[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 78750-78752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30688]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 50, 51, 52, 53, and 58
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699; FRL-9921-26-OAR]
RIN 2060-AP38
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Announcement of public hearings.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing three
public hearings for the proposed rule titled, ``National Ambient Air
Quality Standards for Ozone,'' that was published in the Federal
Register on December 17, 2014. The hearings will be held in Washington,
DC, Arlington, Texas, and Sacramento, California.
Based on its review of the air quality criteria for ozone
(O3) and related photochemical oxidants and national ambient
air quality standards (NAAQS) for O3, the EPA proposes to
make revisions to the primary and secondary NAAQS for O3 to
provide requisite
[[Page 78751]]
protection of public health and welfare, respectively. The EPA is
proposing to revise the primary standard to a level within the range of
0.065 to 0.070 parts per million (ppm), and to revise the secondary
standard to within the range of 0.065 to 0.070 ppm, which air quality
analyses indicate would provide air quality, in terms of 3-year average
W126 index values, at or below a range of 13-17 ppm-hours. The EPA
proposes to make corresponding revisions in data handling conventions
for O3 and conforming changes to the Air Quality Index; to
revise regulations for the Prevention of Significant Deterioration
program to add a transition provision for certain applications; and to
propose schedules and convey information related to implementing any
revised standards. The EPA is proposing changes to the O3
monitoring seasons, the Federal Reference Method (FRM) for monitoring
O3 in the ambient air, Federal Equivalent Method procedures
for testing, and the Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations
network.
Along with proposing exceptional event schedules related to
implementing any revised O3 standards, the EPA is proposing
to apply this same schedule approach to other future revised NAAQS and
to remove obsolete regulatory language for expired exceptional event
deadlines. The EPA is proposing to make minor changes to the procedures
and time periods for evaluating potential FRMs and equivalent methods
(including making the requirements for nitrogen dioxide consistent with
the requirements for O3) and to remove an obsolete
requirement for the annual submission of documentation by manufacturers
of certain particulate matter monitors.
DATES: The public hearings will be held on January 29, 2015, in
Washington, DC and Arlington, Texas, and on February 2, 2015, in
Sacramento, California. Please refer to SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for
additional information on the public hearings.
ADDRESSES: The hearings will be held at the following locations:
1. Washington: EPA, WJC East Building, Room 1153, 1201 Constitution
Avenue NW., Washington, DC. Identification is required. If your
driver's license is issued by Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New
York, Oklahoma, or the state of Washington, you must present an
additional form of identification to enter (see SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for additional information on this location).
2. Sacramento: California Air Resources Board, Byron-Sher
Auditorium, 1001 ``I'' Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Commenters will be
required to sign in and show valid picture identification to security
staff upon entering.
3. Arlington: Arlington City Hall, Arlington Municipal Building,
101 W. Abram Street, Arlington, Texas 76010.
Written comments on the proposed rule may also be submitted to the
EPA electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or through hand delivery/
courier. Please refer to the proposed rule for the addresses and
detailed instructions.
A complete set of documents related to the proposed rule is
available for public inspection at the EPA Docket Center, located at
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699, EPA, WJC West Building, Room 3334,
1301 Constitution Avenue 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. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying. Documents
are also available through the electronic docket system at
www.regulations.gov.
The EPA Web site for the rulemaking, which includes the proposal
and information about the public hearings, can be found at http://www.epa.gov/glo/actions.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you would like to speak at the
public hearings or have questions concerning the public hearings,
please contact Ms. Eloise Shepherd, Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards, Health and Environmental Impacts Division, Environmental
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: (919)
541-5507; fax number: (919) 541-0804; email address:
[email protected].
Questions concerning the proposed rule should be addressed to Ms.
Susan Stone, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Health and
Environmental Impacts Division, Mail Code: C504-06, Research Triangle
Park, NC 27711; telephone: (919) 541-1146; email address:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed rule for which the EPA is
holding the public hearings was published in the Federal Register on
December 17, 2014 (79 FR 75234), and is available at www.epa.gov/glo/actions.html. The public hearings will provide interested parties the
opportunity to present data, views, or arguments concerning the
proposed rule. The EPA may ask clarifying questions during the oral
presentations, but will not respond to the presentations at that time.
Written statements and supporting information submitted during the
comment period will be considered with the same weight as any oral
comments and supporting information presented at the public hearings.
Written comments must be postmarked by the last day of the comment
period, March 17, 2015, as specified in the proposed rule.
The three public hearings will be held in Washington, DC;
Arlington, Texas; and Sacramento, California. The public hearings will
begin each day at 9:00 a.m. (local time) and continue until 7:30 p.m.
(local time). The EPA will make every effort to accommodate all
speakers that arrive and register before 7:30 p.m. The EPA is
scheduling lunch breaks from 12:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Please note
that the Washington, D.C. hearing is being held at a U.S. government
facility. Individuals planning to attend the Washington, D.C. hearing
should be prepared to show valid picture identification to the security
staff in order to gain access to the building. The REAL ID Act, passed
by Congress in 2005, established new requirements for entering federal
facilities. These requirements took effect July 21, 2014. If your
driver's license is issued by Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New
York, Oklahoma, or the state of Washington, you must present an
additional form of identification to enter the federal building in
Washington, DC where the public hearing will be held. Acceptable
alternative forms of identification include federal employee badges,
passports, enhanced driver's licenses, and military identification
cards. In addition, you will need to obtain a property pass for any
personal belongings you bring with you. Upon leaving the building, you
will be required to return this property pass to the security desk. No
large signs will be allowed in the building, cameras may only be used
outside of the building and demonstrations will not be allowed on
federal property for security reasons. Individuals planning to attend
the public hearing in Sacramento, California will also be required to
sign in and show valid picture identification to security staff in
order to gain access to the building.
If you would like to present oral testimony at the hearings, please
notify Ms. Eloise Shepherd, U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards, Mail Code: C504-02, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research
Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: (919) 541-5507; fax: (919) 541-
0804; email address: [email protected]
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(preferred method for registering). Ms. Shepherd will arrange a general
time slot for you to speak. The EPA will make every effort to follow
the schedule as closely as possible on the day of the hearings.
Oral testimony will be limited to 5 minutes for each commenter to
address the proposed revisions. The EPA will not provide audiovisual
equipment for presentations unless we receive special requests in
advance. Commenters should notify Ms. Shepherd if they will need
specific equipment. Commenters should notify Ms. Shepherd if they need
specific translation services for non-English speaking commenters. The
EPA encourages commenters to provide written versions of their oral
testimonies either electronically on computer disk or CD-ROM or in
paper copy.
The hearing schedules, including lists of speakers, will be posted
at www.epa.gov/glo/actions.html prior to the hearings. Verbatim
transcripts of the hearings and written statements will be included in
the rulemaking docket.
How can I get copies of this document and other related information?
The EPA has established the official public docket for the proposed
rule under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0699. The EPA has also
developed a Web site for the proposed rule at www.epa.gov/glo/actions.html. Please refer to the proposed rule (79 FR 75234, December
17, 2014) for detailed information on accessing information related to
the proposed rule.
Dated: December 23, 2014.
Mary E Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2014-30688 Filed 12-30-14; 8:45 am]
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