E9-5870. Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Public Advisory Committee Meeting of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC); Sulfur Oxides Primary NAAQS Review Panel

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee's (CASAC) Sulfur Oxides Primary NAAQS Review Panel (Panel) to conduct a peer review of the EPA's Risk and Exposure Assessment to Support the Review of the SO₂Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards: Second Draft.

DATES:

The meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. (Eastern daylight time) on Thursday, April 16, 2009 through 1 p.m. (Eastern daylight time) on Friday, April 17, 2009.

ADDRESSES:

The April 16-17, 2009 meeting will take place at the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel, One Europa Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27517.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Any member of the public who wishes to submit a written or brief oral statement (five minutes or less) or wants further information concerning this meeting must contact Dr. Angela Nugent, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice mail [phone]; fax [phone]; or e-mail at [e-mail]. General information concerning the CASAC and the CASAC documents cited below can be found on the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/​casac.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background: The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) was established under section 109(d)(2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) (42 U.S.C. 7409) as an independent scientific advisory committee. CASAC provides advice, information and recommendations on the scientific and technical aspects of air quality criteria and national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) under sections 108 and 109 of the Act. The CASAC is a Federal advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C., App. The Panel will comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies.

Section 109(d)(1) of the CAA requires that the Agency periodically review and revise, as appropriate, the air quality criteria and the NAAQS for the six “criteria” air pollutants, including sulfur oxides (SO_X). EPA is in the process of reviewing the primary NAAQS for sulfur dioxide (SO₂), an indicator for SO_X. Primary standards set limits to protect public health, including the health of “sensitive” populations such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly.

CASAC has previously provided consultative advice on EPA's Integrated Plans for Review of the Primary NAAQS for NO₂and SO₂ and conducted peer review of the first and second drafts of EPA's Integrated Science Assessment for Sulfur Oxides—Health Criteria. CASAC also provided consultative advice on EPA's Sulfur Dioxide Health Assessment Plan: Scope and Methods for Exposure and Risk Assessment and conducted peer review of EPA's Risk and Exposure Assessment to Support the Review of the SO₂Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards: First Draft. The CASAC advisory reports are available on the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/​casac. The purpose of this meeting is for CASAC to conduct a peer review of the Risk and Exposure Assessment to Support the Review of the SO₂Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards: Second Draft.

Technical Contact: Any questions concerning EPA's Risk and Exposure Assessment to Support the Review of the SO₂Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards: Second Draft should be directed to Dr. Michael Stewart, OAR by telephone [phone], or e-mail [e-mail].

Availability of Meeting Materials: EPA-OAR's Risk and Exposure Assessment to Support the Review of the SO₂Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards: Second Draft will be accessible via the Agency's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Web site at http://www.epa.gov/​ttn/​naaqs/​standards/​so2/​s_​so2_​cr_​rea.html on or about March 19, 2009. Agendas and materials supporting the meeting will be placed on the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/​casac before the meeting.

Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the public may submit relevant written or oral information for the CASAC Panel to consider during the advisory process. Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an oral presentation at a public meeting will be limited to five minutes per speaker, with no more than a total of one hour for all speakers. Interested parties should contact Dr. Angela Nugent, DFO, in writing (preferably via e-mail) by April 10, 2009 at the contact information noted above to be placed on the public speaker list for this meeting. Written Statements: Written statements for the public meeting should be received by Dr. Angela Nugent at the contact information above by April 10, 2009, so that the information may be made available to the Panel for their consideration prior to this meeting. Written statements should be supplied to the DFO in the following formats: one hard copy with original signature (optional), and one electronic copy via e-mail (acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).

Accessibility: For information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Nugent at the phone number or e-mail address noted above, preferably at least ten days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

Dated: March 11, 2009.

Anthony F. Maciorows,

Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.