[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5429-5430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01682]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0072; FRL-10004-46-OAR]


Release of a Final Document Related to the Review of the National 
Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter

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 document titled, Policy Assessment for the Review of 
the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (PA). 
This document was prepared as part of the current review of the 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Particulate Matter 
(PM). Building on the Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate 
Matter (ISA), completed in December 2019, the PA is intended to 
``bridge the gap'' between the currently available scientific 
information and the judgments required of the Administrator in 
determining whether to retain or revise the existing NAAQS for PM.

DATES: The PA will be made available on or about January 27, 2020.

ADDRESSES: This document will be available primarily via the internet 
at https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/particulate-matter-pm-air-quality-standards.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Scott Jenkins, Office of Air 
Quality Planning and Standards (Mail Code C504-06), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: 
919-541-1167; fax number: 919-541-5315; email: [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. 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 his 
``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 . . .'' (42 U.S.C. 7408(a)(1)(A)-(C)). 
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. 7408(a)(2)). Under section 109 (42 U.S.C. 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 revised air quality criteria reflect 
advances in scientific knowledge on the effects of the pollutant on 
public health or welfare. The EPA is also required to periodically 
review and revise the NAAQS, if appropriate, 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 the existing criteria and standards as may be appropriate 
. . . .'' Since the early 1980s, this independent review function has 
been performed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC).
    Presently, the EPA is reviewing the air quality criteria and NAAQS 
for PM. The EPA's overall plan for this review is presented in the 
Integrated Review Plan for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards 
for Particulate Matter (IRP).\1\ A draft of the Integrated Science 
Assessment for Particulate Matter (ISA) was reviewed by the CASAC at a 
public meeting in December 2018 (83 FR 55529, November 6, 2018) and 
discussed on a public teleconference in March 2019 (84 FR 8523, March 
8, 2019). The final ISA was made available in January 2020.\2\ The 
final PA announced today draws from the scientific evidence assessed in 
the ISA, together with the results of air quality and other 
quantitative analyses, as available.
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    \1\ The IRP (EPA-452/R-16-005, December 2016) is available at 
https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/particulate-matter-pm-standards-planning-documents-current-review.
    \2\ The ISA for PM (EPA/600/R-19/188, December 2019 is available 
at https://www.epa.gov/isa/integrated-science-assessment-isa-particulate-matter.
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    The PA, when final, is intended to ``bridge the gap'' between the 
scientific and technical information available in the review and the 
judgments required of the Administrator in determining whether to 
retain or revise the existing PM NAAQS. The EPA released the draft PA 
in September 2019 (84 FR 47944, September 11, 2019). The draft PA was 
reviewed by the chartered CASAC on October 24-25, 2019 at a public 
meeting held in Cary, NC. Public comments on the draft PA were received 
via a separate public teleconference on October 22, 2019 (84 FR 51555, 
September 30, 2019). A public meeting to discuss the CASAC letter and 
response to charge questions on the draft PA was held in Cary, NC on 
December 3, 2019 (84 FR 58713, November 1, 2019), and the CASAC 
provided its advice on the draft PA in a letter to the EPA 
Administrator dated December 16, 2019.\3\ The final PA reflects staff's 
consideration of the advice and comments from CASAC, as well as public 
comments. The final PA will be available on or about January 27, 2020, 
on the EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/particulate-matter-pm-air-quality-standards.
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    \3\ The CASAC letter is available at https://yosemite.epa.gov/
sab/sabproduct.nsf/264cb1227d55e02c85257402007446a4/
E2F6C71737201612852584D20069DFB1/$File/EPA-CASAC-20-001.pdf.
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    The documents briefly described above do not represent, and should 
not be construed to represent, any final EPA policy, viewpoint, or 
determination.


[[Page 5430]]


    Dated: January 27, 2020.
Panagiotis Tsirigotis,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2020-01682 Filed 1-29-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P