Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Upcoming Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Particulate Matter Research Centers Program Advisory Panel, 40576-40577 [E8-16118]

Download as PDF mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES 40576 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 136 / Tuesday, July 15, 2008 / Notices EPA identified the CBM sector as a candidate for a detailed study in the final 2006 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan (71 FR 76656; December 21, 2006) and also identified that it would develop an industry questionnaire to support this detailed study and would seek OMB approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). EPA is conducting this review to determine if it would be appropriate to conduct a rulemaking to revise the effluent guidelines for the Oil and Gas Extraction Point Source Category (40 CFR part 435) to control pollutants discharged in CBM produced water. EPA again announced it will conduct an ICR in the preliminary 2008 Plan (72 FR 61343; October 30, 2007) and sought comments on this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d) (73 FR 4556; January 25, 2008). For each industrial sector, EPA’s planning process considers four factors: pollutants discharged, current and potential pollution prevention and control technology options, growth and economic affordability, and implementation and efficiency considerations of revising existing effluent guidelines or publishing new effluent guidelines. EPA will use this ICR to collect technical and economic information from a wide range of CBM operations to address these factors. EPA plans to collect information on geographical and geologic differences in the characteristics of CBM produced waters, environmental data, current regulatory controls, and availability and affordability of treatment technology options. See final 2006 Plan (71 FR 76666). Response to the questionnaire will be mandatory for recipients. EPA will administer the questionnaire using its authority under Section 308 of the CWA, 33 U.S.C. 1318. EPA received 35 public comments from industry, landowners, public interest groups, water treatment experts, and Federal agencies in response to its notice on January 25, 2008 (73 FR 4556). Industry commenters noted that CBM well circumstances (e.g., produced water quantity and quality, available and applicable produced waste management and control technologies, etc.) are diverse and complex geographically and geologically, and that the initial questionnaire did not address this complexity and variation. These commenters also expressed concerns about the survey burden and about how the Agency would use the data. Several industry comments also indicated that there is a general lack of availability and documentation of common technologies that can be used for CBM produced water. Finally, VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:01 Jul 14, 2008 Jkt 214001 industry representatives asserted that EPA does not need detailed financial data and technical information requested in the draft questionnaire to determine whether regulations should be developed. Federal agencies requested that EPA develop different groupings for survey respondents to ensure that the survey adequately captures the heterogeneity of different CBM produced waters and industry practices. They also suggested additional questions to the survey to better inform EPA’s decision-making (e.g., specifically collect data to assess the amount of open water in acres that could attract migratory aquatic birds). Public interest groups indicated that produced water discharges from CBM production have had both quality and quantity impacts on surface water. They also requested that EPA include questions in the survey to assess the costs to communities of not limiting these discharges. EPA has a summary of the ICR modifications and comment responses in the supporting statement to address these comments (see DCN 05763). Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 hours for the screener survey response and approximately 80 hours for the detailed survey response. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements which have subsequently changed; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information. Respondents/Affected Entities: Companies operating wells that produce coalbed methane. Estimated Number of Respondents: 484. Frequency of Response: Once For Screener Survey, Once for Respondents Selected for Detailed Survey. Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 40,017. Estimated Total Annual Cost: $2,140,796, includes $28,415 annualized capital and O&M costs. PO 00000 Frm 00098 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 40,017 hours in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is due to the fact that this is a new ICR which identifies this industry for a detailed study for EPA’s effluent guidelines planning program. Dated: July 9, 2008. Sara Hisel-McCoy, Director, Collection Strategies Division. [FR Doc. E8–16117 Filed 7–14–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL–8692–3] Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Upcoming Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Particulate Matter Research Centers Program Advisory Panel Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the SAB Particulate Matter (PM) Research Centers Program Advisory Panel to comment on the Agency’s current PM research centers program and provide advice to EPA concerning future structures and strategic direction for the program. DATES: The meeting dates are Wednesday, October 1, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through Thursday, October 2, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Eastern Time). ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the SAB Conference Center located at: 1025 F Street, NW., Room 3705, Washington, DC 20004. