EPA Seeks Public Comment on Review Plan for Particle NAAQS
On October 16, 2007, EPA issued a draft Integrated Review Plan for the next periodic review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter. The draft plan is subject to review by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and by the public.
The plan lays out a proposed schedule for the review of the particulate air quality standards, with completion targeted for October 2011, five years after EPA completed its last review of the PM standards. The Clean Air Act requires air quality standards to be reviewed every five years to ensure that they reflect the latest scientific informaton on the adverse health effects of air pollution.
The review would follow a new process. The new process replaces the summary of the new science that was formerly known as a “Criteria Document” with an “Integrated Science Assessment” that will review new peer-reviewed studies published since the last review. Under the new process, EPA will no longer prepare a Staff Paper interpreting the policy implications of the science and recommending changes to the standards. Instead, the Agency will issue an “advance notice of proposed rulemaking” that articulates the Administration’s interpretation of the science and policy issues.
According to the draft plan, the key milestones for the PM review are as follows, with opportunities for public participation highlighted:
- November 30, 2007: CASAC Consultation on draft Integrated Review Plan
- December 2007: Final Integrated Review Plan
- August 2008: First Draft Science Assessment
- September 2008: Draft Scope and Methods Plan for Risk/Exposure Assessment
- October 2008: CASAC/Public Review of Draft Science Assessment and Risk Assessment Scoping Plan
- March 2009: Second Draft Science Assessment
- April 2009: First Draft Risk/Exposure Assessment
- May 2009: CASAC/public review of second draft Science Assessment and first draft Risk Assessment
- September 2009: Final Science Assessment
- November 2009 Second draft Risk/Exposure Assessment
- January 2010: CASAC/Public Review of Second draft Risk/Exposure Assessment
- March 2010: Final Risk/Exposure Assessment
- June 2010: Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
- August 2010: CASAC Review/ Public Comments on Advance Notice
- January 2011: Proposed Rule
- October 2011: Final Rule
The Draft lays out a number of policy-relevant issues to be considered in the review, such:
–the possibility of setting a less than 24-hour “sub-daily” standard for fine particles;
– the possible inclusion of fetuses and newborns as sensitive populations; and
– the possible need for a coarse particle standard.
In addition, the plan discusses the possibility of undertaking an exposure assessment and analysis, which was not performed in the last revew of the PM standard, and it discusses possible analyses of uncertainty in the risk assessment that might be undertaken. It also suggests changes to the ambient air quality monitoring program for particulates.
A copy of the draft Integrated Review Plan is available at: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pm/s_pm_cr_pd.html
A copy of the Federal Register notice providing additional details on the November 20, 2007 CASAC meeting are available at: http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-AIR/2007/November/Day-08/a21933.pdf
