[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 18 (Thursday, January 28, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4910-4911]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01548]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2013-0232; FRL-9941-74-ORD]


Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen--Health 
Criteria

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the 
availability of a final document titled, ``Integrated Science 
Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen--Health Criteria'' (EPA/600/R-15/
068). The document was prepared by the National Center for 
Environmental Assessment National Center for Environmental Assessment 
(NCEA) within the EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) as 
part of the review of the primary (health-based) National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards (NAAQS) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The 
Integrated Science Assessment (ISA), in conjunction with additional 
technical and policy assessments, provides the scientific basis for 
decisions by the EPA on the adequacy of the current NAAQS and the 
appropriateness of possible alternative standards. The EPA is 
developing a separate ISA and conducting a separate review for the 
secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS for NO2, in conjunction with 
a review of the secondary NAAQS for sulfur dioxide.

DATES: The document will be available on or around January 28, 2016.

ADDRESSES: The ``Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen--
Health Criteria'' will be available primarily via the Internet on the 
EPA's Integrated Science Assessment for Nitrogen Dioxide (Health 
Criteria) home page at http://www.epa.gov/isa/integrated-science-assessment-isa-nitrogen-dioxide-health-criteria or the public docket at 
http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID: EPA-HQ-ORD-2013-0232. A limited 
number of CD-ROM copies will be available. Contact Ms. Marieka Boyd by 
phone: 919-541-0031; fax: 919-541-5078; or email: [email protected] 
to request a CD-ROM, and please provide your name, your mailing 
address, and the document title, ``Integrated Science Assessment for 
Oxides of Nitrogen--Health Criteria'' to facilitate processing of your 
request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information, contact Dr. 
Molini Patel, NCEA; telephone: 919-541-1492; fax: 919-541-1818; or 
email: [email protected].

[[Page 4911]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Information About the Document

    Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act directs the Administrator to 
identify certain pollutants that, among other things, ``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. Further, section 108(a)(2) of the Act provides that 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 [the] pollutant in the ambient air . . . .'' Under section 
109 of the Act, the EPA is then to establish National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards (NAAQS) for each pollutant for which the EPA has 
issued criteria. Section 109(d) of the Act subsequently 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. The EPA is also required to 
review and, if appropriate, revise the NAAQS, based on the revised air 
quality criteria (for more information on the NAAQS review process, see 
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/review.html).
    Oxides of nitrogen are one of six criteria pollutants for which EPA 
has established NAAQS. Periodically, EPA reviews the scientific basis 
for these standards by preparing an ISA (formerly called an Air Quality 
Criteria Document). The ISA, in conjunction with additional technical 
and policy assessments, provides the scientific basis for decisions by 
EPA 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 with 
review and advisory functions mandated by section 109(d)(2) of the 
Clean Air Act, is charged with, among other things, independent 
scientific review of the EPA's air quality criteria.
    On February 10, 2012 (77 FR 7149), EPA formally initiated its 
current review of the air quality criteria for the health effects of 
oxides of nitrogen and the primary (health-based) nitrogen dioxide 
(NO2) NAAQS, requesting the submission of recent scientific 
information on specified topics. EPA held a workshop on February 29 to 
March 1, 2012, to gather input from scientific experts, both internal 
and external to EPA, as well as from the public regarding key science 
and policy issues that will frame the review of the health effects of 
the oxides of nitrogen and the primary NO2 NAAQS (77 FR 
7149).
    The discussions at this workshop guided the development of the 
EPA's ``Draft Plan for Development of the Integrated Science Assessment 
for Nitrogen of Oxides--Health Criteria,'' a draft ``Integrated Review 
Plan for the Primary NAAQS for Nitrogen Dioxide'' (EPA-452/R-14-003), 
and initial draft materials for the development of the ISA. The draft 
plan for the development of the ISA was made available for public 
comment on May 3, 2013 (78 FR 26026), and was discussed by the CASAC 
via a publicly accessible teleconference consultation on June 5, 2013 
(78 FR 27234). On June 11, 2013, EPA held a workshop to discuss, with 
invited scientific experts, initial draft materials prepared for the 
development of the ISA (78 FR 27374). The draft Integrated Review Plan 
(IRP) was made available in February 2014 for comment by the public and 
review by the CASAC (79 FR 7184) and was reviewed by the CASAC at a 
public meeting on March 12, 2014 (79 FR 8701). The CASAC panel provided 
a consensus letter for their review of the draft IRP to the 
Administrator of the EPA on June 10, 2014 (http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/
sabproduct.nsf/264cb1227d55e02c85257402007446a4/
89989229944F36B085257CF300692E2A/$File/EPA-CASAC-14-001+unsigned.pdf). 
The final IRP was released in June 2014 (79 FR 36801), and is available 
at: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/nox/s_nox_2012_pd.html.
    Comments on the draft plan for the ISA and discussion at the June 
11, 2013, workshop guided development of the ``First External Review 
Draft Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen--Health 
Criteria,'' which was released on November 22, 2013 (78 FR 70040), and 
is available at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/isa/recordisplay.cfm?deid=259167. The CASAC review panel for the oxides of 
nitrogen met at a public meeting on March 12-13, 2014, to review the 
draft ISA along with the draft IRP (79 FR 8701). Subsequently, on June 
10, 2014, the CASAC panel provided a consensus letter for their review 
to the Administrator of the EPA (http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/
sabproduct.nsf/264cb1227d55e02c85257402007446a4/
15E4619D3CD3409A85257CF30069387D/$File/EPA-CASAC-14-002+unsigned.pdf). 
The second external review draft ISA was developed with consideration 
of comments received from the CASAC and the public on the first 
external review draft ISA and evaluated scientific studies published 
through August 2014. The CASAC panel met at a public meeting on June 2-
3, 2015, to review the second draft ISA (79 FR 22993). Subsequently, on 
September 9, 2015, the CASAC provided a consensus letter for their 
review to the Administrator of the EPA (http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/
sabproduct.nsf/6612DAF24438687B85257EBB0070369C/$File/EPA-CASAC-15-
001+unsigned.pdf). The letters from the CASAC, as well as public 
comments received on the ISA drafts, can be found in Docket ID No. EPA-
HQ-ORD-2013-0232.
    EPA has considered comments by the CASAC panel and by the public in 
preparing this final ISA.

    Dated: January 15, 2016.
Vincent Cogliano,
Acting Deputy Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2016-01548 Filed 1-27-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P