[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61094-61097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24647]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-2002-0257; FRL-7275-4]


Nominations for FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel; Request for 
Comments

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides the names, addresses, professional 
affiliations, and selected biographical data of persons nominated to 
serve on the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, 
Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA)/(SAP) established under section 25(d) 
of the FIFRA. The Panel was created on November 28, 1975, and made a 
statutory Panel by amendment to FIFRA, dated October 25, 1988. Public 
comment on the nominations is invited, as these comments will be used 
to assist the Agency in selecting three new chartered Panel members.

[[Page 61095]]


DATES: Comments, identified by docket ID number OPP-2002-0257, must be 
received on or before October 28, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, electronically, or in 
person. Please follow the detailed instructions for each method as 
provided in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. To ensure proper 
receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket ID number 
OPP-2002-0257 in the subject line on the first page of your response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By mail: Steven Knott, Office of 
Science Coordination and Policy (7201M), Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (202) 564-8450; fax number (202) 564-8382; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. Does This Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. Since other 
entities may also be interested, the Agency has not attempted to 
describe all the specific entities that may be affected by this action. 
If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to 
a particular entity, consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Additional Information, Including Copies of This 
Document and Other Related Documents?

    1. Electronically. You may obtain electronic copies of this 
document, and certain other related documents that might be available 
electronically, from the EPA Internet Home Page at http://www.epa.gov/. 
To access this document, on the Home Page select ``Laws and 
Regulations,'' ``Regulations and Proposed Rules,'' and then look up the 
entry for this document under the ``Federal Register--Environmental 
Documents.'' You can also go directly to the Federal Register listings 
at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket ID number OPP-2002-0257. The official record 
consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any 
public comments received during an applicable comment period, and other 
information related to this action, including any information claimed 
as Confidential Business Information (CBI). This official record 
includes the documents that are physically located in the docket, as 
well as the documents that are referenced in those documents. The 
public version of the official record does not include any information 
claimed as CBI. The public version of the official record, which 
includes printed, paper versions of any electronic comments submitted 
during an applicable comment period is availabe for inspection in the 
Public Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, 
Crystal Mall 2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA, from 
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. 
The PIRIB telephone number is (703) 305-5805.

C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    You may submit comments through the mail, in person, or 
electronically. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that 
you identify docket ID number OPP-2002-0257 in the subject line on the 
first page of your response.
    1. By mail. Submit your written comments to: Public Information and 
Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Information Resources and Services 
Division (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    2. In person or by courier. Deliver your written comments to: 
Public Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Information 
Resources and Services Division (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs 
(OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 
2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA. The PIRIB is open 
from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The PIRIB telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
    3. Electronically. You may submit your comments electronically by 
e-mail to: [email protected]. Do not submit any information 
electronically that you consider to be CBI. Use WordPerfect 6.1/8.0/9.0 
or ASCII file format, and avoid the use of special characters or any 
form of encryption. Be sure to identify by docket ID number OPP-2002-
0257. You may also file a request online at many Federal Depository 
Libraries.

II. Background

    Amendments to FIFRA enacted November 28, 1975, include a 
requirement under section 25(d) that notices of intent to cancel or 
reclassify pesticide registrations pursuant to section 6(b)(2), as well 
as proposed and final forms of rulemaking pursuant to section 25(a), be 
submitted to FIFRA/SAP prior to being made public or issued to a 
registrant. In accordance with section 25(d), the FIFRA/SAP is to have 
an opportunity to comment on the health and environmental impact of 
such actions. The Panel shall also make comments, evaluations, and 
recommendations for operating guidelines to improve the effectiveness 
and quality of analyses made by Agency scientists. In accordance with 
the statute, the FIFRA/SAP is composed of seven permanent members, 
selected and appointed by the Deputy Administrator of EPA from nominees 
submitted by both the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Agency is, at this time, 
selecting three new members to serve on the Panel as a result of 
membership terms that will expire this year. EPA's Office of 
Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) requested 
nominations of experts to be selected from, but not limited to, the 
fields of pediatric medicine, biostatistics, and toxicology/veterinary 
medicine. Nominees should be well published and current in their fields 
of expertise. The statute further stipulates that we publish the name, 
address, professional affiliation, and a brief biographical sketch of 
each nominee in the Federal Register and solicit public comments 
concerning the candidates nominated.