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to obtain further information about this meeting must contact Mr. Fred Butterfield, Designated Federal Officer (DFO). Mr. Butterfield may be contacted at the EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; or via telephone/voice mail: 202–343–9994; fax 202–233–0643; or e-mail at butterfield.fred@epa.gov. General information about the EPA SAB, as well as any updates concerning the meeting announced in this notice, may be found on the SAB Web site at https:// www.epa.gov/sab. E:\FR\FM\15JYN1.SGM 15JYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 136 / Tuesday, July 15, 2008 / Notices The SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent scientific and technical advice to the 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. This SAB Panel will comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies. Background: In 1998, the Congress directed EPA to establish as many as five university-based PM research centers as part of the Agency’s expanded Office of Research and Development (ORD) PM research program. The first PM Research Centers were funded from 1999 to 2005 with a total program budget of $8 million annually (see: https://es.epa.gov/ncer/ science/pm/centers.html). In the original Request for Applications (RFA), prospective centers were asked to propose an integrated research program on the health effects of PM, including exposure, dosimetry, toxicology and epidemiology. ORD’s PM Research Centers program was initially shaped by recommendations from the National Research Council. In 2002, ORD requested that the Science Advisory Board conduct an interim review of EPA’s PM Research Centers program, the report from which is found at https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/ sabproduct.nsf/6374FD2B32EFE730852 570CA007415FE/$File/ec02008.pdf. This review was instrumental in providing additional guidance to ORD for the second phase of the program (2005–2010). In 2004, ORD held a second competition for the PM Research Centers program. This RFA asked respondents to address the central theme of ‘‘linking health effects to PM sources and components,’’ and to focus on the research priorities of susceptibility, biological mechanisms, exposure-response relationships, and source linkages. From this RFA, five current centers are funded for 2005– 2010 with the total program budget at $40 million (see: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/ outlinks.centers/centerGroup/19). EPA’s National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), within ORD, requested that the SAB Staff Office form an expert panel to comment on the Agency’s current PM Research Centers program and to advise EPA concerning the possible structures and strategic direction for the program as ORD considers funding a third round of air pollution research centers into the future, i.e., from 2010 to 2015. Therefore, in response to this request mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:01 Jul 14, 2008 Jkt 214001 from NCER, the SAB Staff Office published a notice in the Federal Register (73 FR 5838) on January 31, 2008, which announced the formation of an SAB ad hoc panel for this advisory activity and requested public nominations of qualified experts to serve on this panel. The SAB Staff Office has established the SAB PM Research Centers Program Advisory Panel. This ad hoc Panel is comprised of nationally- and internationally-recognized, non-EPA scientists with extensive research program management expertise and experience related to airborne pollution (including PM) and the application of research results in reducing air pollution in protection of human health and the environment. Furthermore, these experts have had direct research experience related to airborne particulate matter. The roster and biosketches of this SAB Panel are posted on the SAB Web site at https:// www.epa.gov/sab. Technical Contacts: Any programmatic or technical questions concerning EPA’s Airborne Particulate Matter Research Centers Program can be directed to Ms. Stacey Katz, NCER, at phone: 202–343–9855, or e-mail: katz.stacey@epa.gov; Ms. Gail Robarge, NCER, at phone: 202–343–9857, or e-mail: robarge.gail@epa.gov; or to Mr. Dan Costa, ORD’s National Program Director for Air Research, at phone: 919–541–2532, or e-mail: costa.dan@epa.gov. Availability of Meeting Materials: All Agency documents to be discussed during this advisory activity will be available on EPA’s ‘‘Airborne Particulate Matter Research Centers— New (2005)’’ Web page at: https://cfpub. epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/ fuseaction/outlinks.centers/ centerGroup/19. The SAB meeting agenda and any other materials for this upcoming public advisory meeting will be available on the EPA Web site at https:// www.epa.gov/casac in advance of the meeting. Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the public may submit relevant written or oral information for the SAB Panel to consider on the topics included in this advisory activity and/or group conducting the activity. Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an oral presentation at a public meeting will be limited to five minutes per speaker, with no more than a total of one hour for all speakers. Interested parties should contact Mr. Butterfield, DFO, in writing (preferably via e-mail) at the contact information PO 00000 Frm 00099 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 40577 noted above, by September 24, 2008, to be placed on a list of public speakers for the meeting. Written Statements: Written statements should be received in the SAB Staff Office by September 24, 2008, so that the information may be made available to the SAB Panel members for their consideration. Written statements should be supplied to the DFO electronically via e-mail (acceptable file formats: Adobe PDF, MS Word, WordPerfect, MS PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/ 2000/XP format). Accessibility: For information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, please contact Mr. Butterfield at the phone number or e-mail address noted above, preferably at least ten days prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request. Dated: July 8, 2008. Anthony F. Maciorowski, Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office. [FR Doc. E8–16118 Filed 7–14–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL–8692–4] New York State Prohibition of Marine Discharges of Vessel Sewage; Receipt of Petition and Tentative Affirmative Determination Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a petition has been received from the State of New York requesting a determination by the Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that adequate facilities for the safe and sanitary removal and treatment of sewage from all vessels are reasonably available for Hempstead Harbor, Nassau County, New York. The waters of the proposed No Discharge Zone fall within the jurisdictions of the Town of North Hempstead, the Town of Oyster Bay, the County of Nassau, the City of Glen Cove and the Villages of Sea Cliff, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn, Flower Point and Sands Point. These entities, through the New York Department of State and the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee prepared the application for the designation of a Vessel Waste No Discharge Zone, which was submitted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). E:\FR\FM\15JYN1.SGM 15JYN1

