[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 120 (Monday, June 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37151-37152]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15766]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7516-6]
Science Advisory Board, Environmental Economics Advisory
Committee, Advisory Panel on the Environmental Economics Research
Strategy; Request for Nominations
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) is establishing a panel
to review the EPA's Environmental Economics Research Strategy. The
panel will consist of members of the EPA SAB Environmental Economics
Advisory Committee (EEAC) to which will be added additional experts to
constitute the Advisory Panel on the Environmental Economics Research
Strategy (APEERS).
DATES: Nominations should be submitted no later than July 14, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Nominations should be submitted in electronic format through
the Form for Nominating Individuals to Panels of the EPA Science
Advisory Board provided on the SAB Web site, http://www.epa.gov/sab. To
be considered, all nominations must include the information required on
that form. Anyone who is unable to submit nominations via this form may
contact Thomas O. Miller, Designated Federal Officer as indicated
below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing
further information regarding this Request for Nominations may contact
Thomas O. Miller, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), via telephone/voice
mail at (202) 564-4558; or via e-mail at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science
Advisory Board is establishing a panel to review EPA's Environmental
Economics Research Strategy (EERS). The panel will consist of members
of the SAB Environmental Economics Advisory Committee to which will be
added experts to form the Advisory Panel on the Environmental Economics
Research Strategy (APEERS). The Strategy draws together all relevant
research needs of the EPA offices and laboratories into an
understandable framework for guiding EPA's research planning and
implementation in this topical area.
The SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent
scientific and technical advice, consultation, and recommendations to
the EPA Administrator on the technical basis for Agency positions and
regulations. General information about the SAB can be found in the SAB
Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
The project the panel will undertake is expected to be no more than
a six-month effort. Over that period, the panel will comply with the
provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB procedural policies,
including the SAB process for panel formation described in the Overview
of the Panel Formation Process at the Environmental Protection Agency
Science Advisory Board, which can found on the SAB's Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec02010.pdf. Those selected to serve on the
panel will review the draft materials identified in this notice and
respond to the charge questions provided below. Upon completion, the
panel's report will be submitted to the SAB Executive Committee for
final approval.
Background: The EPA Science Advisory Board was asked by the
National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE) and the Office of
Research and Development's National Center for Environmental Research
(ORD/NCER) to review the EPA Environmental Economics Research Strategy.
The ``Strategy'' integrates together all relevant research
conducted by EPA offices and laboratories and provides a blueprint for
economic research priorities for the agency. The Strategy ``* * *
identifies priorities and research gaps, evaluates research tools, sets
out strategic research objectives and suggests responsibilities and
sequences for conducting or sponsoring research.'' These research needs
were developed from an initial survey of EPA economists who identified
research topics for consideration. The top ten categories identified
were: Valuation of reduced morbidity benefits; environmental behavior
and decision-making; valuation of ecological benefits; benefits of
environmental information disclosure; valuation of mortality benefits;
market mechanisms and incentives other than trading; green accounting-
international trade-finance; market mechanisms and incentives--trading;
discounting-intergenerational equity; and risk and uncertainty
techniques-integration with valuation. Research will be conducted
externally through cooperative agreements, grants, contracts, and
internally at EPA's National Center for Environmental Economics and in
relevant EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) National
Laboratories and Centers.
The identified research priorities were evaluated by EPA staff in
relation to four criteria in order to select the areas that EPA would
emphasize in its research program. The selection criteria used require
that research must: be needed by EPA, state, or other clients; reflect
a gap in the existing knowledge base (i.e., not have been conducted
already); be scientifically feasible and potentially of high quality;
and be related to EPA's mission in a policy-relevant context and be
able to come to conclusions on the topic within 5 to 10 years. The
selected objectives for EPA's economics research focus, include:
environmental (compliance) behavior and decision-making; benefits of
environmental information disclosure; ecological valuation; health
valuation; and market mechanisms and incentives. The Science Advisory
Board Review Draft of EPA's research strategy for environmental
economics can be found at the SAB's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab/.
Proposed Charge to the Panel: The following is the accepted charge
that has been given to the Science Advisory Board by the Agency:
Charge Question 1: For each of the major subject areas described in
the EERS, EPA has attempted to articulate the research questions most
relevant to EPA that can be effectively addressed given the available
tools and resources. In this context, please address the following for
the key research questions identified in the EERS in each of the
subject areas.
(a) Is the characterization of each of the major research gaps in
the literature for the key subject areas of relevance to EPA's economic
sciences, as identified in the EERS adequate? Will these priorities and
implementation approaches effectively address the areas of greatest
scientific uncertainty?
(b) Given the implementation strategy laid out in the EERS;
--To what extent is this research scientifically feasible at a high
level of quality?
--How successful is this research likely to be in answering policy-
relevant questions for EPA within the next 8-10 years?
(c) What improvements in the design and implementation of the EERS
would make each research project more useful to EPA and other
environmental management agencies?
