[Federal Register: June 1, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 104)]
[Notices]
[Page 31441-31445]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01jn05-64]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPP-2005-0136; FRL-7717-8]
Nominations to the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel; Request for
Comments
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice provides the names, addresses, professional
affiliations, and selected biographical data of persons nominated to
serve on the Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) established under section
25(d) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA). The Panel was created on November 28, 1975, and made a
statutory Panel by amendment to FIFRA, dated October 25, 1988. The
Agency is, at this time, selecting one new member to serve on the panel
as a result of a membership term that will expire this year. Public
comment on the nominations is invited, as these comments will be used
to assist the Agency in selecting the new chartered Panel member.
DATES: Comments, identified by docket ID number OPP-2005-0136, must be
received on or before July 1, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted electronically (preferred),
through hand delivery/courier, or by mail. Follow the detailed
instructions as provided in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Knott, Assistant Executive
Secretary, FIFRA SAP Staff, Office of Science Coordination and Policy
(7201M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-0103; fax number:
(202) 564-8382; e-mail addresses: knott.steven@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
This action is directed to the public in general. This action may,
however, be of interest to persons who are or may be required to
conduct testing of chemical substances under the Federal Food, Drug,
and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), FIFRA, and the Food Quality Protection Act of
1996 (FQPA). Since other entities may also be interested, the Agency
has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may be
affected by this action. If you have any questions regarding the
applicability of this action
[[Page 31442]]
to a particular entity, consult the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this
action under docket ID number OPP-2005-0136. The official public docket
consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any
public comments received, and other information related to this action.
Although a part of the official docket, the public docket does not
include Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. The official public docket
is the collection of materials that is available for public viewing at
the Public Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119,
Crystal Mall 2, 1801 S. Bell St., Arlington, VA. This docket
facility is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The docket telephone number is (703) 305-
5805.
2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register''
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
An electronic version of the public docket is available through
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public
comments, to access the index listing of the contents of the official
public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that
are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,''
then key in the appropriate docket ID number.
Certain types of information will not be placed in EPA Dockets.
Information claimed as CBI and other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute, which is not included in the official public
docket, will not be available for public viewing in EPA's electronic
public docket. EPA's policy is that copyrighted material will not be
placed in EPA's electronic public docket but will be available only in
printed, paper form in the official public docket. To the extent
feasible, publicly available docket materials will be made available in
EPA's electronic public docket. When a document is selected from the
index list in EPA Dockets, the system will identify whether the
document is available for viewing in EPA's electronic public docket.
Although not all docket materials may be available electronically, you
may still access any of the publicly available docket materials through
the docket facility identified in Unit I.B.1. EPA intends to work
towards providing electronic access to all of the publicly available
docket materials through EPA's electronic public docket.
For public commenters, it is important to note that EPA's policy is
that public comments, whether submitted electronically or on paper,
will be made available for public viewing in EPA's electronic public
docket as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment
contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment
containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that
material in the version of the comment that is placed in EPA's
electronic public docket. The entire printed comment, including the
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket.
Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or
delivered to the docket will be transferred to EPA's electronic public
docket. Public comments in hard copy that are mailed or delivered to
the docket will be scanned and placed in EPA's electronic public
docket. Where practical, physical objects will be photographed, and the
photograph will be placed in EPA's electronic public docket along with
a brief description written by the docket staff.
C. How and To Whom Do I Submit Comments?
You may submit comments electronically (preferred), through hand
delivery/courier, or by mail. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify
the appropriate docket ID number in the subject line on the first page
of your comment. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within
the specified comment period. Comments received after the close of the
comment period will be marked ``late.'' EPA is not required to consider
these late comments. Do not use EPA Dockets or e-mail to submit CBI or
information protected by statute.
