Request for Nominations: Scientific Peer Reviewers; Potential Approaches for Characterizing the Estimated Benefits of Reducing PM2.5, 27632-27634 [2019-12487]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 114 / Thursday, June 13, 2019 / Notices
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 6/28/19.
Docket Numbers: ER19–2075–000.
Applicants: NorthWestern
Corporation.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
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Filed Date: 6/7/19.
Accession Number: 20190607–5084.
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Filed Date: 6/7/19.
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Upgrade MPFCA (J928 J849) to be
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2019.
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Accession Number: 20190607–5119.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 6/28/19.
Docket Numbers: ER19–2081–000.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.,
Troutman Sanders LLP.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
2019–06–07_SA 1926 & SA 3315
METC–CE DTIA and TSA to be effective
12/31/9998.
Filed Date: 6/7/19.
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16:55 Jun 12, 2019
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Accession Number: 20190607–5121.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 6/28/19.
Docket Numbers: ER19–2082–000.
Applicants: Southwest Power Pool,
Inc.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
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Cooperative Association NITSA and
NOA to be effective 6/1/2019.
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Docket Numbers: ER19–2083–000.
Applicants: Golden Spread Electric
Cooperative, Inc.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
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and Rev Def to be effective 6/1/2019.
Filed Date: 6/7/19.
Accession Number: 20190607–5130.
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Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric securities
filings:
Docket Numbers: ES19–32–000.
Applicants: New York State Electric &
Gas Corporation, Rochester Gas and
Electric Corporation, Central Maine
Power Company, The United
Illuminating Company.
Description: Application under
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Authorization to Issue Securities, et al.
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Accession Number: 20190607–5018.
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eFiling is encouraged. More detailed
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docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For
other information, call (866) 208–3676
(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659.
Dated: June 7, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019–12457 Filed 6–12–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OAR–2019–0316; FRL–9995–04–
OAR]
Request for Nominations: Scientific
Peer Reviewers; Potential Approaches
for Characterizing the Estimated
Benefits of Reducing PM2.5 at Low
Concentrations
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) invites the public to
nominate scientific experts to be
considered as peer reviewers for the
EPA-drafted report titled, ‘‘Potential
Approaches for Characterizing the
Estimated Benefits of Reducing PM2.5 at
Low Concentrations’’. A nominee, if
selected, will assess the accuracy,
content, and interpretation of findings
of the report, ensuring that they are
factual and scientifically sound. The
peer review will provide input to EPA
regarding the merits of the technical
approaches.
SUMMARY:
The nomination period begins on
June 13, 2019 and ends on July 5, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit the nominations,
identified by docket ID number EPA–
HQ–OAR–2019–0316. In addition, the
nomination must include the nominee’s
full name, address, affiliation, telephone
number, email address, and a statement
on the nominee’s expertise. Use one of
the following submission methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal:
https://www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method). Follow the online
instructions for submitting nominations.
• Email: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov.
Include the Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–
OAR–2019–0316 in the subject line of
the message.
• Fax: (202) 566–9744. Include the
Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2019–
0316 in the subject line of the message.
• Mail: U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center,
Office of Air and Radiation Docket, Mail
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: EPA Docket
Center, WJC West Building, Room 3334,
1301 Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20004. The Docket
Center’s hours of operations are 8:30
a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday (except
Federal Holidays).
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the Docket ID No. for this
Notice. Submissions received may be
posted without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
DATES:
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 114 / Thursday, June 13, 2019 / Notices
personal information provided. For
detailed instructions on sending
submissions, see the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Neal
Fann, Health and Environmental
Impacts, Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards (C–439–02),
Environmental Protection Agency, 109
T.W. Alexander Drive, Durham, NC
27711. Phone: (919) 541–0209, Fax:
(919) 541–5315, Email: Fann.Neal@
epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
I. General Information
Submit your nomination, identified
by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2019–
0316, at https://www.regulations.gov
(our preferred method), or the other
methods identified in the ADDRESSES
section. Once submitted, submissions
cannot be edited or removed from the
docket. The EPA may publish any
submission received to its public
docket. Do not submit electronically any
information you consider to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written submission.
