[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 113 (Monday, June 12, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36845-36846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-14732]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Subcommittee on Global Change Research; Draft Report Availability

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of the availability of draft report for public comment.

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SUMMARY: On behalf of the Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR) 
of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources of the National 
Science and Technology Council (NSTC), the National Science Foundation 
(NSF) announces the availability of the draft version of the National 
Assessment Synthesis Report for a 60-day public comment period (June 12 
through August 11, 2000). The National Assessment's goal is to analyze 
and evaluate what is known about the potential consequences of climate 
variability and change for the Nation, in the context of other 
pressures on the public, the environment, and the Nation's resources. 
The National Assessment Synthesis Team (NAST) was formed in 1998 under 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act and was charged with, among other 
responsibilities, integrating key findings from the regional and 
sectoral analyses, augmented as appropriate with additional analyses 
and material from the scientific literature. The NAST prepared the 
report to address questions of importance to stakeholders and the 
Nation. The draft report is titled Climate Change Impacts on the United 
States: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change. 
The report consists of an Overview and a Foundation document that 
contains 19 chapters detailing and documenting the findings presented 
in the Overview. A list of chapters making up the draft NAST report is 
included with this notice. The comments received will be considered by 
the NAST in the preparation of the final version of its report. 
Although the report has already undergone extensive peer-review, this 
is still a draft version of the report and it should not be 
definitively quoted or cited as it is still undergoing review and is 
likely to be changed based on comments received. Due to its length and 
the extensive use of color graphics in parts of the report, the report 
is available for review primarily over the Worldwide Web. Information 
about how to access and download copies of the relevant chapters and 
the Overview report is available at the Web site of the Global Change 
Research Information Office (GCRIO) at http://www.gcrio.org/National 
Assessment/. The Web site also provides information on how to submit 
comments on the draft. For those who cannot access the report over the 
Web, one copy is available for public inspection weekdays during normal 
business hours at the library of the National Science Foundation in 
Arlington, VA. Appointments can be made by calling 703-306-0658.

DATES: Reviewer comments on the draft report of the NAST must be 
received at the postal or email address indicated below on or before 
August 11, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Review comments should be formatted based on the guidelines 
provided by GCRIO upon notification of how to access the report. Review 
comments should be submitted via email over the Internet as a Microsoft 
Word or WordPerfect attachment using a separate file for the Overview 
report and for each chapter of the Foundation report that is reviewed. 
Review comments should be emailed to [email protected]. If email 
submission is not possible, review comments may be submitted via mail 
to: National Assessment Comments, Office of the U.S. Global Change 
Research Program, 400 Virginia Avenue, SW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 
20024. When submitting comments by mail, please provide comments both 
as hardcopy and on a 3.5" DS/HD disk (either Mac or IBM format) as a 
text file.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: National Assessment Review 
Coordinator, Office of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, Suite 
750, 400 Virginia Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20024; or telephone 202-
488-8630, fax at 202-488-8681, or send an email to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The 1990 Global Change Research Act (PL 101-606) that established 
the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) required the program to 
conduct periodic assessments that would: Integrate and interpret the 
findings of USGCRP; analyze trends in global change over the next 25 to 
100 years; analyze the effects of global change on the natural 
environment, agriculture, energy, land and water resources, 
transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and 
biological diversity; and discuss associated scientific uncertainties. 
Responsibility for undertaking the assessment was vested in the NSTC.
    In 1998, the President's Science Advisor, acting in his capacity as 
executive secretary of the NSTC, requested that the SGCR conduct the 
first national assessment of the consequences of global climate change 
and variability. The SGCR established the NAST, which is a 14-member 
FACA-chartered committee established on behalf of the SGCR by the NSF. 
The NAST developed the plan for the Assessment and it was approved by 
the SGCR and the NSTC. The National Assessment process was designed to 
be broadly inclusive, drawing on inputs from academia, government, the 
public and private sectors, and interested citizens through a 
distributed set of

[[Page 36846]]

regional and sectoral activities. Among other responsibilities, the 
NAST has been responsible for preparing the National Assessment 
Synthesis Report and providing overall intellectual guidance on the 
Assessment.

II. Review Process

    Drafts of the National Assessment Synthesis Report have undergone 
two rounds of technical peer review. In the first round that took place 
in November and December of 1999, over 500 experts were asked to review 
the Overview report plus one to four chapters of the Foundation report 
for technical and scientific accuracy. Review drafts were also sent to 
federal agency representatives, all members of the Synthesis Team, and 
the chairs of all regional and sectoral teams. Over 300 technical 
reviews of the Overview and individuals chapters were received. In the 
second round that took place in March and April, about two dozen 
additional experts were asked to review the report as a whole.
    The technical review process has been overseen by a small panel of 
eminent persons from the private and public sectors that has been 
assembled under the auspices of the President's Council of Advisors on 
Science and Technology (PCAST). This special panel has assured a 
representative mix of reviewers and the responsiveness of the NAST to 
the technical comments received. In addition to the outside technical 
review, the report was provided to the federal agency members of the 
SGCR for comment as part of the overall review process.
    The SGCR is now responsible for coordinating a public comment 
period on this draft version of the National Assessment Synthesis 
Report. This notice announces the availability of this report for 
public comment by experts, interested organizations and individuals, 
and the public. Comments that are provided will be evaluated, 
integrated, and used, as appropriate, in the revision of this draft of 
the report. An information sheet providing specific requests for 
formatting submissions of comments is available on the Web site. All 
comments must indicate who is submitting the comments. The emphasis 
should be on providing detailed recommendations on the Overview and/or 
on specific chapters of the Foundation report so that changes can be 
considered that address the comment. To be most useful, comments should 
be specific in suggesting alternative wording or other changes to the 
text of a particular paragraph or chapter and, where appropriate, offer 
supporting information and peer-reviewed references supporting the 
proposed changes. Comments on the overall tone, internal consistency, 
and scientific validity of the Overview and chapters and comments 
expressing the reasons for agreement or disagreement with specific 
major points are also invited.
    The materials available for review include the draft versions of 
the Overview report and Foundation chapters. Documents available for 
review include the following:
Overview Report
Foundation Report (listing is of subject matter of chapter)
1. Climate Change
2. Vegetation and Biochemistry Scenarios
3. Socioeconomic Change
4. Northeast
5. Southeast
6. Midwest
7. Great Plains
8. West
9. Pacific Northwest
10. Alaska
11. Islands
12. Native Peoples and Homelands
13. Agriculture
14. Water Resources
15. Human Health
16. Coastal Areas and Marine Resources
17. Forests
18. Conclusions
19. Research Needs

III. Public Availability of Comments

    Subsequent to the receipt and collation of the comments, the 
collection of comments received will be available for public inspection 
weekdays during normal business hours at the library of the National 
Science Foundation in Arlington, VA. Appointments can be made by 
calling 703-306-0658.

    Dated: June 6, 2000.
Karen J. York,
Human Resource and Management Specialist.
[FR Doc. 00-14732 Filed 6-9-00; 8:45 am]
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