98-3450. Science Advisory Board; Notification of Public Advisory Committee Meetings

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6927-6929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-3450]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5965-8]


Science Advisory Board; Notification of Public Advisory Committee 
Meetings

    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 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (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. Research Strategies Advisory Committee (RSAC)

    The Research Strategies Advisory Committee (RSAC) of the Science 
Advisory Board (SAB), will meet on Thursday and Friday, February 26-27, 
1998 in the Jupiter Room of the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20024, Phone [phone]. The meeting will begin at 
9:00 am on February 26th and 8:30 am on February 27th, ending no later 
than 5:00 pm on either date.
    Charge to the Committee--The Science Advisory Board (SAB) has been 
asked to review and comment on the FY1999 Presidential Budget proposed 
for EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD). The RSAC will 
consider how well the budget request: a) reflects priorities identified 
in the EPA and ORD strategic plans; b) supports a reasonable balance in 
terms of attention to core research on multimedia capabilities and 
issues and to media-specific problem-driven topics; and c) balances 
attention to near-term and to

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long-term research issues. In addition, the Committee will offer its 
advice on: d) whether the objectives of the research and development 
program can be achieved at the resource levels requested; and e) how 
can ORD improve use or improve upon the GPRA structure to communicate 
research plans, priorities, research requirements, and planned 
outcomes. A portion of the meeting will be devoted to development of 
the Committee's report.
    For Further Information--Members of the public desiring additional 
information about the meeting should contact Mr. Robert Flaak, 
Designated Federal Officer, Research Strategies Advisory Committee 
(RSAC), Science Advisory Board (1400), Room 2812, U.S. EPA, 401 M 
Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone/voice mail at (202) 260-
5133; fax at [phone]; or via Email at 
[e-mail]. For a copy of the draft meeting agenda, 
please contact Ms. Dorothy Clark, Staff Secretary at [phone] or 
by FAX at [phone] or via Email at [e-mail]. 
Additional information concerning the Science Advisory Board, its 
structure, function, and composition, may be found in The Annual Report 
of the Staff Director which is available from the SAB Publications 
Staff at [phone].
    Materials that are the subject of this review are available from 
Ms. Lisa Matthews or Ms. Amy Battaglia of the Office of Research and 
Development. Ms. Matthews can be reached on [phone] or via Email 
on [e-mail], and Ms. Battaglia can be reached on 
[phone] or via Email on [e-mail].
    Members of the public who wish to make a brief oral presentation to 
the Committee must contact Mr. Flaak in writing (by letter or by fax--
see previously stated information) no later than 12 noon Eastern Time, 
Thursday, February 19, 1998 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.

2. Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC)

    The Science Advisory Board's (SAB's) Radiation Advisory Committee 
(RAC) will conduct a public meeting on Tuesday, March 3, 1998. The 
meeting will convene at 9:00 am in the Administrator's Conference Room 
1103 West Tower, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, 
DC 20460 and adjourn no later than 5:30 pm that day.
    At this meeting, the RAC will briefly discuss projects that are 
planned for review in the balance of Fiscal Year (FY)1998, receive a 
briefing on Federal Guidance 13, Federal Radiation Protection Guidance 
for Exposure of the General Public, conduct a follow-up discussion on 
the Agency's response to the SAB review of the Multi-Agency Radiation 
Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM), dated December 4, 1997, 
receive a briefing (tentative) on High Radon Geographic Areas, and 
continue its Advisory on the Agency's Environmental Radiation Ambient 
Monitoring System (ERAMS) (``Reconfiguration Design of the 
Environmental Radiation Ambient Monitoring System,'' dated October 
1997). See Federal Register, Vol. 62, No. 205, Thursday, October 23, 
1997, pages 55249-55250 for further information. The issues concerning 
the Committees Advisory on ERAMS are as follows: a) Will the proposed 
reconfiguration of the current ERAMS system enable it to meet the 
system's two basic objectives more effectively and efficiently as 
described in the attached document?; b) Are the criteria used for 
matrix selection, determination of sampling locations and sampling 
frequency and other network features appropriate given the reconfigured 
ERAMS stated mission and objectives? Are there other criteria that 
should be considered?; and c) Will the proposed changes to the system's 
current data dissemination and data evaluation practices increase the 
data's usefulness to governmental agencies, the scientific community 
and the public? Are there any other interpretation issues and/or 
practices that should be addressed? Other topics may be discussed as 
time permits.
    For Further Information--For information, please see below.

