[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 29, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45676-45677]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21811]



[[Page 45676]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7046-7]


EPA Science Advisory Board; Notification of Public Advisory 
Committee Meeting

Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproduct Rule Review 
(S2DBP) and the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule 
Review (LT2R)

    Action--Notification of a meeting to initiate the EPA Science 
Advisory Board (SAB) review of elements associated with EPA's proposed 
rules on the: 1) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule 
(S2DBPR) and (2) the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule 
(LT2ESWTR).

Drinking Water Committee Meeting--Background and Approach

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, 
notice is hereby given that the Drinking Water Committee of the EPA 
Science Advisory Board (SAB) will meet on September 25 and 26, 2001. 
The meeting will be held in EPA's Ariel Rios Building, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. On September 25th, the meeting 
will be held in Room 6530 of Ariel Rios Building (North side) from 8:30 
am until 5:00 pm. On September 26th, the meeting will be held in Room 
6013 of the Ariel Rios Building from 8:30 am until noon. All times 
noted are Eastern Daylight Savings Time. The meeting is 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.
    Background Information--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) is announcing the initiation of two 
reviews for the EPA Office of Water (OW). These reviews are mandated by 
Section 1412(e) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA as amended in 
August 1996) which states:

    The Administrator shall request comments from the Science 
Advisory Board (established under the Environmental Research, 
Development, and Demonstration Act of 1978) prior to proposal of a 
maximum contaminant level goal and national primary drinking water 
regulation. The Board shall respond, as it deems appropriate, within 
the time period applicable for promulgation of the national primary 
drinking water standard concerned. This subsection shall, under no 
circumstances, be used to delay final promulgation of any national 
primary drinking water standard.

    The EPA Science Advisory Board was established to provide 
independent scientific and technical advice, consultation, and 
recommendations to the EPA Administrator on the technical bases for EPA 
regulations. In this sense, the Board functions as a technical peer 
review panel.
    In the discussion below, we provide information on the charge that 
has been given to the Science Advisory Board and a summary of the 
background for each proposal.

1. Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule

    (a) General Information: The Safe Drinking Water Act requires EPA 
to develop National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for contaminants 
which have an adverse effect on the health of persons and where 
regulation provides a meaningful opportunity for public health 
protection. EPA is developing a Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water 
Treatment Rule to provide for increased protection of public water 
systems against microbial pathogens, with a specific focus on 
Cryptosporidium. The intent of the proposed LT2ESWTR is to supplement 
existing surface water treatment rules through establishment of 
targeted treatment requirements for systems with greater vulnerability 
to Cryptosporidium. Such systems include those with high source water 
pathogen levels and those that do not provide filtration. In addition, 
consistent with SDWA requirements for risk balancing, EPA will propose 
and finalize the LT2ESWTR simultaneously with the Stage 2 Disinfectants 
and Disinfection Byproducts Rule. This coordinated approach is designed 
to ensure that systems maintain adequate microbial protection while 
reducing risk from disinfection byproducts. A Federal Stakeholder 
Advisory Committee reached an Agreement in Principle during September 
2000 with recommendations for both rules (65 FR 83015-83024).
    (b) Charge--Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule: EPA 
requests SAB comment on the following parts of the Agency's LT2ESWTR 
proposal and supporting documents: (1) The analysis of Cryptosporidium 
occurrence; (2) the pre- and post-LT2ESWTR Cryptosporidium risk 
assessment; and (3) the treatment credits for microbial toolbox 
options.

2. Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproduct Rule Proposal

    (a) General Information: The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking 
Water Act require EPA to promulgate a Stage 2 Disinfectants and 
Disinfection Byproducts Rule (Section 1412(b)(2)(C)) by May 2002. The 
intent of the proposed S2DBPR is to reduce the variability of exposure 
to disinfection byproducts (DBPs) for people served by different points 
in the distribution systems of public water supplies. EPA believes that 
this decreased exposure will result in reduced risk from reproductive 
and developmental health effects and cancer. EPA is required under the 
Safe Drinking Water Act to promulgate the rule as the second part of a 
staged set of regulations addressing DBPs. Consistent with SDWA 
requirements for risk balancing, EPA will propose and finalize the Long 
Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR) at the same 
time as the Stage 2 DBP Rule in order to ensure parallel protection 
from microbial and DBP risks. A Federal Stakeholder Advisory Committee 
reached an Agreement in Principle in September 2000 with 
recommendations for both proposed rules (65 FR 83015-83024).
    (b) Charge--Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproduct Rule 
Proposal: EPA requests SAB comment on (1) whether the locational 
running annual average (LRAA) standards for total trihalomethanes 
(TTHMs) and haloacetic acids (HAA5), in conjunction with the initial 
distribution system evaluation (IDSE) of the proposed Stage 2 DBPR, 
more effectively achieves public health protection than the current 
running annual average (RAA) standards, given the existing knowledge of 
DBP occurrence and the available health effects data, and (2) whether 
the IDSE is capable of identifying new compliance monitoring points 
that target high TTHM and HAA5 levels and whether it is the most 
appropriate tool available to achieve this objective.
    Process to be followed by the SAB for this Review: (a) The review 
of these two proposals will take place over two meetings. The first, on 
September 25-26, 2001, will initiate the review. In this meeting, the 
Drinking Water Committee, augmented by a small number of persons to add 
disciplinary expertise in public health, epidemiology, drinking water 
treatment, and statistical analysis, will be briefed by EPA 
representatives on the nature of the issue, the extent of the charge, 
and the context for the proposed rule and the review. Then, the 
Committee and the Agency will explore the issue from the standpoint of