The written submission is considered
the official submission and should
include discussion of all points you
wish to make. The EPA will generally
not consider submissions or submission
content located outside of the primary
submission (i.e., on the Web, Cloud, or
other file sharing system). For
additional submission methods, the full
EPA public comment policy,
information about CBI or multimedia
submissions, and general guidance on
making effective comments, please visit
https://www.epa.gov/dockets/
commenting-epa-dockets.
II. Background
The EPA uses evidence from longterm exposure cohort studies to estimate
the number of PM2.5-related premature
deaths and morbidity effects in its air
pollution benefits analyses. Generally,
the U.S. EPA quantifies effects for the
full distribution of ambient PM2.5
concentrations, including at
concentrations below the lowest
measured levels (LML) of these studies;
this reflects the current scientific
evidence, which does not find a
threshold in the concentration-response
relationship. However, because of the
absence of data at such low
concentrations, there is greater
uncertainty about the likelihood of
health effects, including premature
death. The degree of uncertainty
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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Jkt 247001
associated with premature deaths
estimated at these lower levels has over
time taken on greater prominence, due
in part to decreasing ambient PM2.5
concentrations, the public health
importance of PM2.5-associated
mortality, and the magnitude of the
economic value of the effect. As a means
of improving its methods for quantifying
and characterizing effects estimated at
these lower PM2.5 levels, the Agency is
developing and evaluating potential
alternative approaches for estimating
these effects. Potential approaches will
be described in a U.S. EPA report. This
report will: Detail new techniques for
deriving information regarding
uncertainty at low PM2.5 concentrations
using data available from the peerreviewed published epidemiology
literature; demonstrate the application
of these techniques in an example PM2.5
air pollution benefits assessment;
discuss the strengths and weaknesses of
each technique; and, compare these
techniques against alternatives
including the use of lowest measured
level cut-points or the use of metaanalytic approaches designed to
characterize the magnitude of the PM
mortality effect across a broader array of
concentrations. This report will be
subject to an independent, contractorled peer review.
The EPA identified the ‘‘Potential
Approaches for Characterizing the
Estimated Benefits of Reducing PM2.5 at
Low Concentrations’’ as a Highly
Influential Scientific Assessment, and
according to the Agency’s Science and
Technology Policy Council, Peer Review
Handbook (Fourth Edition, EPA/100/B–
15/001, 2015) (Agency’s Peer Review
Handbook), is required to conduct an
external peer review of that report and
supplemental files. The reviewers are
asked to assess the accuracy, content,
and interpretation of findings ensuring
that they are factual and scientifically
sound. The review shall generate
comments from the individual expert
reviewers.
A synopsis of the report may be found
on the project website: https://
www.epa.gov/economic-and-costanalysis-air-pollution-regulations/PM_
Uncertainty. The Agency will
periodically update this website to
include the full technical report, public
comments on the selected peer
reviewers and peer reviewer comments
on the technical report.
III. Expertise Sought
Any interested person or organization
may nominate him or herself or any
qualified individual in the areas of
expertise described below. Peer
reviewers should have: (1) Published 5
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27633
or more manuscripts in one more
relevant manuscripts in journals with an
impact factor of 5 or greater; and (2)
demonstrated expertise in one or more
of the following areas:
A. Air pollution epidemiology. Author
or co-author of multiple studies that
examined the relationship between
long-term air pollution exposure and
mortality or morbidity in a large cohort.
B. Air pollution biostatistics. Intricate
knowledge of the development of new
and innovative statistical methods to
examine the relationship between air
pollution and human health. This
knowledge is reflected in the
individual’s publication record, and by
leading or co-leading the development
of statistical models used in
epidemiologic studies examining the
health effects of either short- or longterm air pollution exposure.
C. Risk assessment and benefits
analysis. Expertise in the best practices
for expressing the probability of
population-level adverse outcomes
expected to occur due to changes in
environmental stressors. This
knowledge will have been reflected by
the individual having led studies
interpreting and applying novel
approaches in the epidemiology
literature to characterize population
risks. Expertise in the best practices for
estimating the economic value of
uncertain air pollution-related effects,
including the risk of premature death.
Expertise in characterizing uncertainty
in the value of reducing the risk of
adverse effects.
