Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee Science Advisory Board;
National Ambient Air Monitoring Strategy (NAAMS) Subcommittee
Notification of Public Advisory Committee Meetings
[Federal Register: June 11, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 112)]
[Notices]
[Page 34945-34947]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11jn03-102]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7510-8]
Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee Science Advisory Board;
National Ambient Air Monitoring Strategy (NAAMS) Subcommittee
Notification of Public Advisory Committee Meetings
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Science Advisory
Board (SAB), announces a public meeting and two publicly-accessible
teleconferences of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC)
to review the Agency's National Ambient Air Monitoring Strategy
(NAAMS).
DATES: There are three CASAC NAAMS Subcommittee meetings or
teleconferences:
(a) July 1, 2003: A publicly accessible teleconference will take
place from 1 to 3 pm (Eastern Time) to address any outstanding
questions that subcommittee members and others might have concerning
the proposed charge to the NAAMS Subcommittee, the NAAMS review
materials, and the logistics for the face-to-face meeting on July 8-9,
2003.
(b) July 8-9, 2003: A public meeting will take place July 8, from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern Time), and on July 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
(Eastern Time), at the EPA campus, Building C, Room C111-C, Research
Triangle Park (RTP) North Carolina. A publicly-accessible
teleconference line is available for the entire meeting.
(c) August 6, 2003: A publicly-accessible contingency conference
call from 1 to 3 p.m. (Eastern Time), in the event that the NAAMS
Subcommittee feels that it is necessary to discuss some remaining
issues before completing its report.
Contact: Members of the public who wish to obtain the call-in
numbers and access codes to participate in the aforementioned publicly-
accessible teleconferences must contact Ms. Delores Darden, EPA Science
Advisory Board Staff, at telephone/voice mail: (202) 564-2282, or via
e-mail at: darden.delores@epa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wants
further information concerning the meeting or either teleconference, or
who wishes to submit brief oral comments (10 minutes or less) must
contact Mr. Fred Butterfield, Designated Federal Officer, EPA Science
Advisory Board (1400A), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone (202) 564-
4561; FAX (202) 501-0582; or via e-mail at butterfield.fred@epa.gov.
Request for oral comments must be in writing (e-mail, fax or mail) and
received by Mr. Butterfield no later than noon Eastern Time five
business days prior to the meeting or teleconferences in order to
reserve time on the meeting agenda. Written comments (preferably via e-
mail) should be sent to Mr. Butterfield by the same deadline so that
the comments can be provided to the NAAMS Subcommittee prior to the
meeting or teleconferences. General information concerning the CASAC or
the EPA Science Advisory Board can be found on the EPA Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Summary
The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee was established by 42
U.S.C. 7409 to provide advice, information and recommendations on the
scientific and technical aspects of issues related to the criteria for
air quality standards, research related to air quality, sources of air
pollution, and the strategies to attain and maintain air quality
standards and to prevent significant deterioration of air quality. The
NAAMS Subcommittee will report to the Administrator of EPA through the
CASAC, which is administratively located under the EPA Science Advisory
Board. The SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent
scientific and technical advice, consultation, and recommendations to
the EPA Administrator on the technical basis for Agency positions and
regulations. Both the CASAC and the SAB are Federal advisory committees
chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended
(5 U.S.C. App.). The CASAC NAAMS Subcommittee will comply with the
provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB procedural policies.
Background
States, local agencies and Tribes establish and operate the
Nation's regulatory-based ambient air monitoring networks. These
networks are funded in part with Federal grants and are managed
nationally by the EPA. The network data are used to support:
(a) Designation of attainment and non-attainment areas with respect
to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS);
(b) Dissemination of air quality information to the public;
(c) Development (and tracking progress of) emission reduction
strategies;
(d) Characterization of long-term air quality trends; and
(e) Studies in health and atmospheric science disciplines.
The associated monitoring network, instrumentation and quality
assurance requirements are included in 40 CFR parts 50, 53 and 58.
EPA has recently completed development of the final draft of the
National Ambient Air Monitoring Strategy document under the direction
of the National Monitoring Strategy Committee (NMSC), an
intergovernmental partnership
[[Page 34946]]
comprising representatives from EPA (i.e., the Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards (OAQPS), the Office of Research and Development
(ORD) and Regional Offices), and State and local agencies and Tribes,
i.e., the principal Federal grantee organizations that operate the
majority of the monitoring networks. The NAAMS document contains
technical information underlying planned revisions of the National
Ambient Air Monitoring program. The Strategy proposes a restructuring
of the national regulatory-based air monitoring networks--commonly
referred to as National Air Monitoring Stations (NAMS), State or Local
Air Monitoring Stations (SLAMS), and Photochemical Assessment
Monitoring Stations (PAMS)--to accommodate emerging priorities of air
programs, the public and the scientific community. Specifically, the
NAAMS provides a series of proposed changes for network design and
improvements, assessments of existing networks, incorporation of new
measurement and information transfer technologies, and revisions both
to the current quality assurance program and the monitoring
regulations. The principal proposed changes include:
(a) A shift toward collocated multiple pollutant monitoring
stations under a new national monitoring network design referred to as
``NCore.''
