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EPA/AR

RIN: 2060-AO72

Publication ID: Spring 2009

Title: Review of the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen and Oxides of Sulfur
Abstract: The CAA Amendments of 1977 require EPA to review and, if appropriate, revise air quality criteria, primary (health-based), and secondary (welfare-based) NAAQS every 5 years. On October 11, 1995, EPA published a final rule not to revise either the primary or secondary NAAQS for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). That action provided the Administrator's final determination, after careful evaluation of comments, that revisions to neither the primary nor the secondary NAAQS for NO2 were appropriate at that time. On May 22, 1996,EPA published a final decision that revisions of the primary and secondary NAAQS for sulfur dioxide (SO2) were not appropriate at that time, aside from several minor technical changes. That action provided the Administrator's final determination, after careful evaluation of comments, that significant revisions to the primary and the secondary NAAQS for SO2 would not be made at that time. On December 9, 2005, EPA's Office of Research and Developement (ORD) initiated the current periodic review of NO2 air quality criteria with a call for information in the Federal Register (FR). On May 3, 2006, ORD initiated the current periodic review of SO2 air quality criteria with a call for information in the FR. The decision was made to review the oxides of nitrogen and the oxides of sulfur together, rather than individually, as has been done in the past. This decision derives from the fact that NO2, SO2, and their associated transformation products are linked from an atmospheric chemistry perspective, as well as from an environmental effects perspective (most notably in the case of secondary aerosol formation and acidification in ecosystems). ORD and EPA's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) will prepare a plan for this review, which will be an integrated plan for addressing policy-relevant scientific and technical issues and will include a schedule of the review. Subsequently, an Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) will be prepared by ORD. This document will be reviewed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), an independent science advisory committee established to review the scientific and technical basis of the NAAQS, and the public, and will reflect the input received through these reviews. Following completion of the ISA, OAR will prepare and publish an exposure/risk assessment, which will also undergo CASAC and public review. As the NAAQS review is completed, the Administrator's proposal to retain or revise the secondary NAAQS for NO2 and SO2 will be published with a request for public comment. Input received during the public comment period will be considered in the Administrator's final decision.
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)	Priority: Economically Significant
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda	Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Proposed Rule Stage
Major: Yes	Unfunded Mandates: No
CFR Citation: 40 CFR 50
Legal Authority: 42 USC 7408 42 USC 7409

Legal Deadline:

Action	Source	Description	Date
Other	Judicial	Integrated Science Assessment to be issued.	12/12/2008
Final	Judicial	No court schedule has been ordered for this review as of yet. This date represents the date submitted by EPA to the court.	10/19/2010
NPRM	Judicial		02/12/2010

Timetable:

Action	Date	FR Cite
NPRM	02/00/2010
Final Action	11/00/2010

Additional Information: SAN No. 5170; EPA Docket information: EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-1145
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No	Government Levels Affected: Federal, Local, State, Tribal
Small Entities Affected: No	Federalism: No
Included in the Regulatory Plan: Yes
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No
Agency Contact: Anne Rea Environmental Protection Agency Air and Radiation C539-02, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 Phone:919 541-0053 Fax:919 541-0905 Email: Rea.Anne@epa.gov Ginger Tennant Environmental Protection Agency Air and Radiation 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Mail Code C504-06, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 Phone:919 541-4072 Fax:919 541-0237 Email: tennant.ginger@epa.gov