[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 187 (Thursday, September 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54186-54188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20504]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-0859; FRL-9002-01-ORD]


Supplement to the 2019 Integrated Science Assessment for 
Particulate Matter (External Review Draft)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the 
availability of a draft document titled, ``Supplement to the 2019 
Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter (External Review 
Draft)'' (EPA/600/R-21/198). The document was prepared by the Center 
for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) within EPA's 
Office of Research and Development (ORD) as part of the reconsideration 
of the 2020 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for 
particulate matter (PM). The Supplement represents a targeted review of 
peer-reviewed studies published since the literature cutoff date (i.e., 
~January 2018) of the 2019 Integrated Science Assessment for 
Particulate Matter (PM ISA). The Supplement and the 2019 p.m. ISA 
provide the scientific basis for EPA's decisions, in conjunction with 
additional technical and policy assessments, for the reconsideration of 
the current NAAQS and the appropriateness of possible alternative 
standards. EPA is releasing this draft document to seek review by the 
Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and the public. In 
addition, the date and location of a public meeting for CASAC review of 
this document will be specified in a separate Federal Register 
document. This draft document is not final and it does not

[[Page 54187]]

represent, and should not be construed to represent, any final Agency 
policy or views. When revising the document, EPA will consider any 
public comments submitted during the public comment period specified in 
this notice.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 29, 2021.

ADDRESSES: The ``Supplement to the 2019 Integrated Science Assessment 
for Particulate Matter (External Review Draft)'' will be available 
primarily via the internet on EPA's Integrated Science Assessment 
Particulate Matter page at https://www.epa.gov/isa/integrated-science-assessment-isa-particulate-matter or the public docket at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID: EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-0859. A limited number 
of CD-ROM copies will be available. Contact Ms. Christine Alvarez by 
phone: 919-541-3881; 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 Particulate Matter'' to facilitate processing of 
your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment 
period, contact the ORD Docket at the EPA Headquarters Docket Center; 
phone: 202-566-1752; fax: 202-566-9744; or email: [email protected].
    For technical information, contact Mr. Jason Sacks, CPHEA; phone: 
919-541-9729; fax: 919-541-1818; or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Document

    Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act directs the Administrator to 
identify certain pollutants which, 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. 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 [a] pollutant in the ambient air . . .'' 
Under section 109 of the Act, EPA is then to establish NAAQS for each 
pollutant for which EPA has issued criteria. Section 109(d) of the Act 
subsequently requires review every five years 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 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).
    PM is 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, and this Supplement, provide the scientific basis 
for EPA's decisions, in conjunction with additional technical and 
policy assessments, 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 the EPA's air quality criteria.
    On December 3, 2014 (79 FR 71764), EPA formally initiated its 
current review of the air quality criteria for the health and welfare 
effects of particulate matter and the primary (health-based) and 
secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS, requesting the submission of recent 
scientific information on specified topics. EPA conducted a workshop 
from February 9 to 11, 2015 to gather input from invited scientific 
experts, both internal and external to EPA, as well as from the public, 
regarding key science and policy issues relevant to the review of the 
primary and secondary NAAQS (79 FR 71764). These science and policy 
issues were incorporated into EPA's ``Draft Integrated Review Plan for 
the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter,'' 
which was available for public comment (81 FR 22977) and discussion by 
the CASAC via publicly accessible teleconference consultation (81 FR 
13362). The ``Final Integrated Review Plan for the National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards for Particulate Matter'' was released December 6, 
2016 (81 FR 87933).
    Subsequent webinar workshops were held on June 9, 13, 20, and 22, 
2016, to discuss initial draft materials prepared in the development of 
the particulate matter ISA with invited EPA and external scientific 
experts (81 FR 29262). The input received during these webinar 
workshops aided in the development of the materials presented in the 
``Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter (External Review 
Draft), which was released on October 23, 2018'' (83 FR 53471), and is 
available at: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/isa/recordisplay.cfm?deid=341593. The CASAC met at a public meeting on 
December 12--13, 2018 (83 FR 55529), to review the draft PM ISA. A 
public teleconference was then held on March 28, 2019 for CASAC to 
review their draft letter to the Administrator on the draft ISA. This 
meeting was announced in the Federal Register on March 8, 2019 (84 FR 
8523). Subsequently, on April 11, 2019, the CASAC provided a letter of 
their review to the Administrator of the EPA, available at: https://
yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/264cb1227d55e02c85257402007446a4/
6CBCBBC3025E13B4852583D90047B352/$File/EPA-CASAC-19-002+.pdf. The 
letter from the CASAC, as well as public comments received on the draft 
PM ISA, can be found in Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-0859.
    The Administrator responded to the CASAC's letter on the External 
Review Draft of the PM ISA on July 25, 2019, and is available at: 
https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/
264cb1227d55e02c85257402007446a4/6CBCBBC3025E13B4852583D90047B352/
$File/EPA-CASAC-19-002_Response.pdf. The PM ISA was finalized on 
December 31, 2019, and its availability announced in a January 27, 2020 
Federal Register document (85 FR 4655). On December 7, 2020, after 
reviewing the most recent available scientific evidence and technical 
information, and consulting with the Agency's independent scientific 
advisors, EPA announced its decision to retain, without revision, the 
existing primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) PM NAAQS.
    On June 10, 2021, EPA announced it will reconsider the December 
2020 decision to retain the PM NAAQS and as part of this process 
develop a supplement to the 2019 Final Integrated Science Assessment 
(ISA), available at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-reexamine-health-standards-harmful-soot-previous-administration-left-unchanged.
    The ``Supplement to the 2019 Integrated Science Assessment for 
Particulate Matter (External Review Draft)'' will be discussed at a 
public meeting for review by CASAC. In addition to the public comment 
period announced in this document, the public will have an opportunity 
to address CASAC at this meeting. A separate Federal Register document 
will inform the public of the exact date and time of the CASAC meeting 
and of the procedures for public participation.

II. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at 
www.regulations.gov

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-
0859, by one of the following methods:

[[Page 54188]]

     www.regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-566-9744. Due to COVID-19, there may be a delay 
in processing comments submitted by fax.
     Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket 
Center (ORD Docket), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-566-1752.
    Note: The EPA Docket Center and Reading Room may be closed to 
public visitors to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Docket 
Center staff will continue to provide remote customer service via 
email, phone, and webform. The public can submit comments via 
www.Regulations.gov or email. No hand deliveries are currently being 
accepted.
    The EPA Docket Center and Reading Room is currently in the 
reopening process. Visitors may be considered on an exception basis. 
Visitors must complete docket material requests in advance and then 
make an appointment to retrieve the material. Visitors will be allowed 
entrance to the Reading Room by appointment only, and no walk-ins will 
be allowed.
    The EPA continues to monitor information carefully and continuously 
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local area 
health departments, and our Federal partners so that we can respond 
rapidly as conditions change regarding COVID-19.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2014-0859. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the 
specified comment period. Comments received after the closing date will 
be marked ``late,'' and may only be considered if time permits. It is 
EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket 
without change and to make the comments available online at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless a comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information through 
www.regulations.gov or email that you consider to be CBI or otherwise 
protected. The www.regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' 
system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact 
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you 
send an email comment directly to EPA without going through 
www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured 
and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket 
and made available on the internet. If you submit an electronic 
comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact 
information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you 
submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties 
and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to 
consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special 
characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or 
viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit the 
EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www2.epa.gov/dockets.
    Docket: Documents in the docket are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other materials, 
such as copyrighted material, are publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
on www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the ORD Docket in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center.

Timothy Watkins,
Acting Director, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2021-20504 Filed 9-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P