[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20347-20349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8706]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0108; FRL-9292-8]
Release of Draft Integrated Review Plan for the National Ambient
Air Quality Standards for Lead
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: On or about March 31, 2011, the EPA is making available for
public review the draft Integrated Review Plan for the National Ambient
Air Quality Standards for Lead (draft IRP). This document contains the
plans for the review of the air quality criteria and national ambient
air quality standards (NAAQS) for lead (Pb). The Pb NAAQS provide for
the protection of public health and the environment from Pb in ambient
air.
DATES: Comments should be submitted by April 28, 2011.
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. Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No.
EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0108, by one of the following methods:
http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: 202-566-9744.
Mail: EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0108, 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-
2010-0108. 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
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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 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: 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; e-mail address:
[email protected].
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. 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. 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 1980's, this independent
review function has been performed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory
Committee (CASAC).
Presently, EPA is reviewing the NAAQS for Pb.\1\ The draft document
announced today is being developed as part of the planning phase for
the review. This phase began with a science policy workshop to identify
issues and questions to frame the review. Drawing from the workshop
discussions, a draft integrated review plan (IRP) has been prepared
jointly by EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment, within
the Office of Research and Development, and EPA's Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards, within the Office of Air and Radiation. This
document will be available on the EPA's Technology Transfer Network
(TTN) Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pb/s_pb_index.html. The document will be accessible in the
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``Documents from Current Review'' section under ``Planning Documents.''
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\1\ The EPA's call for information for this review was issued on
February 26, 2010 (75 FR 8934).
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The draft IRP is being made available for consultation with CASAC
and for public comment. Comments should be submitted to the docket, as
described above, by April 28, 2011. The CASAC consultation on this
planning document is scheduled for May 5, 2011. A separate Federal
Register notice will provide details about this meeting and the process
for participation. The final IRP will be prepared in consideration of
CASAC and public comments. The draft document announced today presents
the current plan and specifies the schedule for the entire review, the
process for conducting the review, and the key policy-relevant science
issues that will guide the review. This draft document does not
represent and should not be construed to represent any final EPA
policy, viewpoint, or determination.
Dated: April 6, 2011.
Mary Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2011-8706 Filed 4-11-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P