[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 59 (Friday, March 26, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15830-15831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-6828]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7640-4]


National Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Notification of 
Meeting and Public Comment/Open Meetings

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public Law 
92-463, we now give notice that the National Environmental Justice 
Advisory Council (NEJAC), along with its various subcommittees, will 
meet on the dates and times described below. The NEJAC and the 
subcommittee meetings will take place at the Sheraton New Orleans 
Hotel, 500 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. The meeting 
dates are as follows: April 13, 2004 through April 16, 2002. All times 
noted are Central Standard Time. All meetings are open to the public. 
Due to limited space, seating at the NEJAC meeting will be on a first-
come basis. This is the sixth in a series of focused policy issue 
meetings for the NEJAC. Documents that are the subject of NEJAC reviews 
are normally available from the originating EPA office and are not 
available from the NEJAC. To help prepare for this specific focused 
policy issue meeting the following background information is provided:

Request and Policy Issue

    The Charter for the NEJAC states that the advisory committee shall 
provide independent advice to the Administrator on areas that may 
include, among other things, ``advice on EPA's progress, quality and 
adequacy in

[[Page 15831]]

planning, developing and implementing environmental justice strategies, 
projects and programs'' relating to environment justice. In order to 
provide such independent advice, the Agency requests that the NEJAC 
convene a focused, issue-oriented public meeting in New Orleans, 
Louisiana. The meeting shall be used to receive comments on, discuss, 
and analyze issues related to cumulative risks and impacts and 
environmental justice. The Agency, furthermore, requests that the NEJAC 
produce a comprehensive report on the differing views, interests, 
concerns, and perspectives expressed by the stakeholder participants on 
the focused policy issue, and provide advice and recommendations for 
the Agency's review and consideration. In order to fulfill this charge, 
the NEJAC is being asked to discuss and provide recommendations 
regarding the following broad public policy question:

    In order to ensure environmental justice for all communities and 
tribes, what short- and long-term actions should the Agency take in 
proactively implementing the concepts contained in its Framework for 
Cumulative Risk Assessment?

Meeting

    Registration for the NEJAC meeting will begin on Tuesday, April 13, 
2004 at 7 a.m. The NEJAC will convene Tuesday, April 13, 2004 from 9 
a.m. to 5 p.m. The NEJAC will reconvene on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 
from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday will be 
organized to create the best environment for a deliberative process. 
The meeting will be conducted in a roundtable fashion, except during 
the public comment sessions. One public comment sessions dedicated to 
the focused policy issue is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13, 2004 from 
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. General environmental justice public comment issues 
will be heard on Wednesday, April 14, 2004, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
    Correspondence concerning the meeting should be sent to Ms. 
Victoria Robinson, NEJAC Program Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., (MC2201A), Washington, DC 
20460, by telephone: (202) 564-6349, or by FAX at (202) 564-1624. 
Additional information about the meeting is available at the Internet 
Web site: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/nejac/next_meeting.html.
    The following Subcommittees of the NEJAC will meet on Thursday, 
April 15, 2004 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Air and Water; Enforcement; 
Health and Research; Indigenous Peoples; International; and Waste and 
Facility Siting. The full NEJAC will reconvene Friday, April 16, 2004, 
from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to address all other business requiring 
Executive Council action. All times shown are local, Central Standard 
time. Any member of the public wishing additional information about the 
subcommittee meetings should contact the specific Designated Federal 
Official (DFO) at the telephone number listed below.

 
                                                Federal Official and
               Subcommittee                       Telephone Number
 
Air & Water...............................  Mr. Wil Wilson--(202) 564-
                                             1954
                                            Ms. Alice Walker--(202) 564-
                                             0498
Enforcement...............................  Ms. Vicki Simons--(202) 564-
                                             8626
Health & Research.........................  Mr. Gary Carroll--(202) 566-
                                             0518
                                            Mr. Sam Williams--(202) 564-
                                             6782
Indigenous Peoples........................  Mr. Daniel Gogal--(202) 564-
                                             2576
International.............................  Ms. Wendy Graham--(202) 564-
                                             6602
Waste/Facility Siting.....................  Mr. Kent Benjamin--(202) 566-
                                             0185
 

    Members of the public are encouraged to provide comments relevant 
to the focus issue being deliberated by the NEJAC. Members of the 
public who wish to participate in either public comment period are 
encouraged to pre-register by April 1, 2004. Individuals or groups 
making oral presentations during the public comment period will be 
limited to a total time of five minutes. Only one representative of a 
community, an organization, or a group will be allowed to speak. Any 
number of written comments can be submitted for the record. The 
suggested format for individuals making public comment should be as 
follows:

Request To Make Public Comment

Speaker's Template

Name of Speaker:

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Name of Organization/Community:

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Address/Phone/FAX/E-Mail:

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Description of Concern:

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Relationship to the Policy Issue:

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Recommendations/desired Outcome:

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    If you wish to submit written comments of any length (at least 50 
copies), they should also be received by Friday, April 2, 2004. Written 
comments received after that date will be provided to the Council as 
logistics allow. All information should be sent to the address or fax 
number cited below.

Registration

    Pre-registration for all attendees is recommended. To register 
online, visit the Web site: http://NEJACregistration.org; or request a 
registration form by calling the toll-free Registration Hotline at 
(888) 335-4299. Correspondence concerning registration should be sent 
to Ms. Jen Grund of Tetra Tech EM Inc. at: 1881 Campus Commons, Suite 
200, Reston, Virginia 20191, telephone: (703) 390-0603, or FAX: (703) 
391-5876. Hearing-impaired individuals or non-English speaking 
attendees wishing to arrange for a sign language or foreign language 
interpreter, may make appropriate arrangements using these numbers 
also. In addition, NEJAC offers a toll-free Registration Hotline at 
(888) 335-4299 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

    Dated: March 15, 2004.
Charles Lee,
Designated Federal Officer, National Environmental Justice Advisory 
Council.
[FR Doc. 04-6828 Filed 3-25-04; 8:45 am]
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