1. Electronically. If you submit an electronic comment as
prescribed in this unit, EPA recommends that you include your name,
mailing address, and an e-mail address or other contact information in
the body of your comment. Also include this contact information on the
outside of any disk or CD ROM you submit, and in any cover letter
accompanying the disk or CD ROM. This ensures that you can be
identified as the submitter of the comment and allows EPA to contact
you in case EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties
or needs further information on the substance of your comment. EPA's
policy is that EPA will not edit your comment, and any identifying or
contact information provided in the body of a comment will be included
as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket,
and made available in EPA's electronic public docket. If EPA cannot
read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you
for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment.
i. EPA Dockets. Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to
submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for
receiving comments. Go directly to EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/
, and follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Once in the system, select ``search,'' and then key in docket ID number
OPP-2005-0136. The system is an `` anonymous access'' system, which
means EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other contact
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment.
ii. E-mail. Comments may be sent by e-mail to opp-docket@epa.gov,
Attention: Docket ID Number OPP-2005-0136. In contrast to EPA's
electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an ``anonymous
access'' system. If you send an e-mail comment directly to the docket
without going through EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail
system automatically captures your e-mail address. E-mail addresses
that are automatically captured by EPA's e-mail system are included as
part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, and
made available in EPA's electronic public docket.
iii. Disk or CD ROM. You may submit comments on a disk or CD ROM
that you deliver as described in Unit I.C.2 or mail to the address
provided in Unit I.C.3. These electronic submissions will be accepted
in WordPerfect or ASCII file format. Avoid the use of special
characters and any form of encryption.
2. By hand delivery or courier. Deliver your comments to: Public
Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Office of Pesticide
Programs (OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall
2, 1801 S. Bell St., Arlington, VA, Attention: Docket ID
Number OPP-2005-0136. Such deliveries are only accepted during the
docket's normal hours of operation as identified in Unit I.B.1.
3. By mail. Due to potential delays in EPA's receipt and processing
of mail,
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respondents are strongly encouraged to submit comments either
electronically or by hand delivery or courier. We cannot guarantee that
comments sent via mail will be received prior to the close of the
comment period. If mailed, please send your comments to: Public
Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB) (7502C), Office of
Pesticide Programs (OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001, Attention: Docket ID
Number OPP-2005-0136.
II. Background
Amendments to FIFRA enacted November 28, 1975, include a
requirement under section 25(d) that notices of intent to cancel or
reclassify pesticide registrations pursuant to section 6(b)(2), as well
as proposed and final forms of regulations pursuant to section 25(a),
be submitted to a Scientific Advisory Panel prior to being made public
or issued to a registrant. In accordance with section 25(d), the
Scientific Advisory Panel is to have an opportunity to comment on the
health and environmental impact of such actions. The Panel shall also
make comments, evaluations, and recommendations for operating
guidelines to improve the effectiveness and quality of analyses made by
Agency scientists.
In accordance with the statute, the SAP is composed of a permanent
panel of seven members, selected and appointed by the Deputy
Administrator of EPA from nominees submitted by both the National
Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The Agency
is, at this time, selecting one new member to serve on the panel as a
result of a membership term that will expire this year. The Agency
requested nominations of experts to be selected from the field of
toxicology (especially animal studies used in human health risk
assessment). Nominees should be well published and current in their
fields of expertise. The statute further stipulates that we publish the
name, address, professional affiliation, and a brief biographical
sketch of each nominee in the Federal Register and solicit public
comments regarding the candidates nominated.
III. Charter
A Charter for the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel dated October 25,
2004 was issued in accordance with the requirements of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, 86 Stat. 770 (5 U.S.C. App.
I).
A. Qualifications of Members
Members are scientists who have sufficient professional
qualifications, including training and experience, to be capable of
providing expert comments as to the impact on health and the
environment of regulatory actions under sections 6(b) and 25(a) of
FIFRA. No persons shall be ineligible to serve on the Panel by reason
of their membership on any other advisory committee to a Federal
department or agency or their employment by a Federal department or
agency (except the EPA). The Deputy Administrator appoints individuals
to serve on the Panel for staggered terms of 4 years. Panel members are
subject to the provisions of 40 CFR part 3, subpart F, Standards of
Conduct for Special Government Employees, which include rules regarding
conflicts of interest. Each nominee selected by the Deputy
Administrator, before being formally appointed, is required to submit a
confidential statement of employment and financial interests, which
shall fully disclose, among other financial interests, the nominee's
sources of research support, if any.
In accordance with section 25(d) of FIFRA, the Deputy Administrator
shall require all nominees to the Panel to furnish information
concerning their professional qualifications, educational background,
employment history, and scientific publications. The Agency is required
to publish in the Federal Register the name, address, and professional
affiliations of each nominee and to seek public comment on the
nominees.
B. Applicability of Existing Regulations
With respect to the requirements of section 25(d) of FIFRA that the
Administrator promulgate regulations regarding conflicts of interest,
the Charter provides that EPA's existing regulations applicable to
Special Government Employees, which include advisory committee members,
will apply to the members of the Scientific Advisory Panel. These
regulations appear in 40 CFR part 3, subpart F. In addition, the
Charter provides for open meetings with opportunities for public
participation.
C. Process of Obtaining Nominees
In accordance with the provisions of section 25(d) of FIFRA, EPA,
in February 2005, requested the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and
the National Science Foundation (NSF) to nominate scientists to fill
one vacancy occurring on the Panel. The Agency requested nominations of
experts in the field of toxicology (especially animal studies used in
human health risk assessment). NIH and NSF responded by letter,
providing the Agency with a total of 11 nominees. Copies of these
letters, with the listed nominees, are available in the public docket
referenced in unit I.B.1. of this notice. Six of the 11 nominees are
interested and available to actively participate in SAP meetings.
IV. Nominees
The following are the names, addresses, professional affiliations,
and selected biographical data of nominees being considered for
membership on the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel. The Agency will
select one of the nominees to fill a vacancy occurring this year.
1. Nominee. Blumberg, Bruce, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Departments of Developmental and Cell Biology and Biomedical
Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA.
i. Expertise. Molecular endocrinology, developmental biology.
ii. Education. A.B., Biology, Rutgers University; Ph.D., Biology,
University of California, Los Angeles.
iii. Professional Experience. Dr. Bruce Blumberg is Associate
Professor of Developmental and Cell Biology with a joint appointment in
Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).
He received the Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in
1987 in Biology and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (biochemistry) and
at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical School
(biochemistry, embryology). He joined the Gene Expression Laboratory
headed by Dr. Ronald M. Evans at the Salk Institute as a Staff
Scientist in 1992. While at Salk, Dr. Blumberg led the effort to
identify ligands for orphan nuclear receptors and was codiscoverer of
the steroid and xenobiotic receptor, SXR, which is the key mediator of
the vertebrate response to many hormonally active dietary and
xenobiotic compounds. He joined the faculty at the University of
California, Irvine in 1998 and has an active research program funded by
the EPA, DOD, and NIH to examine the role of nuclear hormone receptors
in development and disease. His teaching responsibilities at UCI
include undergraduate and graduate courses in genomics and the
regulation of gene expression. Dr. Blumberg is the director of the UCI
Cancer Center Program in the Developmental Biology of Cancer and the
Program Leader for Functional Genomics in the UCI Institute for
Genomics and Bioinformatics.
