[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 250 (Friday, December 29, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78432-78433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-22427]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8265-1; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2006-0975]


A Review of the Impact of Climate Variability and Change on 
Aeroallergens and Their Associated Effects

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Public Comment Period.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a 30-day public comment period for the draft 
document titled, ``A Review of the Impact of Climate Variability and 
Change on Aeroallergens and Their Associated Effects.'' The draft 
document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental 
Assessment within EPA's Office of Research and Development. The draft 
report surveys the current state of knowledge of the potential impacts 
of climate change and climate variability on aeroallergens in the 
United States--including pollens, molds, and indoor allergens--and 
their associated allergenic illnesses.
    EPA is releasing this draft document solely for the purpose of pre-
dissemination peer review under applicable information quality 
guidelines. This document has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It 
does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency 
policy or determination. EPA will consider any public comments 
submitted in accordance with this notice when revising the document.

DATES: The 30-day public comment period begins December 29, 2006, and 
ends January 29, 2007. Technical comments should be in writing and must 
be received by EPA by January 29, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The draft, ``A Review of the Impact of Climate Variability 
and Change on Aeroallergens and Their Associated Effects,'' is 
available primarily via the Internet on the National Center for 
Environmental Assessment's home page under the Recent Additions and the 
Data and Publications menus at--A limited number of paper copies are 
available from the Technical Information Staff, NCEA-W; telephone: 202-
564-3261; facsimile: 202-565-0050. If you are requesting a paper copy, 
please provide your name, your mailing address, and the draft document 
title, ``A Review of the Impact of Climate Variability and Change on 
Aeroallergens and Their Associated Effects.''
    Comments may be submitted electronically via www.regulations.gov, 
by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/courier. Please follow the 
detailed instructions provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
of this notice.

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 Janet L. Gamble, NCEA; 
telephone: 202-564-3387; facsimile: 202-564-2018; or e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Project/Document

    This draft report presents a survey of the current state of 
knowledge of the potential impacts of climate change and variability on 
aeroallergens--pollens, mold, and indoor allergens--in the United 
States and the allergenic illnesses associated with them. Allergies are 
prevalent in the U.S. and impose substantial economic and quality of 
life burdens. While limited data suggest that aeroallergen levels have 
remained relatively stable, the prevalence of allergenic illnesses in 
the U.S. has increased over the past 30 years, a trend that appears to 
be mirrored in other countries. Overall, experimental and observational 
data indicate that pollen production is likely to increase in many 
parts of the U.S. Phenologic advance is likely to occur for numerous 
species of plants, especially trees, and increases in allergen content, 
and thus, potency, of some aeroallergens are possible.

II. How to Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at 
www.regulations.gov

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD 2006-
0975 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-566-1753.
     Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket 
(Mail Code: 2822T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-
566-1752.
     Hand Delivery: The OEI Docket is located in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 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. Deliveries are only accepted during the 
docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be 
made for deliveries of boxed information.
    If you provide comments by mail or hand delivery, 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.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2006-0975. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the 
specified

[[Page 78433]]

comment period. Comments received after the closing date will be marked 
``late,'' and may only be considered if time permits. It is EPA's 
policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket without 
change and to make the comments available online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless a 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 www.regulations.gov or e-mail. 
The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, 
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 www.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 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 the EPA Docket Center 
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
    Docket: Documents in the docket are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other materials, 
such as copyrighted material, are publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the OEI Docket in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: December 20, 2006.
George Alapas,
Deputy Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E6-22427 Filed 12-28-06; 8:45 am]
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