Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations for Science Advisory Board Panels on Uncertainty Analysis and Expert Elicitation, 35463-35465 [E7-12538]
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www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the OEI Docket in the EPA Headquarters
Docket Center.
Dated: June 22, 2007.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director,National Center for Environmental
Assessment.
[FR Doc. E7–12569 Filed 6–27–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
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[FRL–8332–7]
Science Advisory Board Staff Office;
Request for Nominations for Science
Advisory Board Panels on Uncertainty
Analysis and Expert Elicitation
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces the
formation of SAB Panels to address
issues related to uncertainty analysis
and expert elicitation and is soliciting
nominations for members of the Panels.
DATES: Nominations should be
submitted by July 19, 2007 per the
instructions below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Members of the public who wish to
obtain further information regarding this
announcement may contact Dr. Angela
Nugent, Designated Federal Officer, via
telephone at: (202) 343–9981 or e-mail
at: nugent.angela@epa.gov. The SAB
mailing address is: U.S. EPA Science
Advisory Board (1400F), U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,
DC 20460. General information about
the SAB as well as any updates
concerning this request for nominations
may be found on the SAB Web site at:
https://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There has
been a recent increase in interest in the
use of uncertainty analysis and expert
elicitation as tools to be used in
regulatory analyses and in support of
EPA decision-making. At the request of
EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation and
Office of the Science Advisor, the SAB
plans to form several expert panels, as
needed, to provide technical advice to
EPA through the chartered SAB
regarding the Agency’s ongoing work in
uncertainty analyses and expert
elicitation. The SAB is a chartered
Federal Advisory Committee,
established by 42 U.S.C. 4365, to
provide independent scientific and
technical advice, consultation, and
recommendations to the EPA
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35463
Administrator on the technical bases for
EPA policies and actions. The SAB
expert panels to be formed to address
scientific issues related to uncertainty
analysis and expert elicitation will
comply with the provisions of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA) and all appropriate SAB
procedural policies.
Several specific reports have called
for increased attention to quantitative
uncertainty analysis and expert
elicitation. In 2002, the National
Research Council (NRC) published a
Report to Congress, titled ‘‘Estimating
the Health-Risk-Reduction Benefits of
Proposed Air Pollution Regulations.’’
One of the recommendations of the NRC
was that ‘‘EPA should begin to move the
assessment of uncertainties from its
ancillary analyses into the primary
analysis by conducting probabilistic,
multiple-source uncertainty analyses.
This shift will require specification of
probability distributions for major
sources of uncertainty. These
distributions should be based on
available data and expert judgment.’’
More recently, the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
suggested using expert elicitation as a
tool in addressing Circular A–4
requirements (OMB, 2004) for
probabilistic uncertainty analysis and
also discussed its use in a Proposed Risk
Assessment Bulletin (OMB, 2006).
Provisions for expert elicitation were
also included in EPA’s recently revised
cancer guidelines (2005). EPA’s
experience conducting expert
elicitations has been limited, with the
majority of experience in the Office of
Air and Radiation.
The SAB Staff Office has received
requests for advice from the SAB on
four new advisory activities related to
implementation of methods related to
uncertainty analysis and expert
elicitation. These four activities are
summarized below.
EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation has
requested SAB review of a draft
document, ‘‘Hierarchy of Methods
Report,’’ that catalogues quantitative
and qualitative methods available for
characterizing uncertainty in risk
assessments and regulatory impact
analyses. The document provides
guidance for selecting methods, given
the type of uncertainty being addressed,
the quantity and type of available
evidence or data, and the ability to
gather additional data. The document
summarizes data requirements
associated with different methods,
resource needs, experience and
acceptability, and other considerations
on their use to support regulatory
decisions. The Office of Air and
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 124 / Thursday, June 28, 2007 / Notices
Radiation requests SAB review of the
characterization of methods described
in the report, including the
applicability, limitations and resource
needs and the soundness of the
approaches outlined on how to select
specific approaches to characterizing
uncertainty for risk assessments and
regulatory impact analyses.
