Second Draft Risk and Exposure Assessment Report for Sulfur Dioxide (SO2, 18573-18575 [E9-9336]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 77 / Thursday, April 23, 2009 / Notices sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Schaefer, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Sector Policies and Programs Division (D243–05), Measurement Policy Group, Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711; telephone number: (919) 541– 0296; fax number: (919) 541–3207; email address: schaefer.john@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 1320.12. On May 30, 2008 (73 FR 31088), EPA sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this notice. EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under docket ID number EPA–HQ–OECA–2008–0430, which is available for public viewing online at https://www.regulations.gov, in-person viewing at the Enforcement and Compliance Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center 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 Reading Room is (202) 566–1744 and the telephone number for the Enforcement and Compliance Docket is (202) 566–1927. Use EPA’s electronic docket and comment system at https:// www.regulations.gov to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select ‘‘docket search,’’ then key in the docket ID number identified above. Please note that EPA’s policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing at https://www.regulations.gov, as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, Confidential Business Information (CBI), or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic docket, go to www.regulations.gov. Title: NESHAP for the Surface Coating of Large Household and Commercial Appliances (Renewal). ICR Numbers: EPA ICR Number 1954.04, OMB Control Number 2060– 0457. VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:59 Apr 22, 2009 Jkt 217001 ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2009. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA’s regulations in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, and displayed either by publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR part 9. Abstract: The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), for the Surface Coating of Large Household and Commercial Appliances were proposed on December 22, 2000 (65 FR 81133) and promulgated on July 23, 2002 (67 FR 48253). These regulations apply to existing facilities and new facilities that perform surface coating of large household and commercial appliances and related parts where the total Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) emitted are greater than or equal to 10 tons per year of any one HAP; or where the total HAPs emitted are greater than or equal to 25 tons per year of any combination of HAPs. In general, all NESHAP standards require initial notifications, performance tests, and periodic reports by the owners/operators of the affected facilities. They are also required to maintain records of the occurrence and duration of any startup, shutdown, or malfunction in the operation of an affected facility, or any period during which the monitoring system is inoperative. These notifications, reports, and records are essential in determining compliance, and are required of all affected facilities subject to NESHAP. Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 97 hours per response. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 18573 existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements which have subsequently changed; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information. Respondents/Affected Entities: Large household and commercial appliance manufacturers. Estimated Number of Respondents: 90. Frequency of Response: Initially, occasionally, and semiannually. Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 28,845. Estimated Total Annual Cost: $2,498,984, which includes: $2,326,984 in labor costs, $64,000 in annualized Capital/Start-Up costs, and $108,000 in O&M costs. Changes in the Estimates: There is no change in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. Dated: April 17, 2009. John Moses, Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division. [FR Doc. E9–9338 Filed 4–22–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA–HQ–OAR–2007–0352; FRL8786–5] Second Draft Risk and Exposure Assessment Report for Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of second draft report for public review and comment. SUMMARY: On or about March 19, 2009, the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) of EPA is making available for public review and comment a draft document titled ‘‘Risk and Exposure Assessment to Support the Review of the SO2 Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards: Second Draft.’’ The purpose of this draft document is to convey the approach taken to assess exposures to ambient SO2 and to characterize associated health risks, as well as to present the results of those assessments. DATES: Comments on the above report must be received on or before May 20, 2009. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– OAR–2007–0352, by one of the following methods: E:\FR\FM\23APN1.SGM 23APN1 sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES 18574 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 77 / Thursday, April 23, 2009 / Notices • https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. • E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to a-and-rdocket@epa.gov, Attention Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2007–0352. • Fax: Fax your comments to 202– 566–9744, Attention Docket ID. No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2007–0352. • Mail: Send your comments to: Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2007–0352. • Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver your comments to: EPA Docket Center, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Room 3334, 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–2007– 0352. 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 https://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 https:// www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The https://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 https:// 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. VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:59 Apr 22, 2009 Jkt 217001 Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the https:// 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 https:// www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Air Docket in the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. 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; fax 202–566–9744. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Michael Stewart, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (Mailcode C504–06), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; e-mail: stewart.michael@epa.gov; telephone: 919–541–7524; fax: 919–541–0237. 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 https:// 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 Frm 00032 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 • 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. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Administrator identifies and lists certain pollutants which ‘‘cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.’’ The EPA then issues air quality criteria for listed pollutants, which are commonly referred to as ‘‘criteria pollutants.’’ The 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, in varying quantities.’’ Under section 109 of the CAA, EPA establishes national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for each listed pollutant, with the NAAQS based on the air quality criteria. Section 109(d) of the CAA 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. Air quality criteria have been established for the sulfur oxides (SOX) and NAAQS have been established for sulfur dioxide (SO2), an indicator for SOX. Presently, EPA is reviewing the air quality criteria for SOX and the NAAQS for SO2. As part of its review of the NAAQS, EPA has prepared an assessment of exposures and characterization of health risks associated with ambient SO2. Planned approaches to assessing exposures and characterizing risks were described in the document, Sulfur Dioxide Health Assessment Plan: Scope and Methods for Exposure and Risk Assessment. This planning document was released for public review and comment in November 2007 and was the subject of a consultation with the Clean Air E:\FR\FM\23APN1.SGM 23APN1 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 77 / Thursday, April 23, 2009 / Notices Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) on December 5 and 6, 2007. Comments received from that consultation were considered in developing the ‘‘Risk and Exposure Assessment to Support the Review of the SO2 Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards: First Draft,’’ which was released in July 2008. The second draft document being released at this time conveys the approach taken to assess exposures to ambient SO2 and to characterize associated health risks, as well as to present the results of those assessments. In addition, this document also contains a staff policy assessment that considers the evidence presented in the final Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) and the exposure and risk characterization results presented in this second draft document, as they relate to the adequacy of the current SO2 NAAQS and any potential alternative primary SO2 standards. This draft document will be available online at: https://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/ standards/so2/s_so2_cr_rea.html. The EPA is soliciting advice and recommendations from the CASAC by means of a review of the draft document at an upcoming public meeting of the CASAC scheduled for April 16–17, 2009 in Chapel Hill, NC. Information about this public meeting will be published as a separate notice in the Federal Register. Following the CASAC meeting, EPA will consider comments received from the CASAC and the public in preparing a final risk and exposure assessment report. Dated: March 18, 2009. Stephen D. Page, Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. [FR Doc. E9–9336 Filed 4–22–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Notice of Public Information Collection(s) Being Submitted for Review to the Office of Management and Budget, Comments Requested sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES April 14, 2009. SUMMARY: The Federal Communications Commission, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burden invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection(s), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it VerDate Nov<24>2008 16:59 Apr 22, 2009 Jkt 217001 displays a currently valid control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that does not display a valid control number. Comments are requested concerning (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Commission’s burden estimate; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. DATES: Written Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) comments should be submitted on or before May 26, 2009. If you anticipate that you will be submitting PRA comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the FCC contact listed below as soon as possible. ADDRESSES: Direct all PRA comments to Nicholas A. Fraser, Office of Management and Budget, via fax at 202– 395–5167 or the Internet at Nicholas_A._Fraser@omb.eop.gov and to Judith-B.Herman@fcc.gov, Federal Communications Commission, or an email to PRA@fcc.gov. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted to OMB: (1) Go to the Web page https://reginfo.gov/public/do/ PRAMain, (2) look for the section of the web page called ‘‘Currently Under Review’’, (3) click on the downwardpointing arrow in the ‘‘Select Agency’’ box below the ‘‘Currently Under Review’’ heading, (4) select ‘‘Federal Communications Commission’’ from the list of agencies presented in the ‘‘Select Agency’’ box, (5) click the ‘‘Submit’’ button to the right of the ‘‘Select Agency’’ box, and (6) when the list of FCC ICRs currently under review appears, look for the title of this ICR (or its OMB Control Number, if there is one) and then click on the ICR Reference Number to view detailed information about this ICR. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies of the information collection(s), contact Judith B. Herman at 202–418–0214 or via the Internet at Judith-B.Herman@fcc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control Number: 3060–0636. Title: Sections 2.906, 2.909, 2.1071, 2.1075, 2.1076, and 15.37, Equipment PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 18575 Authorizations—Declaration of Conformity. Form No.: Not applicable. Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection. Respondents: Business or other forprofit. Number of Respondents: 4,000 respondents; 8,000 responses. Estimated Time per Response: 18 hours (average). Frequency of Response: One-time reporting requirement, recordkeeping requirement and third party disclosure requirements. Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. Statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 U.S.C. sections 154(i), 301, 302, 303(e), 303(r), 304 and 307. Total Annual Burden: 76,000 hours. Total Annual Cost: $12,000,000. Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact. Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: No assurances of confidentiality are provided to respondents. Needs and Uses: The Commission requesting an extension of this information collection in order to obtain the full three year clearance from the OMB. There is no change in the reporting, recordkeeping and/or third party disclosure requirements since this was last submitted to OMB in 2006. There is no change in the estimated respondents/responses, burden hours and/or annual costs. In 1996, the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) procedure was established in a Report and Order, FCC 96–208, In the Matter of Amendment of Parts 2 and 15 of the Commission’s Rules to Deregulate the Equipment Authorization Requirements for Digital Devices. (a) The Declaration of Conformity equipment authorization procedure, 47 CFR 2.1071, requires that a manufacturer or equipment supplier test a product to ensure compliance with technical standards that limit radio frequency emissions. (b) Additionally, the manufacturer or supplier must also include a DoC (with the standards) in the literature furnished with the equipment, and the equipment manufacturer or supplier must also make this statement of conformity and supporting technical data available to the FCC, at the Commission’s request. (c) The DoC procedure represents a simplified filing and reporting procedure for authorizing equipment for marketing. (d) Finally, testing and documentation of compliance are needed to control potential interference to radio communications. The data gathering are necessary for investigating complaints E:\FR\FM\23APN1.SGM 23APN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 77 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18573-18575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9336]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0352; FRL8786-5]


