EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office: Request for Nominations of Candidates for a Panel To Provide Advice on EPA's Dioxin Reassessment, 61114-61115 [E8-24417]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 200 / Wednesday, October 15, 2008 / Notices
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
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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:
Businesses and other for-profit.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
33.
Frequency of Response: On occasion.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:
3,005.
Estimated Total Annual Cost:
$180,288, which includes $176,791 for
annualized labor costs and $3,497 for
annualized capital or O&M costs.
Changes in the Estimates: There is no
change in the total estimated burden
hours currently identified in the OMB
Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens.
Dated: October 9, 2008.
Sara Hisel-McCoy,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E8–24598 Filed 10–14–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–8728–7]
EPA Science Advisory Board Staff
Office: Request for Nominations of
Candidates for a Panel To Provide
Advice on EPA’s Dioxin Reassessment
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA or Agency)
Science Advisory Board (SAB or the
Board) Staff Office is soliciting
nominations of nationally recognized
scientists for consideration of
membership on an SAB Panel to
provide advice on EPA’s reassessment
of the health risks from dioxin and
related compounds.
DATES: Nominations should be
submitted by November 5, 2008 per the
instructions below.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:32 Oct 14, 2008
Jkt 217001
For
information regarding this Request for
Nominations please contact Dr. Thomas
Armitage, Designated Federal Officer
(DFO), EPA Science Advisory Board
Staff, at armitage.thomas@epa.gov or
(202) 343–9995. General information
concerning the SAB can be found on the
SAB Web site at https://www.epa.gov/
sab. Any inquiry regarding EPA’s dioxin
reassessment activity should be directed
to Dr. Peter W. Preuss, Director, EPA
National Center for Environmental
Assessment at preuss.peter@epa.gov or
(703) 347–8600. In addition, updated
communication materials have been
developed that provide further
information on dioxin and EPA’s dioxin
reassessment activity. These materials
are available on EPA’s Web site at
https://www.epa.gov/ncea under
Headlines and also at https://
www.cfsan.fda.gov/lrd/dioxinqa.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The SAB (42 U.S.C.
4365) is a chartered Federal Advisory
Committee that provides independent
scientific and technical peer review,
advice, consultation, and
recommendations to the EPA
Administrator on the technical basis for
EPA actions. As a Federal Advisory
Committee, the SAB conducts business
in accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5
U.S.C. App. C) and related regulations.
Generally, SAB meetings are announced
in the Federal Register, conducted in
public view, and provide opportunities
for public input during deliberations.
Additional information about the SAB
and its committees can be obtained on
the SAB Web site at: https://
www.epa.gov/sab.
In 1991, EPA announced that it would
conduct a scientific reassessment of the
potential health risks of exposure to
dioxin and related compounds. The
SAB provided independent peer review
and advice on EPA’s dioxin
reassessment. The SAB first reviewed
the draft dioxin reassessment in 1995
and the document was revised to
address SAB comments. In 2000, the
SAB reviewed the integrated summary,
risk characterization, and other
information on toxic equivalency of
dioxin-like compounds. Reports of the
findings and recommendations of these
SAB reviews are available on the SAB
Web site at https://www.epa.gov/sab (see
reports EPA–SAB–EC–95–021 and EPA–
SAB–EC–01–006).
In 2003, EPA produced an external
review draft of the multi-year
comprehensive reassessment of dioxin
exposure and human health effects
(https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
PO 00000
Frm 00098
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
recordisplay.cfm?deid=87843). This
dioxin reassessment document, titled
Exposure and Human Health
Reassessment of 2,3,7,8Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCDD)
and Related Compounds, consisted of
three parts: (1) A scientific review of
information relating to sources and
exposures to TCDD and other dioxins in
the environment; (2) detailed reviews of
scientific information on the health
effects of TCDD, other dioxins, and
dioxin-like compounds; and (3) an
integrated summary and risk
characterization for TCDD and related
compounds.
In 2004, EPA asked the National
Research Council of the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review
the 2003 dioxin reassessment document.
The NAS was charged with reviewing
‘‘EPA’s modeling assumptions
(including those associated with doseresponse curve and points-of-departure
dose ranges and associated likelihood
estimates identified for human health
outcomes); EPA’s quantitative
uncertainty analysis; and EPA’s
selection of studies as a basis for its
assessments and gaps in scientific
knowledge.’’ The NAS was also charged
with addressing two points of
controversy: (1) The scientific evidence
for classifying dioxin as a human
carcinogen, and (2) the validity of the
nonthreshold low-dose linear doseresponse model and the cancer slope
factor calculated through the use of this
model. In addition, EPA asked the NAS
to comment on the usefulness of toxic
equivalency factors (TEFs) and
uncertainties associated with their use
in risk assessment, as well as the
uncertainty associated with EPA’s
approach to analysis of food sampling
and human dietary intake data, taking
into consideration the Institute of
Medicine’s report Dioxin and Dioxinlike Compounds in the Food Supply:
Strategies to Decrease Exposure. In
2006, the NAS published its review
titled Health Risks from Dioxin and
Related Compounds: Evaluation of the
EPA Reassessment. The NAS identified
three areas that required substantial
improvement to support a scientifically
robust risk characterization. These three
areas were: (1) Justification of
approaches to dose-response modeling
for cancer and non-cancer endpoints, (2)
transparency and clarity in selection of
key data sets for analysis, and (3)
transparency, thoroughness, and clarity
in quantitative uncertainty analysis. The
NAS provided EPA with
recommendations to address their key
concerns. The full NAS report,
including recommendations, is available
E:\FR\FM\15OCN1.SGM
15OCN1
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 200 / Wednesday, October 15, 2008 / Notices
at https://books.nap.edu/
catalog.php?record_id=11688.
EPA is now beginning to prepare a
response to the NAS review of the
dioxin reassessment. The Agency has
requested that the SAB form an expert
panel to provide independent advice
regarding the draft technical plan, the
revised draft, and the final draft of the
EPA response to the recommendations
of the NAS.
Expertise Sought: The SAB Staff
Office requests nominations of
recognized experts with specific
experience and knowledge of dioxin in
one or more of the following areas: (a)
Epidemiology; (b) toxicology (with
expertise in cancer, reproductive
toxicology, developmental toxicology,
immunotoxicology, dosimetry,
toxicokinetics, mechanisms of action, or
mixtures); (c) endocrinology; (d) lipid
metabolism; (e) cardiovascular
mechanisms of pathology; (f) risk
assessment (with expertise in statistics,
quantitative uncertainty analysis, or
dose-response modeling); and (g)
exposure assessment (with expertise in
bioavailability, weathering, or effects of
partitioning in environmental media).
How to Submit Nominations: Any
interested person or organization may
nominate qualified individuals to be
considered for appointment on this SAB
Panel. Candidates may also nominate
themselves. Nominations should be
submitted in electronic format (which is
preferred over hard copy) following the
instructions for ‘‘Nominating Experts to
Advisory Panels and Ad Hoc
Committees Being Formed’’ provided on
the SAB Web site. The form can be
accessed through the ‘‘Nomination of
Experts’’ link on the blue navigational
bar on the SAB Web site at https://
www.epa.gov/sab. To receive full
consideration, nominations should
include all of the information requested.
EPA’s SAB Staff Office requests
contact information about: The person
making the nomination; contact
information about the nominee; the
disciplinary and specific areas of
expertise of the nominee; the nominee’s
curriculum vita; sources of recent grant
and/or contract support; and a
biographical sketch of the nominee
indicating current position, educational
background, research activities, and
recent service on other national
advisory committees or national
professional organizations.
Persons having questions about the
nomination procedures, or who are
unable to submit nominations through
the SAB Web site, should contact Dr.
Thomas Armitage, DFO, at the contact
information provided above in this
notice. Non-electronic submissions
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:32 Oct 14, 2008
Jkt 217001
must follow the same format and
contain the same information as the
electronic.
The SAB Staff Office will
acknowledge receipt of the nomination
and inform nominees of the panel for
which they have been nominated. From
the nominees identified by respondents
to this Federal Register notice (termed
the ‘‘Widecast’’) and other sources, the
SAB Staff Office will develop a smaller
subset (known as the ‘‘Short List’’) for
more detailed consideration. The Short
List will be posted on the SAB Web site
at https://www.epa.gov/sab and will
include, for each candidate, the
nominee’s name and biosketch. Public
comments on the Short List will be
accepted for 21 calendar days. During
this comment period, the public will be
requested to provide information,
analysis, or other documentation on
nominees that the SAB Staff Office
should consider in evaluating
candidates for the Panel.
For the SAB, a balanced panel is
characterized by inclusion of 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. Public
responses to the Short List candidates
will be considered in the selection of
the panel, along with information
provided by candidates and information
gathered by SAB Staff independently
concerning the background of each
candidate (e.g., financial disclosure
information and computer searches to
evaluate a nominee’s prior involvement
with the topic under review). Specific
criteria to be used in evaluation of an
individual Panel member include: (a)
Scientific and/or technical expertise,
knowledge, and experience (primary
factors); (b) absence of financial
conflicts of interest; (c) scientific
credibility and impartiality; (d)
availability and willingness to serve;
and (e) ability to work constructively
and effectively in committees.
Prospective candidates will be
required to fill out 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 include
membership on an EPA Federal
advisory committee) and private
interests and activities, or the
appearance of a lack of impartiality, as
PO 00000
Frm 00099
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
61115
defined by Federal regulation. Ethics
information, including EPA Form 3110–
48, is available on the SAB Web site at
https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/
sabproduct.nsf/Web/
ethics?OpenDocument.
Dated: October 6, 2008.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board
Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E8–24417 Filed 10–14–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OPP–2007–1163; FRL–8383–2]
Guidance for Conducting Prospective
Ground-Water Monitoring Studies,
Response to Public Comments and
Final Guidance; Notice of Availability
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This document announces the
availability of the final Guidance for
Conducting Prospective Ground-Water
(PGW) Monitoring Studies and EPA’s
response to public comments on the
development of the final PGW
monitoring studies guidance. This PGW
monitoring study, which is required on
a case-by-case basis, is conducted in a
controlled setting and provides EPA
with data for evaluating the impact of
legal pesticide use on ground-water
quality. The PGW guidance document
describes how to conduct a PGW
monitoring study, milestones for
consulting with EPA, and how to report
results to EPA. Data generated from
these field studies have proven valuable
to EPA scientists and risk managers as
they are specifically designed to relate
pesticide use indicated on the label to
measurements of the pesticide and its
degradates in ground water used as a
source of drinking water.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Betsy Behl, Environmental Fate and
Effects Division (7507P), Office of
Pesticide Programs, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460–
0001; telephone number: (703) 305–
6128; fax number: (703) 305–6309; email address: behl.betsy@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
You may be potentially affected by
this action if you are an agricultural
producer, food manufacturer, or
pesticide manufacturer. Potentially
E:\FR\FM\15OCN1.SGM
15OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 15, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61114-61115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24417]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8728-7]
EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office: Request for Nominations
of Candidates for a Panel To Provide Advice on EPA's Dioxin
Reassessment
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency)
Science Advisory Board (SAB or the Board) Staff Office is soliciting
nominations of nationally recognized scientists for consideration of
membership on an SAB Panel to provide advice on EPA's reassessment of
the health risks from dioxin and related compounds.
DATES: Nominations should be submitted by November 5, 2008 per the
instructions below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding this Request
for Nominations please contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, Designated Federal
Officer (DFO), EPA Science Advisory Board Staff, at
armitage.thomas@epa.gov or (202) 343-9995. General information
concerning the SAB can be found on the SAB Web site at https://
www.epa.gov/sab. Any inquiry regarding EPA's dioxin reassessment
activity should be directed to Dr. Peter W. Preuss, Director, EPA
National Center for Environmental Assessment at preuss.peter@epa.gov or
(703) 347-8600. In addition, updated communication materials have been
developed that provide further information on dioxin and EPA's dioxin
reassessment activity. These materials are available on EPA's Web site
at https://www.epa.gov/ncea under Headlines and also at https://
www.cfsan.fda.gov/lrd/dioxinqa.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The SAB (42 U.S.C. 4365) is a chartered Federal
Advisory Committee that provides independent scientific and technical
peer review, advice, consultation, and recommendations to the EPA
Administrator on the technical basis for EPA actions. As a Federal
Advisory Committee, the SAB conducts business in accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. C) and related
regulations. Generally, SAB meetings are announced in the Federal
Register, conducted in public view, and provide opportunities for
public input during deliberations. Additional information about the SAB
and its committees can be obtained on the SAB Web site at: https://
www.epa.gov/sab.
In 1991, EPA announced that it would conduct a scientific
reassessment of the potential health risks of exposure to dioxin and
related compounds. The SAB provided independent peer review and advice
on EPA's dioxin reassessment. The SAB first reviewed the draft dioxin
reassessment in 1995 and the document was revised to address SAB
comments. In 2000, the SAB reviewed the integrated summary, risk
characterization, and other information on toxic equivalency of dioxin-
like compounds. Reports of the findings and recommendations of these
SAB reviews are available on the SAB Web site at https://www.epa.gov/sab
(see reports EPA-SAB-EC-95-021 and EPA-SAB-EC-01-006).
In 2003, EPA produced an external review draft of the multi-year
comprehensive reassessment of dioxin exposure and human health effects
(https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=87843). This
dioxin reassessment document, titled Exposure and Human Health
Reassessment of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCDD) and Related
Compounds, consisted of three parts: (1) A scientific review of
information relating to sources and exposures to TCDD and other dioxins
in the environment; (2) detailed reviews of scientific information on
the health effects of TCDD, other dioxins, and dioxin-like compounds;
and (3) an integrated summary and risk characterization for TCDD and
related compounds.
