[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 135 (Monday, July 15, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46505-46506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17691]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7245-4]


EPA Science Advisory Board, Notification of Public Advisory 
Committee Meetings; Metals Assessment Panel

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, 
notice is hereby given of three conference call meetings of Metals 
Assessment Panel of the US EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB). These 
conference call meetings are preparatory for a face-to-face meeting to 
be held September 10-12 in or near Washington DC. Once the location is 
known, the face-to-face meeting will be the subject of a separate 
announcement. The Panel will hold conference calls 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.

Background

    The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB, Board) announced in 67 FR 
38957-38959, June 6, 2002 that it had been asked to undertake a review 
of EPA's draft Action Plan for the ``Framework for Metals Assessment 
and Cross-Agency Guidance for Assessing Metals-Related Hazard and 
Risk.'' The background, charge, and description of the review documents 
appear in the above referenced Federal Register notice and are also 
available at the SAB website (www.epa.gov/sab). The notice also 
included a call for nominations for members of the panel in certain 
technical expertise areas needed to address the charge and described 
the process to be used in forming the panel. A Short List of 
individuals from which the panel will be chosen has been posted at the 
SAB's website.
    The following three teleconference meetings will be hosted out of 
Conference Room 6013, USEPA, Ariel Rios Building North, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. The meetings are all 
open to the public, but, due to limited space, seating will be on a 
first-come basis. The SAB Staff encourages members of the public who 
plan to attend any or all of the three meetings in person to call a few 
days in advance of that meeting and to arrive at least 15 minutes 
before the scheduled start time so that the necessary building security 
requirements can be accommodated before the start of the meeting. The 
public may also attend the teleconference meetings via telephone, 
however, lines may be limited. For further information concerning the 
meetings or how to obtain the teleconference phone number, please 
contact the individuals listed at the end of this FR notice.

1. Metals Assessment Panel--August 8, 2002 Teleconference

    The Metals Assessment Panel will meet on August 8, 2002 by 
teleconference from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time.
    Purpose of the Meeting--The purpose of this public teleconference 
meeting is to: (a) Discuss the charge and review materials provided to 
the Metals Assessment Panel; (b) to clarify any questions 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 September 10-12, 2002.
    See below for availability of review materials, the charge to the 
review panel, and contact information.

2. Metals Assessment Panel--August 15, 2002 Teleconference

    The Metals Assessment Panel will meet on August 15, 2002 by 
teleconference from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time.
    Purpose of the Meeting--The purpose of this public teleconference 
meeting is to: (a) Hear invited presentations; (b) to hear public 
comment; (c) to provide an opportunity for panel discussion; and (d) to 
identify areas where the Panel would welcome additional input.
    See below for availability of review materials, the charge to the 
review panel, and contact information.

3. Metals Assessment Panel--August 29, 2002 Teleconference

    The Metals Assessment Panel will meet on August 29, 2002 by 
teleconference from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time.
    Purpose of the Meeting--The purpose of this public teleconference 
meeting is to: (a) Allow panelists to identify points they think should 
be addressed in the Panel's report; (b) provide other panelists with an 
opportunity to add to or correct those points; and (c) identify for the 
Agency and the Public any areas where the panel would welcome 
additional information or comment.
    See below for availability of review materials, the charge to the 
review panel, and contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons desiring information about 
public participation in the meetings identified above must contact 
Kathleen White, Designated Federal Officer, Metals Assessment Panel, 
USEPA Science Advisory Board (1400A), Suite 6450Z, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-
4559; fax at (202) 501-0582; or via e-mail at [email protected]. 
Requests for oral comments must be made in writing (e-mail, fax or 
mail) and received by Ms. White no later than noon Eastern Time on the 
following dates: for the August 8 teleconference call, requests must be 
received by August 1st; for the August 15 teleconference call, requests 
must be received by August 8; for the August 29 conference call, 
requests must be received by August 22.
    The public is encouraged to provide written comments. Those who 
prefer to provide oral comments are encouraged to schedule them for 
August 15. The oral public comment period will be limited and divided 
among the speakers who register. Additional opportunities for public 
comment will be available at the face to face meeting to be held 
September 10-12. Registration is on a first come basis. Speakers who 
have been granted time on the agenda may not yield their time to other 
speakers. Speakers who are unable to register in time may provide their 
comments in writing.
    Members of the public desiring additional information about the 
meeting locations or the call-in number for the teleconference before 
June 30, 2002, must contact Ms.Zisa Lubarov-Walton, Management 
Assistant, EPA

[[Page 46506]]

Science Advisory Board (1400A), Suite 6450N, U.S. EPA, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone/voice mail at 
(202) 564-4537; 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 Website (www.epa.gov/sab) (under the AGENDAS subheading) 
approximately 10 days before that meeting.
    Availability of Review Material--There is one primary document that 
is the subject of the review. The draft Metals Action Plan is available 
on the EPA Risk Assessment Forum's website: http://www.epa.gov/ncea/raf/rafpub.htm. The review document is also available electronically at 
the following site http://oaspub.epa.gov/eims/eimscomm.getfile?p_download_id=4580 For questions and information pertaining to the 
review documents, please contact Dr. Bill Wood (Mail Code 8601D), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; tel. (202) 564-
3358, e-mail: [email protected]. Dr. Wood will refer you to the 
appropriate contact for the particular issue of interest.

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 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 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 this 
meeting, including wheelchair access to the conference room, should 
contact Ms. White 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 Website (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: July 9, 2002.
Robert Flaak,
Acting Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 02-17691 Filed 7-12-02; 8:45 am]
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