Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2001 / Notices 1343

Comments should be supplied in the

following formats: one hard copy with

original signature (and 25 copies), and

one electronic copy via e-mail to Mr.

Rondberg or Ms. Fields (acceptable file

formats: WordPerfect, Word, or Rich

Text files (in IBM–PC/Windows 95/98

format). Written comments must arrive

at the SAB no later than January 16,

2000. Please note that the Committee

had earlier extended the period for

accepting written comments. The date

given above is the deadline for receipt

of ALL written comments.

Meeting Access—Individuals

requiring special accommodation at this

meeting, including wheelchair access to

the conference room, should contact Mr.

Rondberg at least five business days

prior to the meeting so that appropriate

arrangements can be made.

Dated: December 21, 2000.

Donald G. Barnes,

Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 01–464 Filed 1–5–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6930–5]

Science Advisory Board; Notification

of Public Advisory Committee Meeting

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal

Advisory Committee Act, Public Law

92–463, notice is hereby given that the

Clean Air Scientific Advisory

Committee (CASAC) Technical

Subcommittee for Fine Particle

Monitoring will meet on Monday,

January 22, 2001 at the US EPA

Environmental Research Center (ERC),

Classroom 2, Route 54 and Alexander

Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC. The

meeting will begin at 8:30 am and end

no later than 5 pm, Eastern Time. The

meeting is open to the public, however,

due to limited space, seating will be on

a first-come basis. For further

information concerning the meeting,

please contact the individuals listed

below. Important Notice: Documents

that are the subject of CASAC reviews

are normally available from the

originating EPA office and are not

available from the CASAC Office—

information concerning availability of

documents from the relevant Program

Office is included below.

Background—This technical

subcommittee of CASAC was

established in 1996 to provide advice

and comment to EPA (through CASAC)

on appropriate methods and network

strategies for monitoring fine particles

in the context of implementing the

revised national ambient air quality

standards (NAAQS) for particulate

matter.

Purpose of the Meeting—At this

meeting, the Subcommittee will gather

information and receive briefings from

Agency Staff and outside entities.

Currently, EPA is in the process of

preparing a revised criteria document

and related materials in anticipation of

reviewing the National Ambient Air

Quality Standard (NAAQS) for

Particulate Matter (PM). As part of that

review and in light of the ongoing effort

to monitor particles, particularly fine

particles, there is an increasing need to

have effective and efficient methods to

continuously monitor PM mass. Such

monitoring presents significant

problems and currently, the regulations

in place make it difficult to qualify a

continuous monitor as an equivalent

method to the designated Federal

Reference Method (FRM) approach.

The CASAC Technical Subcommittee

for Fine Particle Monitoring is soliciting

public input on the development of

technologies and approaches that would

provide continuous monitoring of

airborne PM with a sufficient accuracy

and precision that it could be used for

regulatory purposes. We invite

interested individuals, companies, and

state and local regulatory agencies to

submit ideas (in writing or at the

meeting) as to a framework in which

conflicting demands of convenience in

monitoring, accuracy, precision, and

concordance with the existing base of

monitoring data could be developed. At

this time, we are not looking for

descriptions of specific devices, but

rather possible approaches (within the

regulatory environment) that would

encourage development, testing, and

qualification of new instruments for this

purpose.

Presentations may be made to the

Subcommittee either orally or via a

poster. Posters will be set up either

within the meeting room or in the

hallway outside, depending on the

number of posters requested.

Appropriate time will be allocated

during the mid-point of the meeting to

evaluate posters and to discuss these

posters with presenters.

