Request for Nominations to the EPA Human Studies Review Board, 29164-29166 [E7-10066]
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29164
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 100 / Thursday, May 24, 2007 / Notices
Are There Changes in the Estimates
From the Last Approval?
There is a decrease of 621 hours in the
total estimated respondent burden
compared with that identified in the ICR
currently approved by OMB. EPA’s
original estimate included many ‘‘onetime’’ costs (e.g., time spent gaining
familiarity with the applicable rules)
that are not expected to be recurring.
The burden estimate for the next three
years does not include these ‘‘one-time’’
costs, and therefore the burden estimate
has decreased.
What Is the Next Step in the Process for
This ICR?
EPA will consider the comments
received and amend the ICR as
appropriate. The final ICR package will
then be submitted to OMB for review
and approval pursuant to 5 CFR
1320.12. At that time, EPA will issue
another Federal Register notice
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to
announce the submission of the ICR to
OMB and the opportunity to submit
additional comments to OMB. If you
have any questions about this ICR or the
approval process, please contact the
technical person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Dated: May 17, 2007.
Richard Albright,
Director, Office of Air, Waste and Toxics.
[FR Doc. E7–10065 Filed 5–23–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–ORD–2007–0430; FRL–8318–2]
Request for Nominations to the EPA
Human Studies Review Board
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA or Agency)
Office of the Science Advisor (OSA) is
soliciting nominations of qualified
individuals in the area of human health
risk assessment to serve on the Human
Studies Review Board (HSRB). The
HSRB is a Federal advisory committee,
operating in accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA) 5 U.S.C. App. 2 Section 9,
providing advice, information, and
recommendations to EPA on issues
related to scientific and ethical aspects
of human subjects research.
DATES: Nominations should be
submitted to EPA no later than June 25,
2007.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:52 May 23, 2007
Jkt 211001
Submit your nominations
(‘‘comments’’), identified by Docket ID
No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2007–0430, by one
of the following methods:
Internet: https://www.regulations.gov:
Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
E-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
Mail: ORD Docket, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mailcode: 28221T,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center
(EPA/DC), Room 3304, EPA West
Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention
Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2007–
0430. Deliveries are only accepted from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, excluding legal holidays.
Special arrangements should be made
for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your nominations
to Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2007–
0430. EPA’s policy is that all
nominations received will be included
in the public docket without change and
may be made available online at
https://www.regulations.gov, including
any personal information provided,
unless the nomination includes
information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit
information that you consider to be CBI
or otherwise protected through https://
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The
https://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
nomination. If you send an e-mail
nomination directly to EPA, without
going through https://
www.regulations.gov, your e-mail
address will be automatically captured
and included as part of the nomination
that is placed in the public docket and
made available on the Internet. If you
submit a nomination electronically, EPA
recommends that you include your
name and other contact information in
the body of your nomination and with
any disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA
cannot read your nomination due to
technical difficulties and cannot contact
you for clarification, EPA may not be
able to consider it. Electronic files
should avoid the use of special
characters, any form of encryption, and
be free of any defects or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket
are listed in the https://
www.regulations.gov index. Although
listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other
information whose disclosure is
ADDRESSES:
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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 https://
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the ORD Docket, EPA/DC, Room 3334,
EPA West, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC. The Public Reading
Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding
legal holidays. The telephone number
for the Public Reading Room is (202)
566–1744, and the telephone number for
the ORD Docket is (202) 566–1752.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul
I. Lewis, Office of the Science Advisor,
Mail Code 8105R, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460;
telephone number: (202) 564–8381, fax
number: (202) 564–2070, e-mail:
lewis.paul@epa.gov.
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 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 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 the person
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 https://
www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
C. What Should I Consider as I Prepare
My Nomination for EPA?
You may find the following
suggestions helpful for preparing your
nomination:
1. Providing as much supporting
information as possible about the
nominee, including contact information.
2. Make sure to submit your
nomination by the deadline in this
document.
