[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 32 (Friday, February 15, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11172-11173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-03471]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9780-2]
Integrated Science Assessment for Ozone and Related Photochemical
Oxidants
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, ``Integrated Science Assessment for Ozone and Related
Photochemical Oxidants'' (EPA/600/R-10/076F). The document was prepared
by the National Center for Environmental Assessment within EPA's Office
of Research and Development as part of the review of the national
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone.
DATES: The document will be available on February 15, 2013.
ADDRESSES: The ``Integrated Science Assessment for Ozone and Related
Photochemical Oxidants'' will be made available primarily through the
Internet on the National Center for Environmental Assessment's home
page under the Recent Additions and Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of CD-ROM or paper copies will be
available. Contact Ms. Marieka Boyd by phone (919-541-0031), fax (919-
541-5078), or email ([email protected]) to request either of these,
and please provide your name, your mailing address, and the document
title, ``Integrated Science Assessment for Ozone and Related
Photochemical Oxidants'' (EPA/600/R-10/076F) to facilitate processing
of your request.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information, contact Dr.
James Brown, NCEA; telephone: 919-541-0765; facsimile: 919-541-1818; or
email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act directs the Administrator to
identify certain pollutants which, among other things, ``cause or
contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to
endanger public health or welfare'' and to issue air quality criteria
for them. These air quality criteria are 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 * * *.
'' Under section 109 of the Act, EPA is then to establish NAAQS for
each pollutant for which EPA has issued criteria. Section 109(d) of the
Act subsequently requires periodic review and, if appropriate, revision
of existing air quality criteria to reflect advances in scientific
knowledge on the effects of the pollutant on public health or welfare.
EPA is also to periodically review and, if appropriate, revise the
NAAQS, based on the revised air quality criteria.
Ozone (O3) is one of six principal (or ``criteria'')
pollutants for which EPA has established NAAQS. Periodically, EPA
reviews the scientific basis for these standards by preparing an
Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) (formerly called an Air Quality
Criteria Document). The ISA provides a concise review, synthesis, and
evaluation of the most policy-relevant science to serve as a scientific
foundation for the review of the NAAQS. The Clean Air Scientific
Advisory Committee (CASAC), an independent science advisory committee
whose existence and whose review and advisory functions are mandated by
Section 109(d)(2) of the Clean Air Act, is charged (among other things)
with independent scientific review of EPA's air quality criteria.
On September 29, 2008 (73 FR 56581), EPA formally initiated its
current review of the air quality criteria for ozone, requesting the
submission of recent scientific information on specified topics. A
draft of EPA's ''Integrated Review Plan for the Ozone National Ambient
Air Quality Standards Review'' (EPA/452/P-09/001) was made available in
September 2009 for public comment and was discussed by the CASAC Ozone
Review Panel (CASAC panel) via a publicly accessible teleconference
consultation on November 13, 2009 (74 FR 54562). In August 2010, EPA
held a workshop to discuss, with invited scientific experts, initial
draft materials prepared in the development of the ISA (75 FR 42085).
The first external review draft ISA for Ozone and Related Photochemical
Oxidants was released on March 4, 2011 (http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/isa/recordisplay.cfm?deid=217463). The CASAC panel met at a public meeting
on May 19, 2011, to review the draft ISA (76 FR 23809). Subsequently,
on August 10, 2011, the CASAC panel provided a consensus letter for
their review to the Administrator of the EPA (http://yosemite.epa.gov/
sab/sabproduct.nsf/4620a620d0120f93852572410080d786/
45A59F1BC8912FEE852578E80066021C/$File/EPA-CASAC-11-009-unsigned.pdf).
The second external review draft ISA for Ozone and Related
Photochemical Oxidants was released on September 30, 2011 (http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/isa/recordisplay.cfm?deid=226363). The CASAC panel
met at a public meeting on January 9, 2012, to review the draft ISA (76
FR 76725). Subsequently, on March 13, 2012, the CASAC panel provided a
consensus letter for their review to the Administrator of the EPA
(http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/
4620a620d0120f93852572410080d786/1336B2B88034AEB6852579C0007070CA/
$File/EPA-CASAC-12-004-unsigned.pdf).
The third external review draft ISA for Ozone and Related
Photochemical Oxidants was released on June 19, 2012 (http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/isa/recordisplay.cfm?deid=242490). The CASAC panel
met at a public meeting
[[Page 11173]]
on September 11, 2012, to review the draft ISA (77 FR 46755).
Subsequently, on November 14, 2012, the CASAC panel provided a
consensus letter for their review to the Administrator of the EPA
(http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/
4620a620d0120f93852572410080d786/60C2732674A5EEF385257AB6007274B9/
$File/EPA-CASAC-13-001+unsigned.pdf).
EPA has considered comments by the CASAC panel and by the public in
preparing this final ISA.
Dated: January 24, 2013.
Debra B. Walsh,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2013-03471 Filed 2-14-13; 8:45 am]
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