[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 40 (Friday, February 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 9189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-4967]



[[Page 9189]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5695-3]


Peer Review of CASTNet

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces 
the meeting of a peer review panel which is constituted to review and 
analyze the EPA draft report, Examination of CASTNet: Data, Results, 
Costs, and Implications and the accompanying Recommendations on Changes 
to Operational Monitoring in CASTNet and Directions for Future 
Atmospheric Deposition Monitoring Research. The meeting will be held on 
Wednesday, March 26, 1997, at the Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston, 
4610 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203. The meeting will begin at 9 
a.m. and adjourn by 5 p.m. The meeting is open to the public. Any 
member of the public who would like to comment on the draft report 
should contact Dr. Robert E. Menzer, Office of Research and Development 
(8701), USEPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460, telephone 202-
260-5779, Email: [email protected], for a copy of the 
report. Written comments should be submitted to Dr. Menzer. Members of 
the public who choose to make brief comments on the report at the 
meeting should also contact Dr. Menzer.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1986, EPA's Office of Research and 
Development began to operate the National Dry Deposition Network, 
consisting of 39 monitoring sites designed to assess the status and 
trends in dry deposition of sulfur and nitrogen species, primarily in 
the high-deposition regions in the eastern U.S. Following passage of 
the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990, the NDDN was expanded and 
renamed the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNet). As of 1996, 
there are 51 operational sites in the network. Each site collects 
weekly filter pack samples which are analyzed for SOX, NOX, 
and sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium ions, as well as micrometeorological 
and other data.
    The first systematic analyses of the resulting monitoring data were 
conducted beginning in the fall of 1996 by scientists at ORD's National 
Exposure Research Laboratory. This timing allowed the first access to 
quality-assured data from 1995, during which SOX emissions 
decreased by 13% in response to Phase I reductions in sulfur emissions 
called for in the CAAA. The purpose of the analyses was to examine the 
performance of the monitors and to seek opportunities to increase the 
cost-effectiveness of the network. The analyses included reviews of the 
quality of the database and the costs of the individual data collection 
components; comparisons between deposition velocities derived from the 
multi-layer model using meteorological data collected on site with 
deposition velocities measured using an eddy correlation technique; 
evaluation of alternative methods of calculating deposition velocities 
that do not require on-site data collection; analysis of factors 
affecting variability in deposition velocity at two different spatial 
scales; exploration of the effect of reducing the number of sites on 
apparent regional patterns of ambient sulfur dioxide concentrations; 
evaluation of the ability to detect trends in ambient concentrations 
and deposition velocities at individual sites and groups of 
geographically contiguous sites; and comparisons of dry deposition 
estimates with wet deposition estimates from nearby wet deposition 
sites. The results of the analyses are presented in a draft report, 
Examination of CASTNet: Data, Results, Costs, and Implications. The 
purpose of this review is to examine the soundness of the underlying 
science and the appropriateness of the analytical approaches described 
in this document.
    Beginning in FY 1998, EPA is proposing to transfer operation of 
CASTNet from the Office of Research and Development (ORD) to the Office 
of Air and Radiation (OAR). The transition from a research-oriented 
effort to an operational monitoring program presents an opportunity to 
make changes in current network operations and to assess alternative 
directions for future acid deposition research. The Recommendations on 
Changes to Operational Monitoring in CASTNet and Directions for Future 
Atmospheric Deposition Monitoring Research makes such recommendations 
to OAR and ORD, based on policy questions provided by OAR and informed 
by the analyses in the accompanying draft report. The other purpose of 
the peer review is to solicit the reviewers'' advice on the 
reasonableness of the various proposed modifications to the CASTNet and 
future research directions, given the current state of data analysis 
and interpretation.

    Dated: February 19, 1997.
Joseph K. Alexander,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 97-4967 Filed 2-27-97; 8:45 am]
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