E:\FR\FM\24MYN1.SGM
24MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 100 / Thursday, May 24, 2007 / Notices
3. 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 2, 2005, the President
signed into law the Department of
Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006,
Pub. L. 109–54 (Appropriations Act),
which provided appropriated funds for
the Environmental Protection Agency
and other Federal departments and
agencies. The Appropriations Act,
among other points, addressed
intentional dosing human toxicity
studies for pesticides and directed the
Agency to establish an independent
Human Subjects Review Board to
review such studies. On February 6,
2006 the Agency published a final rule
for protections for subjects in human
research (71 FR 6138) that called for
creating a new, independent Human
Studies Review Board and described its
responsibilities in the following
language:
The Human Studies Review Board shall
comment on the scientific and ethical aspects
of research proposals and reports of
completed research with human subjects
submitted by EPA for its review and on
request, advise EPA on ways to strengthen its
programs for protection of human subjects of
research. 40 CFR 26.1603(b)
A charter for the Human Studies
Review Board dated February 21, 2006
was issued in accordance with the
provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 2
Section 9(c) stating that the HSRB will:
Provide advice, information and
recommendations on issues related to
scientific and ethical aspects of human
subjects research. The major objectives are to
provide advice and recommendations on: (a)
Research proposals and protocols; (b) reports
of completed research with human subjects;
and (c) how to strengthen EPA’s programs for
protection of human subjects.
rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
This notice requests nominations of
candidates to serve as a member of the
HSRB in the area of Human Health Risk
Assessment. General information
concerning the HSRB can be found on
the EPA Web site at https://
www.epa.gov/osa/hsrb/.
Process and Deadline for Submitting
Nominations
Any interested person or organization
may nominate individuals to be
considered as prospective candidates for
the HSRB. Additional avenues and
resources may be utilized in the
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:52 May 23, 2007
Jkt 211001
solicitation of nominees to encourage a
broad pool of expertise. Nominees
should be experts who have sufficient
professional qualifications, including
training and experience, to be capable of
providing expert comments on the
ethical and/or scientific issues that may
be considered by the HSRB. EPA is
seeking nominees who are nationally
recognized experts in human health risk
assessment, specifically expertise in
epidemiology, exposure analysis, public
health and/or human subject research
regulations. All nominations should
include: (1) A current curriculum vitae
(C.V.) which provides the nominee’s
educational background, qualifications,
leadership positions in national
associations or professional
publications, relevant research
experience and publications; and (2) a
summary of the above in a biographical
sketch (‘‘biosketch’’) of no more than
one page.
The qualifications of nominees
received in reply to this notice will be
assessed in terms of the specific
expertise sought for the HSRB. Qualified
nominees who agree to be considered
further will be included in a smaller
subset (known as the ‘‘Short List’’). This
Short List consisting of nominee’s name
and biosketch will be posted for public
comment on the OSA Web site https://
www.epa.gov/osa/index.htm. The public
will be requested to provide relevant
information or other documentation on
nominees that OSA should consider in
evaluating the candidates. Public
comments will be accepted for 14
calendar days on the Short List. Board
members will be selected from the Short
List. Short List candidates not selected
for HSRB membership may be
considered for future HSRB membership
as vacancies become available or as
HSRB consultants for future HSRB
meetings. The Agency estimates posting
the names of Short List candidates
sometime in late July. However, please
be advised that this is an approximate
time frame and the date could change.
Thus, if you have any questions
concerning posting of Short List
candidates on the OSA Web site, please
consult the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
For the HSRB, a balanced panel is
characterized by inclusion of members
who possess the necessary domains of
knowledge, the relevant technical
perspectives, and the collective breadth
of experience to adequately address the
Agency’s charge. Interested candidates
who are employees of a federal
department or agency (other than EPA)
or are members of another federal
advisory committee are eligible to serve
on the HSRB, and their nominations are
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29165
welcome. Other factors that will be
considered include: Availability to
participate in the Board’s scheduled
meetings, absence of any conflicts of
interest and absence of an appearance of
a lack of impartiality, independence
with respect to the matters under
review, and public comments in
response to the Short List. Though
financial conflicts of interest or the
appearance of a lack of impartiality, lack
of independence, or bias may lead to
nonselection, the absence of such
concerns does not ensure that a
candidate will be selected to serve on
the HSRB. Numerous qualified
candidates are likely to be identified.
Selection decisions will involve careful
weighing of a number of factors
including, but not limited to, the
candidates’ areas of expertise and
professional qualifications, and
responses to the Short List in achieving
an overall balance of different
perspectives on the Board.
People who are hired to serve on the
Board are subject to the provisions of 5
CFR part 2634, Executive Branch
Financial Disclosure, as supplemented
by the EPA in 5 CFR part 6401. In
anticipation of this requirement, each
nominee will be asked to submit a
Confidential Financial Disclosure Form
for Special Government Employees
Serving on Federal Advisory
Committees at the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA Form 3110–48
[5–02]). This form seeks information
regarding the candidate’s financial
interests, the candidate’s employment,
stocks, and bonds, and where
applicable, sources of research support.
However, this form is confidential and
will not be disclosed to the public. The
EPA will evaluate the candidate’s
financial disclosure form to assess
whether there are financial conflicts of
interest, appearance of a lack of
impartiality, or any prior involvement
with the development of the documents
under consideration, including previous
scientific peer review, before the
candidate is considered further for
service on the HSRB.
