[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27315-27316]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11560]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9304-5]
EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Invitation to a Session on
Public Involvement in EPA Advisory Activities Supported by the SAB
Staff Office
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a
public session on public involvement in activities related to the
Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis (the Council), Clean
Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), and the SAB.
DATES: The public session will be held on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 from
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time).
ADDRESSES: The session will be held at Potomac Yard Conference Center,
One Potomac Yard, 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, Fourth Floor
Conference Center South (S-4370-80).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to
attend must register by contacting Dr. Angela Nugent, Designated
Federal Officer (DFO), EPA Science Advisory Board (1400R), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice mail (202) 564-2218, fax
(202) 565-2098; or e-mail at nugent.angela@epa.gov, by May 27, 2011.
Persons unable to attend the public session may send written comments
to Dr. Angela Nugent by May 27, 2011.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The SAB Staff Office provides management and technical
support to the Council, CASAC, and the SAB and their committees and
panels. The SAB Staff also provides information to the public about
committee activities and how the public can provide input into the
science advice process. As part of its effort to continuously
strengthen policies and procedures for informing the public and
involving them in advisory processes, the SAB Staff Office is holding a
public session to receive public input and feedback on current
processes. The SAB Staff Office will consider this feedback as it
develops additional policies and procedures to support Council, CASAC,
and SAB advisory activities.
Established by statute, the Council (42 U.S.C 7612), the CASAC (42
U.S.C. 7409), and the SAB (42 U.S.C. 4365) are EPA's chartered Federal
Advisory Committees that provide independent scientific and technical
peer review, consultation, advice and recommendations directly to the
EPA Administrator on the scientific bases for EPA's actions and
programs. Members of the SAB, CASAC, and the Council are appointed by
the EPA Administrator. As Federal Advisory Committees, the Council,
CASAC, and SAB conduct business in accordance with the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. 2) and related regulations.
Generally, Council, CASAC and SAB meetings are announced in the Federal
Register, conducted in public view, and provide opportunities for
public input during deliberations. Additional information about these
Federal Advisory Committees may be found at http://www.epa.gov/advisorycouncilcaa, http://www.epa.gov/casac and http://www.epa.gov/sab, respectively.
The SAB Staff Office is holding a public session to receive public
input and feedback in four areas: (1) The public access Web sites
supporting the Council, CASAC and SAB; (2) public involvement in
nomination of experts for committees and panels; (3) public involvement
in meeting and report development; and (4) other topics of interest to
the public.
Public Access Web Sites Supporting the Council, CASAC and SAB
Three inter-related public access Web sites (http://www.epa.gov/advisorycouncilcaa, http://www.epa.gov/casac and http://www.epa.gov/sab) have been developed to communicate current information about the
membership, activities, and reports of the Council, CASAC and SAB and
to facilitate public involvement in advisory activities.
The Web sites were designed with the following features: (1)
Integration of all information relevant to a specific advisory activity
on a single page (e.g. key information related to Agency requests for
advice, advisory committee or panel membership, Federal Register
Notices, related meetings, draft and final reports, Agency responses to
advice); (2) integration of all information relevant for a specific
meeting on a single page (e.g. Federal Register Notices, meeting
agendas, materials, and minutes); (3) a calendar of meetings that can
be organized by day, week, month, or year; (4) ``Recent Happenings''
and ``Recent Additions'' sections and related ``really simple
syndication'' (RSS) feeds that highlight opportunities for public
input, most recent draft and final reports, and recent Agency
responses; (5) a search function that identifies Council, CASAC, and
SAB final reports, draft reports, advisory activities, Federal Register
notices, meetings, committees and panels, and special-purpose Web
pages; and (6) electronic nomination of experts for committees and
panels. The SAB Staff Office is seeking public comment on strengthening
the clarity, navigability, and usefulness of the Web sites.
