[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 157 (Monday, August 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41431-41432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-19688]
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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[Docket No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2009-0331; FRL-8939-6]
Availability of Draft ``Planning Guidance for Recovery Following
Biological Incidents''
AGENCIES: White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP),
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-296 Section
301) directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in partnership
with other federal agencies, to develop and implement countermeasures
to prepare for and respond to chemical, biological, radiological and
nuclear threats. The White House Office of Science and Technology
Policy (OSTP), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are issuing a draft guidance
document entitled ``Planning Guidance for Recovery Following Biological
Incidents'' for federal, state, local, and tribal decision makers who
may find it useful in planning and responding to a biological incident.
This draft Guidance describes a general risk management framework
for government and nongovernmental decision-makers, at all levels, in
planning and executing activities required for response and recovery
from a biological incident in a domestic, civilian setting. The
objective of this guidance is to provide federal, state, local, and
tribal decision makers with uniform federal guidance to protect the
public, emergency responders, and surrounding environments and to
ensure that local and federal first responders can prepare for an
incident involving biological contamination. This draft Guidance is not
intended to impact site cleanups occurring under other statutory
authorities such as EPA's Superfund Program, or other federal and state
clean-up programs.
This draft guidance is provided for immediate use, and will be
revised as needed based on comments received and changes in regulation
and emergency response guidance. The draft guidance is available at:
http://www.regulations.gov. (Docket no. EPA-HQ-ORD-2009-0331).
DATES: Comments must be received by November 16, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brendan Doyle, Senior Policy
Advisor, National Homeland Security Research Center, Office of Research
and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (MC: 8801R), 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460, Telephone: 202 564-4584
or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-296, as amended)
directs DHS, in partnership with other federal agencies, to develop and
implement countermeasures to prepare for and respond to chemical,
biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. Homeland Security
Presidential Directive--10: Biodefense for the 21st Century describes
the interagency activity required to meet this charge.
This draft Planning Guidance was developed by the Biological
Decontamination Standards Working Group (an interagency working group)
of the White House National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
Subcommittee on Decontamination Standards and Technology (SDST). The
SDST was tasked by the NSTC to develop risk management guidance for
recovery from an incident involving biological contamination in a
domestic, civilian setting. The interagency workgroup included
participants from the Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture,
Commerce, Defense, Energy, Labor, Health and Human Services and
Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. This draft
guidance describes a general risk management framework for government
[[Page 41432]]
and nongovernmental decision-makers, at all levels, in planning and
executing activities required for response and recovery from a
biological incident in a domestic, civilian setting. The objective of
this guidance is to provide federal, state, local, and tribal decision
makers with uniform federal guidance to protect the public, emergency
responders, and surrounding environments and to ensure that local and
federal first responders can prepare for an incident involving
biological contamination.
This document follows principles developed within the context of
Planning Guidance for Protection and Recovery Following Radiological
Dispersal Device (RDD) and Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) Incidents--
which was published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
on August 1, 2008. The RDD/IND document introduced the overarching
concept of optimization. Optimization is a flexible, multi-attribute
decision process that seeks to weigh many factors. Optimization
analyses are qualitative and quantitative assessments applied at each
stage of decision-making process from evaluation of decontamination
options to implementation of the chosen alternative.
The subject draft guidance applies to characterization,
decontamination, clearance, and potential reoccupancy of a variety of
public facilities, drinking water infrastructure, and open areas.
Principal topics include the unique characteristics and hazards of
biological agents, a risk management framework for responding to a
biological incident, and implications for remediation activities. A
process is provided for making timely and effective decisions despite
incomplete data and uncertainties associated with potential risks posed
by biological agents. This decision process includes all actions
required during response to a biological incident beginning with
notification, screening, and environmental sampling. Each step in the
decision-making process is described, and the various actions are
explicitly linked to numbered boxes in a five-page decision-tree
flowchart.
An important step in the decision process is setting clearance (or
cleanup) goals for determining whether a remediation is successful and
how the treated area may be used. No formula is available for setting
clearance goals for biological agents. The collective, professional
judgment of experts, considered within the context of the concerns of a
broad range of local, regional, and federal stakeholders should be used
to set a clearance goal appropriate to the site-specific circumstances.
A practical clearance goal is to reduce residual risk to levels
acceptable by employing an optimization process. The aim of such a
process is to reduce exposure levels as low as is reasonable while
considering potential future land uses, technical feasibility, costs
and cost effectiveness, and public acceptability. After the remediation
is carried out, a clearance decision is made based on a judgment
whether the decontamination verification criteria and the clearance
goals have been met. This judgment is based on a thorough analysis of
all sampling, processes, and other pertinent data.
This draft document focuses on the decision making framework in
response to a biological event. It is designed to be consistent with
the National Response Framework (Department of Homeland Security,
January 2008) and our scientific understanding of the characteristics
of biological agents. Neither of these areas is static. We expect both
our response planning and our scientific understanding of the
characteristics of biological agents to evolve over time.
Response to Comments
Comments will be reviewed by the White House National Science and
Technology Council before this guidance is republished.
Availability of the Draft Guidance
Copies of the draft guidance are available for review through
http://www.regulations.gov, Docket number: EPA-HQ-ORD-2009-0331.
Dated: July 27, 2009.
James Kohlenberger,
Chief of Staff, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive
Office of the President.
Bradley I. Buswell,
Undersecretary for Science and Technology (Acting), U.S. Department of
Homeland Security.
Lek G. Kadeli,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Research and Development, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
[FR Doc. E9-19688 Filed 8-14-09; 8:45 am]
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