Candidates selected from the Short
List will be appointed to the HSRB.
HSRB members are to perform several
activities including reviewing extensive
background materials between meetings
of the Board, preparing draft responses
to Agency charge questions, attending
Board meetings, participating in the
discussion and deliberations at these
meetings, drafting assigned sections of
meeting reports, and reviewing and
helping to finalize Board reports.
Nominations should be submitted by
one of the methods listed under
ADDRESSES.
E:\FR\FM\24MYN1.SGM
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29166
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 100 / Thursday, May 24, 2007 / Notices
The Agency will consider all
nominations for HSRB membership that
are received on or before June 25, 2007.
However, final selection of members is
a discretionary function of the Agency
and will be announced on the OSA Web
site https://www.epa.gov/osa/index.htm
soon after comments are received on the
Short List.
Dated: May 18, 2007.
George M. Gray,
Science Advisor.
[FR Doc. E7–10066 Filed 5–23–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
Change in Bank Control Notices,
Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank
Holding Companies; Correction
This notice corrects a notice (FR Doc.
E7–9649) published on page 28490 of
the issue for Monday, May 21, 2007.
Under the Federal Reserve Bank of
Chicago heading, the entry for Audrey
G. Savage, Monticello, Iowa, is revised
to read as follows:
A. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
(Burl Thornton, Assistant Vice
President) 230 South LaSalle Street,
Chicago, Illinois 60690–1414:
1. Audrey G. Savage, Monticello,
Iowa, indivudually and as trustee of the
Audrey G. Savage Revocable Inter Vivos
Trust; to acquire control of Family
Merchants Bancorporation, Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, and thereby indirectly
acquire control of Family Merchants
Bank, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Comments on this application must
be received by June 4, 2007.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, May 21, 2007.
Jennifer J. Johnson,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. E7–10068 Filed 5–23–07; 8:45 am]
owned by the bank holding company,
including the companies listed below.
The applications listed below, as well
as other related filings required by the
Board, are available for immediate
inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank
indicated. The application also will be
available for inspection at the offices of
the Board of Governors. Interested
persons may express their views in
writing on the standards enumerated in
the BHC Act (12 U.S.C. 1842(c)). If the
proposal also involves the acquisition of
a nonbanking company, the review also
includes whether the acquisition of the
nonbanking company complies with the
standards in section 4 of the BHC Act
(12 U.S.C. 1843). Unless otherwise
noted, nonbanking activities will be
conducted throughout the United States.
Additional information on all bank
holding companies may be obtained
from the National Information Center
website at www.ffiec.gov/nic/.
Unless otherwise noted, comments
regarding each of these applications
must be received at the Reserve Bank
indicated or the offices of the Board of
Governors not later than June 18, 2007.
A. Federal Reserve Bank of
Minneapolis (Jacqueline G. King,
Community Affairs Officer) 90
Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis,
Minnesota 55480-0291:
1. Sauk Centre Financial Services
Inc., and First National Bank of Sauk
Centre Retirement Savings & Employee
Stock Ownership Plan and Trust, both
of Sauk Centre, Minnesota; to acquire
100 percent of the voting shares of Lake
Country State Bank, Long Prairie,
Minnesota.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, May 21, 2007.
Jennifer J. Johnson,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. E7–10069 Filed 5–23–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210–01–S
BILLING CODE 6210–01–S
training of federal program and project
managers.
The purpose of this certification
program is to establish the
competencies, training, and experience
requirements for program and project
managers in civilian agencies. The
FAC–P/PM focuses on essential
competencies needed for program and
project managers; the program does not
include functional or technical
competencies, such as those for
information technology, or agencyspecific competencies. The certification
requirements will be accepted by, at
minimum, all civilian agencies as
evidence that an employee meets the
core competencies, training and
experience requirements.
The FAC–P/PM is a new program
announced by the Office of Federal
Procurement Policy (OFPP) on April 25,
2007. At this vendor meeting, FAI will
present its approach for partnering with
vendors on this initiative.
DATES: The meeting will be held June
13, 2007, from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
OPM’s Auditorium located at 1900 E
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20415.
Register by email at
marialhernandez@sra.com, or call
(703) 284–6988.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Training
developers, vendors with CommercialOff-The- Shelf (COTS) training
products, vendors with capabilities
related to the full Instructional System
Design (ISD) methodologies,
professional associations, educational
institutions and acquisition training
experts.
