[Federal Register: August 30, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 168)]
[Notices]
[Page 50105-50107]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30au07-32]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8462-5]
Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Meeting of
the Science Advisory Board
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a
public face-to-face meeting of the chartered SAB to: (1) Discuss
strategic research directions for the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency; (2) complete its discussions of science use in disaster
response programs; (3) conduct a quality review of the draft SAB report
Advisory on Factors Influencing Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico; and (4)
conduct a quality review of the draft SAB report Review of EPA's Draft
Evaluation of the Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide: A Report of the
U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board.
DATES: The meeting dates are Wednesday, October 3, 2007, from 8:30 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. through Friday, October 5, 2007, from 8:30 a.m. to not
later than 2 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Location: The meeting will be held in Research Triangle Park, NC.
The location will be announced on the SAB Web site as soon as possible.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to
obtain additional information about this meeting may contact Dr. Angela
Nugent by mail address given below; by telephone at (202) 343-9981; by
fax at (202) 233-0643; or e-mail at:
[[Page 50106]]
nugent.angela@epa.gov or by contacting Mr. Thomas O. Miller, Designated
Federal Officer (DFO), by mail at the address given below; by telephone
at (202) 343-9982; by fax at: (202) 233-0643; or e-mail at:
miller.tom@epa.gov. The SAB mailing address is: U.S. EPA, Science
Advisory Board (1400F), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC
20460. General information about the SAB, as well as any updates
concerning the meeting announced in this notice, may be found on the
SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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. The SAB is a Federal advisory
committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as
amended, 5 U.S.C., App. The SAB will comply with the provisions of FACA
and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies.
Background: (a) SAB Quality Review of the Draft Committee Report
Factors Influencing Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. The Chartered
Science Advisory Board will conduct a quality review of the draft
report of its Hypoxia Advisory Panel at its meeting on October 3-5,
2007. Specific times will be provided in the meeting agenda that will
be placed on the SAB Web site prior to the meeting (http://www.epa.gov/sab
). EPA's Office of Water requested that the SAB develop a report
that evaluates the state-of-the-science regarding the causes and extent
of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the scientific basis of
possible management options in the Mississippi River Basin. In response
to EPA's request, the SAB Staff Office formed the SAB Hypoxia Advisory
Panel. That Panel held several meetings to discuss the issue and has
now completed its draft report to the EPA Administrator. Federal
Register notices were published announcing each of the Hypoxia Advisory
Panel meetings (see 71 FR 8578-8580; 71 FR 45543-45544; 71 FR 66329-
66330; 71 FR 55786-55787; 71 FR 59107 and 71 FR 77743-77744).
Background on the Panel and this review is available on the SAB Web
site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/panels/hypoxia_adv_panel.htm.
(b) EPA Strategic Research Directions: The Agency has asked the
Science Advisory Board for advice on the strategic directions for its
research program for the next five to fifteen years. This activity
complements the annual SAB review of EPA's research budget, and permits
a more critical evaluation of research programs than is possible during
the research budget review. It will also give EPA additional time to
incorporate SAB advice into the longer term research planning process
that informs each year's budget preparation activity. The Agency charge
asks for advice on the alignment of EPA research and development
program directions with the strategic priorities identified by EPA's
operating programs and Regional Offices; coordination of research
planning within ORD and across EPA; coordination of research planning
with environmental science programs of other government agencies; and
whether EPA research is positioned to provide critical scientific
support to EPA and the nation on emerging issues. The SAB will discuss
EPA research program directions with EPA representatives on October 4
and 5, 2007. Specific information on the structure and schedule for
these discussions will be provided by the meeting agenda that will be
available on the SAB Web site prior to the meeting (http://www.epa.gov/sab
).
(c) Science in Emergency Response. The SAB is exploring the use of
science in preparing for and responding to environmental disasters. The
SAB held a meeting on this topic on December 12-14, 2006 during which
non-EPA experts discussed their experiences with disaster preparedness
and response (71 FR 67566). The SAB continued its discussions of
science in emergency response during its June 19-20, 2007 meeting (see
72 FR 27308). The SAB is currently drafting advisory comments to the
Administrator as a result of these discussions. Final discussions of
those comments will be held during the SAB meeting on October 3-5,
2007. Specific times will be provided in the meeting agenda that will
be placed on the SAB Web site prior to the meeting (http://www.epa.gov/sab
). Additional information is available on the SAB Web Site for the
December 2006 meeting at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/agendas.htm, and for the June 19-20, 2007 SAB meeting at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/07agendas/
gendas/
(d) SAB Quality Review of Review of EPA's Draft Evaluation of the
Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide: A Report of the U.S. EPA Science
Advisory Board. The Chartered Science Advisory Board will conduct a
quality review of the draft report of its Ethylene Oxide Review Panel
on October 3-5, 2007. Specific times will be provided in the meeting
agenda that will be placed on the SAB Web Site prior to the meeting
(http://www.epa.gov/sab). EPA's Office of Research and Development
(ORD) requested that the SAB review its draft document entitled
Evaluation of the Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide that was prepared
by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA). In response
to EPA's request, the SAB Staff Office formed the SAB Ethylene Oxide
Review Panel. That Panel held several meetings to discuss the issue and
has now completed its draft report to the EPA Administrator. Federal
Register notices were published announcing each of the Ethylene Oxide
Review Panel's meetings (see 71 FR 10500, 71 FR 66328, 72 FR 20538).
Background on the Panel and this review is available on the SAB Web
Site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/panels/ethylene_oxide_rev_panel.htm.
Availability of Meeting Materials: Materials in support of this
meeting will be placed on the SAB Web Site at http://www.epa.gov/sab in
advance of this meeting.
Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the
public may submit relevant written or oral information for the SAB to
consider during the advisory process. Oral Statements: In general,
individuals or groups requesting an oral presentation at a public
meeting will be limited to five minutes per speaker, with no more than
one hour for all speakers. Interested parties should contact Dr. Angela
Nugent by mail at the EPA SAB Staff Office, (1400F), U.S. EPA, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; by telephone at (202)
343-9981; by fax at (202) 233-0643; or by e-mail at:
nugent.angela@epa.gov Mr. Thomas Miller, DFO, at the contact
information provided above, by September 21, 2007, to be placed on the
public speaker list for the October 3-5, 2007 meeting. A telephone
conference line will be available for those portions of the meeting
during which the SAB is conducting quality reviews of draft committee
reports. Information on the call in procedures and numbers can be
obtained by calling the EPA SAB Staff Office at (202) 343-9999. Written
Statements: Written statements should be received in the SAB Staff
Office by September 27, 2007, so that the information may be made
available to the SAB for their consideration prior to this meeting.
Written statements should be supplied in the following formats: one
hard copy with original signature, and one electronic copy via e-mail
to: nugent.angela@epa.gov and miller.tom@epa.gov (acceptable file
format: Adobe Acrobat PDF,
[[Page 50107]]
WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/
Windows 98/2000/XP format).
Meeting Accommodations: For information on access or services for
individuals with disabilities, please contact Mr. Thomas Miller at
(202) 343-9982, or e-mail at miller.tom@epa.gov. To request
accommodation of a disability, please contact Mr. Miller, preferably at
least 10 days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as
possible to process your request.
Dated: August 24, 2007.
Anthony Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E7-17197 Filed 8-29-07; 8:45 am]
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