[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 163 (Thursday, August 22, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43806-43807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-18087]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0279; FRL-9998-51-OAR]
Release of Integrated Review Plan for the Ozone National Ambient
Air Quality Standards
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: On or about August 26, 2019, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) will make available the final document, Integrated Review
Plan for the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (IRP). This
document contains plans for the current review of the air quality
criteria and national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for
photochemical oxidants including ozone (O3). The primary and
secondary O3 NAAQS are set to protect the public health and
the public welfare from O3 and other photochemical oxidants
in ambient air.
ADDRESSES: This document will be available on the EPA's website at
https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/ozone-o3-air-quality-standards. The document
will be accessible under ``Planning Documents'' from the current
review.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Deirdre L. 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; or email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. How can I get copies of this document and related information?
1. Docket. EPA has established a docket for this action under
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0279. A separate docket established for
the Integrated Science Assessment being prepared for this action (EPA-
HQ-ORD-2018-0274) is also incorporated into the rulemaking docket for
this review. Publicly available docket materials are available
electronically through www.regulations.gov or may be viewed at the Air
and Radiation Docket and Information Center, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The 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, and the telephone number for the Air and
Radiation Docket and Information Center is (202) 566-1742.
2. The document announced today and related information will be
available via the internet on the EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/ozone-o3-air-quality-standards. The document announced today will
be accessible under ``Planning Documents'' from the current review.
II. Information Specific to This Document
Two sections of the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act) govern the
establishment and revision of the NAAQS. Section 108 directs the
Administrator to identify and list certain air pollutants and then
issue ``air quality criteria'' for those pollutants. The 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. . .'' (CAA
[[Page 43807]]
section 108(a)(2)). Under section 109 of the Act, the EPA is then to
establish primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS
for each pollutant for which the EPA has issued air quality criteria.
Section 109(d)(1) of the Act requires periodic review and, if
appropriate, revision of existing air quality criteria. Revised air
quality criteria are to reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the
effects of the pollutant on public health and welfare. Under the same
provision, the EPA is also to periodically review and, if appropriate,
revise the NAAQS, based on the revised air quality criteria.
The Act additionally requires appointment of an independent
scientific review committee that is to periodically review the existing
air quality criteria and NAAQS and to recommend any new standards and
revisions of existing criteria and standards as may be appropriate (CAA
section 109(d)(2)(A)-(B)). Since the early 1980s, the requirement for
an independent scientific review committee has been fulfilled by the
Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC).
Presently the EPA is reviewing the air quality criteria and NAAQS
for photochemical oxidants and O3.\1\ The document announced
in this notice has been developed as part of the planning phase for the
review. In this phase, a draft IRP was prepared jointly by the EPA's
National Center for Environmental Assessment, within the Office of
Research and Development, and the Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards, within the Office of Air and Radiation. The draft IRP was
the subject of a consultation with CASAC on November 29, 2018 and was
available for public comment (83 FR 55163, November 2, 2018; 83 FR
55528, November 6, 2018). The document announced today has been
prepared after consideration of CASAC and public comments. This IRP
presents EPA's current plans for the schedule for the entire review,
the process for conducting the review, and the key policy-relevant
science issues that will guide the review. This document does not
represent and should not be construed to represent any final EPA
policy, viewpoint, or determination.
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\1\ The EPA's call for information for this review was issued on
June 26, 2018 (83 FR 29785).
Dated: August 16, 2019.
Panagiotis Tsirigotis,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2019-18087 Filed 8-21-19; 8:45 am]
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