96-33141. Science Advisory Board; Notification of Public Advisory Committee Meetings; January 1997

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 251 (Monday, December 30, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68743-68745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-33141]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5672-1]


Science Advisory Board; Notification of Public Advisory Committee 
Meetings; January 1997

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, 
notice is hereby given that several committees of the Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) will meet on the dates and times described below. All times 
noted are Eastern Time. All meetings are open to the public, however, 
seating is limited and available on a first come basis. Documents that 
are the subject of SAB reviews are normally available from the 
originating EPA office and are not available from the SAB Office. 
Public drafts of SAB reports are available to the Agency and the public 
from the SAB office. Details on availability are noted below.

1. Executive Committee (EC)

    The Science Advisory Board's (SAB's) Executive Committee (EC) will 
conduct a public meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, January 15-16, 
1997. The meeting will convene at 8:30 am in the Administrator's 
Conference Room 1103--West Tower of the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency Headquarters Building at 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460, 
and adjourn no later than 5:30 pm each day.
    At this meeting, the Executive Committee will receive updates from 
its committees and subcommittees concerning their recent and planned 
activities. As part of these updates, some committees will present 
draft reports for Executive Committee review and approval. Expected 
drafts include: (a) Disinfection Byproducts Research Plan Review Report 
(Drinking Water Committee); and (b) Marsh Management Report (Ecological 
Processes and Effects Committee)
    The Post-Report Activities Subcommittee, appointed by the Chair 
following the last meeting, will present recommendations to guide SAB 
members' behavior as it relates to discussing SAB reports once they 
have been transmitted to the Administrator.
    Other items currently on the agenda include the following:
    (a) Discussions with Agency officials: (1) Ms. Jeanie Nelson, 
Counsel to the Administrator, subject: Impact of the SAB's Beyond the 
Horizon Report on EPA programs; and (2) Dr. Penny Fenner-Crisp, 
subject: Activities of the Food Quality Protection Act Advisory 
Committee, and Activities of the Advisory Committee on Endocrine 
Disruptors.
    (b) A Consultation on the assessment of Peer Review at EPA.
    (c) On Wednesday afternoon, a subset of the Executive Committee 
will function as a ``Lookout Panel'' by meeting with leaders of the 
Agency's Office of Pesticides Program to consider different 20-year 
scenarios of the future.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information concerning the meeting or who wishes to submit 
comments should contact Dr. Donald G. Barnes, Designated Federal 
Official for the Executive Committee, Science Advisory Board (1400), 
U.S. EPA, Washington, DC 20460, phone [phone]; fax (202)-260-
9232; or via Email at: [email protected] Copies of the draft 
meeting agenda and available draft reports listed above can be obtained 
from Ms. Priscilla Tillery-Gadson at the above phone and fax numbers or 
via the Internet at: [email protected]

2. Integrated Risk Project: Risk Reduction Options Subcommittee (RROS)

    The Risk Reduction Options Subcommittee (RROS) of the Science 
Advisory Board's (SAB) Integrated Risk Project (IRP) will meet Thursday 
and Friday, January 16-17, 1997. Through the courtesy of the School of 
Public Policy the meeting will be held in Press Room A (conference 
room) and Skyboxes 21, 22 and 23 (breakout rooms) in the Bill Moore 
Student Success Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA. 
The meeting will begin at 8:30 am Thursday and end by 5:00 pm Friday.
    The Student Success Center is located between the stadium and Tech 
Tower just north of North Avenue, off the main entrance to Georgia 
Tech. To reach the Success Center from North Avenue, go up the stairs 
immediately before the pedestrian overpass on North Avenue. To reach 
the Student Success Center from MARTA (the subway), get off at the 
North Avenue stop, and walk west on North Avenue until you reach the 
pedestrian overpass (just before the main entrance to Tech), go up the 
stairs. The Student Success Center is the first building on the right 
after crossing the lawn at the top of the stairs. It is attached to the 
stadium, to the west of the Wardlaw Center.

Purpose of the Meeting: The main purpose of the meeting is to discuss 
and test a draft methodology for developing risk reduction options for 
environmental problems. The Subcommittee's activities are part of an 
SAB project to update the 1990 SAB report, Reducing Risk: Setting 
Priorities and Strategies for Environmental Protection. In a letter 
dated October 25, 1995, to Dr. Matanoski, Chair of the SAB Executive 
Committee, Deputy Administrator Fred Hansen charged the SAB to: (a) 
Develop an updated ranking of the relative risk of different 
environmental problems based upon explicit scientific criteria; (b) 
provide an assessment of techniques and criteria that could be used to 
discriminate among emerging environmental risks and identify those that 
merit serious, near-term Agency attention; (c) assess the potential for 
risk reduction and propose alternative technical risk reduction 
strategies for the environmental problems identified; and (d) identify 
the uncertainties and data quality issues associated with the relative 
rankings. The project is being conducted by several SAB panels, 
including RROS, working at the direction of an ad hoc Steering

[[Page 68744]]

Committee established by the Executive Committee.