The Office of Air and Radiation has
requested SAB advice on a draft
‘‘Influence Analysis Report,’’ designed
to help improve EPA analyses by
identifying the sources of greatest
impact on overall uncertainty. The
Office of Air and Radiation requests
advice on the methodological approach
for developing the ‘‘Influence Analysis
Report’’ to ensure that the office follows
best practices for conducting influence
analyses and adequately covers the
issues contributing to uncertainty in
analyses related to the benefits of air
pollution-related environmental
protection.
EPA’s Office of the Science Advisor
has requested SAB review of an ‘‘Expert
Elicitation (EE) Task Force White
Paper.’’ The White Paper discusses the
potential utility of using expert
elicitation to support EPA regulatory
and non-regulatory analyses and
decision-making, provides
recommendations for expert elicitation
‘‘good practices,’’ and describes steps
for a broader application across EPA.
The Office of the Science Advisor has
asked the SAB to provide advice
regarding the potential usefulness of
expert elicitation, how to strengthen the
scientific basis for its use, and the
implications for possible
implementation at EPA.
EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation has
requested SAB review of an expert
elicitation conducted to estimate the
benefits of reduced premature
mortalities associated with exposures to
fine particles in the air. This expert
elicitation was conducted in support of
regulatory analyses for an upcoming
proposed rulemaking (the Regulatory
Impact Analysis of the Particulate
Matter National Ambient Air Quality
Standards). The Office of Air and
Radiation has asked the SAB to review
the design, implementation, and results
of the expert elicitation and EPA’s
interpretation of those results within the
particulate matter Regulatory Impact
Analysis. The Agency seeks SAB advice
on whether the interpretation and
application of the results of the
elicitation in the Regulatory Impact
Analysis are consistent with the
recommendations from the NRC and
whether the results are presented in a
valid, clear, and concise manner for use
by a wide variety of audiences,
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18:23 Jun 27, 2007
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including scientists, policy analysts,
decision-makers, and the public.
Availability of the Review Materials:
The EPA draft documents to be
reviewed by the SAB Panel will be
made available by the Office of Air and
Radiation and Office of the Science
Advisor. For questions and information
concerning the review materials of the
documents being developed by the
Office of Air and Radiation, please
contact Dr. Lisa Connor, at (919) 541–
5060, or connor.lisa@epa.gov. For
questions and information concerning
the review materials of the documents
being developed by the Office of the
Science Advisor, please contact Dr.
Robert Hetes, at (919) 541–1589, or
hetes.robert@epa.gov.
Request for Nominations: The SAB
Staff Office is requesting nominations
for nationally and internationally
recognized non-EPA scientists with
expertise and experience related to
uncertainty analysis or expert elicitation
in the following fields: Statistics,
mathematics, biostatistics, cognitive
psychology, decision analysis,
environmental economics, human
health sciences, ecological science,
epidemiology, policy analysis, risk
assessment, and risk communication.
Process and Deadline for Submitting
Nominations: Any interested person or
organization may nominate qualified
individuals to add expertise to the SAB
Uncertainty and Expert Elicitation
Expert Panels in the areas of expertise
described above. Nominations should be
submitted in electronic format through
the SAB Web site at the following URL:
https://www.epa.gov/sab; or directly via
the Form for Nominating Individuals to
Panels of the EPA Science Advisory
Board link found at URL: https://
www.epa.gov/sab/panels/
paneltopics.html. Please follow the
instructions for submitting nominations
carefully. To be considered,
nominations should include all of the
information required on the associated
forms. Anyone unable to submit
nominations using the electronic form
and who has any questions concerning
the nomination process may contact Dr.
Angela Nugent, DFO, as indicated above
in this notice. Nominations should be
submitted in time to arrive no later than
July 19, 2007.
For nominees to be considered, please
include: Contact information; a
curriculum vitae; a biosketch of no more
than two paragraphs (containing
information on the nominee’s current
position, educational background, areas
of expertise and research activities,
service on other advisory committees
and professional societies; the
candidate’s special expertise related to
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the panel being formed; and sources of
recent grant and/or contract support).
The EPA SAB Staff Office will
acknowledge receipt of nominations.
The names and biosketches of qualified
nominees identified by respondents to
the Federal Register notice and
additional experts identified by the SAB
Staff will be posted on the SAB Web site
at: https://www.epa.gov/sab. Public
comments on this ‘‘Short List’’ of
candidates will be accepted for 21
calendar days. The public will be
requested to provide relevant
information or other documentation on
nominees that the SAB Staff Office
should consider in evaluating
candidates.