Second Draft Risk and Exposure Assessment Report for Sulfur 
Dioxide (SO2)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of second draft report for public review and comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On or about March 19, 2009, the Office of Air Quality Planning 
and Standards (OAQPS) of EPA is making available for public review and 
comment a draft document titled ``Risk and Exposure Assessment to 
Support the Review of the SO2 Primary National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards: Second Draft.'' The purpose of this draft document 
is to convey the approach taken to assess exposures to ambient 
SO2 and to characterize associated health risks, as well as 
to present the results of those assessments.

DATES: Comments on the above report must be received on or before May 
20, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2007-0352, by one of the following methods:

[[Page 18574]]

     https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) 
to a-and-r-docket@epa.gov, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-
0352.
     Fax: Fax your comments to 202-566-9744, Attention Docket 
ID. No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0352.
     Mail: Send your comments to: Air and Radiation Docket and 
Information Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0352.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver your comments to: EPA 
Docket Center, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Room 3334, 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-
2007-0352. 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 https://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 https://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The https://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 https://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 https://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 https://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the Air Docket in the 
EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC. 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; fax 202-566-9744.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Michael Stewart, Office of Air 
Quality Planning and Standards (Mailcode C504-06), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; e-mail: 
stewart.michael@epa.gov; telephone: 919-541-7524; fax: 919-541-0237.

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 
https://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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Under section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Administrator 
identifies and lists certain pollutants which ``cause or contribute to 
air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public 
health or welfare.'' The EPA then issues air quality criteria for 
listed pollutants, which are commonly referred to as ``criteria 
pollutants.'' The 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, in 
varying quantities.'' Under section 109 of the CAA, EPA establishes 
national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for each listed 
pollutant, with the NAAQS based on the air quality criteria. Section 
109(d) of the CAA 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.
    Air quality criteria have been established for the sulfur oxides 
(SOX) and NAAQS have been established for sulfur dioxide 
(SO2), an indicator for SOX. Presently, EPA is 
reviewing the air quality criteria for SOX and the NAAQS for 
SO2. As part of its review of the NAAQS, EPA has prepared an 
assessment of exposures and characterization of health risks associated 
with ambient SO2. Planned approaches to assessing exposures 
and characterizing risks were described in the document, Sulfur Dioxide 
Health Assessment Plan: Scope and Methods for Exposure and Risk 
Assessment. This planning document was released for public review and 
comment in November 2007 and was the subject of a consultation with the 
Clean Air

[[Page 18575]]

Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) on December 5 and 6, 2007. 
Comments received from that consultation were considered in developing 
the ``Risk and Exposure Assessment to Support the Review of the 
SO2 Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards: First 
Draft,'' which was released in July 2008.
    The second draft document being released at this time conveys the 
approach taken to assess exposures to ambient SO2 and to 
characterize associated health risks, as well as to present the results 
of those assessments. In addition, this document also contains a staff 
policy assessment that considers the evidence presented in the final 
Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) and the exposure and risk 
characterization results presented in this second draft document, as 
they relate to the adequacy of the current SO2 NAAQS and any 
potential alternative primary SO2 standards. This draft 
document will be available online at: https://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/so2/s_so2_cr_rea.html.
    The EPA is soliciting advice and recommendations from the CASAC by 
means of a review of the draft document at an upcoming public meeting 
of the CASAC scheduled for April 16-17, 2009 in Chapel Hill, NC. 
Information about this public meeting will be published as a separate 
notice in the Federal Register. Following the CASAC meeting, EPA will 
consider comments received from the CASAC and the public in preparing a 
final risk and exposure assessment report.

    Dated: March 18, 2009.
Stephen D. Page,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. E9-9336 Filed 4-22-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.