[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 90 (Friday, May 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26751-26752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10679]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0108; FRL-9910-59-OAR]


Release of Final Policy Assessment Document Related to the Review 
of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Lead

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing the availability of a final document 
titled Policy Assessment for the Review of the Lead National Ambient 
Air Quality Standards. The Policy Assessment (PA) has been prepared by 
staff in the EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) 
as part of the agency's ongoing review of the primary (health-based) 
and secondary (welfare-based) national ambient air quality standards 
(NAAQS) for lead (Pb). It presents analyses and staff conclusions 
regarding the policy implications of the key scientific and technical 
information that informs this review.

DATES: The PA will be available on or about May 9, 2014.

ADDRESSES: This document will be available primarily via the Internet 
at the following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pb/s_pb_index.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Deirdre Murphy, Office of Air 
Quality Planning and Standards (mail code C504-06), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: 
919-541-0729; fax number: 919-541-0237; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Two sections of the Clean Air Act (CAA) 
govern the establishment and revision of the NAAQS. Section 108 (42 
U.S.C. section 7408) directs the Administrator to identify and list 
certain air pollutants and then to issue air quality criteria for those 
pollutants. The Administrator is to list those air pollutants that in 
her ``judgment, cause or contribute to air pollution which may 
reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare;'' ``the 
presence of which in the ambient air results from numerous or diverse 
mobile or stationary sources;'' and ``for which . . . [the 
Administrator] plans to issue air quality criteria. . . .'' Air quality 
criteria are intended 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 . . .'' 42 U.S.C. section 
7408(b). Under section 109 (42 U.S.C. section 7409), the EPA 
establishes primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS 
for pollutants for which air quality criteria are issued. Section 
109(d) requires periodic review and, if appropriate, revision of 
existing air quality criteria. The EPA is also required to periodically 
review and, if appropriate, revise the NAAQS based on the revised 
criteria. Section 109(d)(2) requires that an independent scientific 
review committee ``shall complete a review of the criteria . . . and 
the national primary and secondary ambient air quality standards . . . 
and shall recommend to the Administrator any new . . . standards and 
revisions of existing criteria and standards as may be appropriate. . . 
.'' Since the early 1980's, this independent review function has been 
performed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC).
    Presently, the EPA is reviewing the NAAQS for Pb.\1\ The document, 
whose

[[Page 26752]]

availability is being announced today, Policy Assessment for the Review 
of the Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards, presents analyses 
and staff conclusions regarding the policy implications of the key 
scientific and technical information that informs this review. The PA 
is intended to ``bridge the gap'' between the relevant scientific 
evidence and technical information and the judgments required of the 
EPA Administrator in determining whether to retain or revise the 
current standards. The PA builds upon information presented in the 
Integrated Science Assessment for Lead prepared for this review by the 
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) as well as scientific 
and technical assessments from prior Pb NAAQS reviews, including 
quantitative risk and exposure assessments developed in the last 
review. A draft of the PA document was released for CASAC review and 
public comment in January 2013 (78 FR 2394), and was the subject of a 
CASAC review meeting on February 5-6, 2013 (78 FR 938). In preparing 
the final PA, EPA has considered comments received from CASAC and the 
public on the earlier draft document. This final PA document will be 
available through the agency's Technology Transfer Network (TTN) Web 
site at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pb/s_pb_index.html. 
This document may be accessed in the ``Documents from Current Review'' 
section under ``Policy Assessments.''
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    \1\ The EPA's call for information for this review was issued on 
February 26, 2010 (75 FR 8934).

    Dated: May 2, 2014.
Mary E. Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2014-10679 Filed 5-8-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P