Agencies

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 136 (Tuesday, July 15, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40576-40577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-16118]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8692-3]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Upcoming 
Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Particulate Matter Research 
Centers Program Advisory Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science 
Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the SAB 
Particulate Matter (PM) Research Centers Program Advisory Panel to 
comment on the Agency's current PM research centers program and provide 
advice to EPA concerning future structures and strategic direction for 
the program.

DATES: The meeting dates are Wednesday, October 1, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. 
to 5:30 p.m. through Thursday, October 2, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 
p.m. (Eastern Time).

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the SAB Conference Center 
located at: 1025 F Street, NW., Room 3705, Washington, DC 20004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to 
obtain further information about this meeting must contact Mr. Fred 
Butterfield, Designated Federal Officer (DFO). Mr. Butterfield may be 
contacted at the EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
or via telephone/voice mail: 202-343-9994; fax 202-233-0643; or e-mail 
at butterfield.fred@epa.gov. General information about the EPA SAB, as 
well as any updates concerning the meeting announced in this notice, 
may be found on the SAB Web site at https://www.epa.gov/sab.

[[Page 40577]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to 
provide independent scientific and technical advice to the 
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. 
This SAB Panel will comply with the provisions of FACA and all 
appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies.
    Background: In 1998, the Congress directed EPA to establish as many 
as five university-based PM research centers as part of the Agency's 
expanded Office of Research and Development (ORD) PM research program. 
The first PM Research Centers were funded from 1999 to 2005 with a 
total program budget of $8 million annually (see: https://es.epa.gov/
ncer/science/pm/centers.html). In the original Request for Applications 
(RFA), prospective centers were asked to propose an integrated research 
program on the health effects of PM, including exposure, dosimetry, 
toxicology and epidemiology. ORD's PM Research Centers program was 
initially shaped by recommendations from the National Research Council.
    In 2002, ORD requested that the Science Advisory Board conduct an 
interim review of EPA's PM Research Centers program, the report from 
which is found at https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/
6374FD2B32EFE730852570CA007415FE/$File/ec02008.pdf. This review was 
instrumental in providing additional guidance to ORD for the second 
phase of the program (2005-2010). In 2004, ORD held a second 
competition for the PM Research Centers program. This RFA asked 
respondents to address the central theme of ``linking health effects to 
PM sources and components,'' and to focus on the research priorities of 
susceptibility, biological mechanisms, exposure-response relationships, 
and source linkages. From this RFA, five current centers are funded for 
2005-2010 with the total program budget at $40 million (see: https://
cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/outlinks.centers/
centerGroup/19).
    EPA's National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), within 
ORD, requested that the SAB Staff Office form an expert panel to 
comment on the Agency's current PM Research Centers program and to 
advise EPA concerning the possible structures and strategic direction 
for the program as ORD considers funding a third round of air pollution 
research centers into the future, i.e., from 2010 to 2015. Therefore, 
in response to this request from NCER, the SAB Staff Office published a 
notice in the Federal Register (73 FR 5838) on January 31, 2008, which 
announced the formation of an SAB ad hoc panel for this advisory 
activity and requested public nominations of qualified experts to serve 
on this panel.
    The SAB Staff Office has established the SAB PM Research Centers 
Program Advisory Panel. This ad hoc Panel is comprised of nationally- 
and internationally-recognized, non-EPA scientists with extensive 
research program management expertise and experience related to 
airborne pollution (including PM) and the application of research 
results in reducing air pollution in protection of human health and the 
environment. Furthermore, these experts have had direct research 
experience related to airborne particulate matter. The roster and 
biosketches of this SAB Panel are posted on the SAB Web site at https://
www.epa.gov/sab.
    Technical Contacts: Any programmatic or technical questions 
concerning EPA's Airborne Particulate Matter Research Centers Program 
can be directed to Ms. Stacey Katz, NCER, at phone: 202-343-9855, or e-
mail: katz.stacey@epa.gov; Ms. Gail Robarge, NCER, at phone: 202-343-
9857, or e-mail: robarge.gail@epa.gov; or to Mr. Dan Costa, ORD's 
National Program Director for Air Research, at phone: 919-541-2532, or 
e-mail: costa.dan@epa.gov.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: All Agency documents to be 
discussed during this advisory activity will be available on EPA's 
``Airborne Particulate Matter Research Centers--New (2005)'' Web page 
at: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/
outlinks.centers/centerGroup/19.
    The SAB meeting agenda and any other materials for this upcoming 
public advisory meeting will be available on the EPA Web site at http:/
/www.epa.gov/casac in advance of the meeting.
    Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the 
public may submit relevant written or oral information for the SAB 
Panel to consider on the topics included in this advisory activity and/
or group conducting the activity. Oral Statements: In general, 
individuals or groups requesting an oral presentation at a public 
meeting will be limited to five minutes per speaker, with no more than 
a total of one hour for all speakers. Interested parties should contact 
Mr. Butterfield, DFO, in writing (preferably via e-mail) at the contact 
information noted above, by September 24, 2008, to be placed on a list 
of public speakers for the meeting. Written Statements: Written 
statements should be received in the SAB Staff Office by September 24, 
2008, so that the information may be made available to the SAB Panel 
members for their consideration. Written statements should be supplied 
to the DFO electronically via e-mail (acceptable file formats: Adobe 
PDF, MS Word, WordPerfect, MS PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/
Windows 98/2000/XP format).
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Mr. Butterfield at the 
phone number or e-mail address noted above, preferably at least ten 
days prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time as possible to 
process your request.

    Dated: July 8, 2008.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E8-16118 Filed 7-14-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

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