[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 214 (Tuesday, November 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67403-67405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-28082]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7404-6]


Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, National Ambient Air 
Monitoring Strategy (NAAMS) Subcommittee; Request for Nominations

ACTION: Notice; request for nominations to the National Ambient Air 
Monitoring Strategy Subcommittee of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory 
Committee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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SUMMARY: The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) of the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is announcing the 
formation of the National Ambient Air Monitoring Strategy (NAAMS or 
Strategy) Subcommittee (hereinafter, the ``Subcommittee'') and is 
hereby soliciting nominations for this Subcommittee. The CASAC is 
administratively located under the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB). 
The SAB was established to provide independent scientific and technical 
advice, consultation, and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on 
the technical basis for Agency positions and regulations. The NAAMS 
Subcommittee will report to the Administrator of EPA through the Clean 
Air Scientific Advisory Committee, a Federal advisory committee 
chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended 
(5 U.S.C. App.). The Subcommittee will comply with the provisions of 
FACA and all appropriate SAB procedural policies, including the SAB 
process for panel formation described in the Overview of the Panel 
Formation Process at the Environmental Protection Agency Science 
Advisory Board, which can found on the SAB's Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec02010.pdf. Those selected to serve on the NAAMS 
Subcommittee will review the draft materials identified in this notice 
and respond to the charge questions provided below.

Background

    States, local agencies and Tribes establish and operate the 
Nation's regulatory-based ambient air monitoring networks. These 
networks are funded in part with Federal grants and are managed 
nationally by the EPA. The network data are used to support:
    (a) Designation of attainment and non-attainment areas with respect 
to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS);
    (b) Dissemination of air quality information to the public;
    (c) Development (and tracking progress of) emission reduction 
strategies;
    (d) Characterization of long-term air quality trends; and
    (e) Studies in health and atmospheric science disciplines.
    The associated monitoring network, instrumentation and quality 
assurance requirements are included in 40 CFR parts 50, 53 and 58.
    EPA has recently completed development of the final draft of the 
National Ambient Air Monitoring Strategy document under the direction 
of the National Monitoring Strategy Committee (NMSC), an 
intergovernmental partnership comprising representatives from EPA 
(i.e., the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS), the 
Office of Research and Development (ORD) and Regional Offices), and 
State and local agencies and Tribes, i.e., the principal Federal 
grantee organizations that operate the majority of the monitoring 
networks. The NAAMS document contains technical information underlying 
planned revisions of the National Ambient Air Monitoring program. The 
Strategy proposes a restructuring of the national regulatory-based air 
monitoring networks--commonly referred to as National Air Monitoring 
Stations (NAMS), State or Local Air Monitoring Stations (SLAMS), and 
Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS)--to accommodate 
emerging priorities of air programs, the public and the scientific 
community. Specifically, the NAAMS provides a series of proposed 
changes for network design and improvements, assessments of existing 
networks, incorporation of new measurement and information transfer 
technologies, and revisions both to the current quality assurance 
program and the monitoring regulations. The principal proposed changes 
include:
    (a) A shift toward collocated multiple pollutant monitoring 
stations under a new national monitoring network design referred to as 
``NCore.''
    (b) Incorporation of new continuous particle monitoring 
instruments, additional air toxics measurements and information 
transfer technologies to enhance the scope of near-real-time data 
delivered to the public.
    (c) Adoption of new network design recommendations and the 
introduction of advanced monitoring technologies through performance-
based standards.
    (d) Reductions in existing monitoring stations that provide limited 
value for public protection or air quality planning

[[Page 67404]]

needs, with attendant resource savings redirected to meeting new 
measurement needs.

EPA intends to propose revisions to the monitoring regulations that 
have emerged from this strategy during 2003. A public comment period on 
the proposed regulations will be announced at a later date by EPA's 
Office of Air and Radiation. The NAAMS document is available through 
EPA's Ambient Monitoring Technology Information Center (AMTIC) Web site 
at the following URL address: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/stratmem.html.