D. Decision sciences and uncertainty
analysis. Expertise in using quantitative
techniques to inform decision-making in
a public health, public policy or
regulatory context. Expertise in both
frequentist and Bayesian techniques of
uncertainty analysis.
E. Economics. Expertise in
econometrics, particularly in using
these techniques to analyze time series
data and panel data. Expertise in
running survival models and in
performing large-scale quantitative
meta-analyses. Expertise in welfare
economics.
IV. Peer-Review Panel Selection
Criteria
Selection criteria for individuals
nominated to serve as external peer
reviewers include the following:
A. Demonstrated expertise through
relevant peer reviewed publications.
B. Professional accomplishments and
recognition by professional societies.
C. Demonstrated ability to work
constructively and effectively in an
advisory panel setting.
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 114 / Thursday, June 13, 2019 / Notices
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
D. Absence of financial conflicts of
interest.
E. No actual conflicts of interest or the
appearance of lack of impartiality.
F. Background and experiences that
would contribute to the diversity of
viewpoints on the panel, e.g., workforce
sector; geographical location; social,
cultural, and educational backgrounds;
and professional affiliations.
G. Willingness to commit adequate
time for the thorough review of the draft
external peer review document in July–
August 2019 (exact date to be
determined).
H. Availability to participate inperson in a 1-day peer review meeting
in Research Triangle Park, NC in August
or September 2019 (exact date will be
published in the Federal Register at
least 30 days prior to the external peer
review meeting).
Further information regarding the
external peer review meeting will be
announced at a later date on the project
website here: https://www.epa.gov/
economic-and-cost-analysis-airpollution-regulations/PM_Uncertainty.
V. Peer-Review Panel Selection Process
The EPA contractor will follow the
Agency’s Conflict of Interest Review
Process for Contractor-Managed Peer
Reviews of EPA Highly Influential
Scientific Assessment (HISA) and
Influential Scientific Information (ISI)
documents (https://www.epa.gov/sites/
production/files/2015-01/documents/
epa-process-for-contractor_0.pdf) and
Peer Review Handbook (https://
www.epa.gov/osa/peer-reviewhandbook-4th-edition-2015) to select the
peer-review panel. After candidates are
nominated subsequent to this Federal
Register notice, the EPA contractor will
follow-up with nominees and request
additional information such as:
A. The disciplinary and specific areas
of expertise of the nominee.
B. The nominee’s curriculum vitae.
C. A biographical sketch of the
nominee indicating current position;
educational background; past and
current research activities; recent
service on other advisory committees,
peer review panels, editorial boards, or
professional organizations; sources of
recent grant and/or contract support;
and other comments on the relevance of
the nominee’s expertise to this peer
review topic.
The EPA contractor may also conduct
an independent search for candidates to
assemble a balanced group representing
the expertise needed to fully evaluate
EPA’s draft report and supplemental
materials. The EPA contractor will
consider and screen all candidates
against the criteria listed in Unit III and
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the Agency’s Conflict of Interest (COI)
and appearance of bias guidance with
the Agency’s Peer Review Handbook,
available online at: https://
www.epa.gov/osa/peer-reviewhandbook-4th-edition-2015. Following
the screening process, the EPA
contractor will narrow the list of
potential reviewers. Prior to selecting
the final peer reviewers, a second
Federal Register notice will be
published to solicit comments on the
interim list of 7–10 candidates. The
public will be requested to provide
relevant information or documentation
on the nominees that the EPA contractor
should consider in evaluating the
candidates within 21 days following the
announcement of the interim
candidates. Once the public comments
on the interim list of candidates have
been reviewed, the EPA contractor will
select the final peer reviewers who,
collectively, best provide expertise
spanning the multiple areas listed in
Unit III and, to the extent feasible, best
provide a balance of perspectives. The
EPA contractor will ultimately notify
candidates of selection or non-selection.
Compensation of non-Federal peer
reviewers will be provided by the EPA
contractor.
Dated: June 7, 2019.
Panagiotis Tsirigotis,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards.
[FR Doc. 2019–12487 Filed 6–12–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
[MB Docket No. 19–156; DA 19–506]
Entertainment Media Trust, Dennis J.
