Environmental Protection Agency July 27, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On or about July 31, 2007, the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) of EPA will make available for public review and comment a draft technical support document in EPA's review of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for lead, Lead Human Exposure and Health Risk Assessments for Selected Case Studies (Draft Risk Assessment Report). The purpose of the Draft Risk Assessment Report is to describe the design, methodology and results of the human exposure and health risk assessments for lead.

EPA is proposing to approve a redesignation request and State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) is requesting that the Mercer County portion of the Youngstown- Warren-Sharon, OH-PA ozone nonattainment area (``Youngstown Area'' or ``Area'') be redesignated as attainment for the 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). The Area is comprised of Mercer County, Pennsylvania and Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties, Ohio. In this rulemaking action EPA is proposing to approve the ozone redesignation request, maintenance plan, and 2002 base year inventory for Mercer County. In a separate rulemaking action (72 FR 19435, April 18, 2007) EPA proposed to approve the ozone redesignation request for Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties. In conjunction with its redesignation request, the Commonwealth submitted a SIP revision consisting of a maintenance plan for Mercer County that provides for continued attainment of the 8-hour ozone NAAQS for at least 10 years after redesignation. EPA is proposing to make a determination that Mercer County has attained the 8-hour ozone NAAQS, based upon three years of complete, quality-assured ambient air quality monitoring data for 2004-2006. EPA's proposed approval of the 8-hour ozone redesignation request is based on its determination that the Area has met the criteria for redesignation to attainment specified in the Clean Air Act (CAA). In addition, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has also submitted a 2002 base-year inventory for Mercer County, and EPA is proposing to approve that inventory for Mercer County as a SIP revision. EPA is also providing information on the status of its adequacy determination for the motor vehicle emission budgets (MVEBs) that are identified in the maintenance plan for Mercer County for purposes of transportation conformity, and is also proposing to approve those MVEBs. Note that separate conformity budgets are being established by Ohio for Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties. EPA is proposing approval of the redesignation request and of the maintenance plan and 2002 base-year inventory SIP revisions in accordance with the requirements of the CAA.

EPA expressed environmental concerns about the potential for adverse impacts to air and water quality with full field development, and suggested that the final EIS include additional information and discussion on cumulative impacts analysis, mitigation measures, and adaptive management. Rating EC2.

This regulation establishes a tolerance for the combined residues of chlorothalonil and its metabolite, 4-hydroxy-2,5,6- trichloroisophthalonitrile, in or on pea, edible podded. The Snowpea Commission of Guatemala requested this tolerance under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA).