Nominations to the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel; Request for Comments, 31441-31445 [05-10763]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31441-31445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10763]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-2005-0136; FRL-7717-8]


Nominations to the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel; Request for 
Comments

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides the names, addresses, professional 
affiliations, and selected biographical data of persons nominated to 
serve on the Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) established under section 
25(d) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act 
(FIFRA). The Panel was created on November 28, 1975, and made a 
statutory Panel by amendment to FIFRA, dated October 25, 1988. The 
Agency is, at this time, selecting one new member to serve on the panel 
as a result of a membership term that will expire this year. Public 
comment on the nominations is invited, as these comments will be used 
to assist the Agency in selecting the new chartered Panel member.

DATES: Comments, identified by docket ID number OPP-2005-0136, must be 
received on or before July 1, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted electronically (preferred), 
through hand delivery/courier, or by mail. Follow the detailed 
instructions as provided in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Knott, Assistant Executive 
Secretary, FIFRA SAP Staff, Office of Science Coordination and Policy 
(7201M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-0103; fax number: 
(202) 564-8382; e-mail addresses: knott.steven@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. This action may, 
however, be of interest to persons who are or may be required to 
conduct testing of chemical substances under the Federal Food, Drug, 
and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), FIFRA, and the Food Quality Protection Act of 
1996 (FQPA). 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

[[Page 31442]]

to a particular entity, consult the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?

    1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this 
action under docket ID number OPP-2005-0136. The official public docket 
consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any 
public comments received, and other information related to this action. 
Although a part of the official docket, the public docket does not 
include Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. The official public docket 
is the collection of materials that is available for public viewing at 
the Public Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, 
Crystal Mall 2, 1801 S. Bell St., Arlington, VA. This docket 
facility is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The docket telephone number is (703) 305-
5805.
    2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register'' 
listings at https://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at https://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public 
comments, to access the index listing of the contents of the official 
public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that 
are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,'' 
then key in the appropriate docket ID number.
    Certain types of information will not be placed in EPA Dockets. 
Information claimed as CBI and other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute, which is not included in the official public 
docket, will not be available for public viewing in EPA's electronic 
public docket. EPA's policy is that copyrighted material will not be 
placed in EPA's electronic public docket but will be available only in 
printed, paper form in the official public docket. To the extent 
feasible, publicly available docket materials will be made available in 
EPA's electronic public docket. When a document is selected from the 
index list in EPA Dockets, the system will identify whether the 
document is available for viewing in EPA's electronic public docket. 
Although not all docket materials may be available electronically, you 
may still access any of the publicly available docket materials through 
the docket facility identified in Unit I.B.1. EPA intends to work 
towards providing electronic access to all of the publicly available 
docket materials through EPA's electronic public docket.
    For public commenters, it is important to note that EPA's policy is 
that public comments, whether submitted electronically or on paper, 
will be made available for public viewing in EPA's electronic public 
docket as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment 
contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment 
containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that 
material in the version of the comment that is placed in EPA's 
electronic public docket. The entire printed comment, including the 
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket.
    Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or 
delivered to the docket will be transferred to EPA's electronic public 
docket. Public comments in hard copy that are mailed or delivered to 
the docket will be scanned and placed in EPA's electronic public 
docket. Where practical, physical objects will be photographed, and the 
photograph will be placed in EPA's electronic public docket along with 
a brief description written by the docket staff.

