[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 28 (Monday, February 11, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9689-9690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02925]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL--9778-2]
Notification of a Public Meeting of the Chartered Science
Advisory Board
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the chartered
SAB to: (1) Receive an update briefing on the EPA's Office of Research
and Development's (ORD) implementation of strategic research plans; (2)
conduct quality reviews of three draft SAB reports [on the use of
computational toxicology (CompTox) to advance risk assessment; on EPA's
retrospective study of the costs of EPA regulations; and on
methodologies for estimating air emissions for broiler animal feeding
operations and for lagoons and basins at swine and dairy animal feeding
operations]; and (3) to discuss information provided in the agency's
regulatory agenda, specifically planned actions and their supporting
science.
DATES: The public meeting will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2013, from
10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday, March 8, 2013, from 8:00 a.m. to
1:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time).
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Washington Marriott, 1221
22nd Street NW., Washington, DC, 20037.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wants
further information concerning the meeting may contact 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 email at nugent.angela@epa.gov. General information
concerning the SAB can be found on the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The SAB was established pursuant to the Environmental Research,
Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDDAA), codified at
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), 5 U.S.C., App. 2. The SAB
will comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff
Office procedural policies. Pursuant to FACA and EPA policy, notice is
hereby given that the SAB will hold a public meeting to discuss and
deliberate on the topics below.
Briefing on Implementation of ORD Strategic Research Plans
The SAB and ORD's Board of Scientific Councilors (BOSC) provided a
joint report to the Administrator in September 2012 entitled
Implementation of ORD Strategic Research Plans: A Joint Report of the
Science Advisory Board and ORD Board of Scientific Counselors (EPA-SAB-
12-012). ORD will provide a briefing to update SAB members on recent
significant ORD activities to implement the recommendations in the ORD-
BOSC report, available on the SAB Web site at http://yosemite.epa.gov/
sab/sabproduct.nsf/3822EB089
[[Page 9690]]
FCCB18D85257A8700800679/$File/EPA-SAB-12-012-unsigned.pdf.
Draft SAB Report on the Use of CompTox To Advance Risk Assessment
The chartered SAB will conduct a quality review of a draft report
providing advice to assist the EPA in advancing the application of
ORD's CompTox research for human health risk assessment to meet the
agency's programmatic needs. The SAB undertook this initiative to
identify applications for outputs from the CompTox Research Program,
barriers to their use, and strategies for overcoming those barriers.
The CompTox Research Program conducts research that integrates advances
in molecular biology, chemistry and innovative computer science to more
effectively and efficiently rank chemicals based on risks. The goal of
the CompTox Research Program is to provide high-throughput chemical
screening data and decision support tools for assessing chemical
exposure, hazard, and risk to human health and the environment.
Information about this advisory activity can be found on the Web at:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/CompTox%20data%20in%20RA?OpenDocument.
Draft SAB Report on EPA's Retrospective Study of the Costs of EPA
Regulations
The chartered SAB will conduct a quality review of a draft report
providing a review of the EPA's retrospective study of the costs of EPA
regulations. The EPA conducts benefit-cost analyses of its rules and
regulations and strives to use the best available information to
conduct its analyses. Benefit-cost analyses are by definition
predictive, relying on ex ante or forecasted information. To improve
future benefit-cost analyses, it is important to learn how well EPA's
estimates compare with actual (ex post) costs and, if they differ
substantially, to understand why. EPA's National Center for
Environmental Economics prepared a series of case studies attempting to
assess compliance costs retrospectively that, if successful, could help
identify reasons for any systematic differences between ex ante and ex
post cost estimates. The EPA requested the SAB's review of its approach
to assessing ex post costs as detailed in a draft paper entitled
``Retrospective Study of the Costs of EPA Regulations: An Interim
Report'' (March 2012). Information about this advisory activity can be
found on the Web at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/Retrospective%20Cost%20Study?OpenDocument.
Draft Report on EPA's Emissions Estimation Methodologies (EEMs) From
Broiler Animal Feeding Operations and From Lagoons and Basins at Swine
and Dairy Animal Feeding Operations
The chartered SAB will conduct a quality review of a draft report
providing review of EPA's draft methodologies for estimating air
emissions from animal feeding operations (AFOs). The EPA developed the
draft methodologies to address commitments in a voluntary air
compliance consent agreement signed in 2005 between the agency and
nearly 14,000 broiler, dairy, egg layer and swine AFO operations. The
goals of the agreement are to reduce air pollution, monitor AFO
emissions, promote a national consensus on methodologies for estimating
emissions from AFOs, and ensure compliance with the requirements of the
Clean Air Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
Know Act. The EPA's Office of Air and Radiation has requested the SAB
review. Information about this advisory activity can be found on the
Web at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/AFO-AEEM?OpenDocument.
Discussion of Information Provided in the Agency's Semiannual
Regulatory Agenda
The EPA has recently underscored the need to routinely inform the
SAB about proposed and planned agency actions that have a scientific or
technical basis. Accordingly, the agency provided notice to the SAB
that the Office of Management and Budget published the ``Unified
(Regulatory) Agenda'' on the Web on December 21, 2012 (http://www.reginfo.gov/public/). The SAB will discuss whether it should
provide advice and comment on the adequacy of the scientific and
technical basis for EPA actions included in the Agenda.
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.
Procedures for Providing Public Input: 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.
Federal advisory committees and panels, including scientific
advisory committees, provide independent advice to the EPA. Members of
the public can submit relevant comments pertaining to the EPA's charge,
meeting materials, or the group providing advice. Input from the public
to the SAB will have the most impact if it provides specific scientific
or technical information or analysis for the SAB to consider or if it
relates to the clarity or accuracy of the technical information.
Members of the public wishing to provide comment should contact the DFO
directly.
Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an
oral presentation at a public meeting will be limited to five minutes.
Persons interested in providing oral statements at the March 7-8, 2013,
meeting should contact Dr. Angela Nugent, DFO, in writing (preferably
via email) at the contact information noted above by February 27, 2013.
Written Statements: Written statements for the March 7-8, 2013, meeting
should be received in the SAB Staff Office by February 27, 2013, so
that the information may be made available to the SAB for its
consideration prior to this meeting. Written statements should be
supplied to the DFO in the following formats: either an electronic copy
(preferred) via email (acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, MS
Word, WordPerfect, MS PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows
98/2000/XP format) or in hard copy with original signature. Submitters
are asked to provide electronic versions of each document submitted
with and without signatures, because the SAB Staff Office does not
publish documents with signatures on its Web sites. Members of the
public should be aware that their personal contact information, if
included in any written comments, may be posted to the SAB Web site.
Copyrighted material will not be posted without explicit permission of
the copyright holder.
Accessibility: For information on access or services for
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Nugent at the phone
number or email address noted above, preferably at least ten days prior
to the meeting, to give the EPA as much time as possible to process
your request.
Dated: January 30, 2013.
Thomas H. Brennan,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2013-02925 Filed 2-8-13; 8:45 am]
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