Draft Staff Paper for Ozone, 40718-40720 [E6-11343]
Download as PDF
40718
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 137 / Tuesday, July 18, 2006 / Notices
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:
i. Identify the document by docket ID
number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal
Register date and page number).
ii. 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.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree;
suggest alternatives and substitute
language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and
provide any technical information and/
or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or
burdens, explain how you arrived at
your estimate in sufficient detail to
allow for it to be reproduced.
vi. Provide specific examples to
illustrate your concerns and suggest
alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as
possible, avoiding the use of profanity
or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your
comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
II. What Action is the Agency Taking?
This notice announces receipt by the
Agency of an application from the
registrant to delete uses in certain
pesticide registrations. This registration
is listed in Table 1 of this unit by
registration number, product name,
active ingredients, and specific uses
deleted:
TABLE 1.—REGISTRATION WITH REQUEST FOR AMENDMENT TO DELETE USES IN CERTAIN PESTICIDE REGISTRATIONS
EPA Registration
No.
3008-60
Product Name
Active Ingredient
ACC 50% Wood Preservative
Users of these products who desire
continued use on sites being deleted
should contact the applicable registrant
before August 17, 2006 to discuss
withdrawal of the application for
amendment. This 30–day period will
also permit interested members of the
public to intercede with registrants prior
to the Agency’s approval of the deletion.
Table 2 of this unit includes the name
and address of record for the registrant
of the product listed in Table 1 of this
unit, by EPA company number.
Copper
Oxide
Acid(35.46%)
(14.07%)Chromic
withdrawal in writing to the person
named under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT using the methods in
ADDRESSES. The Agency will consider
written withdrawal requests postmarked
no later than August 17, 2006.
[EPA–HQ–OAR–2005–0172; FRL–8198–8]
Draft Staff Paper for Ozone
Availability of Documents
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of a draft for public
review and comment.
The following documents are
available for review by the CASAC
Ozone Panel in the form of printed
copies and a CD–ROM containing these
electronic files or by downloading the
documents from the EPA Web
site:https://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/
standards/ozone/s_o3_cr_sp.html for
the Staff Paper and https://www.epa.gov/
ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/s_o3_
cr_td.html for the technical support
documents and staff memos.
V. Provisions for Disposition of Existing
Stocks
The registrant is no longer
manufacturing or distributing this
product, and has requested no existing
stocks provision.
List of Subjects
3008
Company name and
address
Osmose, Inc.980
Ellicott St.Buffalo,
NY 14209-2398
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
III. What is the Agency’s Authority for
Taking this Action?
Section 6(f)(1) of FIFRA provides that
a registrant of a pesticide product may
at any time request that any of its
pesticide registrations be amended to
delete one or more uses. The Act further
provides that, before acting on the
request, EPA must publish a notice of
receipt of any such request in the
Federal Register. Thereafter, the
Administrator may approve such a
request.
IV. Procedures for Withdrawal of
Request
Registrants who choose to withdraw a
request for use deletion must submit the
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:25 Jul 17, 2006
Jkt 208001
All residential uses
of Scientific and Technical Information
(Draft Staff Paper) (Chapters 1–5 and 7–
8). Chapter 6 (Staff Conclusions on the
Primary Ozone National Ambient Air
Quality Standards) of the Draft Staff
Paper will be made available on or
about July 25, 2006. The purpose of the
Staff Paper is to evaluate the policy
implications of the key scientific and
technical information contained in a
related EPA document, Air Quality
Criteria for Ozone and Related
Photochemical Oxidants, required
under sections 108 and 109 of the Clean
Air Act (CAA) for use in the periodic
review of the national ambient air
quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone.
The OAQPS also will make available
for public review and comment related
draft technical support documents,
Ozone Population Exposure Analysis for
Selected Urban Areas (draft Exposure
Analysis), Ozone Health Risk
Assessment for Selected Urban Areas
(draft Risk Assessment), and Technical
Report on Ozone Exposure, Risk and
Impact Assessments for Vegetation
(draft Environmental Assessment).
