[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5442-5443]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1933]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OAR-2001-0017; FRL-7866-9]


Second 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 January 31, 2005, the Office of Air Quality 
Planning and Standards (OAQPS) of EPA 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 (Second 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 draft technical support document, 
Particulate Matter Health Risk Assessment for Selected Urban Areas 
(Second Draft Risk Assessment).

DATES: Comments on the second draft Staff Paper and second draft Risk 
Assessment should be submitted on or before March 31, 2005.

ADDRESSEES:  Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. OAR-
2001-0017, by one of the following methods:
     Agency Web site: EDOCKET, EPA's electronic public docket 
and comment sytem, is EPA's preferred method for receiving comments. 
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) 
to [email protected], Attention Docket ID No. OAR-2001-0017.
     Fax: Fax your comments to: 202-566-1741, Attention Docket 
ID. No. OAR-2001-0017.
     Mail: Send your comments to: Air and Radiation Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. 
OAR-2001-0017.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver your comments to: EPA 
Docket Center, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Room B108, Washington, DC 
20004.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. OAR-2001-0017. 
EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change and may be made available online at http://docket.epa.gov/edkpub/do/EDKStaffCollectionDetailView?objectId=0b0007d48006d9eb objectId=0b0007d48006d9eb, including any personal information provided, 
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to 
be CBI or otherwise protected through EDOCKET, regulations.gov, or e-
mail. The EPA EDOCKET and the Federal regulations.gov Web sites are 
``anonymous access'' systems, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through EDOCKET or regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your

[[Page 5443]]

comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, 
any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For 
additional information about EPA's public docket visit EDOCKET on-line 
or see the Federal Register of May 31, 2002 (67 FR 38102).
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the EDOCKET index 
at the web address provided under ``Instructions'' above. Although 
listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, i.e., 
CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 
Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on 
the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in EDOCKET or in hard copy at the Air Docket in the EPA Docket Center, 
(EPA/DC) EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, 
DC. This Docket Facility is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The Docket telephone number 
is (202) 566-1744; fax (202) 566-1741.
    Availability of Related Information: Documents referred to in this 
notice are available from the following sources:
     Public 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.
     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 
technical support document is available under ``Technical Documents.'' 
If assistance is needed in accessing the system, call the help desk at 
(919) 541-5384 in Research Triangle Park, NC.

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: 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.
    Particulate matter is one of six ``criteria'' pollutants for which 
EPA has established air quality criteria and NAAQS. EPA is presently 
reviewing the criteria and NAAQS for PM. This review includes 
preparation of two key documents, the Air Quality Criteria for 
particulate matter (``Criteria Document'') and a related ``Staff 
Paper''. EPA completed its Criteria Document for PM in October 2004 (69 
FR 63111, October 29, 2004).
    The purpose of the Staff Paper is to evaluate the policy 
implications of the key scientific and technical information contained 
in the Air Quality Criteria document and identify critical elements 
that EPA staff believe should be considered in reviewing the 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 August 2003, a first draft of this Staff Paper was released by 
EPA for public review and comment and for review by the Clean Air 
Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) of EPA's Science Advisory Board 
(68 FR 51774, August 28, 2003) at a public meeting held in November 
2003. Comments received from review of the first draft document have 
been considered in preparing this second draft Staff Paper.
    Based on the information contained in the Air Quality Criteria 
document, this second draft Staff Paper includes assessments and 
analyses related to: (1) Air quality characterization; (2) integration 
and evaluation of health information; (3) health risk assessment; and 
(4) evaluation of information on visibility impairment and other 
welfare effects. The second draft Staff Paper also includes staff 
conclusions and recommendations on potential revision or retention of 
the 1997 PM NAAQS. Staff recommendations include consideration of 
revising both the primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) 
PM NAAQS.
    The second draft Risk Assessment technical support document 
describes and presents the results from an updated PM health risk 
assessment. A scoping plan, methodology documents, and the first draft 
Risk Assessment technical support document were previously reviewed by 
CASAC and the public. Comments received have been considered in 
developing the second draft Risk Assessment technical support document 
being released at this time. The risk assessment methodology and 
results are also discussed in the second draft Staff Paper.
    The second draft Staff Paper and second draft Risk Assessment 
technical support document will be reviewed at an upcoming public 
meeting of the CASAC. A future Federal Register notice will inform the 
public of the date and location of that meeting. Following the CASAC 
meeting, EPA will consider comments received from CASAC and the public 
in completing the Staff Paper and Risk Assessment technical support 
document.

    Dated: January 26, 2005.
Gregory A. Green,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 05-1933 Filed 2-1-05; 8:45 am]
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