Release of Volumes 1 and 2 of the Integrated Review Plan for the Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen, 19308-19310 [2024-05507]
Download as PDF
19308
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Notices
for Adult Basic Education (ABE) and
four new tests that measure the new
NRS educational functioning levels for
ESL. With the Secretary’s approval of
the new ESL tests in the July 2023
notice, the new educational functioning
levels for ESL described in appendix A
of Measures and Methods for the
National Reporting System for Adult
Education (OMB Control Number:
1830–0027) were implemented.
Under the transition rules in § 462.4,
the Secretary also announced in the July
2023 notice a list of tests with NRS
approvals expiring on February 2, 2024,
and March 7, 2024, that States and local
eligible providers may continue to use
during a sunset period ending on June
30, 2024.
In this notice, under the transition
rules in § 462.4, the Secretary
announces that the sunset period for
ESL tests scheduled to sunset on June
30, 2024, is extended through June 30,
2025. This extension of the sunset
period will allow States sufficient time
for the operational activities required for
the transition to the new ESL
assessments identified in the July 2023
notice.
The ESL educational functioning level
descriptors to which the ESL tests with
expiring NRS approvals are aligned and
that were scheduled to be retired on
June 30, 2024, are extended through
June 30, 2025. Until that time, both the
current ESL educational functioning
level descriptors and the new ESL
educational functioning level
descriptors will be in effect. States must
use an ESL assessment that is aligned to
the appropriate ESL educational
functioning level descriptors.
Adult education programs must use
only the forms and computer-based
delivery formats for the tests approved
in this notice. If a particular test form or
computer delivery format is not
explicitly specified for a test in this
notice, it is not approved to measure
educational gain in the NRS.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Tests With NRS Approvals That
Expired on February 2, 2024,
Previously Allowed for Use in the NRS
During a Sunset Period Ending on June
30, 2024, and Now Allowed for Use
During an Extended Sunset Period
Ending on June 30, 2025
The Secretary has determined that the
following tests may be used at all ESL
levels of the NRS during an extended
sunset period ending on June 30, 2025:
(1) Basic English Skills Test (BEST)
Literacy. Forms B, C, and D are
approved for use on paper. Publisher:
Center for Applied Linguistics, 4646
40th Street NW, Washington, DC 20016–
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1859. Telephone: (202) 362–0700.
Internet: www.cal.org.
(2) Basic English Skills Test (BEST)
Plus 2.0. Forms D, E, and F are approved
for use on paper and through the
computer-adaptive delivery format.
Publisher: Center for Applied
Linguistics, 4646 40th Street NW,
Washington, DC 20016–1859.
Telephone: (202) 362–0700. Internet:
www.cal.org.
(3) Comprehensive Adult Student
Assessment Systems (CASAS) Life and
Work Listening Assessments (LW
Listening). Forms 981L, 982L, 983L,
984L, 985L, and 986L are approved for
use on paper and through the computerbased delivery format. Publisher:
CASAS, 5151 Murphy Canyon Road,
Suite 220, San Diego, CA 92123–4339.
Telephone: (800) 255–1036. Internet:
www.casas.org.
(4) Comprehensive Adult Student
Assessment Systems (CASAS) Reading
Assessments (Life and Work, Life Skills,
Reading for Citizenship, Reading for
Language Arts—Secondary Level).
Forms 27, 28, 81, 82, 81X, 82X, 83, 84,
85, 86, 185, 186, 187, 188, 310, 311, 513,
514, 951, 952, 951X, and 952X of this
test are approved for use on paper and
through the computer-based delivery
format. Publisher: CASAS, 5151
Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 220, San
Diego, CA 92123–4339. Telephone:
(800) 255–1036. Internet:
www.casas.org.
(5) Tests of Adult Basic Education
Complete Language Assessment SystemEnglish (TABE/CLAS–E). Forms A and B
are approved for use on paper and
through a computer-based delivery
format. Publisher: Data Recognition
Corporation—CTB, 13490 Bass Lake
Road, Maple Grove, MN 55311.
Telephone: (800) 538–9547. Internet:
www.tabetest.com.
Revocation of Tests
Under certain circumstances—that is,
a determination by the Secretary either
that the information the publisher
submitted as a basis for the Secretary’s
review of the test was inaccurate or that
a test has been substantially revised—
the Secretary may revoke the
determination that a test is suitable after
following the procedures in § 462.12(e).
