[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 167 (Thursday, August 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51774-51776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-22051]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7550-1]


First Draft Staff Paper for Particulate Matter

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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

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SUMMARY: On or about August 29, 2003, the Office of Air Quality 
Planning and Standards (OAQPS) within EPA's Office of Air and Radiation 
will make available for public review and comment a draft document, 
Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate 
Matter: Policy Assessment of Scientific and Technical Information 
(First Draft Staff Paper). The purpose of the Staff Paper is to 
evaluate the policy implications of the key scientific and technical 
information contained in a related EPA document, Air Quality Criteria 
for Particulate Matter, required under sections 108 and 109 of the 
Clean Air Act (CAA) for use in the periodic review of the national 
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM). The 
OAQPS also will make available for public review and comment a related 
document, Particulate Matter Health Risk Assessment for Selected Urban 
Areas (Draft Risk Assessment).

DATES: Comments on the first draft Staff Paper and draft Risk 
Assessment should be submitted on or before October 28, 2003.

ADDRESSES: For information on how to submit comments, see Supplementary 
Information, Section C.

Availability of Documents for Review

    For information on obtaining copies of the draft documents now 
being made available for review, see Supplementary Information, Section 
B.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Mary Ross, Office of Air Quality 
Planning and Standards (mail code C539-01), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; e-mail: 
[email protected]; telephone: (919) 541-5170; fax (919) 541-0237.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. General Information

    The EPA is currently reviewing the NAAQS for PM. Sections 108 and 
109 of the CAA require that EPA carry out a periodic review and 
revision, where appropriate, of the scientific criteria and the NAAQS 
for ``criteria'' air pollutants such as PM. Details of EPA's plans for

[[Page 51775]]

review of the NAAQS for PM were announced in a previous Federal 
Register notice (62 FR 55201, October 23, 1997).
    The purpose of the Staff Paper is to evaluate the policy 
implications of the key scientific and technical information contained 
in a related EPA document, Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter 
(AQCD), and identify critical elements that EPA staff believe should be 
considered in reviewing the PM NAAQS. The Staff Paper is intended to 
``bridge the gap'' between the scientific review contained in the Air 
Quality Criteria document and the public health and welfare policy 
judgments required of the Administrator in reviewing the NAAQS.
    In June, 2001, a preliminary draft of this Staff Paper was released 
for public review and comment and for consultation with the Clean Air 
Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) at a public meeting in July 2001 
(66 FR 32621, June 15, 2001). The preliminary draft Staff Paper was 
based on information contained in the second external review draft of 
the AQCD that was previously made available by the National Center for 
Environmental Assessment of EPA's Office of Research and Development 
for public review and comment (66 FR 18929, April 12, 2001). A fourth 
external review draft of the AQCD has recently been made available for 
public review and comment (66 FR 18929, June 30, 2003), and for review 
by CASAC at a public meeting on August 25-26, 2003.
    Building upon an earlier preliminary draft Staff Paper (EPA, 2001), 
and taking into account the information in the fourth external review 
draft of the AQCD, this first draft Staff Paper includes results from 
initial staff analyses (e.g., analyses of air quality and visibility 
data, and human health risk analyses), plans for additional analyses to 
be incorporated into a subsequent draft of this document, and 
preliminary staff conclusions and recommendations on the PM NAAQS.
    As a first step in developing a health risk assessment for the PM 
NAAQS review, OAQPS previously released for public and CASAC review (67 
FR 3897, January 28, 2002) a draft document, Proposed Methodology for 
Particulate Matter Risk Analysis for Selected Urban Areas. EPA has 
considered comments provided in a CASAC advisory on this draft document 
(May 23, 2002, EPA-SAB-CASAC-ADV-02-002, http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/casacadv02002.pdf) and from a CASAC consultation held on May 1, 2003 
(68 FR 17939, April 14, 2003), as well as public comments in developing 
the draft Risk Assessment being released at this time. The draft Risk 
Assessment describes and presents the preliminary results from a PM 
health risk assessment for fine particles (PM2,5), coarse 
fraction particles (PM10-2.5), and PM10. The risk 
assessment methodology and preliminary results also are summarized in 
the first draft Staff Paper.
    The first draft Staff Paper and draft Risk Assessment will be 
reviewed at a public meeting of the CASAC to be held later this year. A 
future Federal Register notice will inform the public of the date and 
location of that meeting. Following the CASAC meeting, EPA will prepare 
a second draft Staff Paper and Risk Assessment, taking into account 
public and CASAC comments and results of additional analyses, and will 
make the revised draft documents available for review and comment by 
CASAC and the public.