C. How and To Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    You may submit comments electronically (preferred), through hand 
delivery/courier, or by mail. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify 
the appropriate docket ID number in the subject line on the first page 
of your comment. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within 
the specified comment period. Comments received after the close of the 
comment period will be marked ``late.'' EPA is not required to consider 
these late comments. Do not use EPA Dockets or e-mail to submit CBI or 
information protected by statute.
    1. Electronically. If you submit an electronic comment as 
prescribed in this unit, EPA recommends that you include your name, 
mailing address, and an e-mail address or other contact information in 
the body of your comment. Also include this contact information on the 
outside of any disk or CD ROM you submit, and in any cover letter 
accompanying the disk or CD ROM. This ensures that you can be 
identified as the submitter of the comment and allows EPA to contact 
you in case EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties 
or needs further information on the substance of your comment. EPA's 
policy is that EPA will not edit your comment, and any identifying or 
contact information provided in the body of a comment will be included 
as part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, 
and made available in EPA's electronic public docket. 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.
    i. EPA Dockets. Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to 
submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for 
receiving comments. Go directly to EPA Dockets at https://www.epa.gov/
edocket/, and follow the online instructions for submitting comments. 
Once in the system, select ``search,'' and then key in docket ID number 
OPP-2005-0136. The system is an `` anonymous access'' system, which 
means EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other contact 
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment.
    ii. E-mail. Comments may be sent by e-mail to opp-docket@epa.gov, 
Attention: Docket ID Number OPP-2005-0136. In contrast to EPA's 
electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an ``anonymous 
access'' system. If you send an e-mail comment directly to the docket 
without going through EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail 
system automatically captures your e-mail address. E-mail addresses 
that are automatically captured by EPA's e-mail system are included as 
part of the comment that is placed in the official public docket, and 
made available in EPA's electronic public docket.
    iii. Disk or CD ROM. You may submit comments on a disk or CD ROM 
that you deliver as described in Unit I.C.2 or mail to the address 
provided in Unit I.C.3. These electronic submissions will be accepted 
in WordPerfect or ASCII file format. Avoid the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption.
    2. By hand delivery or courier. Deliver your comments to: Public 
Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Office of Pesticide 
Programs (OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 
2, 1801 S. Bell St., Arlington, VA, Attention: Docket ID 
Number OPP-2005-0136. Such deliveries are only accepted during the 
docket's normal hours of operation as identified in Unit I.B.1.
    3. By mail. Due to potential delays in EPA's receipt and processing 
of mail,

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respondents are strongly encouraged to submit comments either 
electronically or by hand delivery or courier. We cannot guarantee that 
comments sent via mail will be received prior to the close of the 
comment period. If mailed, please send your comments to: Public 
Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB) (7502C), Office of 
Pesticide Programs (OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001, Attention: Docket ID 
Number OPP-2005-0136.

II. Background

    Amendments to FIFRA enacted November 28, 1975, include a 
requirement under section 25(d) that notices of intent to cancel or 
reclassify pesticide registrations pursuant to section 6(b)(2), as well 
as proposed and final forms of regulations pursuant to section 25(a), 
be submitted to a Scientific Advisory Panel prior to being made public 
or issued to a registrant. In accordance with section 25(d), the 
Scientific Advisory Panel is to have an opportunity to comment on the 
health and environmental impact of such actions. The Panel shall also 
make comments, evaluations, and recommendations for operating 
guidelines to improve the effectiveness and quality of analyses made by 
Agency scientists.
    In accordance with the statute, the SAP is composed of a permanent 
panel of seven members, selected and appointed by the Deputy 
Administrator of EPA from nominees submitted by both the National 
Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The Agency 
is, at this time, selecting one new member to serve on the panel as a 
result of a membership term that will expire this year. The Agency 
requested nominations of experts to be selected from the field of 
toxicology (especially animal studies used in human health risk 
assessment). Nominees should be well published and current in their 
fields of expertise. The statute further stipulates that we publish the 
name, address, professional affiliation, and a brief biographical 
sketch of each nominee in the Federal Register and solicit public 
comments regarding the candidates nominated.

III. Charter

    A Charter for the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel dated October 25, 
2004 was issued in accordance with the requirements of the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, 86 Stat. 770 (5 U.S.C. App. 
I).

