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Extension of Public Comment Period: Second External Review Draft Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter

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PDF Version (2 pp, 39K, About PDF)

[Federal Register: August 31, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 167)]
[Notices]
[Page 44842-44843]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31au09-76]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8951-4; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-0517]

Extension of Public Comment Period: Second External Review Draft
Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing an extension of the public comment
period for the draft document titled, ``Integrated Science Assessment
for Particulate Matter--Second External Review Draft'' (EPA/600/R-08/
139B and EPA/600/R-08/139BA). The document was prepared by the National
Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of
Research and Development as part of the review of the national ambient
air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter.
    On July 31, 2009 (74 FR 38185), EPA released this draft document to
seek review by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and
the public (meeting date and location to be specified in a separate
Federal Register notice). The draft document does not represent and
should not be construed to represent any final EPA policy, viewpoint,
or determination. EPA will consider any public comments submitted in
response to this notice when revising the document.

DATES: The public comment period started on July 31, 2009 (74 FR
38185). This notice announces the extension of the deadline for public
comment from September 30, 2009, to October 12, 2009. Comments must be
received on or before October 12, 2009.

ADDRESSES: The ``Second External Review Draft Integrated Science
Assessment for Particulate Matter'' is 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. Debbie Wales by phone (919-541-4731), fax (919-
541-5078), or e-mail (wales.deborah@epa.gov) to request either of
these, and please provide your name, your mailing address, and the
document title, ``Second External Review Draft Integrated Science
Assessment for Particulate Matter'' (EPA/600/R-08/139B and EPA/600/R-
08/139C) to facilitate processing of your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information, contact Dr.
Lindsay Wichers Stanek, NCEA; telephone: 919-541-7792; fax: 919-541-
2985; or e-mail: stanek.lindsay@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Document

    Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act directs the Administrator to
identify certain pollutants which, among other things, ``cause or
contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to
endanger public health or 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 or welfare. EPA is also to revise the
NAAQS, if appropriate, based on the revised air quality criteria.
    Particulate matter (PM) is one of six ``criteria pollutants'' for
which EPA has established NAAQS. Periodically, EPA 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 the current NAAQS and the appropriateness
of possible alternative standards. The Clean Air Scientific Advisory
Committee (CASAC), an independent science advisory committee whose
existence and whose review and advisory functions are mandated by
Section 109(d)(2) of the Act, is charged (among other things) with
independent scientific review of EPA's air quality criteria.
    On June 28, 2007 (72 FR 35462), EPA formally initiated its current
review of the air quality criteria for PM, requesting the submission of
recent scientific information on specified topics. A draft of EPA's
``Integrated Review Plan for the National Ambient Air Quality Standard
for Particulate Matter'' (EPA/452/P-08-006) was made available in
October 2007 for public comment and was discussed by the CASAC PM
Review Panel via a publicly accessible teleconference consultation on
November 30, 2007 (72 FR 63177). EPA finalized the plan and made it
available in March 2008 (EPA/452/R-08-004; http://www.epa.gov/ttn/
naaqs/standards/pm/s_pm_2007_pd.html). In June 2008 (73 FR 30391),
EPA held a workshop to discuss, with invited scientific experts,
initial draft materials prepared in the development of the PM ISA and
its supplementary annexes.
    The First External Review Draft ISA for PM (EPA/600/R-08/139 and
EPA/600/R-08/139A; http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/
recordisplay.cfm?deid=201805) was released on December 22, 2008 (73 FR
77686). This document was reviewed by the CASAC and discussed at a
public meeting on April 1 and 2, 2009 (74 FR 7688). The CASAC held a
follow-up public teleconference on May 7, 2009 (74 FR 18230) to review
and approve the CASAC PM Review Panel's draft letter providing comments
to the Agency on the First External Review Draft ISA for PM (http://
yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/73ACCA834AB44A10852575BD0064346B/
$File/EPA-CASAC-09-008-unsigned.pdf).

[[Page 44843]]

    The Second External Review Draft ISA for PM was released on July
31, 2009 (74 FR 38185), and an updated version was posted on August 13,
2009 that included linkage of references in all chapters and annexes.
The updated version of the draft ISA also included corrections to
formatting issues in the text and some figures, but no substantive
changes were made. In addition, the annexes were posted on August 13,
2009. The Second External Review Draft ISA for PM will be reviewed and
discussed by CASAC at a public meeting. A future Federal Register notice 
will inform the public of the exact date and time of that CASAC meeting.

II. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at 
http://www.regulations.gov

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-
0517, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
     Fax: 202-566-1753.
     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, Room 3334 EPA West Building, 1301
Constitution Ave., 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
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-ORD-
2007-0517. 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 through http://
www.regulations.gov or e-mail that you consider to be CBI or otherwise
protected. 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: 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 materials,
such as copyrighted material, are 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 OEI Docket in the
EPA Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: August 18, 2009.
Rebecca Clark,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E9-20921 Filed 8-28-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

 
 

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