[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 34 (Thursday, February 20, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 7743-7744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-4330]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 50, 51, 53, and 58

[AD-FRL-5692-1]


National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone and Particulate 
Matter, Proposed Decision; Requirements for Designation of Reference 
and Equivalent Methods for PM<INF>2.5 and Ambient Air Quality 
Surveillance for Particulate Matter, Proposed Decision; Interim 
Implementation Policy on New or Revised Ozone and Particulate Matter 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards, Proposed Policy; and 
Implementation of New or Revised Ozone and PM NAAQS and Regional Haze 
Regulations, Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Extension of public comment period and announcement of 
availability of additional reports.

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SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing the extension of the public comment 
period on the proposed revisions to the national ambient air quality 
standards (NAAQS) for ozone (O<INF>3) (61 FR 65716) and particulate 
matter (PM) (61 FR 65638), and proposed requirements for designation of 
reference and equivalent methods for PM<INF>2.5 and ambient air quality 
surveillance for PM (61 FR 65780), all of which were published on 
December 13, 1996. The period of time for submitting written statements 
for the public hearing record for these proposals is also being 
extended. This document also extends the public comment period for the 
proposed interim implementation policy on new or revised O<INF>3 and PM 
NAAQS (61 FR 65752), and the advance notice of proposed rulemaking 
(ANPR) for implementation of new or revised O<INF>3 and PM NAAQS and 
regional haze regulations (61 FR 65764), published on December 13, 
1996.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before March 12, 1997. 
Written statements for inclusion in the public hearing record must be 
received on or before March 12, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments in duplicate if possible on the proposed 
actions to: Office of Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center 
(6102), Attention: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street 
SW., Washington, DC 20460. In addition, please add the appropriate 
docket number as follows: Proposed PM NAAQS, A-95-54; proposed O<INF>3 
NAAQS, A-95-58; proposed requirements for designation of reference and 
equivalent methods for PM<INF>2.5 and ambient air quality surveillance 
for PM, A-96-51; and interim implementation policy on new or revised 
O<INF>3 and PM NAAQS and the ANPR for implementation of new or revised 
O<INF>3 and PM NAAQS and regional haze regulations, A-95-38. The 
dockets may be inspected at the above address between 8:00 a.m. and 
5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and a reasonable fee may be charged for copying.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Part 50 notice on O<INF>3 NAAQS--Dr. 
David McKee, Air Quality Strategies and Standards Division (MD-15), 
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, telephone (919) 
541-5288.
    Part 50 document on PM NAAQS--Ms. Patricia Koman, same address, 
telephone (919) 541-5170.
    Part 51 document on interim implementation policy on new or revised 
O<INF>3 and PM NAAQS and the ANPR for implementation of new or revised 
O<INF>3 and PM NAAQS and regional haze regulations--Ms. Sharon 
Reinders, same address, telephone (919) 541-5284.
    Parts 53 and 58 documents on requirements for designation of 
reference and equivalent methods for PM<INF>2.5 and ambient air quality 
surveillance for PM--Mr. Neil Frank, Monitoring and Quality Assurance 
Group (MD-14), Emissions, Monitoring, and Analysis Division, Office of 
Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, telephone (919) 541-5560.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 10, 1997, the court order 
entered in American Lung Association v. Browner, CIV-93-643-TUC-ACM (D. 
Ariz., October 6, 1994), as modified, was further modified (1) by 
changing the date specified for the close of the public comment period 
in the review of the PM NAAQS to March 12, 1997, and (2) by changing 
the date for publication of a final decision to July 19, 1997.
    In the order making these modifications, the Court stated that no 
further extensions will be granted. Because of the importance of 
progressing the O<INF>3 and PM NAAQS reviews on the same schedule, EPA 
is making corresponding changes to the schedule for the O<INF>3 NAAQS 
review and associated requirements for designation of reference and 
equivalent methods for monitoring PM<INF>2.5 and ambient air quality 
surveillance for PM. In response to requests from the public, EPA is 
also extending the public comment period on the proposal of the interim 
implementation policy of new or revised O<INF>3 and PM NAAQS and the 
advance notice of proposed rulemaking on the implementation of new or 
revised O<INF>3 and PM NAAQS and regional haze regulations. Thus, EPA 
is extending the public comment period on the 40 CFR parts 50, 51, 53, 
and 58 proposals from February 18, 1997, to March 12, 1997.

Availability of Related Information

    EPA has placed supplemental reports analyzing human exposure and 
health risk associated with the proposed and several alternative 
O<INF>3 standards and estimating health risks associated with the 
proposed and alternative PM standards into the O<INF>3 and PM dockets, 
respectively. The three documents are:
    (1) January 1997 supplement to ``Estimation of Ozone Exposures 
Experienced by Outdoor Children in Nine Urban Areas Using a 
Probabilistic Version of NEM (April 1996),'' (2) A Probabilistic 
Assessment of Health Risks Associated with Short-term Exposure to 
Tropospheric Ozone: A Supplement, January 1997, and (3) December 1996 
supplement to ``A Particulate Matter Risk Assessment for Philadelphia 
and Los Angeles (Revised, November 1996).''
    These supplemental reports are also available to the public through 
the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) Technology 
Transfer Network (TTN) Bulletin Board System (BBS) in the Clean Air Act 
Amendments area, under Title I, Policy/Guidance Documents. To access 
the bulletin board, a modem and communications software are necessary. 
To dial up, set your communications software to 8 data bits, no parity 
and one stop bit. Dial (919) 541-5742 and follow the on-screen 
instructions to register for access. After registering, proceed to 
choice ``<T> Gateway to TTN Technical Areas'', then choose ``<E> CAAA 
BBS.'' From the main menu, choose ``<1> Title I: Attain/Maint of 
NAAQS,'' then ``<P> Policy Guidance Documents.'' To access these 
documents through the World Wide Web, click on ``TTN BBSWeb,'' then 
proceed to the Gateway to TTN Technical areas, as above. If assistance 
is needed in

[[Page 7744]]

accessing the system, call the help desk at (919) 541-5384 in Research 
Triangle Park, NC.

    Dated: February 13, 1997.
Richard Wilson,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 97-4330 Filed 2-18-97; 1:50 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P