
[Federal Register: July 8, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 130)]
[Notices]               
[Page 39253-39254]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08jy10-85]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0492; FRL-9171-6]

 
Release of Second Draft Document Related to the Review of the 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Availability of draft document for public comment.

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SUMMARY: On or about June 30, 2010, the Office of Air Quality Planning 
and Standards (OAQPS) of EPA is making available for public comment a 
draft document: Policy Assessment for the Review of the Particulate 
Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards--Second External Review 
Draft. This draft document will serve to ``bridge the gap'' between the 
scientific information and the judgments required of the Administrator 
in determining whether it is appropriate to retain or revise the 
standards as part of the review of the national ambient air quality 
standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM).

DATES: Comments should be submitted on or before August 16, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2007-0492, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) 
to a-and-r-docket@epa.gov, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-
0492.
     Fax: Fax your comments to 202-566-9744, Attention Docket 
ID. No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0492.
     Mail: Send your comments to: Air and Radiation Docket and 
Information Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0492.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver your comments to: EPA 
Docket Center, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Room 3334, 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-
2007-0492. The 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 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.
    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

[[Page 39254]]

materials are available either electronically in http://
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Air Docket in the EPA Docket 
Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, 
DC. This Docket Facility is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday 
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The Docket telephone number 
is 202-566-1742; fax 202-566-9744.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions related to this draft 
document, please contact Ms. Beth Hassett-Sipple, Office of Air Quality 
Planning and Standards (Mail code C504-06), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; e-mail: hassett-
sipple.beth@epa.gov; telephone: 919-541-4605; fax: 919-541-0237.

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.
     Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act 
(CAA), the Administrator identifies and lists certain pollutants which 
``cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be 
anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.'' The EPA then issues 
air quality criteria for these listed pollutants, which are commonly 
referred to as ``criteria pollutants.'' The 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, in varying quantities.'' Under section 
109 of the CAA, EPA establishes primary (health-based) and secondary 
(welfare-based) NAAQS for pollutants for which air quality criteria are 
issued. Section 109(d) of the CAA 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.\1\
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    \1\ See http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/review.html for more 
information on the NAAQS review process.
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    Presently, EPA is reviewing the NAAQS for PM. The EPA's overall 
plan and schedule for this review is presented in the Integrated Review 
Plan for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate 
Matter.\2\ A draft of the integrated review plan was released for 
public review and comment in October 2007 and was the subject of a 
consultation with the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) 
on November 30, 2007 (72 FR 63177; November 8, 2007). Comments received 
from that consultation and from the public were considered in 
finalizing the plan and in beginning the review of the air quality 
criteria.
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    \2\ EPA 452R-08-004; March 2008; Available: http://www.epa.gov/
ttn/naaqs/standards/pm/s_pm_2007_pd.html.
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    As part of EPA's review of the primary (health-based) and secondary 
(welfare-based) PM NAAQS, the Agency has completed the Integrated 
Science Assessment for Particulate Matter \3\ and two quantitative 
assessment documents characterizing: (1) The health risks associated 
with exposure to ambient PM and (2) urban visibility impairment 
associated with PM. The two assessment documents are titled, 
Particulate Matter Urban-Focused Visibility Assessment and Quantitative 
Health Risk Assessment for Particulate Matter.\4\
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    \3\ EPA 600/R-08/139F and EPA 600/R-08/139FA, December 2009; 
Available: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pm/s_pm_2007_
isa.html.
    \4\ EPA 452/R-10-004 and EPA 452/R-10-005, June 2010; Available: 
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pm/s_pm_2007_risk.html.
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    The second draft Policy Assessment announced today builds on the 
scientific and technical information available in this review as 
assessed in the Integrated Science Assessment and the two quantitative 
assessment documents identified above. This document presents factors 
relevant to EPA's review of the primary and secondary PM NAAQS. It 
focuses on both evidence- and risk-based information in evaluating the 
adequacy of the current PM NAAQS and identifying potential alternative 
standards for consideration. The second draft Policy Assessment may be 
accessed online on or about June 30, 2010, through EPA's TTN Web site 
at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pm/s_pm_2007_pa.html.
    The EPA is soliciting advice and recommendations from the CASAC by 
means of a review of the second draft Policy Assessment at an upcoming 
public meeting of the CASAC that will be held on July 26-27, 2010 (75 
FR 32763; June 9, 2010). Following the CASAC meeting, EPA will consider 
comments received from the CASAC and the public in preparing a final 
Policy Assessment.
    The draft document described above does not represent and should 
not be construed to represent any final EPA policy, viewpoint, or 
determination.

    Dated: June 25, 2010.
Jennifer Noonan Edwards,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 2010-16490 Filed 7-7-10; 8:45 am]
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