Availability of Review Materials—A

brief white paper, outlining some of the

issues under consideration, will be

available from EPA Staff on or about

January 9th. For further details, or to

obtain a copy of the draft white paper,

please contact Tim Hanley, US EPA,

Office of Air Quality Planning and

Standards (MD–14), Research Triangle

Park, NC 20771, phone (919) 541–4417

or via e-mail at: hanley.tim@epa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Members of

the public desiring additional

information about the meeting should

contact Mr. Robert Flaak, Designated

Federal Officer, Clean Air Scientific

Advisory Committee, Science Advisory

Board (1400A), Suite 6450, U.S. EPA,

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20460; telephone/voice

mail at (202) 564–4546; fax at (202) 501–

0582; or via e-mail at

flaak.robert@epa.gov. A copy of the

draft agenda will be posted on the SAB

Website (www.epa.gov/sab) (under the

‘‘Agenda’’ subheading) approximately

12 days before the meeting.

Members of the public who wish to

make a brief oral presentation to the

Subcommittee, or make arrangements

for a poster, must contact Mr. Flaak in

writing (by letter or by fax—see

previously stated information) no later

than 12 noon Eastern Time, Wednesday,

January 17, 2001 in order to be included

on the Agenda. Public comments will be

limited to approximately ten minutes

per speaker or organization, unless other

arrangements have been made in

advance with Mr. Flaak for additional

time. The request should identify the

name of the individual making the

presentation, the organization (if any)

they will represent, any requirements

for audio visual equipment (e.g.,

overhead projector, 35mm projector,

chalkboard, etc.), and at least 35 copies

of an outline of the issues to be

addressed or of the presentation itself.

Those requesting a poster should

provide their requirements in the same

request (Posters, or other display

materials can be wall mounted, or

placed on panels or tables).

Providing Oral or Written Comments at

SAB Meetings

The Science Advisory Board expects

that public statements presented at its

meetings will not be repetitive of

previously submitted oral or written

statements. In general, each individual

or group making an oral presentation

will be limited to a total time of ten

minutes. For conference call meetings,

opportunities for oral comment will be

limited to no more than five minutes per

speaker and no more than fifteen

minutes total. Written comments (at

least 35 copies) received in the SAB

Staff Office sufficiently prior to a

meeting date, may be mailed to the

relevant SAB committee or

subcommittee prior to its meeting;

comments received too close to the

meeting date will normally be provided

to the committee at its meeting. Written

comments may be provided to the

relevant committee or subcommittee up

until the time of the meeting.

1344 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2001 / Notices

Additional information concerning

the Science Advisory Board, its

structure, function, and composition,

may be found on the SAB Website

(http://www.epa.gov/sab) and in The

FY2000 Annual Report of the Staff

Director which is available from the

SAB Publications Staff at (202) 564–

4533 or via fax at (202) 501–0256.

Individuals requiring special

accommodation at this meeting,

including wheelchair access, should

contact Mr. Flaak at least five business

days prior to the meeting so that

appropriate arrangements can be made.

Dated: December 28, 2000.

Donald G. Barnes,

Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 01–465 Filed 1–5–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6924–8]

Water Quality Criteria: Notice of

Availability of Water Quality Criterion

for the Protection of Human Health:

Methylmercury

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of water

quality criterion for the protection of

human health: methylmercury.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Clean Water

Act (CWA) section 304(a), EPA is

announcing the availability of its

recommended water quality criterion for

methylmercury. This water quality

criterion describes the concentration of

methylmercury in freshwater and

estuarine fish and shellfish tissue that

should not be exceeded to protect

consumers of fish and shellfish among

the general population. EPA expects the

criterion recommendation to be used as

guidance by States, authorized Tribes,

and EPA in establishing or updating

water quality standards for waters of the

United States and in issuing fish and

shellfish consumption advisories. This

is the first time EPA has issued a water

quality criterion expressed as a fish and

shellfish tissue value rather than as a

water column value. This approach is a

direct consequence of the scientific

consensus that consumption of

contaminated fish and shellfish is the

primary human route of exposure to

methylmercury. EPA recognizes that

this approach differs from traditional

water column criteria, and will pose

implementation challenges. In this

notice, EPA is providing suggested

approaches for relating the fish and

shellfish tissue criterion to

concentrations of methylmercury in the

water column. EPA also plans to

develop more detailed guidance to assist

States and Tribes with implementation

of the methylmercury criterion in water

quality standards and related programs.

