[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 77 (Monday, April 22, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19572-19575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-9791]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7173-9]


EPA Science Advisory Board; Notification of Public Advisory 
Committee Meetings; Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup/Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); Program Benefits, Costs and 
Impacts (BCI) Review Panel

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, 
notice is hereby given of three meetings of the Underground Storage 
Tanks (UST) Cleanup/Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Program 
Benefits, Costs and Impacts (BCI) Review Panel (UST/RCRA BCI Review 
Panel, or ``the Panel'') of the Executive Committee of the US EPA 
Science Advisory Board (SAB). The Panel 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. For teleconference meetings, available lines may also 
be limited. 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.

[[Page 19573]]

Background

    In 1996, the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) 
began to develop methodologies to better characterize the costs and 
benefits (including environmental, health, and other human welfare 
benefits) and other impacts of its various environmental programs. As a 
first step, OSWER staff identified a set of program attributes that 
describe a broad range of potential impacts that may result from OSWER 
programs. This list of attributes included the traditional economic 
benefit/cost measures, but also went beyond them to try to capture 
other program features and factors that influence the design, 
implementation, and performance of OSWER programs and that OSWER 
managers believed were important to characterize in any analysis of the 
performance of their programs (e.g., sustainability, stakeholder 
issues, impacts on long-term behavioral changes, and regulatory 
constraints). OSWER selected two of its programs (a prevention program 
and a cleanup program) to serve as pilots to test the practical 
application of these attributes in characterizing and measuring program 
performance and impacts. The OSWER draft document to be reviewed as an 
advisory by the Panel addresses one of these two pilot programs, namely 
the Underground Storage Tank (UST) cleanup program. The purpose of the 
draft document is to present a range of potential methods OSWER could 
use to characterize or quantify each of the relevant attributes for the 
UST cleanup program, together with the advantages, disadvantages, and 
uncertainties. The methods range from relatively simple to more 
complex, resource-intensive methods.
    The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB, Board) announced in 66 FR 
44343-44344, August 23, 2001, that it has been asked to undertake a 
review of the Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup and Resource 
Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C Program Benefits, Costs and 
Impacts. The Board invited nominations for consideration on the review 
panel being formed. The SAB's process for panel formation has been 
designed for three purposes: to help the Board meet EPA's legal 
requirements; to be transparent to the public, so the public can 
understand and participate in the process; and to help the Board 
fulfill its mission. Approximately 2-dozen nominations were received in 
response to the Federal Register announcement. Coupled with nominees 
from other sources (Agency, SAB members, and SAB Staff), approximately 
120 candidates were identified as viable for further consideration. 
This list now has been narrowed down to 19 candidates, based upon 
interest, availability, credentials, expertise needed, etc. (see below 
for more detail) of which approximately 10 candidates will be selected 
for this review. Five of the nineteen candidates on the current list 
were suggested through the Federal Register nomination process. The 
background, charge, and description of the review documents appear in 
the above referenced Federal Register notice, and are also available on 
the SAB Web site (http://www.epa.gov/sab/ustrcrainvita.pdf).
    The expertise appropriate to address the charge questions includes 
environmental economics, preferably with (a) experience in waste and 
groundwater contamination issues; (b) experience with EPA's Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program and Underground Storage 
Tank (UST) program; (c) demonstrated knowledge of waste and groundwater 
contamination issues, particularly in the RCRA and UST; and (d) social 
science perspectives.
    The criteria for selecting Panel members include (a) recognized 
expertise; (b) impartiality and objectivity; (c) absence of conflicts 
of interest; (d) availability to participate fully in the review, which 
will be conducted over a relatively short time frame (i.e., within 
approximately 3 months); and (e) collectivity, a balanced range of 
scientific perspectives on the issues. Panel members are expected to 
perform one face-to-face public meeting, and two public teleconference 
meetings over the course of 3 months. In addition, they will review and 
help finalize the report of the Panel that will be reviewed and 
approved by the SAB Executive Committee (EC) prior to its transmittal 
to the EPA Administrator.

1. Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup/Resource Conservation 
Recovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts (BCI) 
Review Panel (UST/RCRA BCI Review Panel)--May 9, 2002 
Teleconference

    The Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup/Resource Conservation 
Revovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts Review Panel of 
the Executive Committee of the US EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) will 
meet on Thursday, May 9, 2002 via teleconference from 3:00 pm to 5:00 
pm Eastern Time. This teleconference meeting will be convened in 
Conference Room 6013, USEPA, Ariel Rios Building North, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. The meeting is open to 
the public, however, due to limited space, seating will be on a first-
come basis--the public may also attend via telephone, however, lines 
may be limited. For further information concerning the meeting or how 
to obtain the phone number, please contact the individuals listed at 
the end of this FR notice.

