

[Federal Register: February 28, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 39)]
[Notices]               
[Page 10030-10031]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28fe06-74]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2004-0015; FRL-8038-5]

 
Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Final Document.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of 
Research and Development's National Center for Environmental Assessment 
(NCEA) is announcing the availability of a final document, ``Air 
Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants 
(Final),'' Volumes I, II, and III, EPA 600/R-05/004aF-cF.

DATES: This document will be available on or about February 28, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on availability of the 
document, refer to section B, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, in this 
notice. For technical information, contact Lori White, Ph.D., ORD/NCEA: 
telephone number 919-541-3146; fax number 919-541-1818; e-mail address 
white.lori@epa.gov.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. Background

    Section 108 (a) of the Clean Air Act directs the EPA Administrator 
to identify certain pollutants which ``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 criteria.
    Ozone is one of six ``criteria'' pollutants for which EPA has 
established air quality criteria and NAAQS. On September 26, 2000 (65 
FR 57810), EPA formally initiated its current review of the criteria 
and NAAQS for ozone, requesting the submission of recent scientific 
information on specified topics. A draft Project Work Plan for a 
revised Ozone AQCD, with preliminary outlines for the proposed 
chapters, was released for public comment (66 FR 67524, December 31, 
2001) and reviewed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee 
(CASAC) of EPA's Science Advisory Board (68 FR 3527, January 24, 2003). 
EPA later convened a series of workshops to discuss draft sections and 
chapters that had been developed

[[Page 10031]]

for revising the existing Ozone AQCD (68 FR 17365, April 9, 2003, and 
68 FR 60369, October 22, 2003).
    In January 2005, EPA announced the availability of the First 
External Review Draft of the revised Ozone AQCD for public review and 
comments (70 FR 4850, January 31, 2005) and presented the draft to the 
CASAC Ozone Review Panel on May 4-5, 2005. Taking into account public 
and CASAC comments, EPA prepared and announced a Second External Review 
Draft for public review and comment (70 FR 51810, August 31, 2005).
    At a public meeting in December 2005, EPA presented the Second 
External Review Draft to the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee 
(CASAC) for their review. Public comments and comments from the CASAC 
Review Panel were considered in preparing the final Ozone AQCD 
announced in this Federal Register notice.

B. How To Obtain Copies of the Final Ozone AQCD and Other Related 
Information

    Internet users can download a copy of this document from the NCEA 
home page. The URL is http://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of CD-

ROM or paper copies will be available. Contact Ms. Diane Ray, ORD/NCEA: 
telephone number 919-541-3637; fax number 919-541-1818; or e-mail 
address ray.diane@epa.gov . Please provide the document's title, ``Air 
Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants 
(Final),'' Volumes I, II, and III, EPA 600/R-05/004aF-cF, as well as 
your name and address, to facilitate processing of your request.
    EPA has established an official public docket for information 
pertaining to the revision of the Ozone AQCD, identified by Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2004-0015. All documents in this docket are listed in 
the http://www.regulations.gov index. Some information is not publicly 

available, e.g., Confidential Business Information (CBI). Other 
information, such as copyrighted material, is 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 

Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket, EPA/DC, EPA West, 
Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC: telephone 202-
566-1752; facsimile 202-566-1753; or e-mail ORD.Docket@epa.gov. The 
Public Reading Room is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays: telephone 202-566-1744.

    Dated : February 22, 2006.
P.W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
 [FR Doc. E6-2799 Filed 2-27-06; 8:45 am]

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