[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 90 (Friday, May 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26751-26752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10679]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0108; FRL-9910-59-OAR]
Release of Final Policy Assessment Document Related to the Review
of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Lead
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing the availability of a final document
titled Policy Assessment for the Review of the Lead National Ambient
Air Quality Standards. The Policy Assessment (PA) has been prepared by
staff in the EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS)
as part of the agency's ongoing review of the primary (health-based)
and secondary (welfare-based) national ambient air quality standards
(NAAQS) for lead (Pb). It presents analyses and staff conclusions
regarding the policy implications of the key scientific and technical
information that informs this review.
DATES: The PA will be available on or about May 9, 2014.
ADDRESSES: This document will be available primarily via the Internet
at the following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pb/s_pb_index.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Deirdre Murphy, Office of Air
Quality Planning and Standards (mail code C504-06), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number:
919-541-0729; fax number: 919-541-0237; email address:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Two sections of the Clean Air Act (CAA)
govern the establishment and revision of the NAAQS. Section 108 (42
U.S.C. section 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. section
7408(b). Under section 109 (42 U.S.C. section 7409), the 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 EPA is also required to periodically
review and, if appropriate, revise the NAAQS 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 1980's, this independent review function has been
performed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC).
Presently, the EPA is reviewing the NAAQS for Pb.\1\ The document,
whose
[[Page 26752]]
availability is being announced today, Policy Assessment for the Review
of the Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards, presents analyses
and staff conclusions regarding the policy implications of the key
scientific and technical information that informs this review. The PA
is intended to ``bridge the gap'' between the relevant scientific
evidence and technical information and the judgments required of the
EPA Administrator in determining whether to retain or revise the
current standards. The PA builds upon information presented in the
Integrated Science Assessment for Lead prepared for this review by the
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) as well as scientific
and technical assessments from prior Pb NAAQS reviews, including
quantitative risk and exposure assessments developed in the last
review. A draft of the PA document was released for CASAC review and
public comment in January 2013 (78 FR 2394), and was the subject of a
CASAC review meeting on February 5-6, 2013 (78 FR 938). In preparing
the final PA, EPA has considered comments received from CASAC and the
public on the earlier draft document. This final PA document will be
available through the agency's Technology Transfer Network (TTN) Web
site at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pb/s_pb_index.html.
This document may be accessed in the ``Documents from Current Review''
section under ``Policy Assessments.''
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\1\ The EPA's call for information for this review was issued on
February 26, 2010 (75 FR 8934).
Dated: May 2, 2014.
Mary E. Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2014-10679 Filed 5-8-14; 8:45 am]
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