III. Charter

    A Charter for the FIFRA/SAP, dated October 25, 2000, was issued in 
accordance with the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA), Public Law 92-463, 86 Stat. 770 (5 U.S.C. App. I). The 
qualifications of members as provided by the Charter follow.

A. Qualifications of Members

    Members are scientists who have sufficient professional 
qualifications, including training and experience, to be capable of 
providing expert comments as to the impact on health and the 
environment of regulatory actions under sections 6(b) and 25(a) of 
FIFRA. No persons shall be ineligible to serve on the Panel by reason 
of their membership on any other advisory committee to a Federal 
department or agency or their employment by a Federal department or 
agency (except EPA). The Deputy Administrator appoints individuals to 
serve on the Panel for staggered terms of 4 years. Panel members are 
subject to the provisions of 40 CFR part 3, subpart F, Standards of 
Conduct for Special Government Employees, which include rules regarding 
conflicts of interest. Each nominee selected by the Deputy 
Administrator, before being formally appointed, is required to submit a

[[Page 61096]]

Confidential Statement of Employment and Financial Interests, which 
shall fully disclose, among other financial interests, the nominee's 
sources of research support, if any.
    In accordance with section 25(d) of FIFRA, the Deputy Administrator 
shall require all nominees to the Panel to furnish information 
concerning their professional qualifications, educational background, 
employment history, and scientific publications. The Agency is required 
to publish in the Federal Register the name, address, and professional 
affiliations of each nominee and to seek public comment on the 
nominees.

B. Applicability of Existing Regulations

    With respect to the requirements of section 25(d) of FIFRA that the 
Administrator promulgate regulations regarding conflicts of interest, 
the Charter provides that EPA's existing regulations applicable to 
special government employees, which include advisory committee members, 
will apply to the members of the FIFRA/SAP. These regulations appear in 
40 CFR part 3, subpart F. In addition, the Charter provides for open 
meetings with opportunities for public participation.

C. Process of Obtaining Nominees

    In accordance with the provisions of section 25(d) of FIFRA, EPA, 
in April 2002, requested the NIH and NSF to nominate scientists to fill 
three vacancies occurring on the Panel. The Agency requested nomination 
of experts in the fields of toxicology/veterinary medicine, clinical 
pediatric research, and biostatistics, and related fields. NIH and NSF 
responded by letter, providing the Agency with six nominees each. Three 
of the twelve nominees withdrew their names from consideration, because 
they believed their current responsibilities would preclude active 
participation in FIFRA/SAP meetings.

IV. Nominees

    The following are the names, addresses, professional affiliations, 
and selected biographical data of nominees being considered for 
membership on the FIFRA/SAP. The Agency expects to select three of the 
nominees to fill three vacancies occurring during the calendar year 
2002.

