[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 19 (Monday, January 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4850-4851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1720]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7865-8]


Draft Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related Photochemical 
Oxidants E-Docket No. ORD-2004-0015

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of first external review draft for public review and 
comment.

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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 Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants, EPA-600/
AP-93/004aF-cF, published in 1996. Today's Federal Register notice 
announces the availability of a first external review draft of the 
revised ozone air quality criteria document (AQCD).

DATES: The ninety-day period for submission of comments on the first 
external review draft of the revised Ozone AQCD begins January 31, 
2005, and ends May 2, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The first external review draft of the revised Ozone AQCD 
will be available on or about January 31, 2005. Internet users will be 
able to download a copy of this document from the NCEA home page. The 
URL is http://www.epa.gov/ncea/. A limited number of CD-ROM or paper 
copies will be available. Contact Ms. Diane Ray by phone (919-541-
3637), fax (919-541-1818), or e-mail ([email protected]) to request 
either of these. Please provide the draft document's title, Air Quality 
Criteria for Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants (First External 
Review Draft), Volumes I, II, and III, EPA 600/R-05/004aA, bA, and cA, 
as well as your name and address, to facilitate processing of your 
request. Public comments on the first external review draft of the 
revised Ozone AQCD 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 comments from the public, 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 EPA 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

[[Page 4851]]

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.
    Ozone is one of six ``criteria'' pollutants for which EPA has 
established air quality criteria and NAAQS. On September 26, 2000 (65 
FR 57810), EPA formally initiated its current review of the criteria 
and NAAQS for ozone, requesting the submission of recent scientific 
information on specified topics. Preliminary outlines for the proposed 
chapters were presented in the draft Project Work Plan that was 
released for public comment (66 FR 67524, December 31, 2001) and for 
review by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) of EPA's 
Science Advisory Board (68 FR 3527, January 24, 2003). Later in 2003, a 
series of workshops were convened to discuss draft sections and 
chapters for revising the existing Ozone AQCD (68 FR 17365, April 9, 
2003 and 68 FR 60369, October 22, 2003).
    After the end of the comment period on the Air Quality Criteria for 
Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants (First External Review Draft), 
EPA will present the draft at a public meeting for review by the Clean 
Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). Public comments received 
will be provided to the CASAC review panel. There will be a Federal 
Register notice to inform the public of the exact date and time of that 
CASAC meeting.

How To Submit Comments to EPA's E-Docket

    EPA has established an official public docket for information 
pertaining to the revision of the Ozone AQCD, Docket ID No. ORD-2004-
0015. 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 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 form, 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 closing 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-
2004-0015. 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-2004-0015. 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 PDF 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: January 25, 2005.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 05-1720 Filed 1-28-05; 8:45 am]
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