[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 189 (Monday, September 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56571-56572]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22798]
[[Page 56571]]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8722-3; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-1145]
Extension of Public Comment Periods: Draft Integrated Science
Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur--Environmental Criteria
and Annexes and Draft Risk and Exposure Assessment for the Review of
the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of
Nitrogen and Oxides of Sulfur
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Extension of Public Comment Periods.
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SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing extensions of the public comment periods
for the draft documents titled, ``Integrated Science Assessment for
Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur--Environmental Criteria; Second External
Review Draft'' (EPA 600/R-08/082), ``Annexes for the Integrated Science
Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur--Environmental Criteria;
Second External Review Draft'' (EPA 600/R-08/083), and ``Risk and
Exposure Assessment for the Review of the Secondary National Ambient
Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen and Oxides of Sulfur''
(EPA-452/P-08-005a).
These documents were prepared as part of the Agency's review of the
secondary (welfare-based) national ambient air quality standards
(NAAQS) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2.) and sulfur dioxide
(SO2). EPA is releasing these draft documents solely for the
purpose of seeking comment from the public and the Clean Air Scientific
Advisory Committee (CASAC). The documents are being distributed solely
for the purpose of pre-dissemination review under applicable
information quality guidelines. They do not represent and should not be
construed to represent any Agency policy, viewpoint, or determination.
EPA will consider any public comments submitted in accordance with this
notice when revising the document.
DATES: The public comment period began on August 12, 2008 (73 FR
46908), for document EPA/600/R-08/082 and August 26, 2008 for document
EPA 600/R-08/083. This notice announces the extension of the deadline
for public comment from October 1, 2008, to October 10, 2008, for both
of these documents. Comments must be received on or before October 10,
2008.
The public comment period began on August 29, 2008 (73 FR 50965),
for document EPA-452/P-08-005a. This notice announces the extension of
the deadline for public comment from October 15, 2008, to November 15,
2008. Comments must be received on or before November 15, 2008.
ADDRESSES: The ``Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen
and Sulfur--Environmental Criteria; Second External Review Draft''
(EPA/600/R-08/082) and Annexes (EPA/600/R-08/083) will be available
primarily via the Internet on the National Center for Environmental
Assessment's home page under the Recent Additions and Publications
menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of CD-ROM or paper
copies will be available. Contact Ms. Ellen Lorang by phone (919-541-
2771), fax (919-541-5078), or e-mail ([email protected]) to request
either of these, and please provide your name, your mailing address,
and the document title to facilitate processing of your request.
For information on submitting comments to the docket, please see
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the draft
``Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur--
Environmental Criteria'', contact Dr. Tara Greaver, NCEA; telephone:
919-541-2435; fax: 919-541-5078; or e-mail: [email protected].
For information on the draft ``Risk and Exposure Assessment for the
Review of the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for
Oxides of Nitrogen and Oxides of Sulfur'', contact Dr. Anne Rea, OAQPS;
telephone: 919-541-0053; fax: 919-541-0840; or e-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Information About the Documents
Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act directs the Administrator to
identify certain pollutants that ``may reasonably be anticipated to
endanger public health and welfare'' and to issue air quality criteria
for them. These air quality criteria are to ``accurately reflect the
latest scientific knowledge useful in indicating the kind and extent of
all identifiable effects on public health or welfare which may be
expected from the presence of [a] pollutant in the ambient air.''
Under section 109 of the Act, EPA is then to establish national
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for each pollutant for which EPA
has issued criteria. Section 109(d) of the Act subsequently requires
periodic review and, if appropriate, revision of existing air quality
criteria to reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the effects of
the pollutant on public health and welfare. EPA is also to revise the
NAAQS, if appropriate, based on the revised air quality criteria.
Oxides of nitrogen and sulfur are two of six principal (or
``criteria'') pollutants for which EPA has established air quality
criteria and NAAQS. EPA periodically reviews the scientific basis for
these standards by preparing an Integrated Science Assessment (ISA)
(formerly called an Air Quality Criteria Document). The ISA and
supplementary annexes, in conjunction with additional technical and
policy assessments, provide the scientific basis for EPA decisions on
the adequacy of a current NAAQS and the appropriateness of new or
revised standards. The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC),
an independent science advisory committee established pursuant to
section 109 of the Clean Air Act and part of the EPA's Science Advisory
Board (SAB), provides independent scientific advice on NAAQS matters,
including advice on EPA's draft ISAs.
EPA formally initiated its current review of the criteria for
oxides of nitrogen and sulfur in December 2005 (70 FR 73236) and May
2006 (71 FR 28023) respectively, requesting the submission of recent
scientific information on specified topics. In the initial stages of
the criteria reviews, EPA recognized the merit of integrating the
science assessment for these two pollutants due to their combined
effects on atmospheric chemistry, deposition processes, and
environment-related public welfare effects. In July 2007 (72 FR 34004),
a workshop was held to discuss, with invited scientific experts,
initial draft materials prepared in the development of the ISA and
supplementary annexes for oxides of nitrogen and sulfur. EPA's ``Draft
Plan for Review of the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards
for Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide'' was made available in
September 2007 for public comment and was discussed by the CASAC via a
publicly accessible teleconference consultation on October 30, 2007 (72
FR 57568). The Plan was made available on EPA's Web site http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/no2so2sec/cr_pd.html. The draft
``Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur--
Environmental Criteria; First External Review Draft'' was released for
review on December 21, 2007 (72 FR 72719). The CASAC reviewed the draft
document at a public peer review meeting on April 2-3, 2008; comments
from the CASAC and the public have
[[Page 56572]]
been addressed in this second external review draft document. The draft
``Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur--
Environmental Criteria; Second External Review Draft'' and the draft
``Risk and Exposure Assessment for the Review of the Secondary National
Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen and Oxides of
Sulfur'' will be discussed by CASAC at a public peer review meeting on
October 1-2, 2008; public comments that have been received prior to the
public meeting will be provided to the CASAC review panel.
II. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at
www.regulations.gov
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. Docket ID EPA-HQ-
OAR-2007-1145 by one of the following methods:
http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions
for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: 202-566-9744.
Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket
(Mail Code: 2822T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-
566-1752.
Hand Delivery: The OEI Docket is located in the EPA
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public
Reading Room is 202-566-1744. Such deliveries are only accepted during
the docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should
be made for deliveries of boxed information.
If you provide comments by mail or hand delivery, please submit one
unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies of
the comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages
consecutively with the comments, and submit an unbound original and
three copies.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2007-1145. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the
specified comment period. Comments received after the closing date will
be marked ``late'', and may only be considered if time permits. It is
EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket
without change and to make the comments available online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless a comment includes information claimed to be confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to
be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or e-
mail. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous
access'' system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you
send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through http://www.regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be automatically captured
and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket
and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic
comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact
information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you
submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties
and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to
consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special
characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit the
EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
in http://www.regulations.gov or in hardcopy at the OEI Docket in the
EPA Headquarters Docket Center.
Dated: September 23, 2008.
Rebecca Clark,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E8-22798 Filed 9-26-08; 8:45 am]
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