TABLE 2.—REGISTRANT REQUESTING
Environmental protection, Pesticides
AMENDMENT TO DELETE USES IN and pests, acid copper chromate, ACC.
CERTAIN PESTICIDE REGISTRATIONS
EPA company no.
Delete from Label
Dated: July 12, 2006.
Frank Sanders,
Director, Antimicrobials Division, Office of
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E6–11342 Filed 7–17–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–S
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: On or about July 18, 2006, the
Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards (OAQPS) of EPA will make
available for public review and
comment a draft document, Review of
the National Ambient Air Quality
Standards for Ozone: Policy Assessment
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 137 / Tuesday, July 18, 2006 / Notices
Comments on the Draft Staff
Paper, draft Exposure Analysis, draft
Risk Assessment, and draft
Environmental Assessment should be
submitted on or before September 18,
2006.
DATES:
Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–
OAR–2005–0172 by one of the following
methods:
• www.regulations.gov: Follow the
on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
• E-mail: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov.
• Fax: 202–566–1741.
• Mail: Docket EPA–HQ–OAR–2005–
0172, Environmental Protection Agency,
Mailcode 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
Please include a total of two copies.
• Hand Delivery: Public Reading
Room, Room B102, EPA West Building,
1301 Constitution Avenue, 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–2005–
0172. The EPA’s policy is that all
comments received will be included in
the public docket without change and
may be made available online at
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 www.regulations.gov
or e-mail. The 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 www.regulations.gov, your email 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
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:25 Jul 17, 2006
Jkt 208001
about EPA’s public docket visit the EPA
Docket Center homepage at https://
www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket
are listed in the 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
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the address listed above for hand
delivery of comments. This Docket
Facility is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding
legal holidays. The Docket telephone
number is 202–566–1742.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
David McKee, Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards (Mail Code
C504–06), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Research Triangle
Park, NC 27711; e-mail:
mckee.dave@epa.gov; telephone: (919)
541–5288; fax: (919) 541–0237.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. What Should I Consider as I Prepare
My Comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this
information to EPA through
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.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
40719
• 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. Background on the Ozone NAAQS
Review
Section 108(a) of the CAA directs the
Administrator to identify certain
pollutants which ‘‘may reasonably be
anticipated to endanger public health
and 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
CAA, EPA is then to establish NAAQS
for each pollutant for which EPA has
issued criteria. Section 109(d) of the
CAA 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
and welfare. Also, EPA is to retain or,
if appropriate revise, the NAAQS based
on the revised criteria, which have
undergone review by the Clean Air
Scientific Advisory Committee
(CASAC).
The CASAC, which is comprised of
seven members appointed by the EPA
Administrator, was established under
section 109(d)(2) of the CAA (42 U.S.C.
7409) as an independent scientific
advisory committee, in part to provide
advice, information, and
recommendations on the scientific and
technical aspects of issues related to air
quality criteria and NAAQS under
sections 108 and 109 of the CAA. The
CASAC is a Federal advisory committee
under the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C., App.
The CASAC Ozone Review Panel
consists of the members of the chartered
CASAC, is supplemented by subjectmatter experts, and complies with the
provisions of FACA.
Ozone is one of six ‘‘criteria’’
pollutants for which EPA has
established air quality criteria and
NAAQS. Presently, EPA is reviewing
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40720
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 137 / Tuesday, July 18, 2006 / Notices
the criteria and NAAQS for ozone. This
review includes preparation of two key
documents, the Air Quality Criteria for
Ozone and Related Photochemical
Oxidants (‘‘Criteria Document’’) and a
related ‘‘Staff Paper.’’ The purpose of
the Staff Paper is to evaluate the policy
implications of the key scientific and
technical information contained in the
Criteria Document and identify critical
elements that EPA staff believe should
be considered in reviewing the NAAQS.
The Staff Paper is intended to ‘‘bridge
the gap’’ between the scientific review
contained in the Criteria Document and
the public health and welfare policy
judgments required of the Administrator
in reviewing the NAAQS.