For the EPA SAB Staff Office, a
balanced subcommittee or review panel
includes candidates who possess the
necessary domains of knowledge, the
relevant scientific perspectives (which,
among other factors, can be influenced
by work history and affiliation), and the
collective breadth of experience to
adequately address the charge. To
establish individual expert panels for
the advisory activities described above,
the SAB Staff Office will consider
public comments on the ‘‘Short List’’ of
candidates, information provided by the
candidates themselves, and background
information independently gathered by
the SAB Staff Office. Specific criteria to
be used for Panel membership include:
(a) Scientific and/or technical expertise,
knowledge, and experience (primary
factors); (b) availability and willingness
to serve; (c) absence of financial
conflicts of interest; (d) absence of an
appearance of a lack of impartiality; and
(e) skills working in committees,
subcommittees and advisory panels;
and, for the Panel as a whole, (f)
diversity of, and balance among,
scientific expertise, viewpoints, etc.
The SAB Staff Office’s evaluation of
an absence of financial conflicts of
interest will include a review of the
‘‘Confidential Financial Disclosure
Form for Special Government
Employees Serving on Federal Advisory
Committees at the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’’ (EPA Form 311048). This confidential form allows
Government officials to determine
whether there is a statutory conflict
between that person’s public
responsibilities (which includes
membership on an EPA Federal
advisory committee) and private
interests and activities, or the
appearance of a lack of impartiality, as
defined by Federal regulation. The form
may be viewed and downloaded from
the following URL address: https://
www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/epaform3110–
48.pdf.
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 124 / Thursday, June 28, 2007 / Notices
The approved policy under which the
EPA SAB Office selects subcommittees
and review panels is described in the
following document: Overview of the
Panel Formation Process at the
Environmental Protection Agency
Science Advisory Board (EPA–SAB–EC–
02–010), which is posted on the SAB
Web site at: https://www.epa.gov/sab/
pdf/ec02010.pdf.
Dated: June 22, 2007.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board
Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E7–12538 Filed 6–27–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–8332–8]
Science Advisory Board Staff Office;
Notification of Public Meetings of the
Science Advisory Board Hypoxia
Advisory Panel
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The EPA’s Science Advisory
Board (SAB) Staff Office is announcing
two public teleconferences of the SAB
Hypoxia Advisory Panel to discuss
revisions to its draft advisory report
concerning the hypoxic zone in the Gulf
of Mexico.
DATES: The teleconferences will be held
on July 30, 2007 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
(Eastern time) and August 1, 2007 from
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern time).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any
member of the public wishing further
information regarding the public
meeting may contact Dr. Holly
Stallworth, Designated Federal Officer
(DFO), U.S. EPA Science Advisory
Board Staff Office by telephone/voice
mail at (202) 343–9867, or via e-mail at:
stallworth.holly@epa.gov. The SAB
mailing address is: US EPA, Science
Advisory Board (1400F), 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460. General
information about the SAB, as well as
any updates concerning the meetings
announced in this notice, may be found
in the SAB Web Site at: https://
www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Pursuant to the Federal
Advisory Committee Act, Public Law
92–463, notice is hereby given that the
SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel will hold
public meetings to develop a report that
details advances in the state of the
science regarding hypoxia in the
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Northern Gulf of Mexico. The SAB was
established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide
independent scientific and technical
advice to the EPA Administrator on the
technical basis for Agency positions and
regulations. The SAB is a Federal
Advisory Committee chartered under
the Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C., App. The
SAB will comply with the provisions of
FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff
Office procedural policies.
EPA participates with other Federal
agencies, states and tribes in the
Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico
Watershed Nutrient Task Force. In 2001,
the Task Force released the Action Plan
for Reducing, Mitigating and Controlling
Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
(or Action Plan available at: https://
www.epa.gov/msbasin/taskforce/
actionplan.htm). The Action Plan was
informed by the science described in
2000 in An Integrated Assessment of
Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
(or Integrated Assessment available at:
https://www.noaa.gov/products/
hypox_finalfront.pdf) developed by the
National Science and Technology
Council, Committee on Environment
and Natural Resources. Six technical
reports provided the scientific
foundation for the Integrated
Assessment and are available at:
https://www.nos.noaa.gov/products/
pub_hypox.html. Given the passage of 6
years, EPA’s Office of Water has
requested that the SAB develop a report
that evaluates the updated science
regarding the causes and extent of
hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, as well
as the scientific basis of possible
management options in the Mississippi
River Basin.
In response to EPA’s request, the SAB
Staff Office formed the SAB Hypoxia
Advisory Panel. Background on the
Panel formation process was provided
in a Federal Register notice published
on February 17, 2006 (71 FR 8578–
8580). The SAB Hypoxia Advisory
Panel has previously held several faceto-face meetings (71 FR 45543–45544,
71 FR 66329–66330, 72 FR 5968–5969
and 72 FR 17158–17159) and
teleconferences (71 FR 55786–55787, 71
FR 59107, 71 FR 77743–77744 and 72
FR 11359–11360). Information about the
SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel is
available on the SAB Web site at:
https://www.epa.gov/sab.
Availability of Meeting Materials:
Materials in support of these meetings
will be placed on the SAB Web Site at:
https://www.epa.gov/sab/ in advance of
the meeting.
Procedures for Providing Public Input:
Interested members of the public may
submit relevant written or oral
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35465
information for the SAB to consider
during the advisory process. Oral
Statements: In general, individuals or
groups requesting an oral presentation
at a public teleconference will be
limited to five minutes per speaker,
with no more than a total of one hour
for all speakers. Interested parties
should contact Dr. Stallworth, DFO, at
the contact information noted above, no
later than July 23, 2007, to be placed on
the public speaker list for the July 30 or
August 1 meetings. Written Statements:
Written statements should be received
in the SAB Staff Office no later than July
23, 2007 so that the information may be
made available to the SAB for their
consideration prior to this meeting.
Written statements should be supplied
to the DFO in the following formats: one
hard copy with original signature, and
one electronic copy via e-mail at:
stallworth.holly@epa.gov (acceptable
file format: Adobe Acrobat PDF,
WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint,
or Rich Text files in IBM–PC/Windows
98/2000/XP format).
Meeting Access: For information on
access or services for individuals with
disabilities, please contact Dr.
Stallworth at (202) 343–9867 or
stallworth.holly@epa.gov. To request
accommodation of a disability, please
contact Dr. Stallworth, preferably at
least 10 days prior to the teleconference
to give EPA as much time as possible to
process your request.
Dated: June 22, 2007.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board
Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E7–12568 Filed 6–27–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[Docket # EPA–RO4–SFUND–2007–0489;
FRL–8332–5]
Anaconda/Milgo; Miami, Dade County,
FL; Notice of Amended Settlement
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Amended Settlement.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In the Federal Register notice
dated April 9, 2007 (72 FR 17551), EPA
posted a Notice of Settlement under
Section 122(h) of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation
and Liability Act (CERCLA), concerning
the Anaconda/Milgo Superfund Site
located in Miami, Dade County, Florida.
In the body of the settlement one of the
settling PRPs, Dade Metals Corporation,
was mistakenly not listed as one of the
E:\FR\FM\28JNN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 124 (Thursday, June 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35463-35465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12538]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8332-7]
Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations for
Science Advisory Board Panels on Uncertainty Analysis and Expert
Elicitation
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces
the formation of SAB Panels to address issues related to uncertainty
analysis and expert elicitation and is soliciting nominations for
members of the Panels.
DATES: Nominations should be submitted by July 19, 2007 per the
instructions below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to
obtain further information regarding this announcement may contact Dr.
Angela Nugent, Designated Federal Officer, via telephone at: (202) 343-
9981 or e-mail at: nugent.angela@epa.gov. The SAB mailing address is:
U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. General
information about the SAB as well as any updates concerning this
request for nominations may be found on the SAB Web site at: https://
www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There has been a recent increase in interest
in the use of uncertainty analysis and expert elicitation as tools to
be used in regulatory analyses and in support of EPA decision-making.