(b) Incorporation of new continuous particle monitoring
instruments, additional air toxics measurements and information
transfer technologies to enhance the scope of near-real-time data
delivered to the public.
(c) Adoption of new network design recommendations and the
introduction of advanced monitoring technologies through performance-
based standards.
(d) Reductions in existing monitoring stations that provide limited
value for public protection or air quality planning needs, with
attendant resource savings redirected to meeting new measurement needs.
EPA intends to propose revisions to the monitoring regulations that
have emerged from this strategy during 2003. A public comment period on
the proposed regulations will be announced at a later date by EPA's
Office of Air and Radiation. The NAAMS document is available through
EPA's Ambient Monitoring Technology Information Center (AMTIC) Web site
at the following URL address: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/stratmem.html.
Any questions concerning the NAAMS should be directed to
Dr. Richard Scheffe, EPA's OAQPS Monitoring and Quality Assurance Group
Leader, at phone: (919) 541-4650; or e-mail:
Scheffe.Rich@epamail.epa.gov.
Request for and Proposed Charge to the NAAMS Subcommittee
EPA's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) has requested that the
Clean Air Act Scientific Advisory Committee form a subcommittee to
review the NAAMS document. The ``Widecast'' notice requesting
nominations to this new NAAMS Subcommittee of the CASAC appeared in the
Federal Register on November 5, 2002 (67 FR 67403), and noted that
nominees should be recognized, national-level experts in one or more of
the following disciplines: (a) Atmospheric sciences and air quality
simulation modeling; (b) health effects and exposure; (c) air quality
measurement science; or (d) State or local agency experience. This new
CASAC subcommittee is charged with providing consultation to EPA on the
technical bases and design aspects of the National Ambient Air
Monitoring Strategy. In particular, the Subcommittee is asked to
provide a formal consultation on the following elements of the
strategy:
(a) The NCore proposal, including conceptual approach to tiered
monitoring levels, recommended measurements and numbers and locations
of Level 2 sites. Consideration to phasing of measurements included in
Level 2 sites should be addressed based on currently available and
expected emerging monitoring technologies. The Subcommittee is also
requested to advise on the scope and breadth of research-grade Level 1
sites.
(b) The use of spatial analysis approaches for network design and
other air program planning needs. The monitoring strategy has utilized
various spatial design approaches on National and Regional scales to
identify areas of redundant monitoring as well as gaps requiring
additional monitoring.
(c) The use of performance-based approaches for standardizing
monitoring method requirements for particulate matter measurements.
Performance-based approaches rely on applying data quality objectives
to determine the allowable statistical uncertainties for instrument
performance. This third subject area has evolved from discussions with
the existing CASAC Subcommittee on Particulate Monitoring, and plays an
important role in facilitating accommodation of new technologies into
air monitoring networks.
Availability of Additional Meeting Materials
Copies of the draft agendas for the meetings that are described in
this notice will be posted on the SAB Web site (www.epa.gov/sab) (under
the ``Agendas'' subheading) approximately 10 days before each NAAMS
Subcommittee public meeting or teleconference. Other materials that may
be available will also be posted on the SAB Web site during this time-
frame.
Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings
It is the policy of the EPA Science Advisory Board to accept
written public comments of any length, and to accommodate oral public
comments whenever possible. The EPA Science Advisory Board expects that
public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of
previously-submitted oral or written statements.
Oral Comments: In general, each individual or group requesting an
oral presentation at a face-to-face meeting will be limited to a total
time of ten minutes (unless otherwise indicated). For teleconference
meetings, opportunities for oral comment will usually be limited to no
more than three minutes per speaker and no more than fifteen minutes
total. Deadlines for getting on the public speaker list for a meeting
are given above. Speakers should bring at least 35 copies of their
comments and presentation slides for distribution to the reviewers and
public at the meeting.
Written Comments: Although the SAB accepts written comments until
the date of the meeting (unless otherwise stated), written comments
should be received in the SAB Staff Office at least one week prior to
the meeting date so that the comments may be made available to the
committee for their consideration. Comments should be supplied to Mr.
Butterfield at the address/contact information noted above in the
following formats: One hard copy with original signature, and one
electronic copy via e-mail (acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat,
WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files (in IBM-PC/Windows 95/98
format)). Those providing written comments and who attend the meeting
are also asked to bring 35 copies of their comments for public
distribution.
Meeting Access
Individuals requiring special accommodation at this meeting,
including wheelchair access to the conference room, should contact Mr.
Butterfield at the phone number or e-mail address noted above at least
five
[[Page 34947]]
business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can
be made.
Dated: June 4, 2003.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 03-14746 Filed 6-10-03; 8:45 am]
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