Document ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699-0016
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Release of Draft Risk and Exposure Assessments and Final Integrated Review Plans for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone
Posted Date: 2011-04-28T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 82 (Thursday, April 28, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 23755-23757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10340]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 50 and 58

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699; FRL-9300-4]
RIN 2060-AP38

Release of Draft Risk and Exposure Assessments and Final 
Integrated Review Plan for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards 
for Ozone

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: On or about April 22, 2011, the EPA is making available for 
public review the documents titled, ``Ozone National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards: Scope and Methods Plan for Health Risk and Exposure 
Assessment,'' (REA Plan for the primary ozone NAAQS) and ``Ozone 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards: Scope and Methods Plan for 
Welfare Risk and Exposure Assessment'' (REA Plan for the secondary 
ozone NAAQS). These documents contain the plans for the risk and 
exposure analyses that EPA is preparing to conduct in support of the 
reviews of ozone NAAQS. EPA is also making available to the public the 
final document ``Integrated Review Plan for the Ozone National Ambient 
Air Quality Standards'' (IRP). This document contains the plans for the 
review of the air quality criteria and national ambient air quality 
standards (NAAQS) for ozone. The Ozone NAAQS provide for the protection 
of public health and the environment from ozone in ambient air.

DATES: Comments should be submitted by June 27, 2011.

ADDRESSES: These documents will be available via the Internet at the 
following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/s_o3_index.html. Submit your comments on the REAs, identified by Docket 
ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov.
     Fax: 202-566-9744.
     Mail: EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0669, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Mail code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 
20460. Please include a total of two copies.
     Hand Delivery: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. 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-
2008-0699. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
http://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 http://www.regulations.gov (or e-mail). The http://www.regulations.gov Web 
site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know 
your identity or contact information unless you

[[Page 23756]]

provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment 
directly to EPA without going through http://www.regulations.gov, your 
e-mail 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://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://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 http://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 and Radiation Docket and 
Information Center is (202) 566-1742.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: REA Plan for the primary ozone 
standard: John Langstaff, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards 
(Mail code C539-07), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research 
Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: 919-541-1449; fax number: 
919-541-5315; e-mail address: langstaff.john@epa.gov. REA Plan for the 
secondary ozone standard: Travis Smith, Office of Air Quality Planning 
and Standards (Mail code C539-07), U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: 919-541-
2035; fax number: 919-541-5315; e-mail address: smith.jtravis@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

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

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through 
http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of 
the information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk 
or CD-ROM that you mail to 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 so marked 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 and other 
identifying information (subject heading, Federal Register date and 
page number).
     Follow directions--The agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section 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 for it to be 
reproduced.
     Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, 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.

II. Information Specific to This Document

    Two sections of the Clean Air Act (CAA) govern the establishment 
and revision of the NAAQS. Section 108 (42 U.S.C. 7408) directs the 
Administrator to identify and list certain air pollutants and then to 
issue air quality criteria for those pollutants. The Administrator is 
to list those air pollutants that in her ``judgment, cause or 
contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to 
endanger public health or welfare;'' ``the presence of which in the 
ambient air results from numerous or diverse mobile or stationary 
sources;'' and ``for which * * * [the Administrator] plans to issue air 
quality criteria * * *'' Air quality criteria are intended 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 * * *'' (42 U.S.C. 7408(b)). Under section 
109 (42 U.S.C. 7409), EPA establishes primary (health-based) and 
secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS for pollutants for which air quality 
criteria are issued. Section 109(d) requires periodic review and, if 
appropriate, revision of existing air quality criteria. The revised air 
quality criteria reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the 
effects of the pollutant on public health or welfare. The EPA is also 
required to periodically review and revise the NAAQS, if appropriate, 
based on the revised criteria. Section 109(d)(2) requires that an 
independent scientific review committee ``shall complete a review of 
the criteria * * * and the national primary and secondary ambient air 
quality standards * * * and shall recommend to the Administrator any 
new * * * standards and revisions of existing criteria and standards as 
may be appropriate * * *.'' Since the early 1980s, this independent 
review function has been performed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory 
Committee (CASAC).
    Presently, EPA is reviewing the NAAQS for ozone. Key components of 
this review include a quantitative population exposure analysis and 
health risk assessment and a quantitative ecosystem exposure and 
welfare risk analysis. OAQPS has developed Risk and Assessment Plans 
(REA Plans) for Ozone Health Risk and Exposure and Ozone Welfare Risk 
and Exposure which include a discussion of the scope, approaches, and 
methods that staff is planning to use in conducting the exposure 
analysis and health and welfare risk assessment. The draft REA Plans 
and final IRP document announced today have been developed as part of 
the planning phase for the review. These documents will be available on 
the EPA's Technology Transfer Network (TTN) Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/s_o3_index.html in the 
``Documents for Review Initiated in 2008'' section under ``Planning 
Documents.''
    The REA Plans are being made available for consultation with CASAC 
and for public comment. Comments

[[Page 23757]]

should be submitted to the docket, as described above, by June 27, 
2011. The CASAC consultation on these planning documents is scheduled 
for May 19-20, 2011. A separate Federal Register notice will provide 
details about this meeting and the process for participation.

    Dated: April 25, 2011.
Mary Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2011-10340 Filed 4-27-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P