At the request of EPA's Office of Air and Radiation and Office of the
Science Advisor, the SAB plans to form several expert panels, as
needed, to provide technical advice to EPA through the chartered SAB
regarding the Agency's ongoing work in uncertainty analyses and expert
elicitation. The SAB is a chartered Federal Advisory Committee,
established by 42 U.S.C. 4365, to provide independent scientific and
technical advice, consultation, and recommendations to the EPA
Administrator on the technical bases for EPA policies and actions. The
SAB expert panels to be formed to address scientific issues related to
uncertainty analysis and expert elicitation will comply with the
provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and all
appropriate SAB procedural policies.
Several specific reports have called for increased attention to
quantitative uncertainty analysis and expert elicitation. In 2002, the
National Research Council (NRC) published a Report to Congress, titled
``Estimating the Health-Risk-Reduction Benefits of Proposed Air
Pollution Regulations.'' One of the recommendations of the NRC was that
``EPA should begin to move the assessment of uncertainties from its
ancillary analyses into the primary analysis by conducting
probabilistic, multiple-source uncertainty analyses. This shift will
require specification of probability distributions for major sources of
uncertainty. These distributions should be based on available data and
expert judgment.'' More recently, the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) suggested using expert elicitation as a tool in addressing
Circular A-4 requirements (OMB, 2004) for probabilistic uncertainty
analysis and also discussed its use in a Proposed Risk Assessment
Bulletin (OMB, 2006). Provisions for expert elicitation were also
included in EPA's recently revised cancer guidelines (2005). EPA's
experience conducting expert elicitations has been limited, with the
majority of experience in the Office of Air and Radiation.
The SAB Staff Office has received requests for advice from the SAB
on four new advisory activities related to implementation of methods
related to uncertainty analysis and expert elicitation. These four
activities are summarized below.
EPA's Office of Air and Radiation has requested SAB review of a
draft document, ``Hierarchy of Methods Report,'' that catalogues
quantitative and qualitative methods available for characterizing
uncertainty in risk assessments and regulatory impact analyses. The
document provides guidance for selecting methods, given the type of
uncertainty being addressed, the quantity and type of available
evidence or data, and the ability to gather additional data. The
document summarizes data requirements associated with different
methods, resource needs, experience and acceptability, and other
considerations on their use to support regulatory decisions. The Office
of Air and
[[Page 35464]]
Radiation requests SAB review of the characterization of methods
described in the report, including the applicability, limitations and
resource needs and the soundness of the approaches outlined on how to
select specific approaches to characterizing uncertainty for risk
assessments and regulatory impact analyses.
The Office of Air and Radiation has requested SAB advice on a draft
``Influence Analysis Report,'' designed to help improve EPA analyses by
identifying the sources of greatest impact on overall uncertainty. The
Office of Air and Radiation requests advice on the methodological
approach for developing the ``Influence Analysis Report'' to ensure
that the office follows best practices for conducting influence
analyses and adequately covers the issues contributing to uncertainty
in analyses related to the benefits of air pollution-related
environmental protection.
EPA's Office of the Science Advisor has requested SAB review of an
``Expert Elicitation (EE) Task Force White Paper.'' The White Paper
discusses the potential utility of using expert elicitation to support
EPA regulatory and non-regulatory analyses and decision-making,
provides recommendations for expert elicitation ``good practices,'' and
describes steps for a broader application across EPA. The Office of the
Science Advisor has asked the SAB to provide advice regarding the
potential usefulness of expert elicitation, how to strengthen the
scientific basis for its use, and the implications for possible
implementation at EPA.
EPA's Office of Air and Radiation has requested SAB review of an
expert elicitation conducted to estimate the benefits of reduced
premature mortalities associated with exposures to fine particles in
the air. This expert elicitation was conducted in support of regulatory
analyses for an upcoming proposed rulemaking (the Regulatory Impact
Analysis of the Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality
Standards). The Office of Air and Radiation has asked the SAB to review
the design, implementation, and results of the expert elicitation and
EPA's interpretation of those results within the particulate matter
Regulatory Impact Analysis. The Agency seeks SAB advice on whether the
interpretation and application of the results of the elicitation in the
Regulatory Impact Analysis are consistent with the recommendations from
the NRC and whether the results are presented in a valid, clear, and
concise manner for use by a wide variety of audiences, including
scientists, policy analysts, decision-makers, and the public.
