[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 116 (Tuesday, June 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35883-35884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15259]



[[Page 35883]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL -7513-6]


Science Advisory Board, Request for Nominations for Experts for 
the Panel on the EPA's Report on the Environment (ROE)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB, Board) announces the 
formation of a new SAB Panel on the EPA's Report on the Environment, 
and is soliciting nominations for members of the panel.

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by July 8, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Nominations should be submitted in electronic format through 
the Form for Nominating Individuals to Panels of the EPA Science 
Advisory Board provided on the SAB Web site. The form can be accessed 
through a link on the blue navigational bar on the SAB Web site, 
www.epa.gov/sab. To be considered, all nominations must include the 
information required on that form. Anyone who is unable to submit 
nominations via this form may contact Dr. James Rowe, Designated 
Federal Officer (DFO) as indicated below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding this Request for Nominations may contact 
Dr. James Rowe, Designated Federal Officer, EPA Science Advisory Board 
by telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-6488, by fax at (202) 501-0323; or 
via email at [email protected]. Dr. Rowe can also be reached via mail 
at U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board (1400A), Washington DC 20460. 
General information about the SAB can be found in the SAB Web site at 
http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Summary: The SAB is announcing the formation of a new Panel to 
provide advice to the Agency on the EPA's Report on the Environment 
(ROE). The ROE is a report which seeks to address the status of and 
trends in environmental conditions and their impacts on human health 
and the nation's natural resources. The SAB is soliciting nominations 
to establish the membership of this new Panel.
    This Panel is being formed to provide advice to the Agency, as part 
of the EPA SAB mission, established by 42 U.S.C. 4365, to provide 
independent scientific and technical advice, consultation, and 
recommendations to the EPA Administrator on the technical bases for EPA 
regulations.
    The Board is a chartered Federal Advisory Committee, which reports 
directly to the Administrator. Members of the Panel will provide advice 
to the Agency, through the SAB's Executive Committee. The Panel will 
comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB procedural 
policies, including the SAB process for panel formation described in 
the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Panel Formation Process: Immediate 
Steps to Improve Policies and Procedures--An SAB Commentary (EPA-SAB-
EC-COM-002-003), http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ecm02003.pdf.
    This project is intended as a six month advisory effort which may 
be repeated yearly to revise the ROE as needed or requested; the 
background for the effort and the charge to the Panel is described 
below.
    Background: The Agency is seeking the SAB's advice in the 
development of the Agency's Report on the Environment. EPA's 
``Environmental Indicators Initiative'' will improve the Agency's 
ability to report on the status of and trends in environmental 
conditions and their impacts on human health and the nation's natural 
resources. Background materials are provided on the EPA Web site at 
http://www.epa.gov/indicators. Using available data and indicators, EPA 
and its partners are drafting a ``Report on the Environment'' (ROE) 
that will address many of the public's frequently-asked questions and 
document the progress that the United States is making in meeting our 
national environmental and health protection goals. The ROE will:
    (1) Describe current national environmental trends using existing 
data and indicators;
    (2) Identify data gaps and research needs;
    (3) Discuss the challenges government and our partners face in 
filling those gaps; and
    (4) Be accompanied by supporting technical information.
    The report consists of two parts, a technical document and a 
summary or synthesis document designed for general public review. The 
report covers five ``theme'' areas':
    (1) Cleaner Air: Impacts of indoor air quality on human health and 
of outdoor air quality on health and ecosystems.
    (2) Purer Water: Drinking water, recreational water use, the 
condition of the nation's water resources, and the living resources 
sustained by them.
    (3) Better Protected Land: Land use and activities that affect the 
condition of the American landscape, including information on 
agricultural practices, Integrated Pesticide Management, waste 
management, emergency response and preparedness, and recycling.
    (4) Human Health: Trends in diseases, human exposure to 
environmental pollutants, and diseases thought to be related to 
environmental pollution.
    (5) Ecological Condition: A look at our living and natural 
resources, current pressures or stressors on those resources, and a 
look at their sustainability into the future.
    A final chapter discusses key challenges and proposed partnerships 
and ``next steps'' to address those challenges.
    Charge to the Panel: The specific details of the charge remain to 
be finalized, however, in general, the SAB Review Panel is requested 
to: (1) Assess the adequacy of the report in defining the purpose, 
scope and value to public health of the report, (2) consider the 
adequacy of the technical content of the five theme areas with regard 
to completeness of the technical data used to identify and establish 
the environmental indicators and their relevance to the area of 
concern, and, (3) evaluate appropriateness of the conclusions/future 
directions identified. The review will occur in two stages, with a 
review of the technical chapters of the report, and a review of the 
Synthesis chapter of the report. The reviews will be held in 
Washington, DC with the first meeting tentatively planned for 
September, 2003.
    SAB Request for Nominations: The EPA requests nominations of 
individuals who are highly regarded national level experts with one or 
more of the following disciplines necessary to address the charge:

(a) Epidemiology of environmental pollutants
(b) Human exposure to environmental pollutants
(c) Human health risk assessment of environmental pollutants
(d) Natural resources management
(e) Whole ecosystems research
(f) Ecological risk assessment
(g) Ecosystems sustainability
(h) Environmental indicators
(i) Water resources management
(j) Land use management
(k) Waste management
(l) Emergency response and preparedness
(m) Air quality

    Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested 
person or organization may nominate qualified individuals to add 
expertise to the Panel in the areas of expertise described above. 
Individuals may self-nominate. Nominations should be submitted in 
electronic format through the Form for Nominating Individuals to Panels 
of the

[[Page 35884]]

EPA Science Advisory Board provided on the SAB Web site. The form can 
be accessed through a link on the blue navigational bar on the SAB Web 
site, www.epa.gov/sab. To be considered, all nominations must include 
the information required on that form.
    Anyone who is unable to submit nominations using this form, and who 
has any questions concerning any aspects of the nomination process may 
contact Dr. James Rowe as indicated above in this FR notice. 
Nominations should be submitted in time to arrive no later than July 
17, 2003.
    The EPA Science Advisory Board will acknowledge receipt of the 
nomination and inform nominators of the panel selected. 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 Panel.
    For the EPA SAB, a balanced review panel (i.e., committee, 
subcommittee, or panel) 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 panel, 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) absence of financial conflicts of 
interest; (c) scientific credibility and impartiality; (d) availability 
and willingness to serve; and (e) ability to work constructively and 
effectively in committees.
    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 submitted 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 to attend at least 
two public face-to-face meetings and several public conference call 
meetings over the anticipated course of the advisory activity.

    Dated: June 10, 2003.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 03-15259 Filed 6-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P