[Federal Register: June 9, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 111)]
[Notices]
[Page 32344-32345]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09jn04-63]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL -7672-1]
Science Advisory Board Staff Office Clean Air Scientific Advisory
Committee (CASAC) Notification of Advisory Committee Meeting of the
CASAC Particulate Matter Review Panel
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the Clean Air
Scientific Advisory Committee's (CASAC) Particulate Matter (PM) Review
Panel to discuss follow-on matters related to its ongoing peer review
of the EPA Air Quality Criteria Document for Particulate Matter (Fourth
External Review Draft).
DATES: The meeting will be held July 20, 2004, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. (eastern time), and July 21, 2004, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
(eastern time).
Location: The meeting will take place at the Embassy Suites Hotel,
Raleigh-Durham-Research Triangle East, 201 Harrison Oaks Boulevard,
Cary, North Carolina. A publicly-accessible teleconference line will be
available for the entire meeting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wishes to
obtain the teleconference call-in numbers and access codes; would like
to submit written or brief oral comments (5 minutes or less); or wants
further information concerning this meeting, must contact Mr. Fred
Butterfield, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA Science Advisory
Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice mail: (202) 343-
9994; fax: (202) 233-0643; or e-mail at: butterfield.fred@epa.gov.
General information concerning the CASAC or the EPA Science Advisory
Board can be found on the EPA Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Summary: The CASAC, which comprises seven members appointed by the
EPA Administrator, was established under section 109(d)(2) of the Clean
Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7409) as an independent scientific advisory
committee, in part to provide advice, information and recommendations
on the scientific and technical aspects of issues related to air
quality criteria and national ambient air
[[Page 32345]]
quality standards (NAAQS) under sections 108 and 109 of the Act. The
CASAC is a Federal advisory committee chartered under the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C., App. The CASAC PM
Review Panel will comply with the provisions of FACA and all
appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies.
The meeting is a continuation of the PM Review Panel's peer review
of the EPA Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter (Fourth External
Review Draft). The CASAC PM Review Panel's reports, comments and
recommendations from its last two reviews concerning this draft
document can be found on the SAB Web site, as follows: (1) August 25-
26, 2003 meeting, http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/casacl04002.pdf; and (2) February 3, 2004 teleconference, http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/casac_04005.pdf.
Specifically, this meeting will be held to discuss the
revisions to Chapter 7 (Toxicology of Particulate Matter in Humans and
Laboratory Animals); Chapter 8 (Epidemiology of Human Health Effects
Associated with Ambient Particulate Matter); and Chapter 9 (Integrative
Synthesis) of the Fourth External Review Draft of the Air Quality
Criteria Document (AQCD) for PM.
Background: EPA is in the process of updating, and revising where
appropriate, the AQCD for PM as issued in 1996. Section 109(d)(1) of
the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires that EPA carry out a periodic review
and revision, where appropriate, of the air quality criteria and the
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ``criteria'' air
pollutants such as PM. On June 30, 2003, the National Center for
Environmental Assessment (NCEA), within EPA's Office of Research and
Development, made available for public review and comment a Fourth
External Review Draft of a revised document, EPA Air Quality Criteria
for Particulate Matter. Under CAA sections 108 and 109, the purpose of
the revised document is to provide an assessment of the latest
scientific information on the effects of airborne PM on the public
health and welfare, for use in EPA's current review of the NAAQS for
PM. Detailed summary information on the history of the current draft
AQCD for PM is contained in a previous Federal Register notice (68 FR
36985, June 20, 2003). The EPA Air Quality Criteria for Particulate
Matter (Fourth External Review Draft) and revised chapters of this
draft document can be viewed and downloaded from the NCEA Web site at:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/partmatt.cfm. Any questions concerning
the draft document should be directed to Dr. Robert Elias, NCEA-RTP,
via telephone: (919) 541-1818; or e-mail at: elias.robert@epa.gov.
Availability of Additional Meeting Materials: Copies of the draft
agendas for the meetings that are described in this notice will be
posted on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab (under the
``Agendas'' subheading) in advance of the CASAC PM Review Panel
meeting. Other materials that may be available will also be posted on
the SAB Web site during this time-frame.
Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings: It is the
policy of the SAB Staff Office to accept written public comments of any
length, and to accommodate oral public comments whenever possible. The
SAB Staff Office expects that public statements presented at its
meetings will not be repetitive of previously-submitted oral or written
statements.
Oral Comments: In general, each individual or group requesting an
oral presentation at a face-to-face meeting will be limited to a total
time of five minutes (unless otherwise indicated). Requests to provide
oral comments must be in writing (e-mail, fax or mail) and received by
Mr. Butterfield no later than noon Eastern Time five business days
prior to the meeting in order to reserve time on the meeting agenda.
Speakers should bring at least 75 copies of their comments and
presentation slides for distribution to the reviewers and public at the
meeting.
Written Comments: Although the SAB Staff Office accepts written
comments until the date of the meeting (unless otherwise stated),
written comments should be received in the SAB Staff Office no later
than noon Eastern Time five business days prior to the meeting so that
the comments may be made available to the CASAC PM Review Panel for
their consideration. Comments should be supplied to Mr. Butterfield
(preferably via e-mail) at the address/contact information noted above,
as follows: one hard copy with original signature, and one electronic
copy via e-mail (acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat PDF,
WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files (in IBM-PC/Windows 95/98
format)). Those providing written comments and who attend the meeting
are also asked to bring 75 copies of their comments for public
distribution.
Meeting Access: Individuals requiring special accommodation at this
meeting, including wheelchair access to the conference room, should
contact Mr. Butterfield at the phone number or e-mail address noted
above at least five business days prior to the meeting so that
appropriate arrangements can be made.
Dated: June 20, 2004.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 04-13030 Filed 6-8-04; 8:45 am]
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