years (see TSCA section 14(e)(1)(B))? If yes, please indicate the number of years (between 1-10 years) or the specific date after which the claim is withdrawn.
(6) Has EPA, another federal agency, or court made any confidentiality determination regarding information associated with this chemical substance? If yes, please provide the circumstances associated with the prior determination, whether the information was found to be entitled to confidential treatment, the entity that made the decision, and the date of the determination.
(c) Additional requirements for specific chemical identity. A person may assert a claim of confidentiality for the specific chemical identity of a chemical substance as described in § 711.15(b)(3) of this part only if the identity of that chemical substance is treated as confidential in the Master Inventory File as of the time the report is submitted for that chemical substance. Generic chemical identities and accession numbers may not be claimed as confidential. To assert a claim of confidentiality for the identity of a reportable chemical substance, you must submit with the report detailed written answers to the questions from paragraph (b) of this section and to the following questions.
(1) Is this chemical substance publicly known (including by your competitors) to be in U.S. commerce? If yes, please explain why the specific chemical identity should still be afforded confidential status (e.g., the chemical substance is publicly known only as being distributed in commerce for research and development purposes, but no other information about the current commercial distribution of the chemical substance in the United States is publicly available). If no, please complete the certification statement:
I certify that on the date referenced, I searched the internet for the chemical substance identity (i.e., by both chemical substance name and CASRN). I did not find a reference to this chemical substance that would indicate that the chemical is being manufactured or imported by anyone for a commercial purpose in the United States. [provide date].
(2) Does this particular chemical substance leave the site of manufacture (including import) in any form, e.g., as a product, effluent, emission? If yes, please explain what measures have been taken to guard against the discovery of its identity.
(3) If the chemical substance leaves the site in a form that is available to the public or your competitors, can the chemical identity be readily discovered by analysis of the substance (e.g., product, effluent, emission), in light of existing technologies and any costs, difficulties, or limitations associated with such technologies? Please explain why or why not.
(4) Would disclosure of the specific chemical name release confidential process information? If yes, please explain.
(d) Special situations -
(1) Joint submissions. If a primary submitter asks a secondary submitter to provide information directly to EPA in a joint submission under § 711.15(b)(3)(i)(A) and (B), only the primary submitter may assert a confidentiality claim for the data elements that it directly submits to EPA. The primary submitter must substantiate those claims that are not exempt under paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of this section. The secondary submitter is responsible for asserting all confidentiality claims for the data elements that it submits directly to EPA and for substantiating those claims that are not exempt under paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this section.
(2) Petitions. If a petition submitted under § 711.6(b)(2)(iii)(A) or § 711.10(d)(1)(ii)(A) includes any information claimed as confidential, the petitioner must provide a version of the petition that redacts the information claimed as confidential.
(e) No claim of confidentiality. Information not claimed as confidential in accordance with the requirements of this section may be made public without further notice to the submitter.
[85 FR 20148, Apr. 9, 2020]