EPA Publishes First Draft of PM Staff Paper, June 2001
The Staff Paper asseses the policy implications of the scientific information in the Criteria Document.
It provides a concise summary of the findngs of new health studies and their policy significance. Typically, the Staff Paper includes a discussion of the form and level of the standards, and recommends ranges from which the EPA Administrator might propose a standard.
Because the Staff Paper is the first attempt to frame the public policy debate on the form and level of the standards, it is critically important to file public comments at this stage of the NAAQS review process.
The preliminary draft version of the Staff Paper published in June 2001 did not include a chapter on policy recommendations.
Copies may be found at: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t1sp.html .
To obtain hard copies of the Staff Paper, or to file comments, contact the lead EPA staffperson:
Dr. Mary Ross
Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards
U.S. EPA (MD-15)
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Email: Ross.Mary@epamail.epa.gov
Comments of the American Lung Association® and other health and environmental organizations on staff paper may be found on this website under Resources for Advocates, under Testimony and Comments: Sign-on Testimony.
The next draft of the Staff Paper will likely be published in early 2002 for public comment, and is likely to contain staff recommendations on recommended ranges for the PM standards.