Purpose of the Meeting

    The purpose of this public teleconference meeting is to: (a) 
Discuss the Charge and the adequacy of the review materials provided to 
the Panel; (b) to clarify any questions and issues relating to the 
charge and the review materials; (c) to discuss specific charge 
assignments to the Panelists; and (d) to clarify specific points of 
interest raised by the Panelists in preparation for the face-to-face 
meeting to be held on Monday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 21, 2002.
    See below for availability of review materials and contact 
information.

2. Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup/Resource Conservation 
Recovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts (BCI) 
Review Panel (Panel)--May 20 and 21, 2002 Meeting

    The Underground Storage Tanks UST Cleanup Resource Conservation 
Recovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts (BCI) Review 
Panel (Panel) of the Executive Committee of the US EPA Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) will conduct a public meeting on Monday, May 20 and 
Tuesday, May 21, 2002. The meeting will begin on Monday, May 20, 2002 
at 9 am and adjourn no later than 5:30 pm that day. On May 21, 2002, 
the meeting may begin at 8:30 am and adjourn no later than 5:30 pm. The 
meeting will take place in the Large Conference Room 1117 in the EPA 
East Headquarters Building, 1201 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, 
DC 20004. For further information concerning the meeting, please 
contact the individuals listed at the end of this FR notice.

Purpose of the Meeting

    The purpose of this meeting is to conduct a review of the UST and 
RCRA Title C Benefit, Cost and Impact documents. In particular, the 
Panel will: (a) Engage in dialogue with appropriate officials from the 
Agency who are responsible for preparation and utilization of the draft 
documents dated October, 2000; (b) receive public comments on the 
technical issues involved and; (c) begin to prepare responses to the 
Charge questions (see below).

[[Page 19574]]

The Proposed Charge

    The Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) is 
requesting that the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) review the 
following documents: ``Approaches to Assessing the Benefits, Costs, and 
Impacts of the RCRA Subtitle C Program'' and ``Approaches to Assessing 
the Benefits, Costs, and Impacts of the Office of Underground Storage 
Tanks Cleanup Program.'' The text of the draft Charge to the SAB is 
posted on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/ustcharge.pdf.
    See below for availability of review materials and contact 
information for the meeting.

3. Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup/Resource Conservation 
Recovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and Impacts (BCI) 
Review Panel (UST/RCRA BCI Review Panel)--June 18, 2002 Contingency 
Teleconference

Purpose of the Meeting

    Depending on progress achieved in developing its advisory from the 
May 20-21, 2002 meeting, the Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Cleanup/
Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Program Benefits, Costs and 
Impacts (BCI) Review (Panel) of the Executive Committee of the Science 
Advisory Board (SAB) may convene in a public teleconference on Tuesday, 
June 18 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This purpose contingency meeting would 
provide an opportunity for the Panel to reach closure on a consensus 
draft in a public forum. If held, the meeting will be convened in 
Conference Room 6013, US EPA, Ariel Rios Building North, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. The meeting is open to 
the public, however, due to limited space, seating will be on a first-
come basis--the public may also attend via telephone, however, lines 
may be limited. For further information concerning the meeting or how 
to obtain the phone number, please contact the individuals listed at 
the end of this FR notice.
    The public is encouraged to attend the meeting in the conference 
room noted above, however, a limited number of the public may also 
attend through a telephonic link. Additional instructions about how to 
participate in the meeting can be obtained by calling the individuals 
listed below prior to the meeting (see contact information given 
below). The teleconference will be convened only if, in the opinion of 
the Panel Chair, it is needed to address issues that require further 
discussion prior to completion of the Panel's report. A decision as 
whether or not this teleconference will be convened will be made by 
close of business, Tuesday, June 4, 2002, 14 days prior to the 
tentatively scheduled date. The decision on the teleconference will be 
posted to the SAB Web site (www.epa.gov/sab); or members of the public 
may contact Ms. Renee Cooper (see contact information given below). 
Availability of Review Materials--If this teleconference is to be held, 
a list of the issues to be discussed, along with a draft meeting 
agenda, will be posted on the SAB Web site (www.epa.gov/sab) under the 
``Agenda'' heading on or about June 7, 2002. If the meeting is 
canceled, a notice will be posted on the SAB website to that effect, as 
well under the ``New'' heading of the Web page.

