[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 231 (Friday, December 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72300-72301]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-6760]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY


Draft Air Quality Criteria for Lead

[E-Docket ID No. ORD-2004-0018; FRL-8004-3]

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public comment period on a first external review 
draft.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 
public comment period for the draft document titled, ``Air Quality 
Criteria for Lead; First External Review Draft'' (EPA/600/R-05/144). 
The document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental 
Assessment within EPA's Office of Research and Development.
    EPA is releasing this draft document solely for the purpose of 
seeking public comment. It does not represent and should not be 
construed to represent any Agency policy, viewpoint, or determination. 
EPA will consider any public comments submitted in accordance with this 
notice when revising the document.

DATES: The public comment period begins on or about December 1, 2005, 
and ends February 15, 2006. Technical comments should be in writing and 
must be received by EPA by February 15, 2006. Comments may be submitted 
electronically via EPA's E-Docket, by mail, by facsimile, or by hand 
delivery/courier. Please follow the detailed instructions as provided 
in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: The draft ``Air Quality Criteria for Lead; First External 
Review Draft'' is available primarily via the Internet on the National 
Center for Environmental Assessment's home page under the Recent 
Additions and Publications menus at 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, and please provide your 
name, your mailing address, and the document title, ``Air Quality 
Criteria for Lead; First External Review Draft,'' (EPA/600/R-05/144) to 
facilitate processing of your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment 
period, contact the Office of Environmental Information Docket; 
telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-1753; or e-mail: 
[email protected].
    For technical information, contact Lori White, Ph.D., NCEA; 
telephone: 919-541-3146; facsimile: 919-541-1818; or e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Information about the Project/Document

    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 requires subsequent 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 
was to prepare a project work plan for revision of the existing ``Air 
Quality Criteria for Lead,'' EPA-600/8-83/028aF-dF (published in June 
1986) and an associated supplement (EPA-600/8-89/049F) published in 
1990. Accordingly, a draft of EPA's ``Project Work Plan for Revised Air 
Quality Criteria for Lead'' (NCEA-R-1465) was released on January 7, 
2005 for public comment (70 FR 1439) and was discussed by the Clean Air 
Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) via a publicly accessible March 
28, 2005, teleconference consultation (70 FR 11629). On July 15, 2005 
(70 FR 41007), several workshops were announced to discuss, with 
invited recognized scientific experts, initial draft materials that 
dealt with various lead-related issues being addressed in the draft 
AQCD for lead. These workshops were held August 4-5, 16-18, and 17-19, 
2005.
    After the end of the comment period on the Air Quality Criteria for 
Lead, First External Review Draft, EPA will

[[Page 72301]]

present the draft at a public meeting for review by 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.

II. How To Submit Technical Comments to EPA's E-Docket

    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 
available for public viewing and includes the documents specifically 
referenced in this action, any public comments received, and other 
information related to this action, but excludes Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute. The official public docket is available for public viewing 
at the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket in the 
Headquarters EPA Docket Center, (EPA/DC) 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 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 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 E-Docket. 
Information claimed as CBI and other information for which disclosure 
is restricted by statute will not be available for public viewing in 
the official public docket or in E-Docket. EPA's policy is that 
copyrighted material will not be placed in E-Docket but will be 
referenced there and will be available as printed material in the 
official public docket.
    If you intend to submit comments to EPA, please note that it is 
EPA's policy to make public comments available for public viewing as 
received and without change 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. 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 official 
public docket.
    Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or 
delivered to the docket will be transferred to E-Docket. Public 
comments that are mailed or delivered to the Docket will be scanned and 
placed in E-Docket. Where practical, physical objects will be 
photographed, and the photograph will be placed in E-Docket with a 
brief description written by the docket staff.
    You may submit 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 
ensure that your comments are submitted within the specified comment 
period. Comments received after the closing date will be marked 
``late,'' and may only be considered if time permits.
    If you submit comments electronically, 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 submitted disk or CD-ROM, and 
in any cover letter accompanying the disk or CD-ROM. This ensures that 
you can be identified as the person submitting the comment and allows 
EPA to contact you in case the Agency cannot read your submission due 
to technical difficulties or needs further information on the substance 
of your comment. 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 E-Docket. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, it may 
delay or preclude consideration of your comment.
    Electronic submission of comments to E-Docket 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. ORD-2004-0018. 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.
    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 comment 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 in E-Docket.
    You may submit comments on a disk or CD-ROM that you mail to the 
OEI Docket mailing address. Files will be accepted in WordPerfect, 
Word, or PDF format. Avoid the use of special characters and any form 
of encryption.
    If you provide comments in writing, please submit one unbound 
original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies of the 
comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively 
with the comments, and submit an unbound original and three copies.

    Dated: November 23, 2005.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
 [FR Doc. E5-6760 Filed 12-1-05; 8:45 am]
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