EPA believes that flexibility will be

needed when designing control

programs to meet this water quality

criterion because mercury is highly

persistent in the environment and

because air deposition is the primary

source of mercury for many

waterbodies.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the complete

document, titled Water Quality Criterion

for the Protection of Human Health:

Methylmercury can be obtained from

EPA’s National Service Center for

Environmental Publications (NSCEP),

telephone number 1–800–490–9198.

Alternatively, the document and related

fact sheet can be obtained from EPA’s

web site at http://www.epa.gov/

waterscience/standards/methylmercury/

on the Internet. Copies of the draft EPA

internal report National

Bioaccumulation Factors for

Methylmercury, the peer review report

on the draft bioaccumulation factors,

responses to public comments on the

notice of intent to develop a

methylmercury water quality criterion,

and responses to peer review comments

on the methylmercury reference dose

are in Water Docket W–00–20

methylmercury. These materials are

available for inspection at the Water

Docket Room EB 57, 401 M Street SW,

Washington, DC 20460, open between 9

am and 3:30 pm EST. Appointments to

review the material may be made by

calling 202–260–3027.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general questions regarding the

methylmercury water quality criterion

guidance, contact Mary Manibusan,

USEPA, Health and Ecological Criteria

Division (4304), Office of Science and

Technology, 1200 Pennsylvania

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460; or

call (202) 260–3688; fax (202) 260–1036;

or e-mail manibusan.mary@epa.gov. For

specific issues regarding mercury

bioaccumulation, contact Erik

Winchester, USEPA, Health and

Ecological Criteria Division (4304),

Office of Science and Technology, 1200

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC 20460; or call (202) 260–6107. For

questions about implementation of the

water quality criterion, contact William

Morrow, USEPA, Standards and Health

Protection Division, Office of Science

and Technology, 1200 Pennsylvania

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460; or

call (202) 260–3657.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

Supplementary Information Section is

organized as follows:

I. Introduction

II. Background Information

A. What are human health ambient water

quality criteria?

B. How is the 2000 Human Health

Methodology used?

C. How does EPA use its recommended

section 304(a) water quality criteria?

D. What water quality criteria must a State

or authorized Tribe adopt into its water

quality standards?

E. May States and authorized Tribes adopt

water quality criteria based on local

conditions?

F. How does 40 CFR 131.21 affect water

quality standards adopted by States and

authorized Tribes?

III. Mercury Sources, Environmental Fate,

and Implications for Water Quality

Criterion Derivation

A. What are the mercury emissions and

deposition sources in the United States?

B. How does mercury cycle in the

environment?

C. Does methylmercury bioaccumulate?

D. Why is the section 303(a) human health

water quality criterion for

methylmercury expressed as a fish tissue

residue value?

IV. Current Activities to Address Mercury

Pollution

A. Fish consumption advisory activities

B. Water quality standards

C. Total maximum daily load

D. Pollution minimization activities

E. National air emissions regulations

V. Derivation of the Methylmercury Fish

Tissue Residue Water Quality Criterion

A. What is the health risk assessment for

methylmercury?

B. How are mercury exposure and relative

source contribution assessed?

C. How is the methylmercury water quality

criterion calculated?

VI. How Can the Fish Tissue Residue Water

Quality Criterion Be Related to a

Mercury Concentration in Water?

VII. What is the Relationship Between Fish

Advisories and the Fish Tissue Residue

Water Quality Criterion?

VIII. How Does EPA Suggest Implementing

the Methylmercury Water Quality

Criterion?

IX. Literature Cited

I. Introduction

Pursuant to section 304(a)(1) of the

Clean Water Act (CWA), the

Environmental Protection Agency is

announcing the availability of EPA’s

recommended section 304(a) human

health water quality criterion for

methylmercury. Section 304(a) human

health ambient water quality criteria are

numeric guidance values considered to

be protective of human health for

pollutant concentrations in aquatic

media, such as ambient waters and

edible tissues of aquatic organisms.

EPA’s recommended section 304(a)

water quality criteria provide guidance