FOR FUTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT: Ms. Maria Hernandez, by
phone at 703–284–6988 or by e-mail at
marialhernandez@sra.com
Dated: May 17, 2007.
Otis Langford,
Program Manager, FAI.
[FR Doc. E7–10083 Filed 5–23–07; 8:45 am]
Formations of, Acquisitions by, and
Mergers of Bank Holding Companies
rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
BILLING CODE 6820–61–S
FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
Federal Acquisition Institute Vendor
Meeting
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
The companies listed in this notice
have applied to the Board for approval,
pursuant to the Bank Holding Company
Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.)
(BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR Part
225), and all other applicable statutes
and regulations to become a bank
holding company and/or to acquire the
assets or the ownership of, control of, or
the power to vote shares of a bank or
bank holding company and all of the
banks and nonbanking companies
AGENCY:
Office of the Chief Acquisition
Officer, GSA.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
Office of the Secretary
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:52 May 23, 2007
Jkt 211001
SUMMARY: The Federal Acquisition
Institute (FAI) will hold a vendor
meeting to provide information on the
recently announced Federal Acquisition
Certification in Program/Project
Management (FAC–P/PM) to include
program details, target timeline, and
opportunities for vendors to support the
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[Document Identifier: OS–0990–0275; 30–
Day Notice]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
Office of the Secretary, HHS.
In compliance with the requirement
of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\24MYN1.SGM
24MYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 100 (Thursday, May 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29164-29166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10066]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-0430; FRL-8318-2]
Request for Nominations to the EPA Human Studies Review Board
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency)
Office of the Science Advisor (OSA) is soliciting nominations of
qualified individuals in the area of human health risk assessment to
serve on the Human Studies Review Board (HSRB). The HSRB is a Federal
advisory committee, operating in accordance with the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA) 5 U.S.C. App. 2 Section 9, providing advice,
information, and recommendations to EPA on issues related to scientific
and ethical aspects of human subjects research.
DATES: Nominations should be submitted to EPA no later than June 25,
2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your nominations (``comments''), identified by Docket
ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-0430, by one of the following methods:
Internet: https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
Mail: ORD Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode:
28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Room 3304, EPA West
Building, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460,
Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-0430. Deliveries are only
accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding
legal holidays. Special arrangements should be made for deliveries of
boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your nominations to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2007-0430. EPA's policy is that all nominations received will be
included in the public docket without change and may be made available
online at https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal
information provided, unless the nomination includes information
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit
information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through
https://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The https://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 nomination. If you send an e-mail nomination directly to
EPA, without going through https://www.regulations.gov, your e-mail
address will be automatically captured and included as part of the
nomination that is placed in the public docket and made available on
the Internet. If you submit a nomination electronically, EPA recommends
that you include your name and other contact information in the body of
your nomination and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot
read your nomination due to technical difficulties and cannot contact
you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider it. Electronic
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the https://
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 https://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the ORD Docket, EPA/
DC, Room 3334, EPA West, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC.
The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the
Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the
ORD Docket is (202) 566-1752.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul I. Lewis, Office of the Science
Advisor, Mail Code 8105R, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202)
564-8381, fax number: (202) 564-2070, e-mail: lewis.paul@epa.gov.
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 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 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 the person 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 https://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
C. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Nomination for EPA?
You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your
nomination:
1. Providing as much supporting information as possible about the
nominee, including contact information.
2. Make sure to submit your nomination by the deadline in this
document.
[[Page 29165]]
3. 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 2, 2005, the President signed into law the Department of
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006,
Pub. L. 109-54 (Appropriations Act), which provided appropriated funds
for the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal departments
and agencies. The Appropriations Act, among other points, addressed
intentional dosing human toxicity studies for pesticides and directed
the Agency to establish an independent Human Subjects Review Board to
review such studies. On February 6, 2006 the Agency published a final
rule for protections for subjects in human research (71 FR 6138) that
called for creating a new, independent Human Studies Review Board and
described its responsibilities in the following language:
The Human Studies Review Board shall comment on the scientific
and ethical aspects of research proposals and reports of completed
research with human subjects submitted by EPA for its review and on
request, advise EPA on ways to strengthen its programs for
protection of human subjects of research. 40 CFR 26.1603(b)
A charter for the Human Studies Review Board dated February 21,
2006 was issued in accordance with the provisions of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 2 Section 9(c) stating
that the HSRB will:
Provide advice, information and recommendations on issues related to
scientific and ethical aspects of human subjects research. The major
objectives are to provide advice and recommendations on: (a)
Research proposals and protocols; (b) reports of completed research
with human subjects; and (c) how to strengthen EPA's programs for
protection of human subjects.
