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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 226 (Tuesday, November 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73183-73184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29800]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9939-18-ORD; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2013-0357]

Draft Integrated Science Assessment for Sulfur Oxides--Health 
Criteria

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 60-
day public comment period for the draft document titled, ``External 
Review Draft Integrated Science Assessment for Sulfur Oxides--Health 
Criteria'' (EPA/600/R-15/066). The draft document was prepared by the 
National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within the EPA's 
Office of Research and Development as part of the review of the primary 
(health-based) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 
sulfur dioxide (SO2). The Integrated Science Assessment 
(ISA), in conjunction with additional technical and policy assessments, 
provides the scientific basis for the EPA's decisions on the adequacy 
of the current NAAQS and the appropriateness of possible alternative 
standards. EPA intends to develop a separate ISA as part of an 
independent review for the secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS for oxides 
of nitrogen and sulfur.
    EPA is releasing this draft document to seek review by the Clean 
Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and the public (meeting date 
and location to be specified in a separate Federal Register notice). 
This draft document is not final as described in EPA's information 
quality guidelines, and it does not represent, and should not be 
construed to represent, Agency policy or views. When revising the 
document, EPA will consider any public comments submitted during the 
60-day comment period in response to this notice.

DATES: The 60-day public comment period begins on November 24, 2015, 
and ends on January 25, 2016. Comments must be received on or before 
January 25, 2016.

ADDRESSES: The ``External Review Draft Integrated Science Assessment 
for Sulfur Oxides--Health Criteria'' will be available primarily via 
the Internet on EPA's Integrated Science Assessment for Sulfur Dioxide 
(Health Criteria) home page at http://www2.epa.gov/isa/integrated-science-assessment-isa-sulfur-dioxide-health-criteria or the public 
docket at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID: EPA-HQ-ORD-2013-0357. 
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: 
boyd.marieka@epa.gov to request a CD-ROM, and please provide your name, 
your mailing address, and the document title, ``External Review Draft 
Integrated Science Assessment for Sulfur Oxides--Health Criteria'' 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; 
telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-9744; or email: 
Docket_ORD@epa.gov.
    For technical information, contact Dr. Tom Long, NCEA; telephone: 
919-541-1880; facsimile: 919-541-1818; or email: long.tom@epa.gov.

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 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. 
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).
    Sulfur oxides 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 the EPA's 
decisions on the adequacy of the current NAAQS and the appropriateness 
of possible alternative standards. The 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 May 10, 2013 (78 FR 27387), EPA formally initiated its current 
review of the air quality criteria for the health effects of sulfur 
oxides and the primary (health-based) SO2 NAAQS, requesting 
the submission of recent scientific information on specified topics. 
EPA held a workshop on June 12 and 13, 2013, to discuss with invited 
scientific experts, both internal and external to the EPA, key science 
and policy issues relevant to the review of the health effects of 
sulfur oxides (78 FR 27387). These science and policy issues were 
incorporated in EPA's ``Integrated Review Plan for the Primary National

[[Page 73184]]

Ambient Air Quality Standard for Sulfur Dioxide'' (EPA-452/R-14-007), 
which was finalized in October 2014 with a prior draft available for 
public comment (79 FR 14035) and discussion by the CASAC via publicly 
accessible teleconference consultations (79 FR 16325, 79 FR 30137, 79 
FR 34739). On June 23-24, 2014, EPA held a workshop to discuss, with 
invited internal and external scientific experts, initial draft 
materials prepared in the development of the ISA (79 FR 33750).
    The ``External Review Draft Integrated Science Assessment for 
Sulfur Oxides--Health Criteria'' will be discussed at a public meeting 
for review by CASAC and the public. In addition to the public comment 
period announced in this notice, the public will have an opportunity to 
address CASAC. A separate Federal Register notice 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-2013-
0357, by one of the following methods:
    www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Email: Docket_ORD@epa.gov.
     Fax: 202-566-9744.
     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.
     Hand Delivery: The ORD Docket is located in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center 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. Such deliveries are only accepted during 
the docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should 
be made for deliveries of boxed information. If you provide comments by 
mail or hand delivery, please submit three copies of the comments. For 
attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively with the 
comments, and submit an unbound original and three copies.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2013-0357. 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 
the 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 Web site is an ``anonymous access'' 
system, which means the 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 the 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, the 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 the EPA cannot read your comment due to technical 
difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, the 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 the 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 
in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the ORD Docket in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: November 6, 2015.
Mary A. Ross,
Deputy Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2015-29800 Filed 11-23-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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