[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 82 (Thursday, April 28, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 23755-23757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10340]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 50 and 58
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699; FRL-9300-4]
RIN 2060-AP38
Release of Draft Risk and Exposure Assessments and Final
Integrated Review Plan for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards
for Ozone
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: On or about April 22, 2011, the EPA is making available for
public review the documents titled, ``Ozone National Ambient Air
Quality Standards: Scope and Methods Plan for Health Risk and Exposure
Assessment,'' (REA Plan for the primary ozone NAAQS) and ``Ozone
National Ambient Air Quality Standards: Scope and Methods Plan for
Welfare Risk and Exposure Assessment'' (REA Plan for the secondary
ozone NAAQS). These documents contain the plans for the risk and
exposure analyses that EPA is preparing to conduct in support of the
reviews of ozone NAAQS. EPA is also making available to the public the
final document ``Integrated Review Plan for the Ozone National Ambient
Air Quality Standards'' (IRP). This document contains the plans for the
review of the air quality criteria and national ambient air quality
standards (NAAQS) for ozone. The Ozone NAAQS provide for the protection
of public health and the environment from ozone in ambient air.
DATES: Comments should be submitted by June 27, 2011.
ADDRESSES: These documents will be available via the Internet at the
following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/s_o3_index.html. Submit your comments on the REAs, identified by Docket
ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699 by one of the following methods:
http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: 202-566-9744.
Mail: EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0669, Environmental Protection
Agency, Mail code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC
20460. Please include a total of two copies.
Hand Delivery: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West,
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. Such deliveries
are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and
special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed
information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2008-0699. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided, unless the 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
[[Page 23756]]
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 hard copy at the Air and Radiation
Docket and Information Center, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The 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, and the telephone number for the Air and Radiation Docket and
Information Center is (202) 566-1742.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: REA Plan for the primary ozone
standard: John Langstaff, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
(Mail code C539-07), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research
Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: 919-541-1449; fax number:
919-541-5315; e-mail address: [email protected]. REA Plan for the
secondary ozone standard: Travis Smith, Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards (Mail code C539-07), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: 919-541-
2035; fax number: 919-541-5315; e-mail address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through
http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of
the information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk
or CD-ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM
as CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket.
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for Preparing Your Comments. When submitting comments,
remember to:
Identify the rulemaking by docket number and other
identifying information (subject heading, Federal Register date and
page number).
Follow directions--The agency may ask you to respond to
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives
and substitute language for your requested changes.
Describe any assumptions and provide any technical
information and/or data that you used.
If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how
you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be
reproduced.
Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, and
suggest alternatives.
Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the
use of profanity or personal threats.
Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
II. Information Specific to This Document
Two sections of the Clean Air Act (CAA) govern the establishment
and revision of the NAAQS. Section 108 (42 U.S.C. 7408) directs the
Administrator to identify and list certain air pollutants and then to
issue air quality criteria for those pollutants. The Administrator is
to list those air pollutants that in her ``judgment, cause or
contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to
endanger public health or welfare;'' ``the presence of which in the
ambient air results from numerous or diverse mobile or stationary
sources;'' and ``for which * * * [the Administrator] plans to issue air
quality criteria * * *'' Air quality criteria are intended 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 * * *'' (42 U.S.C. 7408(b)). Under section
109 (42 U.S.C. 7409), EPA establishes primary (health-based) and
secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS for pollutants for which air quality
criteria are issued. Section 109(d) requires periodic review and, if
appropriate, revision of existing air quality criteria. The revised air
quality criteria reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the
effects of the pollutant on public health or welfare. The EPA is also
required to periodically review and revise the NAAQS, if appropriate,
based on the revised criteria. Section 109(d)(2) requires that an
independent scientific review committee ``shall complete a review of
the criteria * * * and the national primary and secondary ambient air
quality standards * * * and shall recommend to the Administrator any
new * * * standards and revisions of existing criteria and standards as
may be appropriate * * *.'' Since the early 1980s, this independent
review function has been performed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory
Committee (CASAC).
Presently, EPA is reviewing the NAAQS for ozone. Key components of
this review include a quantitative population exposure analysis and
health risk assessment and a quantitative ecosystem exposure and
welfare risk analysis. OAQPS has developed Risk and Assessment Plans
(REA Plans) for Ozone Health Risk and Exposure and Ozone Welfare Risk
and Exposure which include a discussion of the scope, approaches, and
methods that staff is planning to use in conducting the exposure
analysis and health and welfare risk assessment. The draft REA Plans
and final IRP document announced today have been developed as part of
the planning phase for the review. These documents will be available on
the EPA's Technology Transfer Network (TTN) Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/s_o3_index.html in the
``Documents for Review Initiated in 2008'' section under ``Planning
Documents.''
The REA Plans are being made available for consultation with CASAC
and for public comment. Comments
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should be submitted to the docket, as described above, by June 27,
2011. The CASAC consultation on these planning documents is scheduled
for May 19-20, 2011. A separate Federal Register notice will provide
details about this meeting and the process for participation.
Dated: April 25, 2011.
Mary Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2011-10340 Filed 4-27-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P