For Further Information

    Any member of the public wishing further information concerning 
these meetings or who wish to submit brief oral comments must contact 
Dr. K. Jack Kooyoomjian, Designated Federal Officer, of the Panel, 
USEPA Science Advisory Board (1400A), Suite 6450BB, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-
4557; fax at (202) 501-0582; or via e-mail at [email protected]. 
Requests to present oral comments must be in writing (e-mail, fax or 
mail) and received by Dr. Kooyoomjian, no later than noon Eastern Time 
five business days prior to the meeting date (May 2, 2002, May 13, and 
June 11, 2002, respectively, for the three meetings). See below for 
information on public comments.
    Members of the public desiring additional information about the 
meeting locations or the call-in number for the teleconference, should 
contact Ms. Renee Cooper, Acting Management Assistant, U.S. EPA, EPA 
Science Advisory Board (1400A), Suite 6450, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 
NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-2526; fax 
at (202) 501-0582; or via e-mail at [email protected].
    A copy of the draft agenda for each meeting will be posted on the 
SAB Web site (www.epa.gov/sab) (under the AGENDAS subheading) 
approximately 10 days before that meeting.

Availability of Review Materials

    There are two primary documents that are the subject of the review. 
The review documents are available electronically at the following site 
http://www.epa.gov/swerrims/oswerdoc.htm. For questions and information 
pertaining to the review documents, please contact Mr. David S. 
Nicholas, Policy Analysis and Regulatory Management Staff, Office of 
Solid Waste and Emergency Response (Mail Code 5103), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, SE-306 Waterside Mall, 401 M St, SW, Washington, DC 
20460; tel. (202) 260-4512, FAX (202) 401-1496, e-mail: 
[email protected]. Mr. Nicholas will refer you to the appropriate 
contact for the particular issue of interest. The review document which 
is the subject of this review is cited as follows:

Approaches to Assessing the Benefits, Costs, and Impacts of the 
Office of Underground Storage Tanks Cleanup Program, Draft Report, 
Prepared for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of 
Solid Waste, Prepared by Industrial Economics, Inc., October, 2000
Approaches to Assessing the Benefits, Costs, and Impacts of the RCRA 
Subtitle C Program, Draft Report, Prepared for the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste, Prepared by 
Industrial Economics, Inc., October, 2000

    The above supporting documents are available for viewing at the 
OSWER Docket, located at Crystal Gateway I, First Floor, 1235 Jefferson 
Davis Highway, Arlington, VA. The Docket Identification number is F-
2002-USBN-FFFFF. The OSWER Docket is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, excluding federal holidays. To review docket materials, 
it is recommended that the public make an appointment by calling 703 
603-9230. The public may copy a maximum of 100 pages from any 
regulatory docket at no charge. Additional copies cost $0.15/page. The 
public can also contact the OSWER Docket by facsimile (703-603-9234), 
e-mail ([email protected]). The postal address is OSWER 
Docket, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, mailcode 5305G Washington, DC 
20460.

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 requesting an oral presentation at a 
face-to-face meeting will be limited to a total time of ten minutes 
(unless otherwise indicated). For teleconference meetings, 
opportunities for oral comment will usually be limited to no more than 
three

[[Page 19575]]

minutes per speaker and no more than fifteen minutes total. Deadlines 
for getting on the public speaker list for a meeting are given above. 
Speakers should bring 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 review panel for their consideration. Comments should be supplied 
to the appropriate DFO at the address/contact information noted above 
in the following formats: One hard copy with original signature, and 
one electronic copy via e-mail (acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat, 
WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files (in IBM-PC/Windows 95/98 format). 
Those providing written comments at the meeting are also asked to bring 
35 copies of their comments for public distribution.

Meeting Access

    Individuals requiring special accommodation at this meeting, 
including wheelchair access to the conference room, should contact Dr. 
Kooyoomjian at least five business days prior to the meeting so that 
appropriate arrangements can be made.

General Information

    Additional information concerning the Science Advisory Board, its 
structure, function, and composition, may be found on the SAB Web site 
(http://www.epa.gov/sab) and in the Science Advisory Board FY2001 
Annual Staff Report which is available from the SAB Publications Staff 
at (202) 564-4533 or via fax at (202) 501-0256.

    Dated: April 15, 2002.
Donald G. Barnes,
Staff Director, EPA Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 02-9791 Filed 4-19-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P