A. Qualifications of Members

    Members are scientists who have sufficient professional 
qualifications, including training and experience, to be capable of 
providing expert comments as to the impact on health and the 
environment of regulatory actions under sections 6(b) and 25(a) of 
FIFRA. No persons shall be ineligible to serve on the Panel by reason 
of their membership on any other advisory committee to a Federal 
department or agency or their employment by a Federal department or 
agency (except the EPA). The Deputy Administrator appoints individuals 
to serve on the Panel for staggered terms of 4 years. Panel members are 
subject to the provisions of 40 CFR part 3, subpart F, Standards of 
Conduct for Special Government Employees, which include rules regarding 
conflicts of interest. Each nominee selected by the Deputy 
Administrator, before being formally appointed, is required to submit a 
confidential statement of employment and financial interests, which 
shall fully disclose, among other financial interests, the nominee's 
sources of research support, if any.
    In accordance with section 25(d) of FIFRA, the Deputy Administrator 
shall require all nominees to the Panel to furnish information 
concerning their professional qualifications, educational background, 
employment history, and scientific publications. The Agency is required 
to publish in the Federal Register the name, address, and professional 
affiliations of each nominee and to seek public comment on the 
nominees.

B. Applicability of Existing Regulations

    With respect to the requirements of section 25(d) of FIFRA that the 
Administrator promulgate regulations regarding conflicts of interest, 
the Charter provides that EPA's existing regulations applicable to 
Special Government Employees, which include advisory committee members, 
will apply to the members of the Scientific Advisory Panel. These 
regulations appear in 40 CFR part 3, subpart F. In addition, the 
Charter provides for open meetings with opportunities for public 
participation.

C. Process of Obtaining Nominees

    In accordance with the provisions of section 25(d) of FIFRA, EPA, 
in February 2005, requested the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and 
the National Science Foundation (NSF) to nominate scientists to fill 
one vacancy occurring on the Panel. The Agency requested nominations of 
experts in the field of toxicology (especially animal studies used in 
human health risk assessment). NIH and NSF responded by letter, 
providing the Agency with a total of 11 nominees. Copies of these 
letters, with the listed nominees, are available in the public docket 
referenced in unit I.B.1. of this notice. Six of the 11 nominees are 
interested and available to actively participate in SAP meetings.

IV. Nominees

    The following are the names, addresses, professional affiliations, 
and selected biographical data of nominees being considered for 
membership on the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel. The Agency will 
select one of the nominees to fill a vacancy occurring this year.
    1. Nominee. Blumberg, Bruce, Ph.D., Associate Professor, 
Departments of Developmental and Cell Biology and Biomedical 
Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA.
    i. Expertise. Molecular endocrinology, developmental biology.
    ii. Education. A.B., Biology, Rutgers University; Ph.D., Biology, 
University of California, Los Angeles.
    iii. Professional Experience. Dr. Bruce Blumberg is Associate 
Professor of Developmental and Cell Biology with a joint appointment in 
Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). 
He received the Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 
1987 in Biology and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the 
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (biochemistry) and 
at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical School 
(biochemistry, embryology). He joined the Gene Expression Laboratory 
headed by Dr. Ronald M. Evans at the Salk Institute as a Staff 
Scientist in 1992. While at Salk, Dr. Blumberg led the effort to 
identify ligands for orphan nuclear receptors and was codiscoverer of 
the steroid and xenobiotic receptor, SXR, which is the key mediator of 
the vertebrate response to many hormonally active dietary and 
xenobiotic compounds. He joined the faculty at the University of 
California, Irvine in 1998 and has an active research program funded by 
the EPA, DOD, and NIH to examine the role of nuclear hormone receptors 
in development and disease. His teaching responsibilities at UCI 
include undergraduate and graduate courses in genomics and the 
regulation of gene expression. Dr. Blumberg is the director of the UCI 
Cancer Center Program in the Developmental Biology of Cancer and the 
Program Leader for Functional Genomics in the UCI Institute for 
Genomics and Bioinformatics.
    2. Nominee. Bucher, John, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Environmental