Request for and Proposed Charge to the NAAMS Subcommittee

    EPA's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) has requested that the 
CASAC form a subcommittee to review the NAAMS document. This new CASAC 
subcommittee will be charged with providing consultation to EPA on the 
technical bases and design aspects of the National Ambient Air 
Monitoring Strategy. In particular, the Subcommittee will be asked to 
provide a formal consultation on the following elements of the 
strategy:
    (a) The NCore proposal, including conceptual approach to tiered 
monitoring levels, recommended measurements and numbers and locations 
of Level 2 sites. Consideration to phasing of measurements included in 
Level 2 sites should be addressed based on currently available and 
expected emerging monitoring technologies. The Subcommittee is also 
requested to advise on the scope and breadth of research-grade Level 1 
sites.
    (b) The use of spatial analysis approaches for network design and 
other air program planning needs. The monitoring strategy has utilized 
various spatial design approaches on National and Regional scales to 
identify areas of redundant monitoring as well as gaps requiring 
additional monitoring.
    (c) The use of performance-based approaches for standardizing 
monitoring method requirements for particulate matter measurements. 
Performance-based approaches rely on applying data quality objectives 
to determine the allowable statistical uncertainties for instrument 
performance. This third subject area has evolved from discussions with 
the existing CASAC Subcommittee on Particulate Monitoring, and plays an 
important role in facilitating accommodation of new technologies into 
air monitoring networks.

Nominator's Assessment of Expertise

    For all nominations submitted to the EPA SAB, please indicate the 
specific areas of expertise the candidate could contribute in this 
upcoming review topic. The nominee should be a recognized, national-
level expert in one or more of the following disciplines.
    (a) Atmospheric sciences and air quality simulation modeling. Areas 
of expertise include the development and application of regional and 
larger-scale air quality dispersion models to predict atmospheric 
concentrations of ozone, particulate matter and other pollutants, with 
emphasis placed on the application of such systems to developing 
emission control strategies in support of national-level programs or 
State Implementation Plans (SIPs). Related areas of expertise include 
individuals with expertise in chemical mechanism development, 
deterministic source-receptor modeling, observational-based models and 
related data analysis expertise and conceptual model development.
    (b) Health effects and exposure. Areas of expertise include 
epidemiology, exposure assessment, risk assessment, and similar 
disciplines that relate adverse health impacts and ambient air 
pollution parameters to develop causative relationships, particularly 
with an emphasis on long-term time-series studies covering a range of 
population types and locations. This includes expertise in air 
pollution exposure studies that consider the relationship of ambient 
air to direct exposures through a range of environments (both outdoor 
and indoor).
    (c) Air quality measurement science. Areas of expertise include 
particulate matter and gaseous species measurements, with an 
understanding of routine applications conducted by most State and local 
agencies, and both an interest in and an understanding of integrating 
advanced methodology in routine networks and transferring new 
technological advances to application level efforts in government 
agencies.
    (d) State or local agency experience. Areas of expertise include 
experience working in a State or local agency organization familiar 
with the practical logistics of conducting air monitoring operations.

Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations

    Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified 
individuals for membership on the NAAMS Subcommittee. Nominations 
should be submitted in electronic format and must include the 
information listed below. To be considered, all nominations must 
include: (a) A current biography, curriculum vitae (C.V.) or resume, 
which provides the nominee's background, experience and qualifications 
for this subcommittee; and (b) a brief biographical sketch 
(``biosketch''). The biosketch should be no longer than one page and 
contain the following information for the nominee: current professional 
affiliations and positions held; research interests; leadership 
positions in national associations or professional publications or 
other significant distinctions; advanced degrees, including when and 
from which institutions these were granted; and sources of recent grant 
and/or other contract support.
    Please provide nominations in the following manner:
    (a) Send the nomination by email to: [email protected].
    (b) Use one email per person being nominated.
    (c) Please use ``NAAMS'' in the subject field, followed by the last 
name of the candidate you are nominating. (For example, NAAMS: Smith).
    (d) Attach supporting information (i.e., resume, biosketch, etc.) 
in either MS Word or WordPerfect files formats ending in ``.doc'' or 
``.wpd,'' respectively.
    (e) In a separate file, please provide the following information in 
the order shown:

For the Person Making the Nomination

First Name:
Last Name:
Person Title (e.g., Dr., Mr., Ms., etc.)
Organization Title:
E-mail Address:
Mailing Address:
Work Phone:
Work Fax:

Name of Nominee (if Nomination Is Not a Self-Nomination)

First Name:
Last Name:
Person Title (e.g., Dr., Mr., Ms., etc.)
Professional Title:
Department:
School or Unit:
University or Organization:
Mailing Address:
Work Phone:
Fax Work Phone:
E-mail Address:
Web site for C.V. (if one exists):
Expertise (Using the specific expertise categories in section 5 of this 
Federal Register notice, identify the Nominee's specific qualifying 
expertise):

    Nominations should be submitted in electronic format to Mr. Fred 
Butterfield, Designated Federal Officer, Clean Air Scientific Advisory 
Committee, EPA SAB, at the following

