[Federal Register: November 25, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 227)]
[Notices]               
[Page 66095-66096]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25no03-67]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7591-6]

 
Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Multiple 
Upcoming Meetings

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces 
upcoming multiple meetings of the:
    (1) SAB Drinking Water Committee: Face to face meeting.
    (2) SAB Cross-Agency Science and Technology Budget Review: Face to 
face meeting.
    (3) Joint meeting of the SAB Environmental Health Committee, and 
the Integrated Health and Exposure Committee: Face to Face Meeting.
    (4) The Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis Special 
Council Panel for the Review of the Third 812 Analysis (Council Special 
Panel): Public teleconferences.
    (5) The SAB Committee on Valuing the Protection of Ecological 
Systems and Services: Public teleconference.

DATES: December 3, 2003: The SAB Committee on Valuing the Protection of 
Ecological Systems and Services will hold a public teleconference from 
1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (EST).
    December 10, 2003: The SAB Drinking Water Committee will hold a 
face-to-face meeting from 9 a.m.. to 12:30 p.m. (EST).
    December 10, 2003: The first of a series of public face-to-face 
meetings of the SAB Cross-Agency Science and Technology Budget Review 
will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (EST).
    December 12, 2003: A joint public face-to-face meeting of the SAB 
Environmental Health Committee, and the Integrated Health and Exposure 
Committee will be held from 9 a.m.. to 12:30 p.m. (EST).
    December 19, 2003 and December 22, 2003: The Advisory Council on 
Clean Air Compliance Analysis Special Council Panel for the Review of 
the Third 812 Analysis (Council Special Panel) will hold a public 
teleconference from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. (EST) both days.

ADDRESSES: Face to Face Meetings: The meeting location for the face to 
face meetings of the SAB Drinking Water Committee, SAB Cross-Agency 
Science and Technology Budget Review, SAB Environmental Health 
Committee, and the Integrated Health and Exposure Committee, is the 
Washington, DC. Metropolitan area. The specific meeting locations and 
agendas will be announced on the SAB Web site, http://www.epa/sab ten 
calendar days prior to the meetings.
    Public teleconferences: Participation in the teleconference 
meetings will be by teleconference only. The agendas will be announced 
on the SAB Web site, http://www.epa/sab ten calendar days prior to the 
teleconferences.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To reach a central number at the EPA 
SAB Staff Office, please call via telephone (202) 564-4533, U.S. EPA 
Science Advisory Board (1400A), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460. General information about the SAB can be found in 
the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    Members of the public who wish to obtain the call in number and 
access code to participate in the teleconferences of the Council 
Special Panel, or the SAB Committee on Valuing the Protection of 
Ecological Systems, may contact Dr. Angela Nugent, Designated Federal 
Officer (DFO), via telephone, (202) 564-4562; or via e-mail at nugent.angela@epa.gov.
    Any member of the public wishing further information regarding the 
face to face meetings of the SAB Drinking Water Committee, please 
contact Dr. James N. Rowe, DFO, via telephone (202) 564-6488; or via e-mail at rowe.james@epa.gov. For information regarding the SAB Cross-
Agency Science and Technology Budget Review, please contact Mr. Thomas 
Miller, DFO, via telephone, (202) 564-4558; or via e-mail at miller.tom@epa.gov. For information regarding the SAB Environmental 
Health Committee, and the Integrated Health and Exposure Committee, 
please contact Dr. Suhair Shallal, DFO, via telephone (202) 564-4566; or via e-mail at shallal.suhair@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Drinking Water Committee

    The SAB Drinking Water Committee will be meeting with the Office of 
Water (OW) and the Office of Research and Development (ORD) on December 
10, 2003, to receive informational briefings. OW will make 
presentations on (1) their overall process for implementing the 
regulatory and risk assessment program for the Safe Drinking Water Act 
(SDWA), and (2) discussion of the intersection between the Clean Water 
Act (CWA) and SDWA with regards to preserving and restoring drinking 
water sources. An overview of ORD's Multi-Year Plan (MYP) for drinking 
water research will be presented. The briefings will set the stage for 
a formal review of the Drinking Water MYP and consultations on CWA/SDWA 
interactions on drinking water sources during the spring and summer of 
FY 2004.

Science Advisory Board Cross-Agency Science and Technology Budget 
Review

    The Board of the SAB will review EPA's cross agency science and 
technology budget for 2005.