If the Secretary revokes the
determination of suitability, the
Secretary announces the revocation, as
well as the date by which States and
local eligible providers must stop using
the revoked test, through a notice
published in the Federal Register and
posted on the internet at
www.nrsweb.org.
Accessible Format: On request to the
program contact person listed under FOR
PO 00000
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FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT,
individuals with disabilities can obtain
this document in an accessible format.
The Department will provide the
requestor with an accessible format that
may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or
text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3
file, braille, large print, audiotape, or
compact disc, or other accessible format.
Electronic Access to This Document:
The official version of this document is
the document published in the Federal
Register. You may access the official
edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations at
www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can
view this document, as well as all other
documents of this Department
published in the Federal Register, in
text or Portable Document Format
(PDF). To use PDF you must have
Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at the site.
You may also access documents of the
Department published in the Federal
Register by using the article search
feature at www.federalregister.gov.
Specifically, through the advanced
search feature at this site, you can limit
your search to documents published by
the Department.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 3292.
Amy Loyd,
Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and
Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 2024–05679 Filed 3–15–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OAR–2023–0317; FRL–11157–03–
OAR]
Release of Volumes 1 and 2 of the
Integrated Review Plan for the Primary
National Ambient Air Quality
Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
On or about March 18, 2024,
the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) is making available to the public
Volumes 1 and 2 of the Integrated
Review Plan for the Primary National
Ambient Air Quality Standards for
Oxides of Nitrogen (IRP). The national
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS)
for oxides of nitrogen are set to protect
public health from nitrogen dioxide
(NO2) in ambient air. Volume 1 of the
IRP contains contextual background
material for the current review of the air
quality criteria and the primary NAAQS
for oxides of nitrogen. Volume 2
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\18MRN1.SGM
18MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Notices
identifies policy-relevant issues in the
review and describes key considerations
in the EPA’s development of the
Integrated Science Assessment (ISA).
The ISA provides the scientific basis for
the EPA’s decisions, in conjunction
with additional technical and policy
assessments, for the review of the
NAAQS, as described in sections 108
and 109 of the Clean Air Act.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before April 17, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments on
Volume 2 of the IRP, identified by
Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2023–
0317, by any of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal:
https://www.regulations.gov/ (our
preferred method). Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center,
Office of Air and Radiation Docket, Mail
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460.
• Hand Delivery or Courier: EPA
Docket Center, WJC West Building,
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Docket
Center’s hours of operation are 8:30
a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday (except
Federal Holidays).
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the Docket ID No. for this
notice. Comments received may be
posted without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided. For
detailed instructions on sending
comments, see the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
The two volumes described here will be
available on the EPA’s website at
https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/nitrogendioxide-no2-primary-air-qualitystandards. The documents will be
accessible under ‘‘Planning Documents’’
from the current review.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Iman Hassan, Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards, (Mail Code
C504–06), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander
Drive, P.O. Box 12055, Research
Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone
number: 919–541–2198; or email:
hassan.iman@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
I. General Information
Written Comments
Submit your comments, identified by
Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2023–
0317, at https://www.regulations.gov
(our preferred method), or the other
methods identified in the ADDRESSES
section. Once submitted, comments
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:07 Mar 15, 2024
Jkt 262001
cannot be edited or removed from the
docket. The EPA may publish any
comment received to its public docket.
Do not submit to EPA’s docket at
https://www.regulations.gov any
information you consider Confidential
Business Information (CBI), Proprietary
Business Information (PBI), or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment.
The written comment is considered the
official comment and should include a
discussion of all points you wish to
make. The EPA will generally not
consider comments or comment
contents located outside of the primary
submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or
other file sharing system). Please visit
https://www.epa.gov/dockets/
commenting-epa-dockets for additional
submission methods; the full EPA
public comment policy; information
about CBI, PBI, or multimedia
submissions; and general guidance on
making effective comments.
II. Information About the Documents
Two sections of the Clean Air Act
(CAA or the Act) govern the
establishment and revision of the
NAAQS. Section 108 directs the
Administrator to identify and list
certain air pollutants and then issue ‘‘air
quality criteria’’ for those 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 such
pollutant in the ambient air . . .’’ (CAA
section 108(a)(2)). Under section 109 of
the Act, the EPA is then to establish
primary (health-based) and secondary
(welfare-based) NAAQS for each
pollutant for which the EPA has issued
air quality criteria. Section 109(d)(1) of
the Act requires periodic review and, if
appropriate, revision of existing air
quality criteria. Revised air quality
criteria are to reflect advances in
scientific knowledge on the effects of
the pollutant on public health and
welfare. Under the same provision, the
EPA is also to periodically review and,
if appropriate, revise the NAAQS based
on the revised air quality criteria.