Further Information: An agenda and a roster can be obtained from the 
Subcommittee Secretary, Mrs. Dorothy Clark, tel. [phone], fax 
[phone], or Email

[email protected]

Members of the public desiring additional information about the meeting 
should contact Mrs. Kathleen Conway, Designated Federal Official, Risk 
Reduction Options Subcommittee, Science Advisory Board (1400), U.S. 
EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone/voice mail at 
[phone]; fax at [phone]; or via Email at

[email protected]

    Members of the public who wish to make a brief oral presentation to 
the Committee must contact Mrs. Conway in writing (by letter or by 
fax--see previously stated information) no later than 12 noon Eastern 
Time, Wednesday, January 8, 1997 in order to be included on the Agenda. 
Public comments will be limited to five minutes per speaker or 
organization. The request should identify the name of the individual 
who will make the presentation, the organization (if any) they will 
represent, any requirements for audio visual equipment (e.g., overhead 
projector, 35mm projector, chalkboard, etc), and at least 35 copies of 
an outline of the issues to be addressed or the presentation itself.

3. Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual 
(MARSSIM) Review Subcommittee (MARSSIMRS) of the Radiation Advisory 
Committee (RAC)

    The Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual 
(MARSSIM) Review Subcommittee (MARSSIMRS) of the Science Advisory 
Board's (SAB's) Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC), will review the 
technical basis of the draft Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site 
Investigation Manual (MARSSIM), dated December 1996 in a public meeting 
on Wednesday, January 22 and Thursday, January 23, 1997. The meeting 
will begin at 9:00 am on Wednesday, January 22, 1997 and end no later 
than 5:00 pm Thursday, January 23, 1996. On the morning of the first 
and second day of the meeting, Wednesday, January 22, 1997 and 
Thursday, January 23, 1997, the MARSSIMRS will meet in South Conference 
Room No. 4 from 9:00 am. to 12:00 noon at the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency Headquarters Building, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, 
D.C. 20460. On the afternoon of each day January 22 and 23, 1996, from 
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, the MARSSIMRS Workgroups will meet in ``break-out'' 
sessions for each of three MARSSIMRS workgroups in South Conference 
Room Numbers 8, 10, and 12, and may also utilize the Science Advisory 
Board Conference Room 2103 in Waterside Mall, depending on space needs 
at that time. Workgroup No. 1 will deal with Integration Issues, 
Workgroup No. 2 will deal with Monitoring, and Workgroup No. 3 will 
deal with Statistics. The Subcommittee previously met on July 31 and 
August 1, 1996 (See Federal Register Vol. 61, No. 123, Tuesday, June 
25, 1996, pages 32796-32798) to plan for the upcoming review.
    The charge to the Subcommittee is as follows: (a) Is the overall 
approach to the planning, data acquisition, data assessment, and data 
interpretation as described in the MARSSIM technically acceptable? (b) 
Are the methods and assumptions for demonstrating compliance with a 
dose- or risk-based regulation technically acceptable?
    Are the hypothesis and statistical tests and their method of 
application appropriate?
    The draft document being reviewed by the MARSSIMRS at this meeting 
is the draft MARSSIM Manual, dated December 1996. Copies of this draft 
document are available from the originating EPA office (see below) and 
are not available from the SAB Office. The EPA document number is EPA 
402-R-96-018. A limited supply of single copies of this document will 
be available at no cost at the meeting on January 22 and 23, 1997. This 
document will also be available via the INTERNET at http://www.epa.gov/ radiation/cleanup around mid-December. This EPA document will also be 
available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) in 
this same time-frame (mid-December) for a fee. The NTIS document number 
is NTIS-PB97-117659. The NTIS sales desk is open between 8:30 am and 
5:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday at [phone]. For the 
hearing impaired, call [phone]. For RUSH service (which entails 
an additional fee), call 1-800-NTIS. Fax orders can be sent to (703) 
321-8547. To order by mail, send orders to: NTIS, 5285 Port Royal Road, 
Springfield, VA 22161. The background documents that support this 
review, as well as the draft MARSSIM, dated December 1996 (EPA draft 
document number EPA 402-R-96-018; also referred to as NUREG-1575)) will 
be available in the Agency's Air and Radiation Docket around mid-
December. Please address written inquiries as follows: USEPA, Attn: Air 
and Radiation Docket, Mail Stop 6102, Air Docket No. A-96-44, Room 
M1500, First Floor, Waterside Mall, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 
20460. The docket may be inspected from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday 
through Friday, excluding Federal holidays, in Room M1500. A reasonable 
fee may be charged for copies of docket materials. Inquiries regarding 
access to the public information docket should be directed to Mr. Mark 
Doehnert, ORIA Staff at [phone]. To discuss technical aspects of 
the draft document or any supporting or background information, please 
contact Mr. Doehnert, Radiation Protection Division (6603J), Office of 
Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460, tel. [phone]; FAX (202) 
233-9650; Email at [email protected]
    Members of the public who wish to make a brief oral presentation at 
this meeting must contact Mrs. Diana L. Pozun in writing (via fax or 
letter), Staff Secretary, in writing via fax [phone] or Email 
[email protected]) no later than noon, Eastern Time on 
Wednesday, January 15, 1997, in order to have time reserved on the 
agenda. For a copy of the proposed agenda, please contact Ms. Pozun at 
the numbers given above. For questions regarding technical issues to be 
discussed, please contact Dr. K. Jack Kooyoomjian, Designated Federal 
Official, Science Advisory Board (1400), US EPA, 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington DC 20460, by telephone at [phone], fax at (202) 260-
7118, or via the Email at: [email protected]

4. Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC)

    The Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC) of the Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) will conduct a planning, coordination and review meeting on 
Friday, January 24, 1997 from 9:00 a.m. and ending no later than 3:00 
p.m. that day. The RAC last met on July 31 & August 1, 1996 (See 
Federal Register Vol. 61, No. 123, Tuesday, June 25, 1996, pages 32796-
32798). The meeting will take place at the Washington Information 
Center Conference Room No. 17. If additional space is needed, the RAC 
may also utilize the Science Advisory Board Conference Room 2103 at the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters Building, 401 M 
Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Additional space needs will be

[[Page 68745]]

determined at the time of the meeting. Expected topics include the 
following: an update on the recently initiated MARSSIM review; 
discussions on the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA) efforts to 
revise the NORM (Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Material) Draft 
Scoping Document; an update on the status of the Biological Effects of 
Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) VI study and the scoping study for BEIR VII, 
a briefing on the conclusions of the National Academy of Science review 
of the risk of Electro-Magnetic Fields (EMF), and continued discussion 
on ORIA's radon activities. Other topics will be reviewed as time 
permits.
    To discuss technical aspects of the ORIA projects, or any 
supporting or background information, please contact Mr. Brian 
Littleton, (6601J), Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 
20460, tel. [phone]; fax [phone]; or Email: 
[email protected]
    Members of the public who wish to make a brief oral presentation at 
this meeting must contact Mrs. Diana L. Pozun, Staff Secretary, in 
writing (via fax or letter) fax [phone] or Email 
[email protected]) no later than noon eastern time Wednesday, 
January 15, 1997, in order to have time reserved on the agenda. For a 
copy of the proposed agenda, please contact Ms. Pozun at the numbers 
given above. For questions regarding technical issues to be discussed, 
please contact Dr. K. Jack Kooyoomjian, Designated Federal Official, 
Science Advisory Board (1400), US EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington DC 
20460, tel. [phone], fax [phone], or via Email at: 
[email protected]

Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings

    The Science Advisory Board expects that public statements presented 
at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or 
written statements. In general, for meetings, opportunities for oral 
comment will usually be limited to no more than five minutes per 
speaker and no more than thirty minutes total. Written comments (at 
least 35 copies) received in the SAB Staff Office sufficiently prior to 
a meeting date (usually one week before the meeting), may be mailed to 
the relevant SAB committee or subcommittee; comments received too close 
to the meeting date will normally be provided to the committee at its 
meeting. Written comments may be provided to the relevant committee or 
subcommittee up until the time of the meeting.
    Information concerning the Science Advisory Board, its structure, 
function, and composition, may be found in The FY1996 Annual Report of 
the Staff Director which is available from the SAB Committee Evaluation 
and Support Staff (CESS) by contacting US EPA, Science Advisory Board 
(1400), Attention: CESS, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460 or via 
fax [phone]. Additional information concerning the SAB can be 
found on the SAB Home Page at: HTTP://WWW.EPA/SCIENCE1/.

    Dated: December 23, 1996.
Donald G. Barnes,
Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 96-33141 Filed 12-27-96; 8:45 am]
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