[[Page 37152]]
Charge Question 2: What methodogical research needs in valuation
should EPA investigate as a complement to the needs derived from the
strategy interviews?
In the valuation areas, EPA's expressed needs are primarily
practical: better values for ecological and human health impacts of
environmental policies. However, most grant proposals (and most journal
articles) investigate practical questions as well as methodological or
other questions (e.g. incentive compatibility or elicitation methods in
stated preference or more refined models of behavior in revealed
preference). EPA does not expect that researchers will propose to
estimate only the practical values that EPA needs, but will also
propose to investigate methodological issues. Since the research
strategy interviews did not elicit methodological needs, and EPA
believes that improving methodology while generating practical values
provides useful synergy, further input on prioritizing methodological
issues from the EEAC would be useful.
Charge Question 3: Can the SAB identify by consensus any
environmental economics issues of overriding importance to EPA that the
EERS has missed, and that EPA should address provided that more
resources be made available for Environmental Economics Research? Could
the SAB explain why this (these) issue(s) should be of high concern to
EPA's research programs.
Charge Question 4: What is the best way for EPA to communicate the
results of the research strategy and plans for achieving its long-term
research goals to the wider research community, and other potential
users?
SAB Request for Nominations: This review will be conducted by a
panel comprised of the EPA SAB's Environmental Economics Advisory
Committee, an existing Standing Committee of the Board. Because some
EEAC members may not be able to participate, the SAB may choose to
include on the panel, persons who are members of other existing SAB
Committees, or who have been nominated by the public, for panel
inclusion, in response to this notice. Therefore, the EPA SAB is
requesting nominations of individuals who are recognized, national-
level experts in environmental economics who specialize in one or more
of the following areas:
(a) Environmental (compliance) behavior and decision-making (e.g.,
why and how firms react to government intervention in markets,
voluntary programs, perceptions of environmentally related costs);
(b) Benefits of environmental information disclosure;
(c) Ecological valuation;
(d) Human health valuation;
(e) Market mechanisms and incentives;
(f) Cost analysis;
(g) Benefit-Cost analysis and Uncertainty analysis in BCA;
(h) Discounting and intergenerational equity.
Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested
person or organization may nominate qualified individuals to add
expertise in the above areas for the Advisory Panel on the
Environmental Economics Research Strategy (APEERS).
Anyone who is unable to submit nominations in electronic format may
contact Thomas O. Miller as indicated in this FR notice. Nominations
should be submitted before July 14, 2003. Any questions concerning
either this process or any other aspects notice should be directed to
Thomas O. Miller, as indicated in this FR notice.
The EPA Science Advisory Board will acknowledge receipt of these
nominations to the nominators. From the nominees identified by
respondents to this Federal Register notice (termed the ``Widecast''),
SAB Staff will develop a smaller subset (known as the ``Short List'')
for more detailed consideration. Criteria used by the SAB Staff in
developing this Short List are given at the end of the following
paragraph. The Short List will be posted on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab, and will include, for each candidate, the nominee's
name and their biosketch. Public comments will be accepted for 21
calendar days on the Short List. During this comment period, the public
will be requested to provide information, analysis or other
documentation on nominees that the SAB Staff should consider in
evaluating candidates for the specific expertise to add to the Advisory
Panel on the Environmental Economics Research Strategy (APEERS).
For the EPA SAB, a balanced review panel (i.e., committee,
subcommittee, or panel) is characterized by inclusion of candidates who
possess the necessary domains of knowledge, the relevant scientific
perspectives (which, among other factors, can be influenced by work
history and affiliation), and the collective breadth of experience to
adequately address the charge. Public responses to the Short List
candidates will be considered in the selection of the panel, along with
information provided by candidates and information gathered by EPA SAB
Staff independently on the background of each candidate (e.g.,
financial disclosure information and computer searches to evaluate a
nominee's prior involvement with the topic under review). Specific
criteria to be used in evaluating an individual subcommittee member
include: (a) Scientific and/or technical expertise, knowledge, and
experience (primary factors); (b) scientific credibility and
impartiality; (c) availability and willingness to serve; (d) absence of
financial conflicts of interest; and (e) ability to work constructively
and effectively in committees.
Short List candidates will also be required to fill-out the
``Confidential Financial Disclosure Form for Special Government
Employees Serving on Federal Advisory Committees at the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency'' (EPA Form 3110-48). This confidential
form, which is submitted by EPA SAB Members and Consultants, allows
Government officials to determine whether there is a statutory conflict
between that person's public responsibilities (which includes
membership on an EPA Federal advisory committee) and private interests
and activities, or the appearance of a lack of impartiality, as defined
by Federal regulation. The form may be viewed and downloaded from the
following URL address: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/epaform3110-48.pdf.
Subcommittee members will be asked to attend one public meeting and two
public teleconferences during this review.
Dated: June 16, 2003.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 03-15766 Filed 6-20-03; 8:45 am]
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