2011-4633. Human Studies Review Board (HSRB); Notification of a Public Teleconference To Review a Draft Report From HSRB Meeting

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of the Science Advisor (OSA) announces a public teleconference of the HSRB to discuss its draft report from the January 26, 2011 HSRB meeting.

DATES:

The teleconference will be held on Thursday, March 17, 2011 from approximately 1 p.m. to approximately 3 p.m. Eastern Time.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your written comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2011-0175, by one of the following methods:

Internet: http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.

E-mail: [e-mail].

Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), ORD Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.

Hand Delivery: The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is located in the EPA Headquarters Library, Room Number 3334 in the EPA West Building, located at 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. The hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. Please call [phone] or e-mail the ORD Docket at [e-mail] for instructions. Updates to Public Reading Room access are available on the Web site (http://www.epa.gov/​epahome/​dockets.htm).

Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2011-0175. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available online at http://www.regulations.gov,, including any personal information provided, unless the comments includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information the disclosure of which is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is an “anonymous access” system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through http://www.regulations.gov,, your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comments and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Any members of the public who wish to receive further information should contact Jim Downing at telephone number: [phone]; fax: [phone]; e-mail address: [e-mail], or Lu-Ann Kleibacker at telephone number: [phone]; fax: [phone]; e-mail address: [e-mail]; mailing address: Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Science Advisor, 8105R, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. General information concerning the EPA HSRB can be found on the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/​osa/​hsrb/​.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Location: The meeting will take place via telephone only.

Meeting access: For information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, please contact Lu-Ann Kleibacker at least ten business days prior to the meeting using the information under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Procedures for providing public input: Interested members of the public may submit relevant written or oral comments for the HSRB to consider during the advisory process. Additional information concerning submission of relevant written or oral comments is provided in section I, “Public Meeting,” under subsection D, “How May I Participate in this Meeting?” of this notice.

I. Public Meeting

A. Does this action apply to me?

This action is directed to the public in general. This action may, however, be of particular interest to persons who conduct or assess human studies, especially studies on substances regulated by EPA, or to persons who are, or may be required to conduct testing of chemical substances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) or the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Since other entities may also be interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may be affected by this action. If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult Jim Downing or Lu-Ann Kleibacker listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How can I access electronic copies of this document and other related information?

In addition to using regulations.gov, you may access this Federal Register document electronically through the EPA Internet under the Federal Register listings at http://www.epa.gov/​fedrgstr/​.

Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically in http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the ORD Docket, EPA/DC Public Reading Room. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is located in the EPA Headquarters Library, Room Number 3334 in the EPA West Building, located at 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. The hours of operation are 8:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. Please call [phone], or e-mail the ORD Docket at [e-mail] for instructions. Updates to the Public Reading Room access are available on the Web site (http://www.epa.gov/​epahome/​dockets.htm).

C. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your comments:

1. Explain your views as clearly as possible.

2. Describe any assumptions that you used.

3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you use that support your views.

4. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and suggest alternatives.

5. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page of your response. You may also provide the name, date and Federal Register citation.

D. How may I participate in this meeting?

You may participate in this meeting by following the instructions in this section. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket ID number EPA-HQ-ORD-2011-0175 in the subject line on the first page of your request.

1. Oral comments. Requests to present oral comments will be accepted up to March 10, 2011. To the extent that time permits, interested persons who have not pre-registered may be permitted by the Chair of the HSRB to present oral comments at the meeting. Each individual or group wishing to make brief oral comments to the HSRB is strongly advised to submit their request (preferably via e-mail) to Jim Downing or Lu-Ann Kleibacker under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT no later than noon, Eastern Time, March 10, 2011, in order to be included on the meeting agenda and to provide sufficient time for the HSRB Chair and HSRB Designated Federal Official (DFO) to review the meeting agenda to provide an appropriate public comment period. The request should identify the name of the individual making the presentation and the organization (if any) the individual will represent. Oral comments before the HSRB are generally limited to five minutes per individual or organization. Please note that this includes all individuals appearing either as part of, or on behalf of, an organization. While it is our intent to hear a full range of oral comments on the science and ethics issues under discussion, it is not our intent to permit organizations to expand the time limitations by having numerous individuals sign up separately to speak on their behalf. If additional time is available, further public comments may be possible.

2. Written comments. Submit written comments prior to the meeting. For the HSRB to have the best opportunity to review and consider your comments as it deliberates on its report, you should submit your comments at least five business days prior to the beginning of this teleconference. If you submit comments after this date, those comments will be provided to the Board members, but you should recognize that the Board members may not have adequate time to consider those comments prior to making a decision. Thus, if you plan to submit written comments, the Agency strongly encourages you to submit such comments no later than noon, Eastern Time, March 10, 2011. You should submit your comments using the instructions in section I, under subsection C, “What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?”. In addition, the Agency also requests that persons submitting comments directly to the docket also provide a copy of their comments to Jim Downing or Lu-Ann Kleibacker listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. There is no limit on the length of written comments for consideration by the HSRB.

E. Background

The HSRB is a Federal advisory committee operating in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) 5 U.S.C. App.2 § 9. The HSRB provides advice, information, and recommendations to EPA on issues related to scientific and ethical aspects of human subjects research. The major objectives of the HSRB are to provide advice and recommendations on: (1) Research proposals and protocols; (2) reports of completed research with human subjects; and (3) how to strengthen EPA's programs for protection of human subjects of research. The HSRB reports to the EPA Administrator through EPA's Science Advisor.

1. Topics for Discussion. The HSRB will be reviewing its draft report from the January 26, 2011 HSRB meeting. The Board may also discuss planning for future HSRB meetings. Background on the January 26, 2011 HSRB meeting can be found at [Federal Register Volume 76, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2011)] [Notices] [pages 2107-2109] and at the HSRB Web site http://www.epa.gov/​osa/​hsrb/​. The January 26, 2011 meeting draft report is now available. You may obtain electronic copies of this document and certain other related documents that might be available electronically from the http://www.regulations.gov website and the HSRB Internet home page at http://www.epa.gov/​osa/​hsrb/​. For questions on document availability or if you do not have access to the Internet, consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Dated: February 25, 2011.

Paul T. Anastas,

EPA Science Advisor.