Watkins, Trustee; Hearing
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
This document commences a
hearing to determine whether
Entertainment Media Trust, Dennis J.
Watkins, Trustee (EMT or the Trust) has
committed violations of the
Communications Act of 1934, as
amended and/or the rules and
regulations of the Federal
Communications Commission. The
hearing will determine whether the
applications for license renewal should
be denied and licenses should be
cancelled for four AM radio stations:
KFTK–AM (formerly WQQX–AM),
Facility ID No. 72815, East St. Louis,
Illinois, File No. BR–20120709ACP;
WQQW–AM, Facility ID No. 90598,
SUMMARY:
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Highland, Illinois, File No. BR–
20120709AC0; KZQZ–AM, Facility ID
No. 72391, St. Louis, Missouri, File No.
BR–20120921AAW; and KQQZ–AM
Facility ID No. 5281, DeSoto, Missouri,
File No. BR–20120921ABA. The hearing
will also determine whether the
stations’ respective assignment of
license applications, File Nos. BAL–
20160919ADH, BAL–20160919ADI,
BAL–20160919ADJ, and BAL–
20160919ADK should be dismissed, and
applications to construct a new FM
translator station W275CS, Highland,
Illinois, Facility ID No. 200438, File
Nos. BNPFT–20170726AEF and
BNPFT–20180314AAO to retransmit
one of the stations should be dismissed.
DATES: Each party to the proceeding
(except for the Chief, Enforcement
Bureau), in person or by counsel, shall
file with the Commission, by June 25,
2019, a written appearance stating that
the party will appear on the date fixed
for hearing and present evidence on the
issues specified herein.
ADDRESSES: Federal Communications
Commission, 445 12th Street SW,
Washington, DC 20554.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Irene Bleiweiss, 202–418–2700.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a
synopsis of the Commission’s Hearing
Designation Order and Notice of
Opportunity for Hearing (Order), MB
Docket No. 19–156, adopted June 5,
2019, and released June 5, 2019. The
full text of this Commission decision is
available for inspection and copying
during normal business hours in the
FCC’s Reference Information Center at
Portals II, CY–A257, 445 12th Street,
SW, Washington, DC 20554. The full
text is also available online at https://
apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/. This document is
available in alternative formats
(computer diskette, large print, audio
record, and Braille). Persons with
disabilities who need documents in
these formats may contact the FCC by
email: FCC504@fcc.gov or phone: 202–
418–0530 or TTY: 202–418–0432.
Synopsis
1. In the Order, the Commission
commences a hearing proceeding before
the Administrative Law Judge to
determine whether Entertainment
Media Trust, Dennis J. Watkins, Trustee
(EMT or the Trust) has committed
violations of the Communications Act of
1934, as amended (Act) and/or the rules
and regulations (Rules) of the Federal
Communications Commission
(Commission) and, as a consequence,
whether EMT’s captioned applications
for license renewal should be denied,
those station licenses accordingly
E:\FR\FM\13JNN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 114 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27632-27634]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12487]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2019-0316; FRL-9995-04-OAR]
Request for Nominations: Scientific Peer Reviewers; Potential
Approaches for Characterizing the Estimated Benefits of Reducing PM2.5
at Low Concentrations
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites the public
to nominate scientific experts to be considered as peer reviewers for
the EPA-drafted report titled, ``Potential Approaches for
Characterizing the Estimated Benefits of Reducing PM2.5 at
Low Concentrations''. A nominee, if selected, will assess the accuracy,
content, and interpretation of findings of the report, ensuring that
they are factual and scientifically sound. The peer review will provide
input to EPA regarding the merits of the technical approaches.
DATES: The nomination period begins on June 13, 2019 and ends on July
5, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit the nominations, identified by docket ID number EPA-
HQ-OAR-2019-0316. In addition, the nomination must include the
nominee's full name, address, affiliation, telephone number, email
address, and a statement on the nominee's expertise. Use one of the
following submission methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov
(our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting
nominations.
Email: [email protected]. Include the Docket ID No.
EPA-HQ-OAR-2019-0316 in the subject line of the message.
Fax: (202) 566-9744. Include the Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2019-0316 in the subject line of the message.
Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket
Center, Office of Air and Radiation Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery/Courier: EPA Docket Center, WJC West
Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004.