[[Page 66096]]

Collectively, Board members have broad expertise in all aspects of 
environmental sciences and their expertise is appropriate to addressing 
EPA's charge. Further, these SAB members have been appointed by the 
Administrator, to provide advice on broad issues of research planning, 
budgeting, and management as well as a variety of specific scientific 
and technical issues.
    The Board will hold a series of meetings that will be used to 
receive briefings on the content of EPA's science and technology 
programs across the Agency and to review the EPA FY 2005 science and 
technology budget itself. The briefing meetings will begin on December 
10, 2003, and continue into January 2004. During February, the SAB will 
meet and deliberate on the Agency's FY 2005 science and technology 
budget. Some meetings will be conducted as face to face meetings of the 
participants while others will be conducted by telephone conference. 
All meetings will be open to the public, however, seating is limited 
and available on a first come basis.
    The purpose of this meeting is to: (1) Receive presentations from 
EPA representatives on the science and technology programs conducted in 
support of two of EPA's strategic Goal areas, Goal 1 (Clean Air and 
Global Climate Change) and Goal 2 (Clean and Safe Water), (2) to 
discuss these programs with Agency representatives and to clarify 
specific points of interest raised by the Panelists; (3) to make and 
discuss Panel assignments for the review; and (4) to receive public 
comments if any are offered.
    At a face to face meeting in February 2004, the Board will review 
the science and technology components of the EPA Fiscal Year 2005 
Budget Request and prepare a report to the EPA Administrator on their 
findings and recommendations.

Environmental Health Committee, and the Integrated Human Exposure 
Committee

    The Environmental Health Committee, and the Integrated Human 
Exposure Committee will hold a joint meeting to receive informational 
briefings from various offices within EPA concerning ongoing 
initiatives for improving risk assessment methodologies. This 
information will serve as background for upcoming reviews that 
Environmental Health Committee and the Integrated Human Exposure 
Committee will participate in during FY 2004.

The Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis Special Council 
Panel for the Review of the Third 812 Analysis (Council Special Panel)

    The Council Special Panel will hold a public teleconference call, 
as described above, to advise the Agency on its plan to develop the 
third in a series of statutorily mandated comprehensive analyses of the 
total costs and benefits of programs implemented pursuant to the Clean 
Air Act. Background on the Council Special Panel and this advisory 
project was provided in a Federal Register notice published on February 
14, 2003 (68 FR 7531-7534).
    The public teleconference on December 19, 2003, described above, is 
planned for the Council Special Panel to review and act on a draft 
report entitled ``Advisory on Plans for Health Effects Analysis in the 
Analytical Plan for EPA's Second Prospective Analysis--Benefits and 
Costs of the Clean Air Act, 1990-2020,'' developed by the Council's 
Health Effects Subcommittee.
    The public teleconference on December 22, 2003, described above, is 
planned for the Council Special Panel to review and act on a draft 
report finalizing an Advisory related to the Council Special Panel's 
review of the Revised Analytical Plan for EPA's Second Prospective 
Analysis.
    Both draft reports identified above will be posted on the SAB Web 
site as a draft report (consult the following page: http://www.epa.gov/science1/drrep.htm
).

SAB Committee on Valuing the Protection of Ecological Systems and 
Services

    The SAB Committee on Valuing the Protection of Ecological Systems 
and Services will hold a public meeting, as described above, to plan 
its future work, including a public advisory meeting tentatively 
planned for January 20-22, 2004.
    Background on the Committee and its charge was provided in a 
Federal Register notice published on March 7, 2003 (68 FR 11082-11084). 
The overall charge to the Committee is to assess Agency needs and the 
state of the art and science of valuing protection of ecological 
systems and services, and then to identify key areas for improving 
knowledge, methodologies, practice, and research.
    Procedures for Providing Public Comment. It is the policy of the 
EPA SAB Staff Office to accept written public comments of any length, 
and to accommodate oral public comments whenever possible. The EPA SAB 
Staff Office expects that public statements presented at the meetings 
described above will not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or 
written statements. Oral Comments: In general, each individual or group 
requesting an oral presentation at a face to face meeting will be 
limited to a total time of ten minutes (unless otherwise indicated). 
For teleconference meetings, opportunities for oral comment will 
usually be limited to no more than three minutes per speaker and no 
more than fifteen minutes total. Interested parties should contact the 
DFO in writing (e-mail, fax or mail) at least one week prior to the 
meeting in order to be placed on the public speaker list for the 
meeting. Speakers should bring at least 35 copies of their comments and 
presentation slides for distribution to the participants and public at 
the meeting. Written Comments: Although written comments are accepted 
until the date of the meeting (unless otherwise stated), written 
comments should be received in the SAB Staff Office at least one week 
prior to the meeting date so that the comments may be made available to 
the committee for their consideration. Comments should be supplied to 
the DFO at the address/contact information noted above in the following 
formats: One hard copy with original signature, and one electronic copy 
via e-mail (acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat, WordPerfect, Word, 
or Rich Text files (in IBM-PC/Windows 95/98 format)). Those providing 
written comments and who attend the meeting are also asked to bring 35 
copies of their comments for public distribution.
    Meeting Accommodations: Individuals requiring special accommodation 
to access these meetings, should contact the SAB Staff Office, at least 
five business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate 
arrangements can be made. Meeting space is limited and on a first-come 
first-served basis.

    Dated: November 20, 2003.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Acting Associate Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 03-29431 Filed 11-24-03; 8:45 am]

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