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Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health 
Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC.
    i. Expertise. Toxicology, chronic rodent bioassays.
    ii. Education. B.A., Biology, Knox College; M.S., Biochemistry, 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Ph.D., Pharmacology, 
University of Iowa.
    iii. Professional Experience. Dr. John Bucher is Deputy Director of 
the Environmental Toxicology Program and Chief of the Toxicology 
Operations Branch, Environmental Toxicology Program, National Institute 
of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of 
Health. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of 
Iowa in 1981 and was then an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department 
of Biochemistry and Center for Environmental Toxicology at Michigan 
State University. In 1983, he joined the NIEHS as a staff toxicologist 
working with the National Toxicology Program (NTP). Dr. Bucher's 
research interests include characterization of the toxic and 
carcinogenic potential of a wide variety of substances of interest to 
the NTP. He has expertise in issues relating to the design and 
interpretation of chronic rodent bioassays, including technical and 
policy matters. Other research interests include examination of 
strategies to characterize the toxicity and carcinogenicity of 
chemicals using non-traditional methods, such as genetically modified 
mice, and the development of noninvasive techniques, such as assessment 
of expired breath volatiles, in chemical toxicity studies. Recently he 
initiated studies to examine the novel toxicities of manufactured 
nanomaterials. At the NIEHS, Dr. Bucher has administrative oversight 
for the NTP Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Testing Programs, the NTP 
Report on Carcinogens, and NIEHS activities associated with the 
Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Validation of Alternative 
Methods. Dr. Bucher has served in an advisory capacity to the FDA, EPA, 
NIOSH, WHO (IPCS and IARC) among others.
    3. Nominee. Cory-Slechta, Deborah, Ph.D., Director, Environmental 
and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, A joint institute of the 
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and 
Dentistry of New Jersey and Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
    i. Expertise. Neurotoxicology, behavioral toxicology.
    ii. Education. B.S. (magna cum laude), Psychology, Western Michigan 
University; M.A. (with honors), Experimental Psychology, Western 
Michigan University; Ph.D., Experimental Psychology, University of 
Minnesota.
    iii. Professional Experience. Dr. Deborah Cory-Slechta is the 
Director of The Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences 
Institute (EOHSI) as well as the Chair of the Department of 
Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood 
Johnson Medical School. She received her Ph.D. degree from the 
University of Minnesota in 1977 and worked as a junior staff fellow at 
the National Center for Toxicological Research before moving to the 
University of Rochester in 1979. She subsequently served as Chair of 
the Department of Environmental Medicine and Director of the NIEHS 
Environmental Health Sciences Center and Dean for Research and Director 
of the Aab Institute for Biomedical Sciences at the University of 
Rochester. Dr. Cory-Slechta has served on numerous national research 
review and advisory panels, including committees of the National 
Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health 
Sciences, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Center for 
Toxicological Research, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the Agency 
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention. In addition, Dr. Cory-Slechta has served on the 
editorial boards of the journals Neurotoxicology, Toxicology, 
Toxicological Sciences, Fundamental and Applied Toxicology, 
Neurotoxicology and Teratology, and American Journal of Mental 
Retardation. She has held the elected positions of President of the 
Neurotoxicology Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology, 
President of the Behavioral Toxicology Society, and been named a Fellow 
of the American Psychological Association. Her research has focused 
largely on the relationships between neurotransmitter systems and 
behavior, and how such relationships are altered by exposures to 
environmental toxicants, particularly the role of environmental 
neurotoxicants in developmental disabilities and neurodegenerative 
diseases. These research efforts have resulted in over 100 papers and 
book chapters to date.
    4. Nominee. Klaunig, James, Ph.D., Director, Division of 
Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana 
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
    i. Expertise. Toxicology, carcinogenesis, mode of action.
    ii. Education. B.S., Biology, Ursinus College; M.A., Biology, 
Montclair State University; Ph.D., Experimental Pathology/Toxicology, 
University of Maryland School of Medicine.
    iii. Professional Experience. Dr. James E. Klaunig is Professor and 
Director of Toxicology in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology 
at Indiana University School of Medicine. He also serves as the Program 
Director of the Molecular Carcinogenesis Program for the Indiana 
University Cancer center. He received his B.S. degree from Ursinus 
College in Collegeville Pa., an M.A. from Montclair State University, 
Montclair, NJ, and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 
Baltimore, MD. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences 
and serves on its Board of Directors. He has received numerous awards 
including the Otis R. Bowen, Distinguished Leadership Award, Indiana 
University School of Medicine, the Indiana University Trustee Teaching 
Excellence Award, the Kenneth P. DuBois Award from the Midwest Society 
of Toxicology (SOT) and the Sagamore of the Wabash from the Governor of 
Indiana for service to the State. He recently stepped down as Associate 
Editor of Toxicological Sciences and is currently the Editor in Chief 
of Toxicologic Pathology. He has served as a Member of the NIH/NIEHS 
National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors and is 
currently a Member of the USEPA SAB. He also has served as President of 
the Carcinogenesis Specialty Section, President of the Ohio Valley SOT, 
Member and Chair of the SOT Education Committee, and Member of the 
Finance and Program Committees of the SOT. He was recently the 
Treasurer as well as a member of the Executive Council of the SOT. He 
also served the State of Indiana as the Director of Toxicology and the 
State Toxicologist from 1991 to 2003 as well as service on the Indiana 
Pesticide Review Board, the Governor's Council on Impaired and 
dangerous driving and on the Indiana Controlled Substances Advisory 
Board. He has trained over 50 graduate students and postdoctoral 
fellows and has published over 170 peer reviewed manuscripts. His 
research interests are dedicated to understanding the mechanisms of 
chemically induced carcinogenesis, specifically the mode of action of 
nongenotoxic carcinogens, role of oxidative stress in carcinogenesis 
and cell injury, and understanding of the multistage nature of the 
cancer process.
    5. Nominee. Maglia, Anne, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of 
Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, MO.
    i. Expertise. Developmental biology, bioinformatics, animal 
ecology.