B. How Can I Get Copies of These Documents?

    1. Docket. The EPA has established an official public docket for 
this action under Docket ID No. OAR-2001-0017. The official public 
docket consists of the documents specifically referenced in this 
action, any public comments received, and other information related to 
the PM NAAQS review. Although a part of the official docket, the public 
docket does not include Confidential Business Information (CBI) or 
other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. The 
official public docket is the collection of materials that is available 
for public viewing at the Air Docket in the EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) 
EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC. The 
Docket telephone number is (202) 566-1744; fax (202) 566-1741. 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. A reasonable fee may 
be charged for copying.
    2. Electronic Access. An electronic version of the public docket is 
available through EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, 
EPA Dockets. You may use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to 
access the documents specifically referenced in this action. These 
documents are also available at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pm/s_pm_index.html; the draft Staff Paper is available under ``Staff 
Papers'' and the draft Risk Assessment document is available under 
``Technical Documents.'' You may also use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the official public docket, and to 
access those documents in the public docket that are available 
electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the 
appropriate docket identification number.
    Certain types of information will not be placed in the EPA Dockets. 
Information claimed as CBI and other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute, which is not included in the official public 
docket, will not be available for public viewing in EPA's electronic 
public docket. The EPA's policy is that copyrighted material will not 
be placed in EPA's electronic public docket but will be available only 
in printed, paper form in the official public docket. To the extent 
feasible, publicly available docket materials will be made available in 
EPA's electronic public docket. When a document is selected from the 
index list in EPA Dockets, the system will identify whether the 
document is available for viewing in EPA's electronic public docket. 
Although not all docket materials may be available electronically, you 
may still access any of the publicly available docket materials through 
the docket facility identified above. EPA intends to work towards 
providing electronic access to all of the publicly available docket 
materials through EPA's electronic public docket. For public 
commenters, it is important to note that EPA's policy is that public 
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made 
available for public viewing in EPA's electronic public docket as EPA 
receives them and without change, unless the comment contains 
copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment containing 
copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that material in 
the version of the comment that is placed in EPA's electronic public 
docket. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted material, 
will be available in the public docket.
    Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or 
delivered to the docket will be transferred to EPA's electronic public 
docket. Public comments that are mailed or delivered to the Docket will 
be scanned and placed in EPA's electronic public docket. Where 
practical, physical objects will be photographed, and the photograph 
will be placed in EPA's electronic public docket along with a brief 
description written by the docket staff.
    For additional information about EPA's electronic public docket 
visit EPA

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Dockets online or see 67 FR 38102, May 31, 2002.

C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    You may submit comments electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or 
through hand delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, 
identify the appropriate docket identification number in the subject 
line on the first page of your comment. Please ensure that your 
comments are submitted within the specified comment period. Comments 
received after the close of the comment period will be marked ``late.'' 
The EPA is not required to consider these late comments.
    1. Electronically. If you submit an electronic comment as 
prescribed below, EPA recommends that you include your name, mailing 
address, and an e-mail address or other contact information in the body 
of your comment. Also include this contact information on the outside 
of any disk or CD ROM you submit, and in any cover letter accompanying 
the disk or CD ROM. This ensures that you can be identified as the 
submitter of the comment and allows EPA to contact you in case EPA 
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties or needs further 
information on the substance of your comment. The EPA's policy is that 
EPA will not edit your comment, and any identifying or contact 
information provided in the body of a comment will be included as part 
of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, and made 
available in EPA's electronic public docket. 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.
    i. EPA Dockets. Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to 
submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for 
receiving comments. Go directly to EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket, and follow the online instructions for submitting comments. To 
access EPA's electronic public docket from the EPA Internet Home Page, 
select ``Information Sources,'' ``Dockets,'' and ``EPA Dockets.'' Once 
in the system, select ``search,'' and then key in Docket ID No. OAR-
2001-0017. The system is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means 
EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other contact 
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment.
    ii. E-mail. Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to [email protected], Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2001-0017. In 
contrast to EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not 
an ``anonymous access'' system. If you send an e-mail comment directly 
to the Docket without going through EPA's electronic public docket, 
EPA's e-mail system automatically captures your e-mail address. Any E-
mail addresses that are automatically captured by EPA's e-mail system 
are included as part of the comment that is placed in the official 
public docket, and made available in EPA's electronic public docket.
    iii. Disk or CD ROM. You may submit comments on a disk or CD ROM 
that you mail to the mailing address identified above. These electronic 
submissions will be accepted in WordPerfect or ASCII file format. Avoid 
the use of special characters and any form of encryption.
    2. By Mail. Send your comments to: Air and Radiation Docket and 
Information Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail code: 6102T, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 20460, Attention Docket ID 
No. OAR-2001-0017.
    3. By Hand Delivery or Courier. Deliver your comments to: EPA 
Docket Center, 101 Constitution Ave., NW., Room B108, Washington, DC 
2004, Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2001-0017. Such deliveries are only 
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation as identified 
above.
    4. By Facsimile. Fax your comments to: 202-566-1741, Attention 
Docket ID. No. OAR-2001-0017.

D. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide any technical information and/or data you used that 
support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate.
    5. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns.
    6. Offer alternatives.
    7. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period deadline 
identified.
    8. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify the appropriate docket 
identification number in the subject line on the first page of your 
response. It would also be helpful if you provided the name, date, and 
Federal Register citation related to your comments.

    Dated: August 21, 2003.
Stephen D. Page,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 03-22051 Filed 8-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P