[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 19 (Friday, January 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4815-4816]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1359]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9106-1; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-0925]


Integrated Science Assessment for Carbon Monoxide

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) .

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing 
the availability of a final document titled, ``Integrated Science 
Assessment for Carbon Monoxide'' (EPA/600/R-09/019F). This document was 
prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) 
within EPA's Office of Research and Development as part of the review 
of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for carbon 
monoxide.

DATES: The document will be available on January 29, 2010.

ADDRESSES: The ``Integrated Science Assessment for Carbon Monoxide'' 
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. Debbie Wales by 
phone (919-541-4731), fax (919-541-5078), or e-mail 
([email protected]) to request either of these, and please provide 
your name, your mailing address, and the document title, ``Integrated 
Science Assessment for Carbon Monoxide'' (EPA/600/R-09/019F) to 
facilitate processing of your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information, contact Dr. 
Thomas C. Long, NCEA; telephone: 919-541-1880; facsimile: 919-541-2985; 
or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Document

    Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act directs the EPA Administrator 
to identify certain pollutants that ``cause or contribute to air 
pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health 
or 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 such pollutant in the ambient air * * *.'' Under section 
109 of the Act, EPA is to establish national ambient air quality 
standards (NAAQS) for each pollutant for which EPA has issued criteria. 
Section 109(d) of the Act 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 
or welfare. EPA is also to revise the

[[Page 4816]]

NAAQS, if appropriate, based on the revised air quality criteria.
    Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of six ``criteria'' pollutants for 
which EPA has established NAAQS. Periodically, EPA reviews the 
scientific basis for these standards by preparing an Integrated Science 
Assessment (ISA) (formerly called an Air Quality Criteria Document). 
The ISA and supplementary annexes, in conjunction with additional 
technical and policy assessments, provide the scientific basis for EPA 
decisions on the adequacy of the current NAAQS and the appropriateness 
of possible alternative standards. The Clean Air Scientific Advisory 
Committee (CASAC), an independent science advisory committee whose 
review and advisory functions are mandated by Section 109(d)(2) of the 
Clean Air Act, is charged (among other things) with independent 
scientific review of EPA's air quality criteria.
    On September 13, 2007 (72 FR 52369), EPA formally initiated its 
current review of the air quality criteria for CO, requesting the 
submission of recent scientific information on specified topics. A 
workshop was held on January 28-29, 2008 (73 FR 2490) to discuss 
policy-relevant science to inform EPA's planning for the CO NAAQS 
review. In March 2008, a draft of EPA's ``Plan for Review of the 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Carbon Monoxide'' (EPA-452/
D-08-001) was made available for public comment and was discussed by 
the CASAC via a publicly accessible teleconference consultation on 
April 8, 2008 (73 FR 12998). EPA finalized the plan and made it 
available in August 2008 (EPA/452/R-08/005; http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/co/s_co_cr_pd.html). In November 2008, EPA held an 
authors' teleconference to discuss, with invited scientific experts, 
preliminary draft materials prepared during the ongoing development of 
the CO ISA and its supplementary annexes.
    The First External Review Draft ISA for CO (EPA/600/R-09/019; 
http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=203935) was 
released for public comment and CASAC review on March 12, 2009 (74 FR 
10734). This document was reviewed by the CASAC review panel and 
discussed at a public meeting held May 12-13, 2009 (74 FR 15265). The 
CASAC held a follow-up public teleconference on June 17, 2009 (74 FR 
25530) to review and approve the CASAC CO Review Panel's draft letter 
providing comments to EPA on the First External Review Draft ISA for 
CO. Following the teleconference, CASAC sent a final letter report to 
EPA on June 24, 2009 (http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/
4620a620d0120f93852572410080d786/6E648129288BF930852575DF0070A528/
$File/EPA-CASAC-09-011-unsigned.pdf).
    The Second External Review Draft ISA for CO (EPA/600/R-09/019B;  
http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=213229), which took 
into consideration comments by CASAC and the public on the First 
External Review Draft, was released for public comment and CASAC review 
on September 23, 2009 (74 FR 48536). This document was reviewed by the 
CASAC review panel and discussed at a public meeting held November 16-
17, 2009 (74 FR 54042). The CASAC held a follow-up public 
teleconference on December 22, 2009 to review and approve the CASAC CO 
Review Panel's draft letter providing comments to EPA on the Second 
External Review Draft ISA for CO. The final letter report can be 
obtained from the CASAC Web site (http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabpeople.nsf/WebCommittees/CASAC). EPA has considered comments by 
CASAC and by the public in preparing this final ISA.

    Dated: January 13, 2010.
 Rebecca Clark,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2010-1359 Filed 1-28-10; 8:45 am]
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