The Docket Center's hours of operations are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.,
Monday-Friday (except Federal Holidays).
Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket ID
No. for this Notice. Submissions received may be posted without change
to https://www.regulations.gov, including any
[[Page 27633]]
personal information provided. For detailed instructions on sending
submissions, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this
document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Neal Fann, Health and Environmental
Impacts, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (C-439-02),
Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Durham, NC
27711. Phone: (919) 541-0209, Fax: (919) 541-5315, Email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
Submit your nomination, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2019-0316, at https://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or
the other methods identified in the ADDRESSES section. Once submitted,
submissions cannot be edited or removed from the docket. The EPA may
publish any submission received to its public docket. Do not submit
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted
by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be
accompanied by a written submission. The written submission is
considered the official submission and should include discussion of all
points you wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider
submissions or submission content located outside of the primary
submission (i.e., on the Web, Cloud, or other file sharing system). For
additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy,
information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance
on making effective comments, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
II. Background
The EPA uses evidence from long-term exposure cohort studies to
estimate the number of PM2.5-related premature deaths and
morbidity effects in its air pollution benefits analyses. Generally,
the U.S. EPA quantifies effects for the full distribution of ambient
PM2.5 concentrations, including at concentrations below the
lowest measured levels (LML) of these studies; this reflects the
current scientific evidence, which does not find a threshold in the
concentration-response relationship. However, because of the absence of
data at such low concentrations, there is greater uncertainty about the
likelihood of health effects, including premature death. The degree of
uncertainty associated with premature deaths estimated at these lower
levels has over time taken on greater prominence, due in part to
decreasing ambient PM2.5 concentrations, the public health
importance of PM2.5-associated mortality, and the magnitude
of the economic value of the effect. As a means of improving its
methods for quantifying and characterizing effects estimated at these
lower PM2.5 levels, the Agency is developing and evaluating
potential alternative approaches for estimating these effects.
Potential approaches will be described in a U.S. EPA report. This
report will: Detail new techniques for deriving information regarding
uncertainty at low PM2.5 concentrations using data available
from the peer-reviewed published epidemiology literature; demonstrate
the application of these techniques in an example PM2.5 air
pollution benefits assessment; discuss the strengths and weaknesses of
each technique; and, compare these techniques against alternatives
including the use of lowest measured level cut-points or the use of
meta-analytic approaches designed to characterize the magnitude of the
PM mortality effect across a broader array of concentrations. This
report will be subject to an independent, contractor-led peer review.
The EPA identified the ``Potential Approaches for Characterizing
the Estimated Benefits of Reducing PM2.5 at Low
Concentrations'' as a Highly Influential Scientific Assessment, and
according to the Agency's Science and Technology Policy Council, Peer
Review Handbook (Fourth Edition, EPA/100/B-15/001, 2015) (Agency's Peer
Review Handbook), is required to conduct an external peer review of
that report and supplemental files. The reviewers are asked to assess
the accuracy, content, and interpretation of findings ensuring that
they are factual and scientifically sound. The review shall generate
comments from the individual expert reviewers.
A synopsis of the report may be found on the project website:
https://www.epa.gov/economic-and-cost-analysis-air-pollution-regulations/PM_Uncertainty. The Agency will periodically update this
website to include the full technical report, public comments on the
selected peer reviewers and peer reviewer comments on the technical
report.
III. Expertise Sought
Any interested person or organization may nominate him or herself
or any qualified individual in the areas of expertise described below.
Peer reviewers should have: (1) Published 5 or more manuscripts in one
more relevant manuscripts in journals with an impact factor of 5 or
greater; and (2) demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following
areas:
A. Air pollution epidemiology. Author or co-author of multiple
studies that examined the relationship between long-term air pollution
exposure and mortality or morbidity in a large cohort.
B. Air pollution biostatistics. Intricate knowledge of the
development of new and innovative statistical methods to examine the
relationship between air pollution and human health. This knowledge is
reflected in the individual's publication record, and by leading or co-
leading the development of statistical models used in epidemiologic
studies examining the health effects of either short- or long-term air
pollution exposure.
