SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The EPA is reconsidering the PM NAAQS because the available scientific evidence and technical information indicate that the current standards may not be adequate to protect public health and welfare, as required by section 109 (42 U.S.C. 7409) of the Clean Air Act. The proposed action for which the EPA is holding a public hearing was signed on January 5, 2023, and is available at https://www.epa.gov/​naaqs/​particulate-matter-pm-standards-federal-register-notices-current-review. The public hearing will provide interested parties the opportunity to present data, views, or arguments concerning the EPA's proposed decisions in the reconsideration of the PM NAAQS. Written statements and supporting information submitted during the comment period will be considered with the same weight as any oral comments and supporting information presented at the public hearing.

Written Comments: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0072, at https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or the other methods identified in the ADDRESSES section. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit electronically any information that you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written submission. The written submission is considered the official submission and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider submissions or submission content located outside of the primary submission ( i.e., on the web, cloud or other file sharing system). For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/​dockets/​commenting-epa-dockets.

Participating in Virtual Public Hearings: The public hearing will be held via virtual platform on February 21, 2023, and February 22, 2023, and will convene at 11 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) and conclude at 7 p.m. ET each day. On each hearing day, the EPA may close a session 15 minutes after the last pre-registered speaker has testified if there are no additional speakers. The EPA will announce further details at https://www.epa.gov/​pm-pollution/​national-ambient-air-quality-standards-naaqs-pm. If the EPA receives a high volume of registrations for the public hearing, we may continue the public hearing on February 23, 2023.

The EPA will begin pre-registering speakers for the hearing upon publication of this document in the Federal Register . To register to speak at the virtual hearing, please follow the directions at https://www.epa.gov/​pm-pollution/​national-ambient-air-quality-standards-naaqs-pm or contact the public hearing team at 919-541-0505 or by email at HEIDpublichearing@epa.gov. The last day to pre-register to speak at the hearing will be February 16, 2023. Prior to the hearing, the EPA will post a general agenda for the hearing that will list the pre-registered speakers in approximate order at: https://www.epa.gov/​pm-pollution/​national-ambient-air-quality-standards-naaqs- ( printed page 6217) pm. The EPA will make every effort to follow the schedule as closely as possible on the day of the hearing; however, please plan for the hearings to run either ahead of schedule or behind schedule. Each commenter will have 5 minutes to provide oral testimony. The EPA encourages commenters to provide the EPA with a copy of their oral testimony by submitting the text of your oral testimony as written comments to the rulemaking docket. The EPA may ask clarifying questions during the oral presentations but will not respond to the presenters at that time. Written statements and supporting information during the comment period will be considered with the same weight as oral comments and supporting information presented at the public hearing. Please note that any updates made to any aspect of the hearing is posted online at https://www.epa.gov/​pm-pollution/​national-ambient-air-quality-standards-naaqs-pm. While the EPA expects the hearing to go forward as set forth above, please monitor our website or contact the public hearing team at 919-541-0505 or HEIDpublichearing@epa.gov to determine if there are any updates. The EPA does not intend to publish a document in the Federal Register announcing updates.

If you require the services of a translator or special accommodations such as audio description, please pre-register for the hearing with the public hearing team and describe your needs by February 7, 2023. The EPA may not be able to arrange accommodations without advance notice.

How can I get copies of the proposed action and other related information? The EPA has established a docket under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0072 (available at https://www.regulations.gov). The EPA has also made available information related to the proposed action on the following website: https://www.epa.gov/​naaqs/​particulate-matter-pm-air-quality-standards.

88 FR 6215