[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 3, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31683-31684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12382]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8575-1; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2008-0111]
Draft Toxicological Review of Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds:
In Support of the Summary Information in the Integrated Risk
Information System (IRIS)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Listening Session.
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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a listening session to be held on June 25,
2008, during the public comment period for the draft document entitled,
``Toxicological Review of Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds: In Support
of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System
(IRIS)''. This listening session is a new step in EPA's revised
process, announced on April 10, 2008, for development of human health
assessments for inclusion on IRIS. The purpose of the listening session
is to allow all interested parties to present scientific and technical
comments on draft IRIS health assessments to EPA and other interested
parties during the public comment period and prior to the external peer
review meeting. EPA welcomes the scientific and technical comments that
will be provided to the Agency by the listening session participants.
The comments will be considered by the Agency as it revises the draft
assessment in response to the independent external peer review and
public comments. All electronic or hard copies of presentations made at
the meeting will become part of the official and public record.
The EPA's draft assessment and peer review charge are available via
the Internet on the National Center for Environmental Assessment's
(NCEA) home page under the Recent Additions and the Data and
Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea.
DATES: The listening session on the draft IRIS health assessment for
cerium oxide and cerium compounds will be held on June 25, 2008,
beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. If you
wish to make a presentation at the listening session, you should
register by June 20, 2008, and indicate that you wish to make oral
comments at the session including the length of your presentation. At
the time of your registration, please indicate if you require audio-
visual aid (e.g. lap top and slide projector). In general, each
presentation should be no more than 30 minutes. If, however, there are
more requests for presentations than the allotted time will allow, then
the time limit for each presentation will be adjusted accordingly.
Participants may also register at the beginning of the listening
session to make comments. The order of the presentations will follow
the order of registration. A copy of the agenda for the listening
session will be available at the meeting.
The public comment period for review of this draft assessment was
announced previously in the Federal Register (FR) (73 FR 24982-24983)
on May 6, 2008. As stated in that FR notice, the public comment period
began on May 5, 2008, and ends June 30, 2008. Any technical comments
submitted during the public comment period should be in writing and
must be received by EPA by June 30, 2008, according to the procedures
outlined below. Only those public comments submitted using the
procedures identified in the May 6 FR notice by the June 30 deadline
can be assured of being provided to the independent peer review panel
prior to the peer review meeting to be held on July 8, 2008. The
logistics for the peer review meeting were announced in the May 6,
2008, FR notice.
Listening session participants who wish to have their comments
available to the external peer reviewers should also submit written
comments during the public comment period using the detailed and
established procedures included in the aforementioned FR notice (May 6,
2008). Comments submitted to the docket prior to the end of the public
comment period will be submitted to the external peer reviewers and
considered by EPA in the disposition of public comments. Comments
received in the docket after the public comment period closes must
still be submitted to the docket but will not be submitted to the
external peer reviewers.
ADDRESSES: The listening session on the draft cerium assessment will be
held at the EPA offices at Two Potomac Yard (North Building), 7th
Floor, Room 7100, 2733 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22202.
To attend the listening session, please register by June 20, 2008, via
e-mail at [email protected] (subject line: cerium oxide listening
session), by phone: 703-347-3389, or by faxing a registration request
to 703-347-8689 (please reference the ``Cerium Oxide Listening
Session'' and include your name, title, affiliation, full address and
contact information). Please note that to gain entrance to this EPA
building to attend the meeting, attendees must have photo
identification with them and must register at the guard's desk in the
lobby. The guard will retain your photo identification and will provide
you with a visitor's badge. At the guard's desk, attendees should give
the name Christine Ross and the telephone number 703-347-3389, to the
guard on duty. The guard will contact Ms. Ross, who will meet you in
the reception area to escort you to the meeting room. Upon your exit
from the building please return your visitor's badge and you will
receive the photo identification that you provided.
A teleconference line will also be available for participants. The
teleconference number is 866-299-3188 and the access code is
1068186199, followed by the pound sign (). The teleconference
line will be activated at
[[Page 31684]]
8:45 a.m., and you will be asked to identify yourself and your
affiliation at the beginning of the call.
Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities: For
information on access or services for individuals with disabilities,
please contact Christine Ross at 703-347-3389 or
[email protected]. To request accommodation of a disability,
please contact Christine Ross, preferably at least 10 days prior to the
meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public
listening sessions, please contact Christine Ross, IRIS Staff, National
Center for Environmental Assessment, (8601P), U.S. EPA, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 703-347-
3389; facsimile: 703-347-8689; or e-mail: [email protected]. If
you have questions about the draft cerium assessment, contact Martin
Gehlhaus, IRIS Staff, National Center for Environmental Assessment,
(8601P), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460;
telephone: 703-347-8579; facsimile: 703-347-8689; or e-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This listening session is a new step in
EPA's revised process, announced on April 10, 2008, for development of
human health assessments for inclusion on IRIS. The new process is
posted on the NCEA home page under the Recent Additions menu at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. Two listening sessions are scheduled under the new
IRIS process. The first is during the public review of the draft
assessment that includes only qualitative discussion. The second
session is during the public review of the externally peer-reviewed
draft assessment; if feasible, this draft will include both qualitative
and quantitative elements (i.e., a ``complete draft''). All IRIS
assessments that are at the document development stage will follow the
revised process, which includes the two listening sessions. However,
when EPA initiated the new IRIS process, its draft assessment for
Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds had already been released for public
review and comment, so EPA will only hold one listening session during
the public review and comment period of the externally peer-reviewed
draft.
Dated: May 28, 2008.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E8-12382 Filed 6-2-08; 8:45 am]
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