Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0268-0071
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Updates to Protective Action Guides Manual: Protective Action Guides (PAGs) and Planning Guidance for Radiological Incidents; Proposed Guidance; Extension of Comment Period
Posted Date: 2013-07-15T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 135 (Monday, July 15, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42071-42072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16898]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0268; FRL-9833-5]

Updates to Protective Action Guides Manual: Protective Action 
Guides (PAGs) and Planning Guidance for Radiological Incidents

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed guidance; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing an 
extension of the public comment period for the proposed guidance ``PAG 
Manual: Protective Action Guides (PAGs) and Planning Guidance for 
Radiological Incidents'' (the proposed guidance is hereinafter referred 
to as ``PAGs''). The EPA published the proposed guidance in the Federal 
Register, which included a request for comment, on April 15, 2013. The 
public comment period was to end on July 15, 2013. The purpose of this 
notice is to extend the public comment period an additional 60 days.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 16, 
2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2007-0268, by one of the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Email: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov.
     Mail: Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460. Such deliveries 
are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and 
special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed 
information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2007-0268. The EPA's policy is that all comments received will be 
included in the public docket without change and may be made available 
online at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov 
or email. 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 Agency 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 Agency 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 Agency's 
public docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. For additional instructions on 
submitting comments, please refer to the notice of proposed rulemaking 
(Section XI, Public Participation, of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of the proposed rulemaking document).
    Docket: All 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 material, such 
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Air and Radiation Docket 
and Information Center, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution 
Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The 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, and the 
telephone number for the Air Docket is (202) 566-1742.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara DeCair, Radiation Protection 
Division, Center for Radiological Emergency Management, Mail Code 
6608J, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 343-9108 ; fax 
number: (202) 343-2304; email: decair.sara@epa.gov.

[[Page 42072]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for the EPA?

    1. Submitting Confidential Business Information (CBI). Do not 
submit this information to the EPA through www.regulations.gov or 
email. Clearly mark all of the information that you claim to be CBI. 
For CBI information in a disk or CD ROM that you mail to the EPA, mark 
the outside of the disk or CD ROM as CBI and then identify 
electronically within the disk or CD ROM the specific information that 
is claimed as CBI. In addition to one complete version of the comment 
that includes information claimed as CBI, a copy of the comment that 
does not contain the information claimed as CBI must be submitted for 
inclusion in the public docket. Information marked as CBI will not be 
disclosed except in accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 
2.
    2. Tips for Preparing Your Comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:
     Identify the rulemaking by docket number, subject heading, 
Federal Register date and page number.
     Follow directions--the EPA may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing the chapter 
number.
     Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives 
and substitute language for your requested changes.
     Describe any assumptions and provide any technical 
information and/or data that you used.
     If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how 
you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow it to be 
reproduced.
     Illustrate your concerns with specific examples and 
suggest alternatives.
     Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the 
use of profanity or personal threats.
     Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

B. How can I get copies of this document, the proposed rule and other 
related information?

    The EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0268. The EPA has also developed a Web site for the 
proposed PAGs updates at: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/rert/pags.html. 
Please refer to the original Federal Register notice on the proposed 
guidance for detailed information on accessing information related to 
the proposal.
    In response to requests for an extension, we are extending the 
public comment period for the PAGs updates through September 16, 2013. 
This extension will provide the public additional time to provide 
comment on the proposed guidance.

    Dated: July 8, 2013.
Gina McCarthy,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 2013-16898 Filed 7-12-13; 8:45 am]
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