[Federal Register: December 27, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 248)]
[Notices]
[Page 77742-77743]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27de06-50]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8262-3]
Science Advisory Board Staff Office; EPA Clean Air Scientific
Advisory Committee (CASAC); CASAC Ozone Review Panel Notification of a
Public Advisory Committee Meeting (Teleconference)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science
Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public teleconference of
the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) Ozone Review Panel
(CASAC Panel) to review EPA's Final Review of the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards for Ozone: Policy Assessment of Scientific and
Technical Information (Final Ozone Staff Paper, January 2007), focusing
on Chapter 6 (The Primary O3 NAAQS) and Chapter 8 (The Secondary O3
NAAQS).
DATE: The teleconference meeting will be held on Monday, January 29,
2007, from 1 to 5 p.m. (Eastern Time).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wishes to
obtain the teleconference call-in number and access code; submit a
written or brief oral statement (three minutes or less); or receive
further information concerning this teleconference meeting, must
contact Mr. Fred Butterfield, Designated Federal Officer (DFO). Mr.
Butterfield may be contacted at the EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F),
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; or 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 SAB can be found on the EPA
Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: The CASAC, which is comprised of
seven members appointed by the EPA Administrator, was established under
section 109(d)(2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) (42 U.S.C. 7409) as
an independent scientific advisory committee. The CASAC provides
advice, information and recommendations on the scientific and technical
aspects of issues related to air quality criteria and NAAQS under
sections 108 and 109 of the Act. The CASAC is chartered under the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C., App. The
CASAC Ozone Review Panel consists of the seven CASAC members
supplemented by subject-matter-experts. The CASAC Ozone Review Panel
provides advice and recommendations to EPA concerning ozone and related
photochemical oxidants in ambient air. The Panel complies with the
provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural
policies.
Section 109(d)(1) of the CAA requires that the Agency periodically
review and revise, as appropriate, the air quality criteria and the
national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for the six ``criteria''
air pollutants, including ambient ozone. Pursuant to sections 108 and
109 of the Act, EPA is in the process of reviewing the ozone NAAQS,
which the Agency most recently revised in July 1997. EPA's Office of
Air Quality
[[Page 77743]]
Planning and Standards (OAQPS), within the Office of Air and Radiation
(OAR), will publish a Final Ozone Staff Paper as part of its review of
the ozone NAAQS. The Final Ozone Staff Paper evaluates the policy
implications of the key scientific and technical information contained
in the Agency's final Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related
Photochemical Oxidants, Volumes I, II, and III, (EPA/600/R-05/004aF-cF,
February 2006), and identifies critical elements that EPA believes
should be considered in its review of the ozone NAAQS. The Ozone Staff
Paper is intended to ``bridge the gap'' between the scientific review
contained in the Ozone Air Quality Criteria Document (AQCD) and the
public health and welfare policy judgments required of the EPA
Administrator in reviewing the ozone NAAQS. EPA solicited advice and
recommendations from the CASAC Panel on the First Draft Ozone Staff
Paper (November 2005) in a public meeting on December 8, 2005, in
Durham, NC. The CASAC's letter to the EPA Administrator (EPA-CASAC-CON-
06-003, dated February 16, 2006) is posted on the SAB Web Site at
http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/casac_con_06_003.pdf. In addition, EPA
solicited the Panel's advice and recommendations on the Second Draft
Ozone Staff Paper (July 2006) in a public meeting on August 24-25,
2006, in Durham, NC. The CASAC's letter to the Administrator (EPA-
CASAC-07-001, dated October 24, 2006) is posted on the SAB Web site at
http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/casac-07-001.pdf. In that letter, the CASAC
indicated it would review the Agency's Final Ozone Staff Paper and
offer additional, unsolicited advice to the Agency on Chapter 6 (The
Primary O3 NAAQS) and Chapter 8 (The Secondary O3 NAAQS). The purpose
of such advice is to advise EPA as it develops a proposed rule for
ozone and related photochemical oxidants. This teleconference meeting
continues the CASAC Ozone Review Panel's advisory activities in the
current review cycle for the ozone NAAQS.
Technical Contact: Any questions concerning the Agency's Final
Ozone Staff Paper should be directed to Dr. Dave McKee, OAQPS, at
phone: (919) 541-5288, or e-mail: mckee.dave@epa.gov.
Availability of Meeting Materials: The Final Ozone Staff Paper will
be posted on or about January 5, 2007 on the Agency's Technology
Transfer Network (TTN) Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/s_o3_index.html.
The document may be accessed in the
``Documents for Current Review'' section under ``Staff Papers.'' A copy
of the draft agenda and other materials for this CASAC teleconference
will be posted on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/panels/casacorpanel.html
prior to the meeting.
Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the
public may submit relevant written or oral information for the CASAC
Ozone Review Panel to consider during the advisory process. Oral
Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an oral
presentation at a public teleconference will be limited to three
minutes per speaker, with no more than a total of 30 minutes for all
speakers. Interested parties should contact Mr. Butterfield, CASAC DFO,
in writing (preferably via e-mail), by January 22, 2007, at the contact
information noted above, to be placed on the list of public speakers
for this meeting. Written Statements: Written statements should be
received in the SAB Staff Office by January 26, 2007, so that the
information may be made available to the CASAC Panel for their
consideration prior to this teleconference. Written statements should
be supplied to the DFO in the following formats: one hard copy with
original signature, and one electronic copy via e-mail (acceptable file
format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Rich
Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).
Accessibility: For information on access or services for
individuals with disabilities, please contact Mr. Butterfield at the
phone number or e-mail address noted above, preferably at least ten
days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to
process your request.
Dated: December 19, 2006.
Vanessa Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E6-22146 Filed 12-26-06; 8:45 am]
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