A. Nominations for the Field of Toxicology/Veterinary Medicine

    1. Nominee. Faustman, Elaine M., Ph.D., D.A.B.T., Professor and 
Director, Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication, School of 
Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington.
    i. Expertise. Reproductive and developmental toxicology of metals, 
in vitro and molecular biological methodologies, quantitative risk 
assessment.
    ii. Education. A.B. Chemistry and Zoology, Hope College, 1976; 
Ph.D., Pharmacology/Toxicology, Michigan State University, 1980; post-
doctoral studies in Toxicology and Environmental Pathology, School of 
Medicine, University of Washington.
    iii. Professional experience. Dr. Faustman has served on the 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/National Toxicology 
Program (NIEHS-NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors and the National 
Academy of Sciences Committee in Toxicology. She has also served as 
Associate Editor of Fundamental and Applied Toxicology and on the 
editorial boards of Reproductive Toxicology and Toxicology Methods. Dr. 
Faustman is the Director of EPA-NIEHS funded Child Health Care Center 
which is evaluating key mechanisms defining children's susceptibility 
to pesticides. She is an elected Fellow of the American Association for 
the Advancement of Science, and has recently served as Chair for the 
American Academy of Sciences Committee on Developmental Toxicology. She 
is a member of the NIEHS-NTP Committee on Alternative Toxicology 
Methods.
    2. Nominee. Froines, John R., Ph.D., Professor, Department of 
Environmental Health Sciences, UCLA School of Public Health; Director, 
UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health; Director, 
Southern California Particle Center and Supersite.
    i. Expertise. Chemical toxicology and risk assessment, biomarkers 
and toxicokinetics of chemical carcinogens, policy and priorities in 
environmental and occupational health.
    ii. Education. B.S. Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 
1963; M.S., Physical-Organic Chemistry, Yale University, 1964; Ph.D., 
Physical-Organic Chemistry, Yale University, 1967.
    iii. Professional experience. Dr. Froines has served on the 
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Committee on Environmental 
Epidemiology, including principal authorship of two chapters on 
exposure assessment in two NAS reports. He has served as chair of the 
Advisory Panel for the Office of Technology Assessment project, 
``Gauging Control Technology and Regulatory Impacts in Occupational 
Safety and Health'' (1992-1995). He has served on the Federal Committee 
to the Department of Energy (DOE) on the Beryllium Standard (1997-
1998), on the Carcinogen Identification Committee (1995-2001), and the 
President's (University of California U.C.) committees on health, 
safety, and environmental concerns with the three national laboratories 
managed by U.C. Dr. Froines is presently Chairman of the Scientific 
Review Panel, Air Resources Board; member of the National Toxicology 
Program Board of Scientific Counselors; member of several committees of 
the South Coast Air Quality Management District in southern California, 
and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board, Center for Vulnerable 
Populations Research.
    3. Nominee. Isom, Gary E., Ph.D., Professor of Toxicology, Vice 
President for Research, and Dean of the Graduate School, Purdue 
University.
    i. Expertise. Chemical and cyanide toxicology and related 
neurological disorders.
    ii. Education. B.S., Pharmacy, Idaho State University, Ph.D., 
Pharmacology, Washington State University, 1973.
    iii. Professional experience. Associate Professor of Toxicology at 
Idaho State University and at Purdue University. Dr. Isom has served on 
numerous review panels for NIH and NSF. He has published in the 
journals Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Journal of 
Neurochemistry, Neurotoxicology, and the Journal of Pharmacology and 
Experimental Therapeutics. Dr. Isom presently serves on the Advisory 
Committee for the Engineering Directorate at NSF. In 1999 he was 
appointed to the Science and Technology Advisory Board of the Defense 
Intelligence Agency.
    4. Nominee. Russell, Stephen W., D.V.M., Ph.D., Wilkinson 
Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research, University of Kansas Cancer 
Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS (emeritus 
since 2001).
    i. Expertise. Immunopathology.
    ii. Education. B.S. Enology, University of California, Davis, 1960; 
D.V.M., UC Davis, 1966; Ph.D., Comparative Pathology, UC Davis, 1972; 
postdoctoral fellowship, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, 
immunopathology, 1972-1973.
    iii. Professional experience. Dr. Russell has served as member and 
as Chair of the Animal Resources Review Committee of NIH (1986-1990). 
He has served on a Special Review Committee on Animal Models of Solid 
Tumors for NIH; the Immunological Sciences Review Panel, US Army Breast 
Cancer Research Program; and on the Board of Scientific Counselors, 
National Center for Research Resources, NIH. Dr. Russell has served on 
editorial boards of, and

[[Page 61097]]

has published in, several professional journals, including Journal of 
Leucocyte Biology, Journal of Immunology, Yearbook of Pathology and 
Clinical Pathology, Infection and Immunity, and Gene. Dr. Russell was 
Director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center, University of 
Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS from 1991-1995. He was Associate 
Director for Research at the University of Kansas Cancer Center from 
1987-1991. From 1980-1987 he was Professor and Chairman of the 
Department of Comparative and Experimental Pathology, College of 
Veterinary Medicine, and Professor, Departments of Pathology and 
Immunology and Medical Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of 
Florida, Gainesville, FL.

