[Federal Register: June 4, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 108)]
[Notices]
[Page 31864-31865]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04jn08-61]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8575-7]
Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Upcoming
Meetings of the Science Advisory Board; Ecological Processes and
Effects Committee Augmented for the Advisory on EPA's Aquatic Life
Water Quality Criteria
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science
Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public teleconference and
a public meeting of the SAB Ecological Processes and Effects Committee
Augmented for the Advisory on EPA's Aquatic Life Water Quality
Criteria. The teleconference and meeting are being held to provide
advice on a methodology for deriving water quality criteria for the
protection of aquatic life based on chemical mode of action.
DATES: The public teleconference will be held on Monday, June 23, 2008,
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). The public meeting will
be held on Monday, June 30, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through
Tuesday, July 1, 2008, from 8 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m. (Eastern
Daylight Time). The teleconference and meeting agendas will be posted
on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting of the Committee will be held in the SAB
Conference Center, located at 1025 F Street, NW., Room 3705,
Washington, DC 20004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to
obtain the teleconference call-in number and access code; or receive
further information concerning the teleconference or meeting must
contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, Designated Federal Officer (DFO). Dr.
Armitage may be contacted at the EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F),
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
[[Page 31865]]
Washington, DC 20460; or via telephone/voice mail: (202) 343-9995; fax
(202) 233-0643; or e-mail at armitage.thomas@epa.gov. General
information about the EPA SAB, as well as any updates concerning the
teleconference and meeting announced in this notice, may be found in
the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee
Act, Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given that the SAB Ecological
Processes and Effects Committee will hold a public meeting to provide
advice on a methodology for deriving water quality criteria for the
protection of aquatic life based on chemical mode of action. The SAB
was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent scientific and
technical advice to the 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: The Clean Water Act authorizes the EPA Administrator to
develop and publish criteria for water quality that are protective of
aquatic life. Traditionally, ambient water quality criteria for the
protection of aquatic life have been derived using EPA's 1985
Guidelines for Deriving Numerical National Water Quality Criteria for
the Protection of Aquatic Life and Their Uses (Guidelines). To ensure
the protection of aquatic life and meet a goal of protecting and
restoring ecological integrity, the Guidelines established
comprehensive toxicity test data requirements for a variety of aquatic
organisms and procedures for deriving a scientifically defensible
criterion that protects the aquatic life designated use. However, some
emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care
products exhibiting endocrine disrupting activity or other toxic
mechanisms, have features that require additional consideration when
applying the Guidelines. These chemicals may demonstrate low acute
toxicity but cause significant reproductive effects at very low levels
of exposure. In addition, the effects of exposure to aquatic organisms
during the early stages of life may not be observed until adulthood.
Therefore, traditional chronic toxicity test endpoints may not be
sufficiently comprehensive for criteria derivation for these chemicals.
These chemicals also have very specific modes of action that may affect
only certain types of aquatic animals (e.g., vertebrates such as fish).
EPA's Office of Water has developed a white paper describing
technical issues in deriving aquatic life criteria for emerging
contaminants and recommendations for developing such criteria. The
white paper uses a model endocrine disrupter to illustrate issues
relevant to the process. The Office of Water has asked the Science
Advisory Board (SAB) to comment on scientific merit of the
recommendations.
For this particular advisory the SAB Staff Office has invited
several additional experts to augment the Ecological Processes and
Effects Committee. Background information on the Committee formation
process was provided in a Federal Register Notice published on May 2,
2008 (73 FR 24285-24286). The roster and biosketches of members of the
Ecological Processes and Effects Committee Augmented for the Advisory
on EPA's Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria are posted on the SAB Web
site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
Availability of Meeting Materials: A white paper describing the
technical challenges and recommendations for deriving aquatic life
criteria for emerging contaminants will be reviewed by the SAB
Committee. The white paper will be posted on the EPA Office of Water
Web site at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/aqlife.html. The
technical contact for the EPA's white paper is Mr. Joseph Beaman, EPA
Office of Water. Mr. Beaman may be contacted by telephone at 202-566-
0420 or via e-mail at Beaman.joe@epa.gov. The agenda and other material
for the upcoming public meeting will be posted on the SAB Web site at
http://www.epa.gov/sab.
Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the
public may submit relevant written or oral information for the SAB
Panel to consider on the topics included in this advisory activity.
Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an
oral presentation at a public teleconference will be limited to three
minutes per speaker, with no more than a total of 30 minutes for all
speakers. Individuals or groups requesting an oral presentation at a
public meeting will be limited to five minutes per speaker, with no
more than a total of one hour for all speakers. Interested parties
should contact Dr. Armitage, DFO, in writing (preferably via e-mail) at
the contact information noted above, by June 16, 2008 to be placed on
the list of public speakers for the teleconference, and by June 23,
2008 to be placed on a list of public speakers for the meeting.
Written Statements: Written statements should be received in the
SAB Staff Office by June 16, 2008 for the teleconference and by June
23, 2008 for the meeting so that the information may be made available
to the SAB Panel members for their consideration. Written statements
should be supplied to the DFO in the following formats: one hard copy
with original signature, and one electronic copy via e-mail (acceptable
file format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or
Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).
Accessibility: For information on access or services for
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Armitage at the phone
number or e-mail address noted above, preferably at least ten days
prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time as possible to process
your request.
Dated: May 28, 2008.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E8-12495 Filed 6-3-08; 8:45 am]
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