The Act additionally requires the
appointment of an independent
scientific review committee that is to
periodically review the existing air
quality criteria and NAAQS and to
recommend any new standards and
revisions of existing criteria and
standards as may be appropriate (CAA
section 109(d)(2)(A)–(B)). Since the
early 1980s, the Clean Air Scientific
PO 00000
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19309
Advisory Committee (CASAC) has
fulfilled the requirement for an
independent scientific review
committee.
Presently, the EPA is reviewing the
health-based air quality criteria and
primary NAAQS for oxides of nitrogen.
The EPA’s call for information for this
review was issued on December 9, 2022
(87 FR 75625), and requested the
public’s assistance in identifying
relevant scientific information for the
review that has become available since
the cutoff date for the 2016 ISA (i.e.,
March 2014).1 The documents
announced in this notice have been
developed as part of the integrated
review plan (IRP) which is developed in
the planning phase for the review. The
documents have been prepared jointly
by the EPA’s Center for Public Health
and Environmental Assessment within
the Office of Research and Development
and the Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards within the Office of Air
and Radiation. These documents will be
available on the EPA’s website: https://
www.epa.gov/naaqs/nitrogen-dioxideno2-primary-air-quality-standards,
accessible under ‘‘Planning Documents’’
from the current review.
The IRP for the current review of the
primary NAAQS for oxides of nitrogen
will be comprised of three volumes.
Volumes 1 and 2 are the subject of this
notice. Volume 1 provides background
information on the air quality criteria
and standards for oxides of nitrogen and
may serve as a reference by the public
and the CASAC in their consideration of
the subsequent two volumes. Volume 2
addresses the general approach for the
review and planning for the integrated
science assessment (ISA). Comments are
solicited from the public on Volume 2,
which will also be the subject of a
consultation with the CASAC, to be
announced in a separate Federal
Register notice. This volume identifies
policy-relevant issues in the review and
describes key considerations in the
EPA’s development of the ISA. Volume
3, which is not yet completed, is the
planning document for quantitative
analyses to be considered in the policy
assessment (PA), including exposure
and risk analyses, as warranted. In order
that consideration of the availability of
new evidence in the review can inform
these plans, the development and public
availability of Volume 3 will generally
coincide with that of the draft ISA, and
it will be the subject of a consultation
with the CASAC at that time.
1 Information assessed in the ISA for the last
review generally included studies published prior
to March 2014, with some exceptions.
E:\FR\FM\18MRN1.SGM
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19310
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 53 / Monday, March 18, 2024 / Notices
As described above, comments on
Volume 2 of the IRP should be
submitted to the docket by April 17,
2024. A separate Federal Register notice
will provide details about the CASAC
consultation meeting and the process for
participation in the CASAC consultation
on Volume 2. The EPA will consider the
consultation comments from the CASAC
and public comments on the IRP,
Volume 2, in preparation of the ISA for
Oxides of Nitrogen—Health Criteria.
Volume 1 of the IRP, also being made
available, provides background or
contextual and historical material for
this NAAQS review. These documents
do not represent and should not be
construed to represent any final EPA
policy, viewpoint, or determination.
Erika N. Sasser,
Director, Health and Environmental Impacts
Division.
[FR Doc. 2024–05507 Filed 3–15–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OAR–2008–0707; FRL 11636–01–
OAR]
Proposed Information Collection
Request; Comment Request; Data
Reporting Requirements for State and
Local Vehicle Emission Inspection and
Maintenance (I/M) Programs
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an
information collection request (ICR),
‘‘Data Reporting Requirements for State
and Local Vehicle Emission Inspection
and Maintenance (I/M) Programs’’ (EPA
ICR No.1613.08, OMB Control No.
2060–0252) to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and
approval in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing
so, EPA is soliciting public comments
on specific aspects of the proposed
information collection as described
below. This is a proposed extension of
the ICR, which is currently approved
through October 31, 2024. 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.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before May 17, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
referencing Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–
OAR–2008–0707 online using https://
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:07 Mar 15, 2024
Jkt 262001
www.regulations.gov (our preferred
method) or by mail to: EPA Docket
Center, Environmental Protection
Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20460. EPA’s policy is that all
comments received will be included in
the public docket without change
including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes
profanity, threats, information claimed
to be Confidential Business Information
(CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute.
