[Federal Register: October 12, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 197)]
[Notices]
[Page 58078-58080]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12oc07-44]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8481-6]
Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office; Clean Air Scientific
Advisory Committee (CASAC) Carbon Monoxide Review Panel; Request for
Nominations
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency)
Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is announcing the formation
of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) Carbon Monoxide
Review Panel (or Panel). The Panel will provide advice to the EPA
Administrator regarding the primary national ambient air quality
standards (NAAQS) for carbon monoxide (CO). The SAB is hereby
soliciting nominations of technical experts for Panel membership.
DATES: New nominations should be submitted by November 2, 2007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing
further information regarding this Request for Nominations may contact
Ms. Kyndall Barry, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA Science
Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice
mail: (202) 343-9868; fax: (202) 233-0643; or e-mail at:
barry.kyndall@epa.gov. General information concerning the CASAC or the
EPA Science Advisory Board can be found on the EPA Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab
.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) was
established under section 109(d)(2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act)
(42 U.S.C. 7409) as an independent scientific advisory committee. The
CASAC provides advice, information and recommendations on the
scientific and technical aspects of air quality criteria and national
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) under sections 108 and 109 of the
Act. The CASAC is a
[[Page 58079]]
Federal advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C., App.
Section 109(d)(1) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires that EPA
carry out a periodic review and revision, as appropriate, of the air
quality criteria and the NAAQS for the six ``criteria'' air pollutants,
including CO. The current primary NAAQS for CO was first promulgated in
1971 and retained in 1985 and 1994. EPA is currently preparing to
update and revise, where appropriate, the air quality criteria for CO.
Information on the Agency's plans to prepare an Integrated Science
Assessment (ISA) as part of the review of the NAAQS for CO is contained
in a recent Federal Register notice published on September 13, 2007 (72
FR 52369-52371).
This Federal Register notice solicitation is seeking nominations
for additional, subject-matter experts to augment the chartered CASAC.
The Panel will review EPA's scientific, technical, and policy
assessments that form the basis for the Agency's review of the NAAQS
for carbon monoxide. The Panel will comply with the provisions of FACA
and all appropriate EPA and SAB Staff Office procedural policies.
Expertise Sought: In response to the Agency's request, the SAB
Staff Office is soliciting nominees who are nationally-recognized
experts regarding carbon monoxide in one or more of the following
disciplines:
(1) Atmospheric Science. Expertise in physical/chemical properties
of carbon monoxide and atmospheric processes involved in the formation,
transport on urban to global scales, transformation and fate of this
pollutant in the atmosphere, and movement of the pollutant between
media through deposition and other mechanisms. Also, expertise in the
evaluation of natural and anthropogenic sources and emissions of carbon
monoxide, pertinent monitoring or measurement methods for this
pollutant, and spatial and temporal trends in the atmospheric
concentrations.
(2) Exposure Modeling. Expertise in measuring human population
exposure to carbon monoxide and/or in modeling human exposure from
ambient and indoor sources.
(3) Risk Assessment Modeling. Expertise in human health risk
analysis modeling for carbon monoxide related to cardiovascular and
other non-cancer health effects.
(4) Dosimetry. Expertise in evaluation of the dosimetry of animal
and human subjects, including identification of factors determining
differential patterns of inhalation and/or deposition/uptake in
respiratory tract regions that may contribute to differential
susceptibility of human population subgroups and animal-to-human
dosimetry extrapolations.
(5) Toxicology. Expertise in evaluation of experimental laboratory
animal studies and in vitro studies of the effects of carbon monoxide
on cells, tissues and organ systems.
(6) Controlled Human Exposure. Expertise in evaluation of
controlled human exposure studies of the effects of carbon monoxide on
healthy individuals as well as those with pre-existing cardiopulmonary
disease.
(7) Epidemiology. Expertise in epidemiologic evaluation of the
effects of exposures to ambient carbon monoxide and/or other major air
pollutants (e.g., particulate matter, ozone) on human population
groups, including mortality and morbidity effects.
(8) Biostatistics. Biostatistics related to exposures to ambient
carbon monoxide and/or other major air pollutants (e.g., particulate
matter, ozone) on human population groups, including mortality and
morbidity effects and/or health risk analysis.
Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested
person or organization may nominate qualified individuals for
consideration for membership on the CO Review Panel in the areas of
expertise described above. Nominations should be submitted in
electronic format through the SAB Web site at the following URL: http://www.epa.gov/sab
directly via the nomination form, the Form for
Nomination to Panel or Committee Being Formed. Please follow the
instructions for submitting nominations carefully. To be considered,
nominations should include all of the information required on the
associated forms. Anyone unable to submit nominations using the
electronic form and who has any questions concerning the nomination
process may contact Ms. Kyndall Barry, DFO, as indicated above in this
notice. Nominations should be submitted in time to arrive no later than
November 2, 2007.
To be considered, all nominations should include: A current
curriculum vitae (C.V.) which provides the nominee's background,
qualifications, research expertise and relevant publications for
service on the Panel; and a brief biographical sketch (``biosketch'').
The biosketch should be no longer than two paragraphs and should
contain the following information for the nominee:
(a) Current professional affiliations and positions held;
(b) Educational background, especially advanced degrees, including
when and from which institutions these were granted;
(c) Area(s) of expertise, and research activities and interests
relevant to the Panel; and
(d) Leadership positions in national associations or professional
publications or other significant distinctions and service on other
advisory committees or professional societies, especially those
associated with issues under discussion in this review.
The Web form will also request information about sources of recent
(i.e., within the preceding two years) grant and/or other contract
support, from government, industry, academia, etc., including the topic
area of the funded activity. Please note that even negative responsive
information (e.g., no recent grant or contract funding) should be
indicated on the biosketch (by ``N/A'' or ``None''). Incomplete
biosketches will not be considered. The EPA SAB Staff Office will
acknowledge receipt of nominations.
The scientific expertise and credentials of nominees received in
reply to this notice will be reviewed for demonstrative experience in
the disciplines sought for the CO Review Panel. Qualified nominees will
be included in a smaller subset (known as the ``Short List''). 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 on the Short List will be accepted for a
minimum of 21 calendar days. During this comment period, the public
will be requested to provide relevant information or other
documentation on nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in
evaluating candidates. Panel members will be selected from the Short
List.
For the EPA SAB Staff Office, a balanced subcommittee or review
panel includes 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. In
establishing the final CO Review Panel, the SAB Staff Office will
consider public responses to the Short List, information provided by
candidates, and background information independently-gathered by the
SAB Staff Office on each candidate (e.g., financial disclosure
information, and computer searches to evaluate a
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nominee's prior involvement with the topic under review). Specific
criteria to be used in evaluating Short List candidates for Panel
membership include: (a) Scientific and/or technical expertise,
knowledge, and experience (primary factors); (b) availability and
willingness to serve; (c) absence of financial conflicts of interest;
(d) absence of an appearance of a lack of impartiality; and (e) skills
working on committees, subcommittees and advisory panels; and, for the
Panel as a whole, (f) diversity of, and balance among, scientific
expertise, viewpoints, etc.
Prospective 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 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
.
The approved policy under which the EPA SAB Office selects
subcommittees and review panels is described in the following document:
Overview of the Panel Formation Process at the Environmental Protection
Agency Science Advisory Board (EPA-SAB-EC-02-010), which is posted on
the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec02010.pdf.
Dated: October 5, 2007.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E7-20146 Filed 10-11-07; 8:45 am]
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