[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 94 (Monday, May 18, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23187-23188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11521]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8906-3]
Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of an Upcoming
Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Committee on Science Integration
for Decision Making
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 meeting of the SAB
Committee to develop a work plan for its study.
DATES: The meeting dates are Tuesday, June 9, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. through Wednesday, June 10, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
(Eastern Time).
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 1150
22nd Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to
obtain further information about this meeting must contact Mr. Thomas
Miller, Designated Federal Officer (DFO). Mr. Miller may be contacted
at the EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460;
or via telephone/voice mail; (202) 343-9982; fax (202) 233-0643; or e-
mail at [email protected]. General information about the EPA 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: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee
Act, 5 U.S.C., App. 2 (FACA), notice is hereby given that the SAB
Committee on Science Integration for Decision Making will hold a public
meeting to develop a work plan for its evaluative study on EPA
scientific assessment practices for decision making. The SAB was
established pursuant to 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 FACA. The SAB will comply with the
provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural
policies.
Background: EPA uses many kinds of scientific assessments for
policy analysis and decision making. Previous studies by the SAB and
National Research Council (NRC) have recommended improvements to
strengthen EPA scientific assessment practices for decision making. In
its 2000 report, Toward Integrated Environmental Decision-Making
(available on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab), the SAB
found that an integrated approach to scientific assessment and decision
making was needed to effectively address new and complex environmental
problems. In its 2008 report, Science and Decisions: Advancing Risk
Assessment (National Academies Press, Washington, DC), the NRC
recommended improvements in EPA's risk assessment processes to address
the complexities of current problems and potential decisions, and
ensure that the best available options for managing risks are
considered. The SAB is undertaking a new study at the request of the
EPA Administrator to evaluate the extent to which scientific assessment
practices are integrated into EPA's environmental decision-making
processes. The study will build upon the findings of the previous SAB
and NRC studies, and recommend actions that EPA could take to improve
the integration of scientific assessments for decision making.
To conduct this new study, the SAB Staff Office formed the ad hoc
SAB Committee on Science Integration for Decision Making. The Committee
is comprised of members of the chartered SAB and its standing
committees. The roster and biosketches of members of the Committee are
posted on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab. The purpose of
this meeting is to develop a plan for the new study.
Availability of Meeting Materials: The meeting agenda and other
material in support of this meeting are 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 on the topic of
this advisory activity, and/or the group conducting the activity, 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 a total of one hour for all speakers.
Interested parties should contact Mr. Miller, DFO, in
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writing (preferably via e-mail) at the contact information noted above,
by June 2, 2009 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 2, 2009 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).
Submitters are requested to provide two versions of each document
submitted with and without signatures, because the SAB Staff Office
does not publish documents with signatures on its Web sites.
Accessibility: For information on access or services for
individuals with disabilities, please contact Mr. Miller 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 12, 2009.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E9-11521 Filed 5-15-09; 8:45 am]
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