2. Nominee. Bucher, John, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Environmental
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Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC.
i. Expertise. Toxicology, chronic rodent bioassays.
ii. Education. B.A., Biology, Knox College; M.S., Biochemistry,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Ph.D., Pharmacology,
University of Iowa.
iii. Professional Experience. Dr. John Bucher is Deputy Director of
the Environmental Toxicology Program and Chief of the Toxicology
Operations Branch, Environmental Toxicology Program, National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of
Health. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of
Iowa in 1981 and was then an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department
of Biochemistry and Center for Environmental Toxicology at Michigan
State University. In 1983, he joined the NIEHS as a staff toxicologist
working with the National Toxicology Program (NTP). Dr. Bucher's
research interests include characterization of the toxic and
carcinogenic potential of a wide variety of substances of interest to
the NTP. He has expertise in issues relating to the design and
interpretation of chronic rodent bioassays, including technical and
policy matters. Other research interests include examination of
strategies to characterize the toxicity and carcinogenicity of
chemicals using non-traditional methods, such as genetically modified
mice, and the development of noninvasive techniques, such as assessment
of expired breath volatiles, in chemical toxicity studies. Recently he
initiated studies to examine the novel toxicities of manufactured
nanomaterials. At the NIEHS, Dr. Bucher has administrative oversight
for the NTP Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Testing Programs, the NTP
Report on Carcinogens, and NIEHS activities associated with the
Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Validation of Alternative
Methods. Dr. Bucher has served in an advisory capacity to the FDA, EPA,
NIOSH, WHO (IPCS and IARC) among others.
3. Nominee. Cory-Slechta, Deborah, Ph.D., Director, Environmental
and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, A joint institute of the
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey and Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
i. Expertise. Neurotoxicology, behavioral toxicology.
ii. Education. B.S. (magna cum laude), Psychology, Western Michigan
University; M.A. (with honors), Experimental Psychology, Western
Michigan University; Ph.D., Experimental Psychology, University of
Minnesota.
iii. Professional Experience. Dr. Deborah Cory-Slechta is the
Director of The Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Institute (EOHSI) as well as the Chair of the Department of
Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School. She received her Ph.D. degree from the
University of Minnesota in 1977 and worked as a junior staff fellow at
the National Center for Toxicological Research before moving to the
University of Rochester in 1979. She subsequently served as Chair of
the Department of Environmental Medicine and Director of the NIEHS
Environmental Health Sciences Center and Dean for Research and Director
of the Aab Institute for Biomedical Sciences at the University of
Rochester. Dr. Cory-Slechta has served on numerous national research
review and advisory panels, including committees of the National
Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Center for
Toxicological Research, the Environmental Protection Agency, the
National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. In addition, Dr. Cory-Slechta has served on the
editorial boards of the journals Neurotoxicology, Toxicology,
Toxicological Sciences, Fundamental and Applied Toxicology,
Neurotoxicology and Teratology, and American Journal of Mental
Retardation. She has held the elected positions of President of the
Neurotoxicology Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology,
President of the Behavioral Toxicology Society, and been named a Fellow
of the American Psychological Association. Her research has focused
largely on the relationships between neurotransmitter systems and
behavior, and how such relationships are altered by exposures to
environmental toxicants, particularly the role of environmental
neurotoxicants in developmental disabilities and neurodegenerative
diseases. These research efforts have resulted in over 100 papers and
book chapters to date.
4. Nominee. Klaunig, James, Ph.D., Director, Division of
Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
i. Expertise. Toxicology, carcinogenesis, mode of action.
ii. Education. B.S., Biology, Ursinus College; M.A., Biology,
Montclair State University; Ph.D., Experimental Pathology/Toxicology,
University of Maryland School of Medicine.
