97-8508. Science Advisory Board; Emergency Notification of Public Advisory Committee Meetings; April 1997

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 64 (Thursday, April 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15890-15892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8508]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5805-8]


Science Advisory Board; Emergency Notification of Public Advisory 
Committee Meetings; April 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 Daylight Time. All meetings are open to the public. 
Due to limited space, seating at meetings will be on a first-come, 
first-served basis. For further information concerning specific 
meetings, please contact the individuals listed below. Documents that 
are the subject of SAB reviews are normally available from the 
originating EPA office and are not available from the SAB Office.

1. The Environmental Goals Subcommittee

    The Environmental Goals Subcommittee, an ad hoc Subcommittee of the 
Science Advisory Board's (SAB's) Executive Committee, will conduct a 
public meeting by teleconference on Thursday, April 17, 1997, from 3 pm 
to 5 pm inclusive. Members of the public in the Washington DC area may 
attend the meeting in person in the Science Advisory Board's Conference 
Room,

[[Page 15891]]

Room 2103-Waterside Mall, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
Headquarters Building, 401 M St. SW, Washington, DC 20460. The meeting 
is open to the public, however, teleconference lines are limited. 
Please call Dr. Jack Fowle [phone] if you are interested in 
participating in the call and to obtain the dial-in number. Seating in 
Room 2103 is limited and is available on a first come, first served 
basis. During this teleconference, the Environmental Goals Subcommittee 
will discuss their draft report on the Agency's draft Environmental 
Goals for America With Milestones for America.
    For Further Information: Any member of the public wishing further 
information concerning the meeting or who wishes to submit oral or 
written comments should contact Dr. Jack Fowle, Designated Federal 
Official for the Environmental Goals Committee, Science Advisory Board 
(1400), U.S. EPA, Washington, DC 20460, phone [phone]; fax (202) 
260-7118; or via Email at: [e-mail]. Requests for 
oral comments must be in writing to Dr. Fowle and be received no later 
than noon Eastern Time on Friday April 11, 1997. Copies of the draft 
meeting agenda can be obtained from Ms. Priscilla Tillery-Gadson at 
[phone] or at the above fax number or by Email to 
[e-mail]. For copies of the draft 
Environmental Goals report, please contact Mr. Peter Truitt at (202) 
260-8214, by fax at [phone] or by Email to: 
[e-mail].

2. Integrated Risk Project Steering Committee

    The Integrated Risk Project (IRP) Steering Committee, an ad hoc 
committee established by the Executive Committee of the Science 
Advisory Board, will meet on April 21-23, 1997, at the Embassy Suites-
Georgetown, 1250 ``22nd'' Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, telephone 
[phone]. The meeting will begin at 8:30 am on April 21, and at 8 
am on April 22 and 23, and end no later than 5:30 pm each day. Seating 
will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The 
purpose of the meeting is to receive reports and initial products from 
the Subcommittees of the IRP and to discuss an integrated model for 
decision-making that incorporates information on risks to ecosystems 
and humans, risk reduction options, and their economic implications.

Background on the Integrated Risk Project (IRP)

    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 will be conducted by 
several SAB panels, working at the direction of an ad hoc Steering 
Committee established by the Executive Committee.
    Single copies of Reducing Risk, the report of the previous relative 
risk ranking effort of the SAB, can be obtained by contacting the SAB's 
Committee Evaluation and Support Staff (1400), 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20460, telephone [phone], or fax [phone]. 
Members of the public desiring additional information about the 
meeting, including an agenda, should contact Ms. Diana Pozun, Staff 
Secretary, Committee Operations Staff, Science Advisory Board (1400), 
US EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington DC 20460, by telephone at (202) 
260-8414, fax at [phone], or via Email at: 
[e-mail].
    Anyone wishing to make a brief oral presentation at the IRP meeting 
must contact Ms. Stephanie Sanzone, Designated Federal Official for the 
Steering Committee in writing, no later than 4 pm on April 14, 1997, at 
fax: [phone] or via Email at [e-mail]. 
The request should identify the name of the individual who will make 
the presentation and an outline of the issues to be addressed. At least 
35 copies of any written comments to the Committee are to be given to 
Ms. Sanzone no later than the time of the presentation for distribution 
to the Committee and the interested public. For further information, 
you may also reach Ms. Sanzone by phone on [phone]. See below 
for additional information on providing comments to the SAB.

3. Executive Committee

    The Science Advisory Board's (SAB's) Executive Committee will 
conduct a public meeting on Thursday and Friday, April 24-25, 1997. The 
meeting will convene each day at 8:30 am in the Administrator's 
Conference Room, Room 1103--West Tower, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency Headquarters Building, 401 M St. SW, Washington, DC 20460 and 
adjourn no later than 5:30 pm each day. The meeting is open to the 
public, however, seating is limited and available on a first-come, 
first-served basis. 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) Ecological Processes Effects 
Committee (Advisory on Watershed EcoRisk Case Studies, and Report on 
Lakes Biocriteria); (b) Environmental Engineering Committee (Report on 
the Review of the Superfund Innovative Technologies Evaluation (SITE) 
Program); and (c) Environmental Health Committee (Review of the 
Neurotoxicity Guidelines). Please check with the Executive Committee 
Designated Federal Official or Secretary (see below) prior to the 
meeting to ensure that a given report will be discussed.
    Other items on the agenda tentatively include, but are not limited 
to, the following: (a) Discussion with Deputy Administrator Fred Hansen 
on scientific issues confronting the Agency; (b) Discussion with the 
Director of the Office of Children's Health, Dr. Phillip Landrigan, 
about his plans for the Office; (c) Discussion with a member of the 
Commission on Risk Assessment and Risk Management, Dr. Bernard 
Goldstein, regarding the recently released reports from the Commission; 
(d) An update of the futures activities of the SAB, including the 
recent G-7 Environmental Futures Forum and the Board's plans for a 
Lookout Panel session in July; and (e) An update on the SAB's 
Integrated Risk Project
    For Further Information: Any member of the public wishing further 
information concerning the meeting or who wishes to submit oral or 
written 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: [e-mail]. Requests for 
oral comments must be made in writing to Dr. Barnes and be received no 
later than noon Eastern Time on Friday, April 18, 1997. Copies of the 
draft meeting agenda and available draft reports listed above can