B. Nominations for the Field of Clinical Pediatrics Research

    1. Nominee. Frank, Michael M., M.D., Professor and Chairman, 
Department of Pediatrics; Professor of Medicine; Professor of 
Immunology, Duke University.
    i. Expertise. Pediatric Immunology and Toxicology.
    Education. A.B., Zoology, University of Wisconsin, 1956; M.D., 
Harvard Medical School, 1960.
    ii. Professional experience. Chief, Laboratory of Clinical 
Investigation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 
National Institutes of Health, 1977-1990; Clinical Director, NIAID, 
NIH, 1977-1990; Head, Clinical Immunology Section, Laboratory of 
Clinical Investigation, NIAID, NIH, 1971-1990; Senior Investigator, 
LCI, NIAID, NIH, 1968-1971. Dr. Frank has served on editorial boards 
of, and has published in, several professional journals, including 
Journal of Immunology, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Blood, 
Reviews in Infectious Diseases, Current Opinions in Pediatrics, and 
Medicine.
    2. Nominee. Handwerger, Stuart, M.D., Director of Endocrinology, 
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH; Robert 
and Mary Shoemaker Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Cell 
Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Cincinnati College of 
Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
    i. Expertise. Placental and uterine biology, fetal and reproductive 
endocrinology, diagnosis and treatment of growth disorders.
    ii. Education. B.A., Biological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 
Baltimore, MD, 1960; M.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 1964.
    iii. Professional experience. Professor of Cell Biology, 
Neurobiology and Anatomy, Senior Member, Developmental Biology Program, 
Member, Barrett Cancer Center, University of Cincinnati College of 
Medicine, 1990 to present; Director, Post-Doctoral Training, Department 
of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 
1993 to present. Dr. Handwerger was Director of the Division of 
Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of 
Medicine, Durham, NC, 1979 to 1990. During this same time period, he 
was a Senior Member, Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duke University 
School of Medicine.

C. Nominations for the Field of Biostatistics

    1. Nominee. Bailer, A. John, Ph.D., Professor, Department of 
Mathematics and Statistics, and affiliate member, Department of 
Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, OH.
    i. Expertise. Biostatistics, risk estimation and characterization.
    ii. Education. B.S., Mathematics and Statistics, 1978; B.A., 
Psychology, 1982, Miami University, Oxford, OH; M.A., Quantitative 
Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1984; Ph.D., 
Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1986.
    iii. Professional experience. Professor of Statistics, Miami 
University, Oxford, OH, 1988 to present; invited participant in 
technical workshop on Whole-Effluent Toxicity sponsored by the Society 
of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, September 1995; member on 
two subcommittees of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National 
Toxicology Program, 1997 to 2000; member of International Statistical 
Institute risk assessment committee, 2000 to present; member of 
statistics subcommittee at NIEHS/NTP Low Dose Peer Review for Endocrine 
Disruptors, Research Triangle, NC, 2000; member of National Research 
Council Subcommittee Toxologic Assessment of Low-Level Exposures to 
Chemical Warfare, 2001 to present; consultant to NAS committee 
``Implications of Dioxin in the Food Supply'' 2001.
    2. Nominee. Doerge, Rebecca W., Ph.D., Associate Professor of 
Agronomy and Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
    i. Expertise. Statistical genomics, biostatistics.
    ii. Education. B.S., Mathematics, University of Utah, 1986; 
M.Stat., University of Utah, 1988; Ph.D., Statistics, North Carolina 
State University, 1993; post-doctoral fellow, Department of Biometrics 
and Plant Breeding, Cornell University, 1995.
    iii. Professional experience. Dr. Doerge has won awards for her 
teaching skills, among them, Outstanding Teacher of Undergraduates in 
the School of Science, Purdue University, 1998. Dr. Doerge has 
published in Endocrinology, Journal of Immunology, American Journal of 
Pathology, Statistical Science, Heredity, Genetics, and Trends in 
Genetics. She will co-chair a meeting on Quantitative Genetics and 
Genomics, in February 2003.
    3. Nominee. Heeringa, Steven G., Ph.D., Director of the Division of 
Surveys and Technologies, Institute for Social Research, University of 
Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
    i. Expertise. Statistical methods, design and analysis.
    ii. Education. Ph.D., Biostatistics, University of Michigan.
    iii. Professional experience Dr. Heeringa has over 25 years of 
statistical sampling experience, directing the development of the 
Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR), national sample design as 
well as sample designs for ISR's major longitudinal and cross-sectional 
survey programs. During this period he has been actively involved in 
research in statistical methods and procedures such as weighting, 
variance estimation and the imputation of missing data that are 
required in the analysis of sample survey data. His publications in 
these areas have been extensive. He has served as an advisor to panels 
of the NIH and the World Health Organization (WHO). Since 2000, Dr. 
Heeringa has served as an ad hoc member of more than 10 EPA scientific 
review panels. He teaches survey sampling methods internationally, and 
serves as a sample design consultant to a wide variety of international 
research programs.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticide and pests.

    Dated: September 19, 2002.
 Joseph Merenda,
Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy.
[FR Doc. 02-24647 Filed 9-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S