Notification of Public Teleconferences of the Chartered Science Advisory Board, 51154-51155 [2014-20391]

Download as PDF 51154 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 166 / Wednesday, August 27, 2014 / Notices Dated: August 15, 2014. Peter Grevatt, Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. [FR Doc. 2014–20274 Filed 8–26–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL–9915–76–OA] Notification of Public Teleconferences of the Chartered Science Advisory Board Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces two public teleconferences of the chartered SAB to (1) conduct a quality review of an SAB draft report on connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters and (2) deliberate on the adequacy of the scientific and technical basis of the proposed rule titled Definition of Waters of the United States Under the Clean Water Act. DATES: The chartered SAB will conduct public teleconferences on September 26, 2014 and September 29, 2014. Each of the teleconferences will begin at 1:30 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). ADDRESSES: The public teleconferences will be conducted by telephone only. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing to obtain general information regarding the teleconferences should contact Dr. Angela Nugent, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA SAB (1400R), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice mail (202) 564–2218; fax (202) 565–2098 or via email at nugent.angela@epa.gov. General information concerning the EPA SAB can be found on the SAB Web site at https://www.epa.gov/sab. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SAB was established pursuant to the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDDAA), codified at 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), 5 U.S.C., App. 2. The SAB will comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies. Pursuant to FACA mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:44 Aug 26, 2014 Jkt 232001 and EPA policy, notice is hereby given that the EPA’s chartered SAB will hold two public teleconferences. On the first teleconference, the chartered SAB will conduct a quality review of an SAB draft report and on the second, the chartered SAB will deliberate on the adequacy of the science supporting a proposed EPA regulation. The SAB was established pursuant to 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 under FACA. The SAB will comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies. (1) Quality review of an SAB draft report on connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters: Quality review is a key function of the chartered SAB. Draft reports prepared by SAB committees, panels, or work groups must be reviewed and approved by the chartered SAB before transmittal to the EPA Administrator. The chartered SAB makes a determination in a public meeting consistent with FACA about the quality of all draft reports and determines whether the report is ready to be transmitted to the EPA Administrator. On September 26, 2014, the chartered SAB will conduct a quality review of an SAB draft report entitled SAB Review of the Draft EPA Report Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters (August 11, 2014, Draft). This draft SAB panel report peer reviews the EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) draft report Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence (September, 2013 External Review Draft, EPA/600/R–11/098B). The ORD draft report was written to inform development of a rule proposed by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clarify the definition of waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act (79 FR 22188–22274). The SAB panel was charged with reviewing the overall clarity and technical accuracy of the ORD draft report, whether it included and correctly summarized the most relevant peer-reviewed scientific literature, and whether the findings and conclusions were supported by the available science. Background information about this advisory activity can be found on the SAB Web site at: https://yosemite.epa. gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_ activites/Watershed%20Connectivity %20Report?OpenDocument. PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 (2) Deliberations on the adequacy of the scientific and technical basis of the proposed rule titled Definition of Waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act (79 FR 22188–22274): ERDDAA requires the EPA to make available to the SAB proposed criteria documents, standards, limitations, or regulations at the time that they are provided to any other federal agency for formal review and comment, together with the relevant scientific and technical information on which the proposed action is based. The SAB then may make available to the Administrator its advice and comments on the adequacy of the scientific and technical basis of the proposed actions. The purpose of the teleconference on September 29, 2014, is for the chartered SAB to deliberate on the adequacy of the scientific and technical basis of the proposed rule cited above. The chartered SAB will consider information provided by the agency, members of the SAB Panel for the Review of the EPA Water Body Connectivity Report, and by the public through written or oral comments provided for their consideration. Information about this advisory activity may be found at https://yosemite.epa. gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_ activites/WOUS-adv%26com ?OpenDocument. Availability of Meeting Materials: The agendas and other materials in support of the teleconferences will be posted on the SAB Web site at https://www.epa. gov/sab in advance of the teleconferences. Procedures for Providing Public Input: Public comment for consideration by EPA’s federal advisory committees and panels has a different purpose from public comment provided to EPA program offices. Therefore, the process for submitting comments to a federal advisory committee is different from the process used to submit comments to an EPA program office. Federal advisory committees and panels, including scientific advisory committees, provide independent advice to EPA. Members of the public can submit relevant comments pertaining to the group providing advice, EPA’s charge questions and EPA review or background documents. Input from the public to the SAB will have the most impact if it consists of comments that provide specific scientific or technical information or analysis for the SAB to consider or if it relates to the clarity or accuracy of the technical information. Members of the public wishing to provide comment should contact Dr. Nugent at the contact information provided above. E:\FR\FM\27AUN1.SGM 27AUN1 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 166 / Wednesday, August 27, 2014 / Notices mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting time to make an oral presentation at a public SAB teleconference will be limited to three minutes. Those interested in being placed on the public speakers’ list for the September 26, 2014 teleconference should contact Dr. Nugent at the contact information provided above by September 19, 2014. Those interested in being placed on the public speakers’ list for the September 29, 2014 teleconference should contact Dr. Nugent at the contact information provided above by September 23, 2014. Written Statements: Written statements should be supplied for the September 26, 2014 teleconference should be provided to the DFO via email to nugent.angela@epa.gov by September 19, 2014. Written statements should be supplied for the September 29, 2014 teleconference should be provided to the DFO in the same manner by September 23, 2014. Written statements should be supplied in one of the following acceptable file formats: Adobe Acrobat PDF, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM– PC/Windows format). It is the SAB Staff Office general policy to post written comments on the Web page for the advisory meeting or teleconferences. Submitters are requested to provide an unsigned version of each document because the SAB Staff Office does not publish documents with signatures on its Web sites. Members of the public should be aware that their personal contact information, if included in any written comments, may be posted to the SAB Web site. Copyrighted material will not be posted without explicit permission of the copyright holder. Accessibility: For information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Nugent at the contact information provided above. To request accommodation of a disability, please contact Dr. Nugent preferably at least 10 days prior to the teleconference, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request. Dated: August 18, 2014. Thomas H. Brennan, Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office. [FR Doc. 2014–20391 Filed 8–26–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:44 Aug 26, 2014 Jkt 232001 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Request Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. ACTION: Notice of Information Collection—Extension With Change: State and Local Government Information Report (EEO–4). AGENCY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announces that it intends to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for a three-year extension with change of the State and Local Government Information Report (EEO–4 Report, Form 164). EEOC is in the process of revising the race and ethnicity categories on the EEO–4 report to conform to OMB’s Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (October 30, 1997) (Revised Standards), as applied in OMB Bulletin No. 00–02, Guidance on Aggregation and Allocation of Data on Race for Use in Civil Rights Monitoring and Enforcement (March 9, 2000). See Appendix A for a draft version of the proposed Form 164. Pending OMB approval of an emergency extension request, to be effective after the current August 31, 2014 expiration date, a regular clearance request for OMB review and approval of a three-year extension of the EEO–4 Report is beginning. DATES: Written comments on this notice must be submitted on or before October 27, 2014. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 2000e– 8(c), a public hearing concerning the proposed changes to the EEO–4 will be held at a place and time to be announced. Persons wishing to present their views orally should notify the Commission of their desire to do so in writing no later than September 26, 2014. The request to present views orally at a public hearing should include a written summary of the remarks to be offered. ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Bernadette Wilson, Acting Executive Officer, Executive Secretariat, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 131 M Street NE., Washington, DC 20507. As a convenience to commenters, the Executive Secretariat will accept comments totaling six or fewer pages by facsimile (‘‘FAX’’) machine. This limitation is necessary to assure access to the equipment. The telephone number of the fax receiver is SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 51155 (202) 663–4114. (This is not a toll-free number). Receipt of FAX transmittals will not be acknowledged, except that the sender may request confirmation of receipt by calling the Executive Secretariat staff at (202) 663–4070 (voice) or (202) 663–4074 (TTD). (These are not toll-free telephone numbers.) Instead of sending written comments to EEOC, you may submit comments and attachments electronically at https:// www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting comments. All comments received through this portal will be posted without change, including any personal information you provide, except as noted below. Copies of comments submitted by the public to EEOC directly or through the Federal eRulemaking Portal will be available for review, by advance appointment only, at the Commission’s library between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time or can be reviewed at https:// www.regulations.gov. EEOC reserves the right to refrain from posting comments, including those that contain obscene, indecent, or profane language; contain threats or defamatory statements; contain hate speech directed at race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion, or disability; or promote or endorse services or products. To schedule an appointment to inspect the comments at EEOC’s library, contact the library staff at (202) 663–4630 (voice) or (202) 663– 4641 (TTY). (These are not toll-free numbers.) FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ronald Edwards, Director, Program Research and Surveys Division, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 131 M Street NE., Room 4SW30F, Washington, DC 20507; (202) 663–4949 (voice) or (202) 663–7063 (TTY). Requests for this notice in an alternative format should be made to the Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs at (202) 663–4191 (voice) or (202) 663– 4494 (TTY). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EEOC has collected information from state and local governments with 100 or more full-time employees since 1974. The Commission now proposes to revise the EEO–4 report to conform with OMB’s Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (October 30, 1997) (Revised Standards), as applied in OMB Bulletin No. 00–02, Guidance on Aggregation and Allocation of Data on Race for Use in Civil Rights Monitoring and Enforcement (March 9, 2000). This will require a change of the Form 164. E:\FR\FM\27AUN1.SGM 27AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51154-51155]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-20391]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9915-76-OA]


