[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 47 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12550-12551]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5622]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6549-1]


Science Advisory Board; Notification of Public Advisory Committee 
Meetings

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, 
notice is hereby given that several committees of the USEPA Science 
Advisory Board (SAB) will meet on the dates and times noted below. All 
times noted are Eastern Time. All meetings are open to the public, 
however, seating is limited and available on a first come basis. 
Important Notice: Documents that are the subject of SAB reviews are 
normally available from the originating EPA office and are not 
available from the SAB Office--information concerning availability of 
documents from the relevant Program Office is included below.

1. Air Toxics Monitoring Subcommittee

    The Air Toxics Monitoring Subcommittee, an ad hoc subcommittee of 
the Science Advisory Board's Executive Committee, will meet March 29-
30, 2000 in conference room 6013, USEPA, Ariel Rios Building North, 
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. The meeting will 
begin by 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 29 and adjourn no later than 
5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 30.
    Purpose of the Meeting--The Subcommittee will review the draft Air 
Toxics Monitoring Strategy Concept Paper and the draft ``Protocol for 
Model to Monitor Comparisons for National Air Toxics Screening 
Assessment''. The Air Toxics Monitoring Concept Paper outlines the 
approach proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its 
State and Local Agency partners to develop a national ambient 
monitoring network for hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). The concept 
paper describes monitoring and data assessment activities to be 
performed over the next several years which will facilitate the design 
of a long-term monitoring program.
    The role of this evolving monitoring network is, initially, to 
provide data on a subset of HAPs to characterize ambient concentrations 
in representative monitoring areas to support and evaluate dispersion 
and exposure models. The ``Protocol for Model to Monitor Comparisons 
for National Air Toxics Screening Assessment'' provides a proposed 
collection of data analysis procedures which utilize ambient air 
monitoring data to evaluate air quality model estimates. Later, the 
network can be used to establish ambient trends, and evaluate the 
effectiveness of HAP control strategies. Eventually, the network will 
support other efforts such as initiatives to focus on multi-media and 
cumulative risks, various air toxics assessments, and education/
outreach.
    Charge to the Subcommittee--The preliminary charge questions for 
this review are:
    (a) Since the air toxics monitoring program will be an integral 
part of the National Air Toxics Assessment activities and will augment 
the pre-existing State and local toxics monitoring efforts, does the 
Subcommittee believe that the near-term (1-2 year) focuses 
(characterizing neighborhood scale HAPs concentrations and providing a 
reality check on dispersion modeling elements of the strategy) are 
appropriate initial steps.
    (b) Is a basic 24-hour sample, taken at a frequency sufficient to 
fulfill the objectives of the program, adequate to provide this model 
reality check and supply data for the characterization of ambient HAPs 
concentrations?
    (c) Is the neighborhood sampling scale an appropriate choice for 
this program?
    (d) Given the enormity of the task of monitoring for all HAPs, we 
propose to concentrate on monitoring for the 33 HAPs identified in the 
Urban Air Toxics Strategy (64 FR 38705). We anticipate monitoring for 
all (approximately 30) HAPs with practical measurement methods at some 
sites in the proposed network, and monitor for a smaller subset at the 
majority of new sites. We would appreciate the advice of the 
Subcommittee regarding the soundness of this strategy.
    (e) Are the available Toxic Organic (TO-) methods suitable for the 
operation of a routine monitoring network

[[Page 12551]]

operated by the State and local air pollution control agencies?
    (f) EPA expects to support the establishment of moveable monitoring 
platforms to better assess the multiple program objectives and 
characterize areas which are disproportionately impacted by HAPs. We 
would appreciate the Subcommittees thoughts on how best to make use of 
these data.
    (g) In addition to your comments on the overall strategy, we seek 
your advice regarding the utility of these data analysis approaches to 
evaluate dispersion model estimates and with the appropriateness of 
this collection of monitoring methods as a logical starting point to 
measure a list of urban HAPs.
    Availability of Review Materials: The review documents are the 
revised draft Air Toxics Monitoring Strategy Concept Paper and the 
draft ``Protocol for Model to Monitor Comparisons for National Air 
Toxics Screening Assessment''. Electronic versions of both documents 
will be available after March 1 at: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/. A 
limited number of paper copies of these documents can be obtained from 
Neil Frank, (919) 541-5560, [email protected].
    For Further Information--Any member of the public wishing further 
information concerning this meeting or wishing to submit brief oral 
comments must contact Ms. Kathleen White Conway, Designated Federal 
Officer, Science Advisory Board (1400A), U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Ariel Rios Building North, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone (202) 564-4559; FAX (202) 501-0582; or 
via e-mail at [email protected]. Requests for oral comments must 
be in writing (e-mail, fax or mail) and received by Ms. Conway no later 
than noon Eastern Time on March 22nd.