[[Page 15892]]

be obtained from Ms. Priscilla Tillery-Gadson at the above phone and 
fax numbers, or via Email at: [e-mail].

4. Environmental Engineering Committee (EEC) Subcommittees

    Two Subcommittees of the Science Advisory Board's (SAB's) 
Environmental Engineering Committee (EEC) will each conduct a public 
meeting. On Tuesday, April 29, 1997, the EEC's Special Topics 
Subcommittee will meet from 8:30 am to 6 pm in the Science Advisory 
Board Conference Room, Room 2103, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
Headquarters Building, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460. On 
Wednesday and Thursday, April 30-May 1, 1997, the EEC's Surface 
Impoundments Study Subcommittee will meet from 8:30 am to no later than 
5 pm each day in Conference Room C on the second floor of EPA's Crystal 
Station Building, 2805 Crystal Drive in the Crystal City section of 
Arlington, Virginia.

Purpose of the Meetings

    (a) Special Topics Subcommittee: On April 29, 1997, the Special 
Topics Subcommittee with review proposed national guidance on field 
filtration of ground water samples taken for metals analysis from 
monitoring wells for Superfund site assessment. Copies of this seven-
page review document can be obtained from Mr. Daniel Thornton of the 
EPA's Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, phone [phone]. 
The current charge for this review is to, ``provide a technical review 
of the proposed guidance, evaluate consistency with other Agency 
programs, and provide guidance on the appropriateness and potential 
impacts of the document. Specific issues include: (a) Technical 
considerations, such as colloidal mobility and transport mechanisms; 
phase-changes; and fate and transport of inorganic contaminants; and 
(b) policy issues, including guidance from other Federal programs, and 
potential adverse impact on other guidance or work in progress.''
    The Special Topics Subcommittee will also review documents relating 
to the use of toxicity weighting in the Office of Enforcement and 
Compliance Analysis Sector Facility Indexing Project (SFIP). Copies of 
these review documents can be obtained from Ms. Maria Eiseman in the 
Manufacturing, Energy, and Transportation Division of OECA, phone (202) 
564-7016; please note that some documents may be available before 
others. The Agency asked that the SAB address the following questions: 
(1) The SFIP uses chronic human health toxicity weights adopted from 
the TRI Relative Risk Environmental Indicators. Does the modified 
Hazard Ranking System scoring methodology used by the Indicators 
reflect accepted scientific procedures and evidence regarding the 
relative ranking of chemical toxicity?; and (2) EPA currently uses 
unweighted TRI pounds to evaluate pollutant releases from individual 
facilities. As a first step towards incorporating relative risk in this 
evaluation, is it acceptable to use toxicity weights to provide 
additional contextual information regarding the human health hazards 
associated with pollutant releases?
    (b) Surface Impoundments Study Subcommittee: On April 30-May 1, 
1997, the Surface Impoundments Study Subcommittee will review the 
Office of Solid Waste's proposed plan for a Congressionally required 
study of surface impoundments. Copies of the review documents can be 
obtained from Ms. Becky Cuthbertson in the Economics, Methods, and Risk 
Analysis Division, phone [phone]; please note that some 
documents may be ready before others. In summary, the tentative charge 
for this review is to comment on the technical merits of the overall 
study structure; to comment on the technical merits of the proposed 
risk assessment; and to comment upon appropriate points in the study 
design and implementation for involvement of outside technical experts.
    The full Environmental Engineering Committee anticipates being 
briefed on the reports of these Subcommittee reviews at a meeting to be 
held in Cincinnati June 30-July 3, 1997. A future Federal Register 
Notice will announce this meeting.
    For Further Information: After April 4, 1997, agendas and rosters 
for both Subcommittees can be obtained from the Subcommittee Secretary, 
Mrs. Dorothy Clark, tel. [phone], fax [phone], or by 
Email: [e-mail]. Members of the public desiring 
additional information about the meeting should contact Mrs. Kathleen 
Conway, Designated Federal Official, Environmental Engineering 
Committee, 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: [e-mail].
    Members of the public who wish to make a brief oral presentation to 
either Subcommittee must contact Mrs. Conway in writing (by letter or 
by fax--see previously stated information) no later than 12 noon 
Eastern Time, Wednesday, April 23, 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.

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, each individual or group making an oral 
presentation will be limited to a total time of ten minutes. For 
conference call meetings, opportunities for oral comment will be 
limited to no more than five minutes per speaker and no more than 
fifteen minutes total. Written comments (at least 35 copies) received 
in the SAB Staff Office sufficiently prior to a meeting date, may be 
mailed to the relevant SAB committee or subcommittee prior to its 
meeting; 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 March 28, 1997.
John R. Fowle, III,
Acting Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 97-8508 Filed 4-2-97; 8:45 am]
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