Court Approves EPA’s Extension to NAAQS Review Deadlines, December 16, 2004
On December 16, 2004, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved EPA’s request to extend the deadlines in the Consent Decree governing the dates for the completion of the review of the NAAQS for particulate matter and ozone.
The new schedule sets out firm dates for the completion of several key milestones in the review of the air quality standards and lays out a timetable for the completion of interim measures. Deadlines for completion of the PM review were extended by nine months, and the completion of the ozone review was delayed by one year, from the previous schedule.
Here’s the new schedule for the Particulate Matter review. By:
January 31, 2005: Publication of second draft Staff Paper and Risk Assessment for peer review and 60-day public comment period. This Staff Paper will discuss policy options for the setting of the fine and coarse particle standards, including the form, level, averaging time, and compliance test. It will include a discussion of ranges for the standards.
Deadline for written comments will occur around April 1, 2005.
A CASAC public meeting to review the documents will be scheduled for the early April. Speakers may present public comments at the meeting. This will be the last opportunity to make public statements to EPA and CASAC on the policy issues in the review before a proposal is developed.
June 30, 2005: Final Staff Paper and Risk Assessment published.
December 20, 2005: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking signed.
September 27, 2006: Notice of Final Rulemaking signed.
The Ozone review will proceed as follows. By:
January 31, 2005: First Draft Criteria Document published for peer review and 90-day public comment period.
January 2005: Development Plan for Staff Paper and Risk Assessment released for CASAC review and public comment
Late April 2005: CASAC public meeting to review the draft Criteria Document with opportunity for public comment
April 30, 2005: Deadline for written comments on draft Criteria Document
August-September 2005: Second draft Criteria Document published for peer review and 90-day public comment period
August-September 2005: First draft Staff Paper and Risk Assessment published for peer review and 90-day public comment period
December 2005: CASAC public meeting to review draft Criteria Document and Staff Paper and deadline for written comments
February 28, 2006: Final Criteria Document published
April 30, 2006: Second draft Staff Paper and Risk Assessment published for peer review and 60-day public comment period
July 31, 2006: CASAC public meeting to review second draft Staff Paper
September 30, 2006: Final Staff Paper and Risk Assessment published
March 28, 2007: Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking signed
December 19, 2007: Notice of Final Rulemaking signed