Notification of Public Teleconferences of the Chartered Science 
Advisory Board

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces two public teleconferences of the 
chartered SAB to (1) conduct a quality review of an SAB draft report on 
connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters and (2) 
deliberate on the adequacy of the scientific and technical basis of the 
proposed rule titled Definition of Waters of the United States Under 
the Clean Water Act.

DATES: The chartered SAB will conduct public teleconferences on 
September 26, 2014 and September 29, 2014. Each of the teleconferences 
will begin at 1:30 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time).

ADDRESSES: The public teleconferences will be conducted by telephone 
only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing to 
obtain general information regarding the teleconferences should contact 
Dr. Angela Nugent, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA SAB (1400R), 
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice 
mail (202) 564-2218; fax (202) 565-2098 or via email at 
nugent.angela@epa.gov. General information concerning the EPA SAB can 
be found on the SAB Web site at https://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SAB was established pursuant to the 
Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization 
Act (ERDDAA), codified at 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), 5 U.S.C., App. 2. The SAB will comply with the provisions of 
FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies. Pursuant 
to FACA and EPA policy, notice is hereby given that the EPA's chartered 
SAB will hold two public teleconferences. On the first teleconference, 
the chartered SAB will conduct a quality review of an SAB draft report 
and on the second, the chartered SAB will deliberate on the adequacy of 
the science supporting a proposed EPA regulation. The SAB was 
established pursuant to 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 under FACA. The SAB will 
comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office 
procedural policies.
    (1) Quality review of an SAB draft report on connectivity of 
streams and wetlands to downstream waters: Quality review is a key 
function of the chartered SAB. Draft reports prepared by SAB 
committees, panels, or work groups must be reviewed and approved by the 
chartered SAB before transmittal to the EPA Administrator. The 
chartered SAB makes a determination in a public meeting consistent with 
FACA about the quality of all draft reports and determines whether the 
report is ready to be transmitted to the EPA Administrator.
    On September 26, 2014, the chartered SAB will conduct a quality 
review of an SAB draft report entitled SAB Review of the Draft EPA 
Report Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters 
(August 11, 2014, Draft). This draft SAB panel report peer reviews the 
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) draft report 
Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and 
Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence (September, 2013 External Review 
Draft, EPA/600/R-11/098B).
    The ORD draft report was written to inform development of a rule 
proposed by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clarify the 
definition of waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act (79 
FR 22188-22274). The SAB panel was charged with reviewing the overall 
clarity and technical accuracy of the ORD draft report, whether it 
included and correctly summarized the most relevant peer-reviewed 
scientific literature, and whether the findings and conclusions were 
supported by the available science.
    Background information about this advisory activity can be found on 
the SAB Web site at: https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/
fedrgstractivites/
Watershed%20Connectivity%20Report?OpenDocument.
    (2) Deliberations on the adequacy of the scientific and technical 
basis of the proposed rule titled Definition of Waters of the United 
States under the Clean Water Act (79 FR 22188-22274): ERDDAA requires 
the EPA to make available to the SAB proposed criteria documents, 
standards, limitations, or regulations at the time that they are 
provided to any other federal agency for formal review and comment, 