iii. Professional Experience. Dr. James E. Klaunig is Professor and
Director of Toxicology in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
at Indiana University School of Medicine. He also serves as the Program
Director of the Molecular Carcinogenesis Program for the Indiana
University Cancer center. He received his B.S. degree from Ursinus
College in Collegeville Pa., an M.A. from Montclair State University,
Montclair, NJ, and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in
Baltimore, MD. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences
and serves on its Board of Directors. He has received numerous awards
including the Otis R. Bowen, Distinguished Leadership Award, Indiana
University School of Medicine, the Indiana University Trustee Teaching
Excellence Award, the Kenneth P. DuBois Award from the Midwest Society
of Toxicology (SOT) and the Sagamore of the Wabash from the Governor of
Indiana for service to the State. He recently stepped down as Associate
Editor of Toxicological Sciences and is currently the Editor in Chief
of Toxicologic Pathology. He has served as a Member of the NIH/NIEHS
National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors and is
currently a Member of the USEPA SAB. He also has served as President of
the Carcinogenesis Specialty Section, President of the Ohio Valley SOT,
Member and Chair of the SOT Education Committee, and Member of the
Finance and Program Committees of the SOT. He was recently the
Treasurer as well as a member of the Executive Council of the SOT. He
also served the State of Indiana as the Director of Toxicology and the
State Toxicologist from 1991 to 2003 as well as service on the Indiana
Pesticide Review Board, the Governor's Council on Impaired and
dangerous driving and on the Indiana Controlled Substances Advisory
Board. He has trained over 50 graduate students and postdoctoral
fellows and has published over 170 peer reviewed manuscripts. His
research interests are dedicated to understanding the mechanisms of
chemically induced carcinogenesis, specifically the mode of action of
nongenotoxic carcinogens, role of oxidative stress in carcinogenesis
and cell injury, and understanding of the multistage nature of the
cancer process.
5. Nominee. Maglia, Anne, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, MO.
i. Expertise. Developmental biology, bioinformatics, animal
ecology.
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ii. Education. B.S., Zoology, Ohio University; M.S., Biological
Science, East Tennessee State University; Ph.D., Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas.
iii. Professional Experience. Dr. Anne Maglia is an assistant
professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and an investigator
in the Environmental Research Center for Emerging Contaminants at the
University of Missouri-Rolla. She received her Ph.D. in Biological
Sciences from the University of Kansas in 2000, and subsequently
completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Bioinformatics at the University
of Kansas. Dr. Maglia has an active research program in amphibian
developmental biology, including studies on the effects of
environmental contaminants on frog developmental processes and
population viability. In addition, she and a colleague have developed
an online database of interactive 3D visualizations of animal anatomy
that is being used to compare normal and malformed anatomies. Her
teaching responsibilities at the University of Missouri-Rolla include
graduate and undergraduate courses in developmental biology,
comparative anatomy, and bioinformatics. Dr. Maglia has served on the
Board of Directors of the MidSouth Computational Biology and
Bioinformatics Society and is the director of a regional amphibian
population monitoring program in conjunction with the Missouri
Department of Conservation.
6. Nominee. Relyea, Rick, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
i. Expertise. Aquatic ecology, ecotoxicology.
ii. Education. B.S., Environmental and Forest Biology, State
University of New York; M.S., Wildlife Science, Texas Tech University;
Ph.D., Biology, University of Michigan.
iii. Professional Experience. Dr. Rick Relyea is an Assistant
Professor at the University of Pittsburgh where he teaches
undergraduate and graduate courses in ecology. He received his Ph.D.
from the University of Michigan in 1998 and subsequently performed
post-doctoral work at the University of Missouri-Columbia where he
conducted research in aquatic toxicology. During his six years at the
University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Relyea has emerged as a world leader in
the study of aquatic ecology and ecotoxicology. He has an active
research program funded through the National Science Foundation,
spanning the range from controlled, laboratory experiments to natural
wetlands. His areas of research include: (1) Long-term research on the
biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems, (2) the impacts of stress on animal
performance, and (3) the effects of pesticides on aquatic organisms and
communities. From 2001-2005, he published 30 articles in top-tier
scientific journals and his research has received coverage in the
popular press, including American Scientist and Science. Based on his
highly productive research program and empirical discoveries, Dr.
Relyea was named the Chancellor's Distinguished Researcher at the
University of Pittsburgh in 2005.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.
Dated: May 23, 2005.
Clifford J. Gabriel,
Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy.
[FR Doc. 05-10763 Filed 5-31-05; 8:45 am]
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