[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 5 (Friday, January 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1439-1440]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-347]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7858-4]


Air Quality Criteria Document for Lead; Draft Project Work Plan

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of 
Research and Development's National Center for Environmental Assessment 
(NCEA) is reviewing and, as appropriate, revising the EPA document, Air 
Quality Criteria for Lead, EPA-600/8-83/028aF-dF, published in June 
1986, and the associated supplement (EPA-600/8-89/049F) published in 
1990. Interested parties are invited to comment on a draft of EPA's 
Project Work Plan for updating the lead document.

DATES: The 30-day period for submission of public comments on the draft 
Project Work Plan begins January 7, 2005, and ends February 7, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The draft plan will be available from NCEA by January 7, 
2005. Internet users will be able to download a copy of the draft plan 
from the NCEA home page. The URL is http://www.epa.gov/ncea/. Contact 
Ms. Diane Ray by phone (919) 541-3637, fax (919) 541-1818, or e-mail 
([email protected]) to request hard copies of this plan. Please provide 
the document's title, Project Work Plan for Air Quality Criteria for 
Lead, as well as your name and address, to facilitate processing of 
your request. Public comments on the draft plan may be submitted 
electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/courier. 
Please follow the detailed instructions as provided in the section of 
this notice entitled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For details on the period for 
submission of public comments, contact the Office of Environmental 
Information Docket; telephone: (202) 566-1752; facsimile: (202) 566-
1753; or e-mail: [email protected].
    For technical information, contact Robert Elias, Ph.D., NCEA, 
facsimile: (919) 541-1818 or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act directs 
the Administrator to identify certain pollutants which ``may reasonably 
be anticipated to endanger public health and 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 and welfare. 
EPA is also to revise the NAAQS, if appropriate, based on the revised 
criteria.
    Lead is one of six ``criteria'' pollutants for which EPA has 
established air quality criteria and NAAQS. On November 9, 2004 (69 FR 
64926), EPA formally initiated its current review of the criteria and 
NAAQS for lead, requesting the submission of recent scientific 
information on specified topics. One of the next steps in this process 
is to prepare a project work plan for the review and, if appropriate, 
revision of the existing Air Quality Criteria Document (AQCD) for lead 
and provide for public review of a draft of the plan.
    Accordingly, this notice announces the availability of a draft of 
EPA's Project Work Plan for Revised Air Quality Criteria for Lead, 
NCEA-R-1465, prepared by NCEA. The purpose of the Project Work Plan is 
to describe the managerial procedures for reviewing and, as 
appropriate, revising EPA's Air Quality Criteria for Lead, EPA-600/8-
83/028aF-dF, published in June 1986, and the associated supplement 
(EPA-600/8-89/049F) published in 1990. The draft plan will also be 
reviewed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) of 
EPA's Science Advisory Board and will be revised in light of CASAC's 
review and comments received from the general public. Information on 
the date and location of the CASAC public review meeting will be 
published in a future Federal Register notice. The plan may be modified 
and amended from time to time, as necessary, to reflect actual project 
requirements and progress. Accordingly, any proposed schedules and 
outlines, or any lists of technical coordinator assignments, authors, 
or reviewers are subject to change. As indicated above, the draft plan 
will be available by January 7, 2005.
    EPA has established an official public docket for information 
pertaining to the revision of the Lead AQCD, Docket ID No. ORD-2004-
0018. The official public docket is the collection of materials, 
excluding Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute, that is available for public 
viewing at the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket in the 
Headquarters EPA Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room B102, 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, and the telephone number for the OEI 
Docket is (202) 566-1752; facsimile: (202) 566-1753; or e-mail: 
[email protected].
    An electronic version of the official public docket is available 
through EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, E-Docket. 
You may use E-Docket at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view 
public comments, to access the index listing of the contents of the 
official public docket, and to view those documents in the public 
docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select 
``search,'' then key in

[[Page 1440]]

the appropriate docket identification number.
    Certain types of information will not be placed in E-Docket. 
Information claimed as CBI and other information with disclosure 
restricted by statute, also not included in the official public docket, 
will not be available for public viewing in E-Docket. Copyrighted 
material also will not be placed in E-Docket but will be referenced 
there and available as printed material in the official public docket.
    Persons submitting public comments should note that EPA's policy 
makes the information available as received and at no charge for public 
viewing at the EPA Docket Center or in E-Docket. This policy applies to 
information submitted electronically or in paper, except where 
restricted by copyright, CBI, or statute.
    Unless restricted as above, public comments submitted on computer 
disks that are mailed or delivered to the docket will be transferred to 
E-Docket. Physical objects will be photographed, where practical, and 
the photograph will be placed in E-Docket along with a brief 
description written by the docket staff.
    You may submit public comments electronically, by mail, by 
facsimile, or by hand delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by 
EPA, include the appropriate docket identification number with your 
submission. Please adhere to the specified submitting period. Public 
comments received or submitted past the close date will be marked 
``late'' and may only be considered if time permits.
    If you submit public comments electronically, EPA recommends that 
you include your name, mailing address, and an e-mail address or other 
details for contacting you. Also include these contact details 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 person submitting the public comments and allows EPA 
to contact you in case the Agency cannot read what you submit due to 
technical difficulties or needs to clarify issues raised by what you 
submit. If EPA cannot read what you submit due to technical 
difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, it may delay or 
prohibit the Agency's consideration of the public 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 key in Docket ID No. ORD-
2004-0018. The system is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means 
EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other contact 
details if you are merely viewing the information.
    Public comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to 
[email protected], Attention Docket ID No. ORD-2004-0018. 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 directly to the 
docket without going through EPA's E-Docket, EPA's e-mail system 
automatically captures your e-mail address, and it becomes part of the 
information in the official public docket and is made available in 
EPA's E-Docket.
    You may submit public comments on a disk or CD ROM mailed to the 
OEI Docket mailing address. Files will be accepted in WordPerfect, 
Word, or ASCII file format. Avoid the use of special characters and any 
form of encryption.
    If you provide public comments in writing, please submit one 
unbound original, with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies. 
For attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively with the 
main text, and submit an unbound original and three copies.

    Dated: December 22, 2004.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 05-347 Filed 1-6-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P