In January 2005, a first external
review draft of the Criteria Document
was released by EPA for public review
and comment and for review by the
CASAC of EPA’s Science Advisory
Board (70 FR 4850, January 31, 2005) at
a public meeting held in May 2005.
Comments received from review of the
first draft document were considered in
preparing the second draft Criteria
Document released for public review
and comment in August 2005 (70 FR
51810, August 31, 2005). Based on this
document, the first Draft Staff Paper was
released in November 2005 (70 FR
69761, November 17, 2005), and
reviewed at a public meeting on
December 8, 2005. Based on the
information contained in the final
Criteria Document, released in March
2006 (71 FR 10030, February 28, 2006),
the second Draft Staff Paper includes
assessments and analyses related to: (1)
Air quality characterization; (2)
integration and evaluation of health
information; (3) exposure analysis; (4)
health risk assessment; and (5)
evaluation of information on vegetation
damage and other welfare effects. The
second Draft Staff Paper contains staff
conclusions and options with respect to
possible retention or revision of the
current primary (health-based) and
secondary (welfare-based) standards and
identifies alternative standards for
consideration by the Administrator.
The draft Exposure Analysis, Risk
Assessment and Environmental
Assessment technical support
documents describe and present the
results from an ozone exposure analysis
and health risk assessment in several
urban areas, and the impact of ozone on
the environment. Draft plans upon
which these assessments are based, the
Ozone Health Assessment Plan: Scope
and Methods for Exposure Analysis and
Risk Assessment and the Scope and
Methods for Environmental Assessment
Plan, were previously reviewed by
CASAC and the public. Comments
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20:08 Jul 17, 2006
Jkt 208001
received on those plans have been
considered in developing the draft
Exposure Analysis, Risk Assessment
and Environmental Assessment
technical support documents being
released at this time. The exposure
analysis, risk assessment, and
environmental assessment
methodologies and results are also
discussed in the second Draft Staff
Paper.
The EPA is soliciting advice and
recommendations from the CASAC by
means of a peer review of the second
Draft Staff Paper and drafts of the
Exposure Analysis, Risk Assessment,
and Environmental Assessment at an
upcoming public meeting of the CASAC
scheduled for August 24 and 25, 2006.
A Federal Register notice will inform
the public of the location of that
meeting. Following the CASAC meeting,
EPA will consider comments received
from CASAC and the public in
preparing a final Staff Paper and final
Exposure Analysis, Risk Assessment,
and Environmental Assessment
technical support documents.
Dated: July 13, 2006.
Mary E. Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards.
[FR Doc. E6–11343 Filed 7–17–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
Formations of, Acquisitions by, and
Mergers of Bank Holding Companies
The companies listed in this notice
have applied to the Board for approval,
pursuant to the Bank Holding Company
Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.)
(BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR part
225), and all other applicable statutes
and regulations to become a bank
holding company and/or to acquire the
assets or the ownership of, control of, or
the power to vote shares of a bank or
bank holding company and all of the
banks and nonbanking companies
owned by the bank holding company,
including the companies listed below.
The applications listed below, as well
as other related filings required by the
Board, are available for immediate
inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank
indicated. The application also will be
available for inspection at the offices of
the Board of Governors. Interested
persons may express their views in
writing on the standards enumerated in
the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1842(c)). If the
proposal also involves the acquisition of
a nonbanking company, the review also
includes whether the acquisition of the
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Sfmt 4703
nonbanking company complies with the
standards in section 4 of the BHC Act
(12 U.S.C. 1843). Unless otherwise
noted, nonbanking activities will be
conducted throughout the United States.
Additional information on all bank
holding companies may be obtained
from the National Information Center
website at www.ffiec.gov/nic/.
Unless otherwise noted, comments
regarding each of these applications
must be received at the Reserve Bank
indicated or the offices of the Board of
Governors not later than August 14,
2006.
A. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
(Richard Walker, Community Affairs
Officer) P.O. Box 55882, Boston,
Massachusetts 02106-2204:
1. Fidelity Mutual Holding Company
and Life Design Holding Company, both
of Fitchburg, Massachusetts; to become
a bank holding company by acquiring
Fidelity Co-Operative Bank, Fitchburg,
Massachusetts.
B. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
(Patrick M. Wilder, Assistant Vice
President) 230 South LaSalle Street,
Chicago, Illinois 60690-1414:
1. Oakland Financial Services, Inc.,
Oakland, Iowa; to aquire up to 33.3
percent of the non voting equity of Otoe
County Bancorporation, Inc., Nebraska
City, and thereby indirectly acquire
Otoe County Bank & Trust Company,
Nebraska City, Nebraska.
2. Southwest Company, Sidney, Iowa;
to acquire up to 33.3 percent of the non
voting equity of Otoe County
Bancorporation, Inc., Nebraska City,
Nebraska, and thereby indirectly acquire
Otoe County Bank & Trust Company,
Nebraska City, Nebraska.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, July 13, 2006
Robert deV. Frierson,
Deputy Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. E6–11322 Filed 7–17–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210–01–S
FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
Sunshine Act Meeting
Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve
System.
TIME AND DATE: 11:30 a.m., Monday, July
24, 2006.
PLACE: Marriner S. Eccles Federal
Reserve Board Building, 20th and C
Streets, NW., Washington, DC 20551.
STATUS: Closed.
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:
1. Personnel actions (appointments,
promotions, assignments,
reassignments, and salary actions)
AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING:
E:\FR\FM\18JYN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40718-40720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11343]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0172; FRL-8198-8]
Draft Staff Paper for Ozone
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of a draft for public review and comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On or about July 18, 2006, the Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards (OAQPS) of EPA will make available for public review and
comment a draft document, Review of the National Ambient Air Quality
Standards for Ozone: Policy Assessment of Scientific and Technical
Information (Draft Staff Paper) (Chapters 1-5 and 7-8). Chapter 6
(Staff Conclusions on the Primary Ozone National Ambient Air Quality
Standards) of the Draft Staff Paper will be made available on or about
July 25, 2006. The purpose of the Staff Paper is to evaluate the policy
implications of the key scientific and technical information contained
in a related EPA document, Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related
Photochemical Oxidants, required under sections 108 and 109 of the
Clean Air Act (CAA) for use in the periodic review of the national
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone.
The OAQPS also will make available for public review and comment
related draft technical support documents, Ozone Population Exposure
Analysis for Selected Urban Areas (draft Exposure Analysis), Ozone
Health Risk Assessment for Selected Urban Areas (draft Risk
Assessment), and Technical Report on Ozone Exposure, Risk and Impact
Assessments for Vegetation (draft Environmental Assessment).
Availability of Documents
The following documents are available for review by the CASAC Ozone
Panel in the form of printed copies and a CD-ROM containing these
electronic files or by downloading the documents from the EPA Web site:
https://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/s_o3_cr_sp.html for
the Staff Paper and https://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/ozone/s_
o3_cr_td.html for the technical support documents and staff memos.
[[Page 40719]]
DATES: Comments on the Draft Staff Paper, draft Exposure Analysis,
draft Risk Assessment, and draft Environmental Assessment should be
submitted on or before September 18, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2005-0172 by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
E-mail: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov.
Fax: 202-566-1741.
Mail: Docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2005-0172, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mailcode 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460. Please include a total of two copies.
Hand Delivery: Public Reading Room, Room B102, EPA West
Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, 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-
2005-0172. The EPA's policy is that all comments received will be
included in the public docket without change and may be made available
online at 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 www.regulations.gov
or e-mail. The 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
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 https://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the
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 www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the address listed above for
hand delivery of comments. This Docket Facility is open from 8:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The
Docket telephone number is 202-566-1742.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. David McKee, Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards (Mail Code C504-06), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; e-mail:
mckee.dave@epa.gov; telephone: (919) 541-5288; fax: (919) 541-0237.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through
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. Background on the Ozone NAAQS Review
Section 108(a) of the CAA directs the Administrator to identify
certain pollutants which ``may reasonably be anticipated to endanger
public health and 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 CAA, EPA is then to establish NAAQS for each
pollutant for which EPA has issued criteria. Section 109(d) of the CAA
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 and welfare.
