[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 90 (Thursday, May 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31303-31304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-11648]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7209-6]


Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter (External Review 
Draft)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of a draft for public review and comment.

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SUMMARY: On or about May 8, 2002, the National Center for Environmental 
Assessment (NCEA), within EPA's Office of Research and Development, 
will make available for public review and comment a third external 
review draft of EPA's document Air Quality Criteria for Particulate 
Matter. Under sections 108 and 109 of the Clean Air Act, the purpose of 
this document is to provide an assessment of the latest scientific 
information on the effects of airborne particulate matter (PM) on the 
public health and welfare for use in EPA's current review of the 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM.

DATES: Comments on the draft document must be submitted in writing no 
later than July 10, 2002. Send the written comments to the Project 
Manager for Particulate Matter, National Center for Environmental 
Assessment-RTP (MD-52), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research 
Triangle Park, NC 27711.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter 
(Third External Review Draft), consisting of two volumes, will be 
available on CD ROM from NCEA-RTP. Contact Ms. Diane Ray by phone (919-
541-3637), fax (919-541-1818), or e-mail ([email protected]) to request 
the document. Please provide the document's title, Air Quality Criteria 
for Particulate Matter (Third External Review Draft), and the EPA 
numbers for each of the two volumes (EPA/600/P-99/002aC, EPA/600/P-99/
002bC), as well as your name and address, to properly process your 
request. Internet users will be able to download a copy from the NCEA 
home page. The URL is http://www.epa.gov/ncea/. Hard copies of the 
draft document can also be made available upon request.

[[Page 31304]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Dennis Kotchmar, National Center 
for Environmental Assessment-RTP (MD-52), U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: 919-541-4158; fax: 
919-541-1818; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA is in the process of updating and 
revising, where appropriate, its Air Quality Criteria for Particulate 
Matter as issued in 1996. Sections 108 and 109 of the Clean Air Act 
require that EPA carry out a periodic review and revision, where 
appropriate, of the air quality criteria and NAAQS for ``criteria'' air 
pollutants such as PM. Details of EPA's plans for the review of the 
NAAQS for PM were initially announced in a previous Federal Register 
notice (62 FR 55201, October 23, 1997). EPA made a First External 
Review Draft of the updated Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter 
available for review by the Clean Air Act Scientific Advisory Committee 
(CASAC) and members of the public in October 1999 (64 FR 57884, October 
27, 1999). Following that public review period and a meeting of the 
CASAC in December 1999 (64 FR 61875, November 15, 1999), EPA revised 
the document as appropriate to incorporate CASAC and public comments, 
as well as to reflect many studies on the health effects of PM that 
were not available in time for discussion in the First External Review 
Draft.
    EPA then made a Second External Review Draft of the Air Quality 
Criteria for Particulate Matter available for CASAC and public review 
in April 2001 (66 FR 18929, April 12, 2001). Following that public 
review period and a second CASAC meeting in July 2001 (66 FR 34924, 
July 2, 2001), EPA again revised the document as appropriate to 
incorporate CASAC and public comments and also made further revisions 
reflecting new studies on health effects of particulate matter that had 
become available between issuance of the First and Second External 
Review Drafts.
    EPA is now making a Third External Review Draft available for CASAC 
and public review. A public meeting with CASAC is scheduled for July 
18-19, 2002 (67 FR 15802, April 3, 2002). At the close of CASAC's 
review, EPA will make final revisions to complete the document.
    On June 15, 2001, EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and 
Standards (OAQPS) made available for public review and comment (66 FR 
32621, June 15, 2001) a preliminary draft Staff Paper (SP) that drew on 
information in the earlier draft criteria document. The preliminary 
draft was also submitted to CASAC for discussion with the Committee at 
its July 2001 meeting. In January 2002 (67 FR 3897, January 28, 2002), 
OAQPS also made available for CASAC and public review and comment a 
draft document, Proposed Methodology for Particulate Matter Risk 
Analyses for Selected Urban Areas, which was reviewed by CASAC at a 
public teleconference on February 27, 2002. OAQPS is now revising the 
draft SP and the draft risk analyses methodology document to address 
CASAC and public comments and to incorporate updated information from 
the current draft criteria document. As in other NAAQS reviews, the SP 
will evaluate policy implications of key studies and other scientific 
information in the criteria document, identify critical elements that 
EPA staff believes should be considered, and present staff conclusions 
and recommendations for the Administrator's consideration. Dates and 
details of availability of the updated draft SP and methodology 
documents and plans for future public meetings on these documents will 
be published in the Federal Register.

    Dated: May 3, 2002.
George Alapas,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 02-11648 Filed 5-8-02; 8:45 am]
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