[[Page 67405]]

e-mail address: [email protected]. Anyone who is unable to 
submit nominations in electronic format may send hard copies of the 
nomination paperwork to Mr. Butterfield at the following mailing 
address: EPA Science Advisory Board, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (1400A), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; or 
via fax at: (202) 501-0582. Nominations should be submitted in time to 
arrive no later than November 26, 2002. Any questions concerning either 
this process or any other aspects notice should be directed to Mr. 
Butterfield either at the above e-mail address or via telephone at: 
(202) 564-4561.
    The EPA Science Advisory Board will generally not formally 
acknowledge or respond to Subcommittee nominations. From the nominees 
identified by respondents to this Federal Register notice (termed the 
``Widecast''), SAB Staff will develop a smaller subset (known as the 
``Short List'') for more detailed consideration. Criteria used by the 
SAB Staff in developing this Short List are given at the end of the 
following paragraph. The Short List will be posted on the SAB Web site 
at: http://www.epa.gov/sab, and will include, for each candidate, the 
nominee's name and their biosketch. Public comments will be accepted 
for 21 calendar days on the Short List. During this comment period, the 
public will be requested to provide information, analysis or other 
documentation on nominees that the SAB Staff should consider in 
evaluating candidates for the NAAMS Subcommittee.
    For the EPA SAB, a balanced review panel (i.e., committee or 
subcommittee) is characterized by inclusion of candidates who possess 
the necessary domains of knowledge, the relevant scientific 
perspectives (which, among other factors, can be influenced by work 
history and affiliation), and the collective breadth of experience to 
adequately address the charge. Public responses to the Short List 
candidates will be considered in the selection of the Subcommittee, 
along with information provided by candidates and information gathered 
by EPA SAB Staff independently on the background of each candidate 
(e.g., financial disclosure information and computer searches to 
evaluate a nominee's prior involvement with the topic under review). 
Specific criteria to be used in evaluating an individual subcommittee 
member include: (a) Scientific and/or technical expertise, knowledge, 
and experience (primary factors); (b) availability and willingness to 
serve; (c) absence of financial conflicts of interest; (d) scientific 
credibility and impartiality; and (e) skills working in committees, 
subcommittees and advisory panels.
    Short List candidates will also be required to fill-out the 
``Confidential Financial Disclosure Form for Special Government 
Employees Serving on Federal Advisory Committees at the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency'' (EPA Form 3110-48). This confidential 
form, which is used by EPA SAB Members and Consultants, allows 
Government officials to determine whether there is a statutory conflict 
between that person's public responsibilities (which includes 
membership on an EPA Federal advisory committee) and private interests 
and activities, or the appearance of a lack of impartiality, as defined 
by Federal regulation. The form may be viewed and downloaded from the 
following URL address: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/epaform3110-48.pdf. 
Subcommittee members will likely be asked to attend at least one public 
face-to-face meeting and several public conference call meetings over 
the anticipated three-month course of the Subcommittee's activity. Once 
the NAAMS Subcommittee completes its deliberations, its report will be 
forwarded to the CASAC, which will review the Subcommittee's report in 
a public teleconference meeting and reach a judgment concerning its 
transmittal to the Administrator.

General Information

    Any persons having general review comments on the National Ambient 
Air Monitoring Strategy document should submit them no later than 
December 1, 2002, to Dr. Brenda Millar, Monitoring and Quality 
Assurance Group, at mailing address: U.S. EPA (C339-02), 4930 Old Page 
Road, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; or e-mail: [email protected]. 
Additionally, any questions concerning the NAAMS should be directed to 
Dr. Richard Scheffe, U.S. EPA OAQPS Monitoring and Quality Assurance 
Group Leader, at phone: (919) 541-4650; or e-mail: 
[email protected].
    The approved policy under which the EPA SAB selects review panels 
is described in a recent SAB document, EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) 
Panel Formation Process: Immediate Steps to Improve Policies and 
Procedures--An SAB Commentary (EPA-SAB-EC-COM-002-003), which can be 
found on the SAB's Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ecm02003.pdf.
    Additional information concerning the EPA Science Advisory Board, 
including its structure, function, and composition, may be found on the 
EPA SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab; and in The EPA Science 
Advisory Board FY2001 Annual Staff Report, which is available from the 
EPA SAB Publications Staff at phone: (202) 564-4533; via fax at: (202) 
501-0256; or on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/annreport01.pdf.

    Dated: October 30, 2002.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 02-28082 Filed 11-4-02; 8:45 am]
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