[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 189 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57508-57509]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-16060]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2004-0018; FRL-8225-9]


Air Quality Criteria for Lead

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the availability of a document titled, ``Air 
Quality Criteria for Lead'' (EPA/600/R-05/144aC-bC) (AQCD for Lead). 
The document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental 
Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development.

ADDRESSES: The ``Air Quality Criteria for Lead'' will be 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'' (EPA/600/R-
05/144aC-bC) to facilitate processing of your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information, contact 
Lori White, PhD, NCEA; telephone: 919-541-3146; 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 air 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. 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 teleconference consultation on March 28, 2005 (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.

[[Page 57509]]

These workshops were held August 4-5, 16-18, and 17-19, 2005. 
Availability of the first external review draft of the Air Quality 
Criteria for Lead (EPA/600/R-05/144aA-bA), was announced in the Federal 
Register on December 2, 2005 (70 FR 72300). The CASAC Lead Review Panel 
reviewed the first external review draft at a public meeting on 
February 28 and March 1, 2006.
    EPA considered comments of the CASAC review panel and the public in 
revising the draft AQCD for lead. Availability of the second external 
review draft of the Air Quality Criteria for Lead (EPA/600/R-05/144aB-
bB), was announced in the Federal Register on May 19, 2006 (71 FR 
29152). The CASAC Lead Review Panel reviewed the second external review 
draft at a public meeting on June 28, 2006. EPA provided revised 
Integrative Synthesis and Executive Summary chapters of the draft AQCD 
for Lead to the public and CASAC for review in July 2006. The CASAC 
Lead Review Panel met via a publicly accessible teleconference on 
August 15, 2006, to review these revised chapters (71 FR 40516). EPA 
has considered the comments of the CASAC Lead Review Panel and of the 
public in preparing the final Air Quality Criteria for Lead.

    Dated: September 25, 2006.
George W. Alapas,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E6-16060 Filed 9-28-06; 8:45 am]
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