Public Involvement in Nomination of Experts for Committees and Panels
The EPA Administrator appoints members to the Council, CASAC, the
chartered SAB and SAB Standing Committees. Members of advisory
committees and panels are non-EPA scientists, engineers, and economists
and other social scientists who are recognized experts in their
respective fields. They may come from academia, industry, state, and
tribal governments, research institutes and non-governmental
organizations throughout the United States. EPA chooses them for their
demonstrated ability to examine and analyze environmental issues with
objectivity and integrity and for their interpersonal, oral and written
communication, and consensus-building skills.
The SAB Staff annually requests nominations from the public for
membership on the chartered SAB and SAB Standing Committees. The latest
request was published in the Federal Register on April 15, 2011 (76 FR
21349-21350). Members of the public may nominate experts as part of
this annual process through the ``Nomination of experts'' link on the
blue navigation bar at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
The SAB Staff Office also forms ad hoc subcommittees and panels
under the auspices of the Council, CASAC, and SAB on environmental
science topics. As additional expertise is needed, the SAB Staff Office
requests for nominations are published in the Federal Register and
posted on the public access Web sites. Members of the public may
nominate experts for ad hoc sub committees and panels, again through
the ``Nomination of experts'' link on the blue navigation bar at http://www.epa.gov/sab and may comment on candidates being considered for ad
hoc committees and panels.
To describe these processes, the SAB Staff has developed: (1) A
general
[[Page 27316]]
overview of the panel formation process [Overview of the Panel
Formation Process at the Environmental Protection Agency Science
Advisory Board, September 2002 (EPA-SAB-EC-02-010), on the Web at
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/WebFiles/OverviewPanelForm/
$File/ec02010.pdf)]; and (2) ``Frequently Asked Questions about SAB,
CASAC, and Council Membership and Establishment of Ad Hoc Panels and
Committees'' (on the Web at http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/WebSABSO/QsandAsRefMembership?OpenDocument).
The SAB Staff Office is seeking public comment on the current
process regarding public nomination of experts.
Public Involvement in Meeting and Report Development
FACA and General Services Administration regulations mandate public
involvement in committee activities primarily by open access to
meetings and records and by providing the public opportunity to submit
comments to the advisory committee or panel. Public comment for
consideration by EPA's Federal advisory committees and panels has a
different purpose from public comment provided to EPA program offices.
Therefore, the process for submitting comments to a Federal advisory
committee is different from the process used to submit comments to an
EPA program office. Members of the public can submit comments for a
Federal advisory committee to consider as it develops advice for EPA.
Public comments are sent to the Designated Federal Officer. The contact
information for the Designated Federal Officer is identified in the
Federal Register notice for committee meetings and is made publicly
available on the public access Web site.
To participate in advisory activities of the SAB, CASAC, and
Council, members of the public can: (1) Contact the appropriate
Designated Federal Officer (DFO) or the SAB Staff Office to obtain
information on or provide comments about committee activities; (2)
attend and observe public meetings and teleconferences; (3) review
materials used by committee members in their deliberations; (4) provide
written comments for consideration by committee member; (5) present
oral statements for consideration by committee members at public
meetings during time periods set aside for that purpose; and (6) review
minutes of committee meeting and deliberations. The SAB Staff has
developed a description of how SAB, CASAC, and Council committees work
and how the public can participate through the steps outlined above (A
Report of the Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Advisory Committee
Meetings and Report Development: Process for Public Involvement, EPA-
SABSO-04-001, available on the Web at http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/SABPRODUCT.NSF/WEBSABSO/participatemeetingsreports?OpenDocument).
The SAB Staff Office is seeking public comment on ways to
strengthen public access to information about and public involvement in
advisory meetings and report development.
Availability of Meeting Materials: A meeting agenda and other
materials for the meeting will be placed on the SAB Web site at http://epa.gov/sab.
Accessibility: For information on access or services for
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Nugent 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 4, 2011.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2011-11560 Filed 5-10-11; 8:45 am]
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