[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 118 (Wednesday, June 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34003-34004]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-11957]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8329-3]


Workshop To Discuss Policy-Relevant Science To Inform EPA's 
Integrated Plan for the Review of the Primary Particulate Matter (PM) 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of workshop.

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SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing that a workshop entitled ``Workshop to 
Discuss Policy-Relevant Science to Inform EPA's Integrated Plan for the 
Review of the Primary Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality 
Standards'' is being organized by EPA's National Center for 
Environmental Assessment (NCEA), Office of Research and Development and 
EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS), Office of 
Air and Radiation. The workshop will be held on July 11 through 13, 
2007 in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The workshop will be 
open to attendance by interested public observers on a first-come, 
first-served basis up to the limits of available space.

DATES: The workshop will be held on July 11, 12, and 13, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The workshops will be held at U.S. EPA, 109 T.W. Alexander 
Drive, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. An EPA contractor, SAIC, 
is providing logistical support for the workshop. For further 
information on the workshops, contact Ms. Kristen Wheeler, SAIC 
Conference Coordinator, 11251 Roger Bacon Drive, Reston, VA 20190, 
telephone: 703-318-4535; facsimile: 703-318-4755; e-mail: 
[email protected].

[[Page 34004]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding information, 
registration, and logistics for the workshop should be directed to the 
SAIC conference coordinator listed in ADDRESSES above.
    Additional questions regarding the workshop should be directed to 
Ms. Beth Hassett-Sipple, U.S. EPA, OAQPS, telephone: 919-541-4605; 
facsimile: 919-541-0237; e-mail: [email protected] or Dr. 
Lori White, U.S. EPA, NCEA, telephone: 919-541-3146; facsimile: 919-
541-1818; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Workshop

    The Agency's last review of the particulate matter (PM) national 
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) was completed in September 2006 
with the promulgation of revisions to some aspects of the PM standards 
to provide requisite protection of public health and welfare (71 FR 
61144). Initiating the next review of these standards at this time is 
consistent with the Clean Air Act's requirement that the Agency 
periodically review the latest scientific information and the 
standards. It is also consistent with the Agency's new NAAQS review 
process.\1\ This workshop will provide an opportunity for external 
experts as well as EPA staff to highlight significant new and emerging 
PM research, and to make individual recommendations to the Agency 
regarding the design and scope of the review for the primary (health-
based) PM standards \2\ to ensure that it addresses key policy-relevant 
issues and considers the new science relevant to informing our 
understanding of these issues.
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    \1\ For more information on the NAAQS review process, please see 
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/.
    \2\ A similar workshop to discuss planning for the review of the 
secondary (welfare-based) PM NAAQS will be held on July 16, 2007 in 
Research Triangle Park. Please see announcement elsewhere in today's 
Federal Register.
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    We intend that workshop discussions will build upon three prior 
publications or events: \3\
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    \3\ Please see http://www.epa.gov/air/particlepollution/actions.html to obtain a copy of the provisional science assessment, 
the notice of final rulemaking, and other related documents.
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    1. Provisional Assessment of Recent Studies on Health Effects of 
Particulate Matter Exposure. This assessment, which was completed by 
EPA's NCEA in July 2006, evaluated studies published too late for 
inclusion in the final PM criteria document in the last review.
    2. National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter: 
Final Rule (71 FR 61144, October 17, 2006). The preamble to the final 
rule included detailed discussions of policy-relevant issues central to 
the last review.
    3. Materials from the December 2006 workshop entitled, 
``Interpretation of Epidemiologic Studies of Multi-pollutant Exposure 
and Health Effects.'' The workshop dealt with important issues relevant 
to this review, such as the interpretation and understanding of 
criteria air pollutant health effects analyses in population-level 
epidemiologic studies, with a focus on multi-pollutant exposures (71 FR 
67566, November 22, 2006).
    Workshop participants are encouraged to review each of these 
documents and/or supporting materials thoroughly before the meeting 
begins, as they provide important insights into new scientific advances 
and key policy-relevant questions.
    Based in large part on the input received during this workshop, EPA 
intends to develop a draft integrated PM NAAQS review plan that will 
outline the schedule, process, and approaches for evaluating the 
relevant scientific information and addressing the key policy-relevant 
issues to be considered in this review. The Clean Air Scientific 
Advisory Committee (CASAC) will be asked to conduct a consultation with 
the Agency on the draft integrated plan later this year, and the public 
will have the opportunity to comment on it as well. The final 
integrated plan will be used to frame each of the major elements of the 
PM review under the new NAAQS process: an integrated science assessment 
document, a risk/exposure assessment report, and a policy assessment to 
be published as an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR).

    Dated: June 14, 2007.
P.W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E7-11957 Filed 6-19-07; 8:45 am]
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