Notice2022-05085
Release of Volumes 1 and 2 of the Integrated Review Plan for the Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
March 10, 2022
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
On or about March 4, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making available to the public, Volumes 1 and 2 of the Integrated Review Plan for the Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards (IRP). The national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for lead (Pb) are set to protect the public health and the public welfare from Pb in ambient air. Volume 1 of the IRP contains contextual background material and the anticipated schedule for the current review of the air quality criteria and NAAQS for Pb. Volume 2 identifies policy-relevant issues in the review and describes key considerations in 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 the Clean Air Act, section 108(a).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 47 (Thursday, March 10, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 47 (Thursday, March 10, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13732-13733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05085]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2020-0312; FRL-7887-02-OAR]
Release of Volumes 1 and 2 of the Integrated Review Plan for the
Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: On or about March 4, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) is making available to the public, Volumes 1 and 2 of the
Integrated Review Plan for the Lead National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (IRP). The national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for
lead (Pb) are set to protect the public health and the public welfare
from Pb in ambient air. Volume 1 of the IRP contains contextual
background material and the anticipated schedule for the current review
of the air quality criteria and NAAQS for Pb. Volume 2 identifies
policy-relevant issues in the review and describes key considerations
in 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 the Clean Air Act, section 108(a).
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 4, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments on Volume 2 of the IRP, identified by
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2020-0312, by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a>
(our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
<bullet> 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.
<bullet> Hand Delivery or Courier (by scheduled appointment only):
EPA Start Printed Page 56264 Docket Center, WJC West Building, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Docket
Center's hours of operations 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
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, 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 <a href="https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/lead-pb-air-quality-standards">https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/lead-pb-air-quality-standards</a>. The documents will be
accessible under ``Planning Documents'' from the current review.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Deirdre L. Murphy, Office of Air
Quality Planning and Standards, (Mail Code C504-06), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number:
919-541-0729, fax number: 919-541-027; or email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a6cbd3d4d6cedf88c2c3cfd4c2d4c3e6c3d6c788c1c9d0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e78a9295978f9ec983828e95839582a7829786c9808891">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
Written Comments
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2020-
0312, at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> (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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> any information you
consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) 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 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). For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment
policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general
guidance on making effective comments, please visit <a href="https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets">https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets</a>.
Due to public health concerns, the EPA Docket Center and Reading
Room are open to the public by appointment only. Our Docket Center
staff continues to provide remote customer service via email, phone,
and webform. Hand deliveries or couriers will be received by scheduled
appointment only. For further information and updates on EPA Docket
Center services, please visit us online at <a href="https://www.epa.gov/dockets">https://www.epa.gov/dockets</a>.
II. Information About the Documents
Two sections of the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act) govern the
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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 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 requirement for
an independent scientific review committee has been fulfilled by the
Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC).
Presently the EPA is reviewing the air quality criteria and NAAQS
for Pb.\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 at <a href="https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/lead-pb-air-quality-standards">https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/lead-pb-air-quality-standards</a>, accessible under
``Planning Documents'' from the current review.
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\1\ The EPA's call for information for this review was issued on
July 7, 2020 (85 FR 40641).
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The IRP for the current review of the lead NAAQS 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 Pb 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 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. 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.
Comments on Volume 2 of the IRP should be submitted to the docket,
as described above, by April 4, 2022. 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 Pb ISA.
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.
Panagiotis Tsirigotis,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2022-05085 Filed 3-9-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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