2020-09400. Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health

AGENCY:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION:

Notice of meeting and request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the CDC announces the following meeting of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (ABRWH). This meeting is open to the public, but without an oral public comment period. The public is welcome to listen to the meeting by joining the audio conference (information below). The audio conference line has 150 ports for callers.

DATES:

The meeting will be held on June 24, 2020, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., EDT.

Written comments must be received on or before June 18, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-0050 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Rashaun Roberts, Ph.D., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS C-24, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027, Attn: ABRWH Meeting.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the Agency name and Docket Number. All relevant comments received in conformance with the https://www.regulations.gov suitability policy will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov,, including any personal information provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov.

Meeting information: The USA toll-free dial-in number is 1-866-659-0537; the pass code is 9933701.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rashaun Roberts, Ph.D., Designated Federal Officer, NIOSH, CDC, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, Mailstop C-24, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, Telephone [phone], Toll Free 1(800)CDC-INFO, Email [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background: The Advisory Board was established under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to advise the President on a variety of policy and technical functions required to implement and effectively manage the new compensation program. Key functions of the Advisory Board include providing advice on the development of probability of causation guidelines which have been promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a final rule, advice on methods of dose reconstruction which have also been promulgated by HHS as a final rule, advice on the scientific validity and quality of dose estimation and reconstruction efforts being performed for purposes of the compensation program, and advice on petitions to add classes of workers to the Special Exposure Cohort (SEC). In December 2000, the President delegated responsibility for funding, staffing, and operating the Advisory Board to HHS, which subsequently delegated this authority to the CDC. NIOSH implements this responsibility for CDC. The charter was issued on August 3, 2001, renewed at appropriate intervals, and rechartered under Executive Order 13889 on March 22, 2020, and will terminate on March 22, 2022.

Purpose: This Advisory Board is charged with (a) providing advice to the Secretary, HHS, on the development of guidelines under Executive Order 13179; (b) providing advice to the Secretary, HHS, on the scientific validity and quality of dose reconstruction efforts performed for this program; and (c) upon request by the Secretary, HHS, advising the Secretary on whether there is a class of employees at any Department of Energy facility who were exposed to radiation but for whom it is not feasible to estimate their radiation dose, and on whether there is reasonable likelihood that such radiation doses may have endangered the health of members of this class.

Public Participation

Written Public Comment: The public is welcome to submit written comments in advance of the meeting. Comments should be submitted on or before June 18, 2020. All requests must contain the name, address, and organizational affiliation of the individual, as well as the topic being addressed. Written comments should not exceed one single-spaced typed page in length. Written comments received in advance of the meeting will be included in the official record of the meeting.

Comments received, including attachments and other supporting materials, are part of the public record and are subject to public disclosure. Comments will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, do not include any information in your comment or supporting materials that you consider confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure. If you include your name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in the body of your comments, that information will be on public display. CDC will review all submissions and may choose to redact, or withhold, submissions containing private or proprietary information such as Social Security numbers, medical information, inappropriate language, or duplicate/near duplicate examples of a mass-mail campaign. CDC will carefully consider all comments submitted to the docket.

Matters to be Considered: The agenda will include discussions on: Work Group and Subcommittee Reports; Update on the Status of SEC Petitions; Plans for the August 2020 Advisory Board Meeting; and Advisory Board Correspondence. Agenda items are subject to change as priorities dictate.

The Director, Strategic Business Initiatives Unit, Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been delegated the authority to sign Federal Register notices pertaining to announcements of meetings and other committee management activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Dated: April 28, 2020.

Kalwant Smagh,

Director, Strategic Business Initiatives Unit, Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.