3. Uncertainty in Radiogenic Risk Subcommittee

    The Uncertainty in Radiogenic Risk Subcommittee (URRS) of the 
Science Advisory Board's (SAB) Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC) will 
meet Wednesday, March 4, 1998, commencing at 9:00 am in the 
Administrator's Conference Room 1103 West Tower, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 
401 M Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20460 and adjourn no later than 5:00 
pm that day. At this meeting, the Subcommittee will continue its review 
of the Agency draft document entitled ``Uncertainty Analysis for 
Estimating Radiogenic Cancer Risks,'' October, 1997. The first meeting 
of the URRS was held on November 20, 1997, and this first public review 
was first announced in the Federal Register, Vol. 62, No. 205, 
Thursday, October 23, 1997, pages 55249-55250. The charge questions 
pertaining to the review on uncertainty analysis for estimating 
radiogenic cancer risks are as follows: a) Are the relevant major 
sources of uncertainties addressed?; b) Is the overall approach to 
quantifying and combining uncertainties appropriate?, and c) Are the 
mathematical functions used to characterize the various sources of 
uncertainty reasonable, in view of available scientific information?
    For Further Information--Any member of the public wishing further 
information concerning the meeting of the Radiation Advisory Committee 
on March 3rd or the meeting of the Uncertainty in Radiogenic Risk 
Subcommittee on March 4th, such as copies of the proposed meeting 
agendas, should contact Mrs. Diana L. Pozun at Tel. [phone]; FAX 
[phone], or via the Internet at: [e-mail]. 
Members of the public who wish to make a brief oral presentation to the 
Committee or Subcommittee during their meetings must contact Dr. K. 
Jack Kooyoomjian in writing (by letter or by fax--see below) no later 
than 12 noon Eastern Time, Thursday, February 26, 1998 in order to be 
included on the Agenda. Public comments will be normally 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, 
easel, etc), and at least 35 copies of an outline of the issues to be 
addressed or the presentation itself. For further information 
pertaining to the meetings or to check if the SAB's RAC or URRS have 
public drafts available prior to the meetings, contact Dr. K. Jack 
Kooyoomjian, Designated Federal Official for the Radiation Advisory 
Committee, Science Advisory Board (1400), U.S. EPA, Washington, DC 
20460, phone [phone]; fax [phone]; or via E-mail at: 
[e-mail].
    For questions pertaining to the review of uncertainty analysis for 
estimating radiogenic cancer risks, and to obtain copies of the draft 
document being reviewed, as well as background documents provided to 
the SAB's RAC,

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or to discuss any other aspects of this review or any supporting or 
background information please contact Mr. Brian Littleton, (6601J), 
ORIA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20460, tel. [phone]; fax [phone]; or E-
mail: [e-mail].
    For questions pertaining to the ERAMS advisory review, and to 
obtain copies of the draft document being reviewed, as well as 
background documents provided to the SAB's RAC, please contact LT 
Rhonda Cook, US Public Health Service (PHS)/EPA at [phone]. The 
SAB's RAC conducted an earlier advisory on ERAMS on July 13 and 14, 
1995 and produced an SAB advisory (EPA-SAB-RAC-ADV-96-003, April 5, 
1996). For copies of this earlier SAB report, please contact the SAB's 
Committee Evaluation Support Staff (CESS) at [phone]; FAX (202) 
260-7118. For additional information or to discuss technical aspects of 
any of the other ORIA agenda topics, or any supporting or background 
information, please contact Mr. Brian Littleton (see previously stated 
information).

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. Public comments should 
focus on scientific or technical aspects of the matters before the 
Committee at its meeting.
    Information concerning the Science Advisory Board, its structure, 
function, and composition, may be found in The current 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.gov/sab.

    Dated: February 5, 1998.
Donald G. Barnes,
Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 98-3450 Filed 2-10-98; 8:45 am]
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