Also, EPA is to retain or, if appropriate revise, the NAAQS based on
the revised criteria, which have undergone review by the Clean Air
Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC).
The CASAC, which is comprised of seven members appointed by the EPA
Administrator, was established under section 109(d)(2) of the CAA (42
U.S.C. 7409) as an independent scientific advisory committee, in part
to provide advice, information, and recommendations on the scientific
and technical aspects of issues related to air quality criteria and
NAAQS under sections 108 and 109 of the CAA. The CASAC is a Federal
advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as
amended, 5 U.S.C., App. The CASAC Ozone Review Panel consists of the
members of the chartered CASAC, is supplemented by subject-matter
experts, and complies with the provisions of FACA.
Ozone is one of six ``criteria'' pollutants for which EPA has
established air quality criteria and NAAQS. Presently, EPA is reviewing
[[Page 40720]]
the criteria and NAAQS for ozone. This review includes preparation of
two key documents, the Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related
Photochemical Oxidants (``Criteria Document'') and a related ``Staff
Paper.'' The purpose of the Staff Paper is to evaluate the policy
implications of the key scientific and technical information contained
in the Criteria Document and identify critical elements that EPA staff
believe should be considered in reviewing the NAAQS. The Staff Paper is
intended to ``bridge the gap'' between the scientific review contained
in the Criteria Document and the public health and welfare policy
judgments required of the Administrator in reviewing the NAAQS.
In January 2005, a first external review draft of the Criteria
Document was released by EPA for public review and comment and for
review by the CASAC of EPA's Science Advisory Board (70 FR 4850,
January 31, 2005) at a public meeting held in May 2005. Comments
received from review of the first draft document were considered in
preparing the second draft Criteria Document released for public review
and comment in August 2005 (70 FR 51810, August 31, 2005). Based on
this document, the first Draft Staff Paper was released in November
2005 (70 FR 69761, November 17, 2005), and reviewed at a public meeting
on December 8, 2005. Based on the information contained in the final
Criteria Document, released in March 2006 (71 FR 10030, February 28,
2006), the second Draft Staff Paper includes assessments and analyses
related to: (1) Air quality characterization; (2) integration and
evaluation of health information; (3) exposure analysis; (4) health
risk assessment; and (5) evaluation of information on vegetation damage
and other welfare effects. The second Draft Staff Paper contains staff
conclusions and options with respect to possible retention or revision
of the current primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based)
standards and identifies alternative standards for consideration by the
Administrator.
The draft Exposure Analysis, Risk Assessment and Environmental
Assessment technical support documents describe and present the results
from an ozone exposure analysis and health risk assessment in several
urban areas, and the impact of ozone on the environment. Draft plans
upon which these assessments are based, the Ozone Health Assessment
Plan: Scope and Methods for Exposure Analysis and Risk Assessment and
the Scope and Methods for Environmental Assessment Plan, were
previously reviewed by CASAC and the public. Comments received on those
plans have been considered in developing the draft Exposure Analysis,
Risk Assessment and Environmental Assessment technical support
documents being released at this time. The exposure analysis, risk
assessment, and environmental assessment methodologies and results are
also discussed in the second Draft Staff Paper.
The EPA is soliciting advice and recommendations from the CASAC by
means of a peer review of the second Draft Staff Paper and drafts of
the Exposure Analysis, Risk Assessment, and Environmental Assessment at
an upcoming public meeting of the CASAC scheduled for August 24 and 25,
2006. A Federal Register notice will inform the public of the location
of that meeting. Following the CASAC meeting, EPA will consider
comments received from CASAC and the public in preparing a final Staff
Paper and final Exposure Analysis, Risk Assessment, and Environmental
Assessment technical support documents.
Dated: July 13, 2006.
Mary E. Henigin,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. E6-11343 Filed 7-17-06; 8:45 am]
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