Joe
Winkelmann, Office of Transportation
and Air Quality, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood,
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105; telephone
number: 734–214–4255; email address:
winkelmann.joseph@epa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Supporting documents which explain in
detail the information that the EPA will
be collecting are available in the public
docket for this ICR. The docket can be
viewed online at www.regulations.gov
or in person at the EPA Docket Center,
WJC West, Room 3334, 1301
Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC.
The telephone number for the Docket
Center is 202–566–1744. For additional
information about EPA’s public docket,
visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA),
EPA is soliciting comments and
information to enable it to: (i) evaluate
whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(ii) evaluate the accuracy of the
Agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
(iii) enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (iv) minimize the burden
of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through
the use of appropriate automated
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submission of
responses. EPA will consider the
comments received and amend the ICR
as appropriate. The final ICR package
will then be submitted to OMB for
review and approval. At that time, EPA
will issue another Federal Register
notice to announce the submission of
the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to
submit additional comments to OMB.
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Abstract: Clean Air Act section 182
and EPA’s regulations (40 CFR part 51,
subpart S) establish the requirements for
state and local inspection and
maintenance (I/M) programs that are
included in state implementation plans
(SIPs). To provide general oversight and
support to these programs, EPA requires
that state agencies with Basic and
Enhanced I/M programs collect two
varieties of reports for submission to the
Agency:
• An annual report providing general
program operating data and summary
statistics, addressing the program’s
current design and coverage, a summary
of testing data, enforcement program
efforts, quality assurance and quality
control efforts, and other miscellaneous
information allowing for an assessment
of the program’s relative effectiveness;
and
• A biennial report on any changes to
the program over the two-year period
and the impact of such changes,
including any deficiencies discovered
and corrections made or planned.
General program effectiveness is
determined by the degree to which a
program misses, meets, or exceeds the
emission reductions committed to in the
state’s approved SIP, which, in turn,
must meet or exceed the minimum
emission reductions expected from the
relevant performance standard, as
promulgated under 40 CFR part 51,
subpart S, in response to requirements
established in section 182 of the Clean
Air Act. This information is used by
EPA to determine a program’s progress
toward meeting requirements under 40
CFR part 51, subpart S, and to provide
background information in support of
program evaluations. Additional
information regarding the current
renewal of this ICR as well as previous
renewals can be found in Docket ID No.
EPA–HQ–OAR–2008–0707.
The following statistics and responses
apply to the ICR proposed for renewal.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: State I/
M program managers.
Respondent’s obligation to respond:
Mandatory (40 CFR 51.366).
Estimated number of respondents: 26
(total).
Frequency of response: Annual and
biennial.
Total estimated burden: 2,236 hours
(per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR
1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: $165,776 (per
year), includes $0 annualized capital or
operation and maintenance costs.
Changes in Estimates: There is no
change in the total estimated respondent
E:\FR\FM\18MRN1.SGM
18MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 53 (Monday, March 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19308-19310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05507]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2023-0317; FRL-11157-03-OAR]
Release of Volumes 1 and 2 of the Integrated Review Plan for the
Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On or about March 18, 2024, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is making available to the public Volumes 1 and 2 of the
Integrated Review Plan for the Primary National Ambient Air Quality
Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen (IRP). The national ambient air
quality standards (NAAQS) for oxides of nitrogen are set to protect
public health from nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in ambient air.
Volume 1 of the IRP contains contextual background material for the
current review of the air quality criteria and the primary NAAQS for
oxides of nitrogen. Volume 2
[[Page 19309]]
identifies policy-relevant issues in the review and describes key
considerations in the EPA's development of the Integrated Science
Assessment (ISA). The ISA provides the scientific basis for the EPA's
decisions, in conjunction with additional technical and policy
assessments, for the review of the NAAQS, as described in sections 108
and 109 of the Clean Air Act.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 17, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments on Volume 2 of the IRP, identified by
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2023-0317, by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/
(our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket
Center, Office of Air and Radiation Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery or Courier: EPA Docket Center, WJC West
Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004.
The Docket Center's hours of operation are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-
Friday (except Federal Holidays).
Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID
No. for this notice. Comments received may be posted without change to
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided. For detailed instructions on sending comments, see the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. The two volumes
described here will be available on the EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/nitrogen-dioxide-no2-primary-air-quality-standards.