C. Risk assessment and benefits analysis. Expertise in the best
practices for expressing the probability of population-level adverse
outcomes expected to occur due to changes in environmental stressors.
This knowledge will have been reflected by the individual having led
studies interpreting and applying novel approaches in the epidemiology
literature to characterize population risks. Expertise in the best
practices for estimating the economic value of uncertain air pollution-
related effects, including the risk of premature death. Expertise in
characterizing uncertainty in the value of reducing the risk of adverse
effects.
D. Decision sciences and uncertainty analysis. Expertise in using
quantitative techniques to inform decision-making in a public health,
public policy or regulatory context. Expertise in both frequentist and
Bayesian techniques of uncertainty analysis.
E. Economics. Expertise in econometrics, particularly in using
these techniques to analyze time series data and panel data. Expertise
in running survival models and in performing large-scale quantitative
meta-analyses. Expertise in welfare economics.
IV. Peer-Review Panel Selection Criteria
Selection criteria for individuals nominated to serve as external
peer reviewers include the following:
A. Demonstrated expertise through relevant peer reviewed
publications.
B. Professional accomplishments and recognition by professional
societies.
C. Demonstrated ability to work constructively and effectively in
an advisory panel setting.
[[Page 27634]]
D. Absence of financial conflicts of interest.
E. No actual conflicts of interest or the appearance of lack of
impartiality.
F. Background and experiences that would contribute to the
diversity of viewpoints on the panel, e.g., workforce sector;
geographical location; social, cultural, and educational backgrounds;
and professional affiliations.
G. Willingness to commit adequate time for the thorough review of
the draft external peer review document in July-August 2019 (exact date
to be determined).
H. Availability to participate in-person in a 1-day peer review
meeting in Research Triangle Park, NC in August or September 2019
(exact date will be published in the Federal Register at least 30 days
prior to the external peer review meeting).
Further information regarding the external peer review meeting will
be announced at a later date on the project website here: https://www.epa.gov/economic-and-cost-analysis-air-pollution-regulations/PM_Uncertainty.
V. Peer-Review Panel Selection Process
The EPA contractor will follow the Agency's Conflict of Interest
Review Process for Contractor-Managed Peer Reviews of EPA Highly
Influential Scientific Assessment (HISA) and Influential Scientific
Information (ISI) documents (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-01/documents/epa-process-for-contractor_0.pdf) and Peer
Review Handbook (https://www.epa.gov/osa/peer-review-handbook-4th-edition-2015) to select the peer-review panel. After candidates are
nominated subsequent to this Federal Register notice, the EPA
contractor will follow-up with nominees and request additional
information such as:
A. The disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the nominee.
B. The nominee's curriculum vitae.
C. A biographical sketch of the nominee indicating current
position; educational background; past and current research activities;
recent service on other advisory committees, peer review panels,
editorial boards, or professional organizations; sources of recent
grant and/or contract support; and other comments on the relevance of
the nominee's expertise to this peer review topic.
The EPA contractor may also conduct an independent search for
candidates to assemble a balanced group representing the expertise
needed to fully evaluate EPA's draft report and supplemental materials.
The EPA contractor will consider and screen all candidates against the
criteria listed in Unit III and the Agency's Conflict of Interest (COI)
and appearance of bias guidance with the Agency's Peer Review Handbook,
available online at: https://www.epa.gov/osa/peer-review-handbook-4th-edition-2015. Following the screening process, the EPA contractor will
narrow the list of potential reviewers. Prior to selecting the final
peer reviewers, a second Federal Register notice will be published to
solicit comments on the interim list of 7-10 candidates. The public
will be requested to provide relevant information or documentation on
the nominees that the EPA contractor should consider in evaluating the
candidates within 21 days following the announcement of the interim
candidates. Once the public comments on the interim list of candidates
have been reviewed, the EPA contractor will select the final peer
reviewers who, collectively, best provide expertise spanning the
multiple areas listed in Unit III and, to the extent feasible, best
provide a balance of perspectives. The EPA contractor will ultimately
notify candidates of selection or non-selection. Compensation of non-
Federal peer reviewers will be provided by the EPA contractor.
Dated: June 7, 2019.
Panagiotis Tsirigotis,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2019-12487 Filed 6-12-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
