Review of National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone

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This notice announces the EPA's plans to review and revise the Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Other Photochemical Oxidants (Criteria Document) as rapidly as possible and to complete review of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone (O 3) as soon as possible thereafter. The Clean Air Act (Act) requires periodic review and, if appropriate, revision of the NAAQS and of the air quality criteria on which they are based. The EPA completed its last formal review of the air quality criteria for O 3 in 1989. Based on that review, the EPA announced a final decision on March 9, 1993 not to revise the existing O 3 NAAQS. Since early 1989, however, a substantial number of new studies on the health and environmental effects of O 3 have appeared in the peer-reviewed literature. The EPA is moving as rapidly as possible to review them, consistent with assuring a sound, scientifically- supportable decision. The review process includes: (1) Reviewing and revising the Criteria Document; (2) reviewing the NAAQS through development of a Staff Paper based on the revised Criteria Document; (3) external review of Criteria Document and Staff Paper drafts by the Clean Air Scientific