Availability of the Review Materials: The EPA draft documents to be
reviewed by the SAB Panel will be made available by the Office of Air
and Radiation and Office of the Science Advisor. For questions and
information concerning the review materials of the documents being
developed by the Office of Air and Radiation, please contact Dr. Lisa
Connor, at (919) 541-5060, or connor.lisa@epa.gov. For questions and
information concerning the review materials of the documents being
developed by the Office of the Science Advisor, please contact Dr.
Robert Hetes, at (919) 541-1589, or hetes.robert@epa.gov.
Request for Nominations: The SAB Staff Office is requesting
nominations for nationally and internationally recognized non-EPA
scientists with expertise and experience related to uncertainty
analysis or expert elicitation in the following fields: Statistics,
mathematics, biostatistics, cognitive psychology, decision analysis,
environmental economics, human health sciences, ecological science,
epidemiology, policy analysis, risk assessment, and risk communication.
Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested
person or organization may nominate qualified individuals to add
expertise to the SAB Uncertainty and Expert Elicitation Expert Panels
in the areas of expertise described above. Nominations should be
submitted in electronic format through the SAB Web site at the
following URL: https://www.epa.gov/sab; or directly via the Form for
Nominating Individuals to Panels of the EPA Science Advisory Board link
found at URL: https://www.epa.gov/sab/panels/paneltopics.html. Please
follow the instructions for submitting nominations carefully. To be
considered, nominations should include all of the information required
on the associated forms. Anyone unable to submit nominations using the
electronic form and who has any questions concerning the nomination
process may contact Dr. Angela Nugent, DFO, as indicated above in this
notice. Nominations should be submitted in time to arrive no later than
July 19, 2007.
For nominees to be considered, please include: Contact information;
a curriculum vitae; a biosketch of no more than two paragraphs
(containing information on the nominee's current position, educational
background, areas of expertise and research activities, service on
other advisory committees and professional societies; the candidate's
special expertise related to the panel being formed; and sources of
recent grant and/or contract support).
The EPA SAB Staff Office will acknowledge receipt of nominations.
The names and biosketches of qualified nominees identified by
respondents to the Federal Register notice and additional experts
identified by the SAB Staff will be posted on the SAB Web site at:
https://www.epa.gov/sab. Public comments on this ``Short List'' of
candidates will be accepted for 21 calendar days. The public will be
requested to provide relevant information or other documentation on
nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in evaluating
candidates.
For the EPA SAB Staff Office, a balanced subcommittee or review
panel includes candidates who possess the necessary domains of
knowledge, the relevant scientific perspectives (which, among other
factors, can be influenced by work history and affiliation), and the
collective breadth of experience to adequately address the charge. To
establish individual expert panels for the advisory activities
described above, the SAB Staff Office will consider public comments on
the ``Short List'' of candidates, information provided by the
candidates themselves, and background information independently
gathered by the SAB Staff Office. Specific criteria to be used for
Panel membership include: (a) Scientific and/or technical expertise,
knowledge, and experience (primary factors); (b) availability and
willingness to serve; (c) absence of financial conflicts of interest;
(d) absence of an appearance of a lack of impartiality; and (e) skills
working in committees, subcommittees and advisory panels; and, for the
Panel as a whole, (f) diversity of, and balance among, scientific
expertise, viewpoints, etc.
The SAB Staff Office's evaluation of an absence of financial
conflicts of interest will include a review of the ``Confidential
Financial Disclosure Form for Special Government Employees Serving on
Federal Advisory Committees at the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency'' (EPA Form 3110-48). This confidential form allows Government
officials to determine whether there is a statutory conflict between
that person's public responsibilities (which includes membership on an
EPA Federal advisory committee) and private interests and activities,
or the appearance of a lack of impartiality, as defined by Federal
regulation. The form may be viewed and downloaded from the following
URL address: https://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/epaform3110-48.pdf.
[[Page 35465]]
The approved policy under which the EPA SAB Office selects
subcommittees and review panels is described in the following document:
Overview of the Panel Formation Process at the Environmental Protection
Agency Science Advisory Board (EPA-SAB-EC-02-010), which is posted on
the SAB Web site at: https://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec02010.pdf.
Dated: June 22, 2007.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E7-12538 Filed 6-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