This notice requests nominations of candidates to serve as a member
of the HSRB in the area of Human Health Risk Assessment. General
information concerning the HSRB can be found on the EPA Web site at
https://www.epa.gov/osa/hsrb/.
Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations
Any interested person or organization may nominate individuals to
be considered as prospective candidates for the HSRB. Additional
avenues and resources may be utilized in the solicitation of nominees
to encourage a broad pool of expertise. Nominees should be experts who
have sufficient professional qualifications, including training and
experience, to be capable of providing expert comments on the ethical
and/or scientific issues that may be considered by the HSRB. EPA is
seeking nominees who are nationally recognized experts in human health
risk assessment, specifically expertise in epidemiology, exposure
analysis, public health and/or human subject research regulations. All
nominations should include: (1) A current curriculum vitae (C.V.) which
provides the nominee's educational background, qualifications,
leadership positions in national associations or professional
publications, relevant research experience and publications; and (2) a
summary of the above in a biographical sketch (``biosketch'') of no
more than one page.
The qualifications of nominees received in reply to this notice
will be assessed in terms of the specific expertise sought for the
HSRB. Qualified nominees who agree to be considered further will be
included in a smaller subset (known as the ``Short List''). This Short
List consisting of nominee's name and biosketch will be posted for
public comment on the OSA Web site https://www.epa.gov/osa/index.htm.
The public will be requested to provide relevant information or other
documentation on nominees that OSA should consider in evaluating the
candidates. Public comments will be accepted for 14 calendar days on
the Short List. Board members will be selected from the Short List.
Short List candidates not selected for HSRB membership may be
considered for future HSRB membership as vacancies become available or
as HSRB consultants for future HSRB meetings. The Agency estimates
posting the names of Short List candidates sometime in late July.
However, please be advised that this is an approximate time frame and
the date could change. Thus, if you have any questions concerning
posting of Short List candidates on the OSA Web site, please consult
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
For the HSRB, a balanced panel is characterized by inclusion of
members who possess the necessary domains of knowledge, the relevant
technical perspectives, and the collective breadth of experience to
adequately address the Agency's charge. Interested candidates who are
employees of a federal department or agency (other than EPA) or are
members of another federal advisory committee are eligible to serve on
the HSRB, and their nominations are welcome. Other factors that will be
considered include: Availability to participate in the Board's
scheduled meetings, absence of any conflicts of interest and absence of
an appearance of a lack of impartiality, independence with respect to
the matters under review, and public comments in response to the Short
List. Though financial conflicts of interest or the appearance of a
lack of impartiality, lack of independence, or bias may lead to
nonselection, the absence of such concerns does not ensure that a
candidate will be selected to serve on the HSRB. Numerous qualified
candidates are likely to be identified. Selection decisions will
involve careful weighing of a number of factors including, but not
limited to, the candidates' areas of expertise and professional
qualifications, and responses to the Short List in achieving an overall
balance of different perspectives on the Board.
People who are hired to serve on the Board are subject to the
provisions of 5 CFR part 2634, Executive Branch Financial Disclosure,
as supplemented by the EPA in 5 CFR part 6401. In anticipation of this
requirement, each nominee will be asked to submit a Confidential
Financial Disclosure Form for Special Government Employees Serving on
Federal Advisory Committees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA Form 3110-48 [5-02]). This form seeks information regarding the
candidate's financial interests, the candidate's employment, stocks,
and bonds, and where applicable, sources of research support. However,
this form is confidential and will not be disclosed to the public. The
EPA will evaluate the candidate's financial disclosure form to assess
whether there are financial conflicts of interest, appearance of a lack
of impartiality, or any prior involvement with the development of the
documents under consideration, including previous scientific peer
review, before the candidate is considered further for service on the
HSRB.
Candidates selected from the Short List will be appointed to the
HSRB. HSRB members are to perform several activities including
reviewing extensive background materials between meetings of the Board,
preparing draft responses to Agency charge questions, attending Board
meetings, participating in the discussion and deliberations at these
meetings, drafting assigned sections of meeting reports, and reviewing
and helping to finalize Board reports.
Nominations should be submitted by one of the methods listed under
ADDRESSES.
[[Page 29166]]
The Agency will consider all nominations for HSRB membership that
are received on or before June 25, 2007. However, final selection of
members is a discretionary function of the Agency and will be announced
on the OSA Web site https://www.epa.gov/osa/index.htm soon after
comments are received on the Short List.
Dated: May 18, 2007.
George M. Gray,
Science Advisor.
[FR Doc. E7-10066 Filed 5-23-07; 8:45 am]
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