[[Page 45677]]

acceptability of the charge, completeness of the background material 
provided by the Agency, the need for additional expertise for the 
Committee to be able to respond to the charge, and clarifications 
necessary on issues identified by the Committee. Finally, the Committee 
will begin its discussions of each rule with the intent of formulating 
a plan of action to be accomplished to guide the remainder of the 
review.
    A second meeting will be scheduled in November or December in order 
to allow the DWC to fully evaluate and discuss the issues and charge 
and to draft its recommendations to the Administrator of EPA.
    (b) Panel Development: The SAB Panel for this review consists of 
the membership of the DWC, augmented by experts in the following areas: 
a) public health, b) epidemiology, c) drinking water treatment for 
microbial contamination, and d) statistical techniques for the 
determination of the occurrence of microbes in drinking water. The 
names of members of the Panel for the September 25-26 meeting will be 
posted on the SAB Website at www.epa.gov/sab by the close of business 
on September 15, 2001. During its September meeting the Panel will 
discuss the need for additional persons to provide expertise and/or 
balance. Members of the public wishing to comment on the composition 
and balance of the /panel and/or wishing to suggest persons to be added 
to the Panel for the second meeting in November or December should send 
those comments by mail to Mr. Thomas O. Miller, Designated Federal 
Officer, SAB Drinking Water Committee (1400A), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW, Washington, DC, 20460; by email at [email protected], or by Fax at 
(202) 501-0582. These comments should be sent so that they are received 
at the SAB no later than October 12, 2001. Nominations for additions to 
the Panel should be identified by name, expertise (see the four areas 
of expertise listed above), occupation, position, address, email 
address, and telephone number. In addition, a nomination should contain 
a short discussion of why the candidate should be added to the Panel. 
The nomination should also include a current resume (preferably in 
electronic format) that provides details on the nominee's background, 
experience and qualifications to address the issues before the Panel. 
These comments and suggestions will be considered in the SAB's decision 
on the final makeup of the review Panel for the November/December 
meeting. The final list of names for the SAB members and consultants 
serving on the Panel will be posted on the SAB website by October 19, 
2001.
    This clarification of and invitation for public input to the SAB 
panel selection process is an attempt to explore and respond to 
recommendations in a recent report from the General Accounting Office 
(GAO) on the operations of the Office of the Science Advisory Board 
(GAO Report #GAO-01-531; see GAO Website: www.gao.gov).
    For Further Information--Any member of the public wishing further 
information concerning this meeting should contact Mr. Thomas O. 
Miller, Designated Federal Officer, SAB Drinking Water Committee as 
stated above. For a copy of the draft meeting agenda, please contact 
Ms. Wanda Fields, Management Assistant at (202) 564-4539, FAX at (202) 
501-0582, or email at: [email protected].
    Materials that are the subject of this review are available on the 
EPA Website as noted in the section on the Charge above or from: a) 
Stage 2 DBPs, Ms. Mary Manibusan, US EPA Office of Water (OW) (MS 
4607), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460, Phone: (202) 
260-3688 or via email at [email protected]; and b) LT2, Mr. Dan 
Schmelling, US EPA Office of Water (OW) (MS 4607), 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460, Phone: (202) 260-1439 or via email at 
[email protected].

Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings

    It is the policy of the EPA Science Advisory Board to accept 
written public comments of any length, and to accommodate oral public 
comments whenever possible. The EPA Science Advisory Board expects that 
public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of 
previously submitted oral or written statements.
    Oral Comments: In general, each individual or group wishing to make 
a brief oral presentation to the Panel must contact Mr. Thomas Miller, 
DFO for the DWC, no later than noon Eastern Time, Tuesday, September 
18, 2001 in order to be included on the agenda. The request should 
identify the name of the individual who will make the presentation, the 
organization (if any) they will represent, and any requirements for 
audio visual equipment (e.g., overhead projector, 35 mm projector, 
chalkboard, etc.). Presentations at face-to-face meeting will be 
limited to a total time of five minutes per speaker. 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 for all speakers together. Speakers should provide to the SAB 
Staff Office, at least one week prior to the meeting date, a) one 
signed hard copy of the comments for the file and b) an electronic 
version of the comments [acceptable file format: WordPerfect, Word, or 
Rich Text files (in IBM-PC/Windows 95/98 format)]. In addition, the 
speaker should bring to the meeting at least 35 copies of their 
comments and presentation slides for distribution to the reviewers and 
public at the meeting.
    Written Comments: Although the SAB accepts written comments until 
the date of the meeting (unless otherwise stated), written comments 
should be received in the SAB Staff Office at least one week prior to 
the meeting date so that the comments may be made available to the 
committee for their consideration. Comments should be supplied to Mr. 
Miller (see contact information above) in the following formats: one 
hard copy with original signature, and one electronic copy via e-mail 
[acceptable file format: WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files (in IBM-
PC/Windows 95/98 format)]. Those providing written comments and who 
attend the meeting are also asked to bring 35 copies of their comments 
for public distribution.
    Meeting Access--Individuals requiring special accommodation at 
these meetings, including wheelchair access to the conference room, 
should contact Mr. Miller at least five business days prior to the 
relevant meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

    Dated: August 21, 2001.
Donald G. Barnes,
Staff Director, EPA Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 01-21811 Filed 8-28-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P