together with the relevant scientific and technical information on 
which the proposed action is based. The SAB then may make available to 
the Administrator its advice and comments on the adequacy of the 
scientific and technical basis of the proposed actions. The purpose of 
the teleconference on September 29, 2014, is for the chartered SAB to 
deliberate on the adequacy of the scientific and technical basis of the 
proposed rule cited above. The chartered SAB will consider information 
provided by the agency, members of the SAB Panel for the Review of the 
EPA Water Body Connectivity Report, and by the public through written 
or oral comments provided for their consideration. Information about 
this advisory activity may be found at https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/
sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstractivites/WOUS-adv%26com?OpenDocument.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: The agendas and other materials 
in support of the teleconferences will be posted on the SAB Web site at 
https://www.epa.gov/sab in advance of the teleconferences.
    Procedures for Providing Public Input: Public comment for 
consideration by EPA's federal advisory committees and panels has a 
different purpose from public comment provided to EPA program offices. 
Therefore, the process for submitting comments to a federal advisory 
committee is different from the process used to submit comments to an 
EPA program office. Federal advisory committees and panels, including 
scientific advisory committees, provide independent advice to EPA. 
Members of the public can submit relevant comments pertaining to the 
group providing advice, EPA's charge questions and EPA review or 
background documents. Input from the public to the SAB will have the 
most impact if it consists of comments that provide specific scientific 
or technical information or analysis for the SAB to consider or if it 
relates to the clarity or accuracy of the technical information. 
Members of the public wishing to provide comment should contact Dr. 
Nugent at the contact information provided above.

[[Page 51155]]

    Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting time 
to make an oral presentation at a public SAB teleconference will be 
limited to three minutes. Those interested in being placed on the 
public speakers' list for the September 26, 2014 teleconference should 
contact Dr. Nugent at the contact information provided above by 
September 19, 2014. Those interested in being placed on the public 
speakers' list for the September 29, 2014 teleconference should contact 
Dr. Nugent at the contact information provided above by September 23, 
2014.
    Written Statements: Written statements should be supplied for the 
September 26, 2014 teleconference should be provided to the DFO via 
email to nugent.angela@epa.gov by September 19, 2014. Written 
statements should be supplied for the September 29, 2014 teleconference 
should be provided to the DFO in the same manner by September 23, 2014. 
Written statements should be supplied in one of the following 
acceptable file formats: Adobe Acrobat PDF, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or 
Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows format). It is the SAB Staff Office 
general policy to post written comments on the Web page for the 
advisory meeting or teleconferences. Submitters are requested to 
provide an unsigned version of each document because the SAB Staff 
Office does not publish documents with signatures on its Web sites. 
Members of the public should be aware that their personal contact 
information, if included in any written comments, may be posted to the 
SAB Web site. Copyrighted material will not be posted without explicit 
permission of the copyright holder.
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Nugent at the contact 
information provided above. To request accommodation of a disability, 
please contact Dr. Nugent preferably at least 10 days prior to the 
teleconference, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your 
request.

    Dated: August 18, 2014.
Thomas H. Brennan,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2014-20391 Filed 8-26-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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