In 2004, EPA asked the National Research Council of the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review the 2003 dioxin reassessment
document. The NAS was charged with reviewing ``EPA's modeling
assumptions (including those associated with dose-response curve and
points-of-departure dose ranges and associated likelihood estimates
identified for human health outcomes); EPA's quantitative uncertainty
analysis; and EPA's selection of studies as a basis for its assessments
and gaps in scientific knowledge.'' The NAS was also charged with
addressing two points of controversy: (1) The scientific evidence for
classifying dioxin as a human carcinogen, and (2) the validity of the
nonthreshold low-dose linear dose-response model and the cancer slope
factor calculated through the use of this model. In addition, EPA asked
the NAS to comment on the usefulness of toxic equivalency factors
(TEFs) and uncertainties associated with their use in risk assessment,
as well as the uncertainty associated with EPA's approach to analysis
of food sampling and human dietary intake data, taking into
consideration the Institute of Medicine's report Dioxin and Dioxin-like
Compounds in the Food Supply: Strategies to Decrease Exposure. In 2006,
the NAS published its review titled Health Risks from Dioxin and
Related Compounds: Evaluation of the EPA Reassessment. The NAS
identified three areas that required substantial improvement to support
a scientifically robust risk characterization. These three areas were:
(1) Justification of approaches to dose-response modeling for cancer
and non-cancer endpoints, (2) transparency and clarity in selection of
key data sets for analysis, and (3) transparency, thoroughness, and
clarity in quantitative uncertainty analysis. The NAS provided EPA with
recommendations to address their key concerns. The full NAS report,
including recommendations, is available
[[Page 61115]]
at https://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11688.
EPA is now beginning to prepare a response to the NAS review of the
dioxin reassessment. The Agency has requested that the SAB form an
expert panel to provide independent advice regarding the draft
technical plan, the revised draft, and the final draft of the EPA
response to the recommendations of the NAS.
Expertise Sought: The SAB Staff Office requests nominations of
recognized experts with specific experience and knowledge of dioxin in
one or more of the following areas: (a) Epidemiology; (b) toxicology
(with expertise in cancer, reproductive toxicology, developmental
toxicology, immunotoxicology, dosimetry, toxicokinetics, mechanisms of
action, or mixtures); (c) endocrinology; (d) lipid metabolism; (e)
cardiovascular mechanisms of pathology; (f) risk assessment (with
expertise in statistics, quantitative uncertainty analysis, or dose-
response modeling); and (g) exposure assessment (with expertise in
bioavailability, weathering, or effects of partitioning in
environmental media).
How to Submit Nominations: Any interested person or organization
may nominate qualified individuals to be considered for appointment on
this SAB Panel. Candidates may also nominate themselves. Nominations
should be submitted in electronic format (which is preferred over hard
copy) following the instructions for ``Nominating Experts to Advisory
Panels and Ad Hoc Committees Being Formed'' provided on the SAB Web
site. The form can be accessed through the ``Nomination of Experts''
link on the blue navigational bar on the SAB Web site at https://
www.epa.gov/sab. To receive full consideration, nominations should
include all of the information requested.
EPA's SAB Staff Office requests contact information about: The
person making the nomination; contact information about the nominee;
the disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the nominee; the
nominee's curriculum vita; sources of recent grant and/or contract
support; and a biographical sketch of the nominee indicating current
position, educational background, research activities, and recent
service on other national advisory committees or national professional
organizations.
Persons having questions about the nomination procedures, or who
are unable to submit nominations through the SAB Web site, should
contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, DFO, at the contact information provided
above in this notice. Non-electronic submissions must follow the same
format and contain the same information as the electronic.
The SAB Staff Office will acknowledge receipt of the nomination and
inform nominees of the panel for which they have been nominated. From
the nominees identified by respondents to this Federal Register notice
(termed the ``Widecast'') and other sources, the SAB Staff Office will
develop a smaller subset (known as the ``Short List'') for more
detailed consideration. The Short List will be posted on the SAB Web
site at https://www.epa.gov/sab and will include, for each candidate,
the nominee's name and biosketch. Public comments on the Short List
will be accepted for 21 calendar days. During this comment period, the
public will be requested to provide information, analysis, or other
documentation on nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in
evaluating candidates for the Panel.
For the SAB, a balanced panel is characterized by inclusion of
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. Public responses to the
Short List candidates will be considered in the selection of the panel,
along with information provided by candidates and information gathered
by SAB Staff independently concerning the background of each candidate
(e.g., financial disclosure information and computer searches to
evaluate a nominee's prior involvement with the topic under review).
Specific criteria to be used in evaluation of an individual Panel
member include: (a) Scientific and/or technical expertise, knowledge,
and experience (primary factors); (b) absence of financial conflicts of
interest; (c) scientific credibility and impartiality; (d) availability
and willingness to serve; and (e) ability to work constructively and
effectively in committees.
Prospective candidates will be required to fill out 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
include 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. Ethics information, including EPA
Form 3110-48, is available on the SAB Web site at https://
yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/Web/ethics?OpenDocument.
Dated: October 6, 2008.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E8-24417 Filed 10-14-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