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    ii. Education. B.S., Zoology, Ohio University; M.S., Biological 
Science, East Tennessee State University; Ph.D., Ecology and 
Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas.
    iii. Professional Experience. Dr. Anne Maglia is an assistant 
professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and an investigator 
in the Environmental Research Center for Emerging Contaminants at the 
University of Missouri-Rolla. She received her Ph.D. in Biological 
Sciences from the University of Kansas in 2000, and subsequently 
completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Bioinformatics at the University 
of Kansas. Dr. Maglia has an active research program in amphibian 
developmental biology, including studies on the effects of 
environmental contaminants on frog developmental processes and 
population viability. In addition, she and a colleague have developed 
an online database of interactive 3D visualizations of animal anatomy 
that is being used to compare normal and malformed anatomies. Her 
teaching responsibilities at the University of Missouri-Rolla include 
graduate and undergraduate courses in developmental biology, 
comparative anatomy, and bioinformatics. Dr. Maglia has served on the 
Board of Directors of the MidSouth Computational Biology and 
Bioinformatics Society and is the director of a regional amphibian 
population monitoring program in conjunction with the Missouri 
Department of Conservation.
    6. Nominee. Relyea, Rick, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of 
Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
    i. Expertise. Aquatic ecology, ecotoxicology.
    ii. Education. B.S., Environmental and Forest Biology, State 
University of New York; M.S., Wildlife Science, Texas Tech University; 
Ph.D., Biology, University of Michigan.
    iii. Professional Experience. Dr. Rick Relyea is an Assistant 
Professor at the University of Pittsburgh where he teaches 
undergraduate and graduate courses in ecology. He received his Ph.D. 
from the University of Michigan in 1998 and subsequently performed 
post-doctoral work at the University of Missouri-Columbia where he 
conducted research in aquatic toxicology. During his six years at the 
University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Relyea has emerged as a world leader in 
the study of aquatic ecology and ecotoxicology. He has an active 
research program funded through the National Science Foundation, 
spanning the range from controlled, laboratory experiments to natural 
wetlands. His areas of research include: (1) Long-term research on the 
biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems, (2) the impacts of stress on animal 
performance, and (3) the effects of pesticides on aquatic organisms and 
communities. From 2001-2005, he published 30 articles in top-tier 
scientific journals and his research has received coverage in the 
popular press, including American Scientist and Science. Based on his 
highly productive research program and empirical discoveries, Dr. 
Relyea was named the Chancellor's Distinguished Researcher at the 
University of Pittsburgh in 2005.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: May 23, 2005.
Clifford J. Gabriel,
Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy.
[FR Doc. 05-10763 Filed 5-31-05; 8:45 am]
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