2. Natural Attenuation Research Subcommittee--Teleconference 
Meetings on March 30 and May 1

    The Natural Attenuation Research Subcommittee of the Science 
Advisory Board's (SAB) Environmental Engineering Committee (EEC) will 
conduct public teleconference meetings Thursday, March 30, 2000 and 
Monday, May 1, 2000 between the hours of 3:00 p.m.--5:00 p.m (Eastern 
Standard Time). The meetings will be coordinated through a conference 
call connection in Room 6450V in the USEPA, Ariel Rios Building North, 
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Ariel Rios 
Building is adjacent to the escalator to the Federal Triangle Metro 
Station on 12th Street NW. The public is encouraged to attend the 
meeting in the conference room noted above, however, the public may 
also attend through a telephonic link if lines are available. 
Additional instructions about how to participate in either conference 
call can be obtained by calling Ms. Mary Winston approximately a week 
prior to each meeting (by March 16 or April 24, respectively) at (202) 
564-4538, or via e-mail at [email protected].
    Purpose of the Meetings--At the March 30th conference call meeting, 
the Subcommittee will present and discuss a draft outline for its 
report on the review of EPA's natural attenuation research. At the May 
1st conference call meeting, the Subcommittee members will present 
their preliminary reactions to the review materials and to clarify the 
agenda for a face-to-face review meeting to be scheduled at a later 
date.
    Availability of Review Materials: The review materials include 
background information such as the Directive on Natural Attenuation 
(http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/directiv/d9200417.pdf); the Waste Research 
Strategy (http://www.epa.gov/ORD/WebPubs/final/wastepub.pdf); a list of 
publications based on the completed research; project descriptions for 
on-going research; and a description of planned research not yet 
underway. Where an electronic version of a document is available, the 
website has been noted. A limited number of paper copies of these 
documents can be obtained from Dr. Stephen Schmelling at e-mail: 
[email protected] or via phone at (580) 436-8540.
    For Further Information--Any member of the public wishing further 
information concerning these two conference call meetings or wishing to 
submit brief oral comments for any of the meetings must contact Ms. 
Kathleen White Conway, Designated Federal Officer, Science Advisory 
Board (1400A), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios 
Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
(202) 564-4559; FAX (202) 501-0582; or via e-mail at 
[email protected]. Requests for oral comments must be in writing 
(e-mail, fax or mail) and received by Ms. Conway no later than noon 
Eastern Time one week prior to each meeting (by March 16 or April 24, 
respectively).

Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings

    The Science Advisory Board expects that public statements presented 
at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or 
written statements. In general, each individual or group making an oral 
presentation will be limited to a total time of ten minutes. For 
teleconference meetings, opportunities for oral comment will usually be 
limited to no more than three minutes per speaker and no more than 
fifteen minutes total. Written comments (at least 35 copies) received 
in the SAB Staff Office sufficiently prior to a meeting date (usually 
one week before the meeting), may be mailed to the relevant SAB 
committee or subcommittee; comments received too close to the meeting 
date will normally be provided to the committee at its meeting. The SAB 
will accept written comments until the date of the meeting, unless 
otherwise stated.
    Additional information concerning the Science Advisory Board, its 
structure, function, and composition, may be found on the SAB Website 
(http://www.epa.gov/sab) and in The FY1999 Annual Report of the Staff 
Director which is available from the SAB Publications Staff at (202) 
564-4533 or via fax at (202) 501-0256.
    Meeting Access--Individuals requiring special accommodation at this 
teleconference meeting, including wheelchair access to the conference 
room, should contact Ms. Conway at least five business days prior to 
the meetings so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

    Dated: March 2, 2000.
John R. Fowle III,
Acting Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 00-5622 Filed 3-8-00; 8:45 am]
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