The documents will be accessible under ``Planning Documents'' from the
current review.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Iman Hassan, Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards, (Mail Code C504-06), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, P.O. Box 12055, Research
Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: 919-541-2198; or email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
Written Comments
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2023-
0317, at https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or the
other methods identified in the ADDRESSES section. Once submitted,
comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The EPA may
publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit to
EPA's docket at https://www.regulations.gov any information you
consider Confidential Business Information (CBI), Proprietary Business
Information (PBI), or other information whose disclosure is restricted
by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the
official comment and should include a discussion of all points you wish
to make. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment
contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web,
cloud, or other file sharing system). Please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets for additional submission methods; the
full EPA public comment policy; information about CBI, PBI, or
multimedia submissions; and general guidance on making effective
comments.
II. Information About the Documents
Two sections of the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act) govern the
establishment and revision of the NAAQS. Section 108 directs the
Administrator to identify and list certain air pollutants and then
issue ``air quality criteria'' for those 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
such pollutant in the ambient air . . .'' (CAA section 108(a)(2)).
Under section 109 of the Act, the EPA is then to establish primary
(health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS for each pollutant
for which the EPA has issued air quality criteria. Section 109(d)(1) of
the Act requires periodic review and, if appropriate, revision of
existing air quality criteria. Revised air quality criteria are to
reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the effects of the
pollutant on public health and welfare. Under the same provision, the
EPA is also to periodically review and, if appropriate, revise the
NAAQS based on the revised air quality criteria.
The Act additionally requires the appointment of an independent
scientific review committee that is to periodically review the existing
air quality criteria and NAAQS and to recommend any new standards and
revisions of existing criteria and standards as may be appropriate (CAA
section 109(d)(2)(A)-(B)). Since the early 1980s, the Clean Air
Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) has fulfilled the requirement for
an independent scientific review committee.
Presently, the EPA is reviewing the health-based air quality
criteria and primary NAAQS for oxides of nitrogen. The EPA's call for
information for this review was issued on December 9, 2022 (87 FR
75625), and requested the public's assistance in identifying relevant
scientific information for the review that has become available since
the cutoff date for the 2016 ISA (i.e., March 2014).\1\ The documents
announced in this notice have been developed as part of the integrated
review plan (IRP) which is developed in the planning phase for the
review. The documents have been prepared jointly by the EPA's Center
for Public Health and Environmental Assessment within the Office of
Research and Development and the Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards within the Office of Air and Radiation. These documents will
be available on the EPA's website: https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/nitrogen-dioxide-no2-primary-air-quality-standards, accessible under ``Planning
Documents'' from the current review.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Information assessed in the ISA for the last review
generally included studies published prior to March 2014, with some
exceptions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The IRP for the current review of the primary NAAQS for oxides of
nitrogen will be comprised of three volumes. Volumes 1 and 2 are the
subject of this notice. Volume 1 provides background information on the
air quality criteria and standards for oxides of nitrogen and may serve
as a reference by the public and the CASAC in their consideration of
the subsequent two volumes. Volume 2 addresses the general approach for
the review and planning for the integrated science assessment (ISA).
Comments are solicited from the public on Volume 2, which will also be
the subject of a consultation with the CASAC, to be announced in a
separate Federal Register notice. This volume identifies policy-
relevant issues in the review and describes key considerations in the
EPA's development of the ISA. Volume 3, which is not yet completed, is
the planning document for quantitative analyses to be considered in the
policy assessment (PA), including exposure and risk analyses, as
warranted. In order that consideration of the availability of new
evidence in the review can inform these plans, the development and
public availability of Volume 3 will generally coincide with that of
the draft ISA, and it will be the subject of a consultation with the
CASAC at that time.
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As described above, comments on Volume 2 of the IRP should be
submitted to the docket by April 17, 2024. A separate Federal Register
notice will provide details about the CASAC consultation meeting and
the process for participation in the CASAC consultation on Volume 2.
The EPA will consider the consultation comments from the CASAC and
public comments on the IRP, Volume 2, in preparation of the ISA for
Oxides of Nitrogen--Health Criteria. Volume 1 of the IRP, also being
made available, provides background or contextual and historical
material for this NAAQS review. These documents do not represent and
should not be construed to represent any final EPA policy, viewpoint,
or determination.
Erika N. Sasser,
Director, Health and Environmental Impacts Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-05507 Filed 3-15-24; 8:45 am]
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