[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 221 (Thursday, November 17, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69761-69763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-22816]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OAR-2005-0172; FRL-7998-3]


Draft Staff Paper for Ozone

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On or about November 14, 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 Ozone: Policy Assessment of Scientific and 
Technical Information (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 Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants, 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 ozone. 
The OAQPS also will make available for public review and comment 
related draft technical support documents, Ozone Population Exposure 
Analysis for Selected Urban Areas (draft Exposure Analysis) and Ozone 
Health Risk Assessment for Selected Urban Areas (draft Risk 
Assessment).

DATES: Comments on the draft Staff Paper, draft Exposure Analysis, and 
draft Risk Assessment should be submitted on or before December 30, 
2005.

ADDRESSEES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. OAR-2005-
0172, by one of the following methods:
     Agency Web site: EDOCKET, EPA's electronic public docket 
and comment system, 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-2005-0172.
     Fax: Fax your comments to: 202-566-1741, Attention Docket 
ID. No. OAR-2005-0172.
     Mail: Send your comments to: Air and Radiation Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail code: 6102T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. 
OAR-2005-0172.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver your comments to: EPA 
Docket Center, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Room B102, Washington, DC 
20004.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. OAR-2005-0172. 
The 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://www.epa.gov/edocket, 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

[[Page 69762]]

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 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-2005-0172. The official public docket consists 
of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any public 
comments received, and other information related to the ozone NAAQS 
review. Although a part of the official docket, the public docket does 
not include 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 at the address listed above. 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/ozone/s_ozone_index.html; the draft Staff Paper is available under ``Staff Papers'' 
the draft Exposure Analysis and Risk Assessment technical support 
documents are available under ``Technical Documents'' and the draft 
Health Assessment Plan is available under ``Planning Documents.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. David McKee, 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) 541-5288; fax: (919) 541-0237.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 108(a) of the CAA 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 CAA, 
EPA is then to establish NAAQS for each pollutant for which EPA has 
issued criteria. Section 109(d) of the CAA 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. Also, EPA is 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. Presently, EPA is reviewing 
the criteria and NAAQS for ozone. This review includes preparation of 
two key documents, the Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related 
Photochemical Oxidants (``Criteria Document'') and a related ``Staff 
Paper.'' The EPA completed its second external review draft Criteria 
Document for Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants in August 2005 
(70 FR 51810, August 31, 2005).
    The purpose of the draft Staff Paper is to evaluate the policy 
implications of the key scientific and technical information contained 
in the second external review draft 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 January 2005, a first external review draft of the Air Quality 
Criteria Document 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 (70 FR 4850, January 31, 2005) at a public 
meeting held in May 2005. Comments received from review of the first 
draft document have been considered in preparing the second draft Air 
Quality Criteria Document. Based on the information contained in the 
Air Quality Criteria Document, the draft Staff Paper includes 
assessments and analyses related to: (1) Air quality characterization; 
(2) integration and evaluation of health information; (3) exposure 
analysis; (4) health risk assessment; and (5) evaluation of information 
on vegetation damage and other welfare effects. The draft Staff Paper 
contains no staff conclusions and recommendations with respect to 
possible revisions to the current standards but recommends alternative 
standards for purposes of conducting exposure and risk analyses. A 
second draft of the Staff Paper will include staff conclusions and 
recommendations on potential revision or retention of the primary 
(health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) ozone NAAQS.
    The draft Exposure Analysis and Risk Assessment technical support 
documents describe and present the results from an ozone exposure 
analysis and health risk assessment in several urban areas. A draft 
plan, Ozone Health Assessment Plan: Scope and Methods for Exposure 
Analysis and Risk Assessment, was previously reviewed by CASAC and the 
public. Comments received on that plan have been considered in 
developing the draft Exposure Analysis and Risk Assessment technical 
support documents being released at this time. The Exposure Analysis 
and Risk Assessment methodologies and results are also discussed in the 
draft Staff Paper.
    The EPA is soliciting early advice and recommendations from the 
CASAC by means of a consultation on the first draft Staff Paper, first 
draft Exposure Analysis, and first draft Risk Assessment at an upcoming 
public meeting of the CASAC. A 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 preparing a second draft of the Staff Paper and the Exposure 
Analysis and Risk Assessment technical support documents.


[[Page 69763]]


    Dated: November 10, 2005.
Jeffrey S. Clark,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 05-22816 Filed 11-16-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P