[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 80 (Monday, April 26, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22509-22511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-9410]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPT-2004-0084; FRL-7352-9]


Request for Nominations to the Proposed Endocrine Disruptor 
Methods Validation Advisory Committee (EDMVAC)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Request for nominations.

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SUMMARY: EPA is inviting nominations of qualified candidates to 
consider for appointment to the proposed Endocrine Disruptor Methods 
Validation Advisory Committee (EDMVAC), which is replacing the 
Endocrine Disruptor Methods Validation Subcommittee (EDMVS) under the 
National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology 
(NACEPT). EPA will consider nominations submitted in response to this 
notice as well as nominations received from other outreach efforts in 
selecting EDMVAC members. The purpose of the proposed EDMVAC will be to 
provide advice and recommendations to EPA on scientific and technical 
aspects of the Tier I screens and Tier II assays being considered for 
the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). The proposed 
Committee will evaluate relevant scientific issues, protocols, data and 
interpretations of the data for the assays during the validation 
process. The proposed EDMVAC will provide advice on the composition of 
the Tier I screening battery as well.

DATES: Nominations will be accepted until 4 p.m. eastern time on May 
26, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Nominations may be submitted electronically, by mail, or 
through hand delivery/courier. Follow the detailed instructions as 
provided in Unit I.C. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. To protect 
personal information from disclosure to the public do not submit 
nominations materials to the EDMVAC Docket or through any online 
electronic commenting system.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    For general information contact: Colby Lintner, Regulatory 
Coordinator, Environmental Assistance Division (7404M), Office of 
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 
564-1404; e-mail address: [email protected].
    For technical information contact: Jane Smith, Designated Federal 
Official, Office of Science Coordination and Policy (7201M), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-8476, fax: (202) 564-
8283; 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. You may be 
interested in the nomination of members to the committee set forth in 
this notice if you are a member of an environmental/public interest 
organization, a public health organization, an animal welfare 
organization, academia or Federal agencies, state, local, or tribal

[[Page 22510]]

governments. You also may be interested in activities of EPA's EDSP if 
you produce, manufacture, use, consume, work with, or import pesticides 
or other chemicals. To determine whether you or your business may have 
an interest in this notice you should carefully examine section 408(p) 
of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by the 
Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996 (Public Law 104-170), 21 
U.S.C. 346a(p) and amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) 
(Public Law 104-182), 42 U.S.C. 300j-17. 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 this action, please contact the technical person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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

    1. Electronically. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet site under the ``Federal 
Register'' listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    Information about the former Endocrine Disruptor Methods Validation 
Subcommittee, the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program and related 
programs is available from http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/oscpendo/.
    EPA has established an official public docket for the proposed 
EDMVAC under docket identification (ID) number OPPT-2004-0084. The 
official public docket consists of the documents related to the 
activities of the committee and any public comments received. Although 
a part of the official docket, the public docket does not include 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. To protect personal information 
from disclosure to the public, do not submit nominations materials in 
response to this Notice to the docket or through any online electronic 
commenting system. Instead, follow the instructions listed under Unit 
I.C.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to access the index 
listing of the contents of the official public docket, and to access 
those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. 
Although not all docket materials may be available electronically, you 
may still access any of the publicly available docket materials through 
the docket facility identified in Unit I.B.1. Once in the system, 
select ``search,'' then key in the appropriate docket ID number.
    2. In person. The official public docket is the collection of 
materials that is available for public viewing at the EPA Docket 
Center, Rm. B102-Reading Room, EPA West, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The EPA Docket 
Center Reading Room telephone number is (202) 566-1744 and the 
telephone number for the OPPT Docket, which is located in EPA Docket 
Center, is (202) 566-0272.
    3. By mail. You may obtain copies of this document and other 
related documents from the technical contact person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

C. How Can I Nominate Potential Members to this Proposed Committee?

    You may nominate qualified persons for membership to this proposed 
Committee electronically, by mail, or in person/by courier. Nominations 
for membership should include a curriculum vitae of the nominee 
detailing his or her specific area of relevant expertise, as described 
below in Unit I.D., and a designation of the type of organization the 
candidate represents according to Unit II.C.
    To protect personal information from disclosure to the public, do 
not submit nominations materials to the EDMVAC Docket or through any 
online electronic commenting system. Submit your nomination, marked 
``Attention EDMVAC nominations'' by one of these methods:
    1. Electronically: Submit e-mail nominations to [email protected].
    2. By mail: Environmental Protection Agency, Confidental Business 
Information (CBIC), Mail Code 7407M, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
    3. By courier: Environmental Protection Agency, Attention: Jane 
Smith, EPA East Building, Room 4106M, 1201 Constitution Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20004-3302, contact phone numbers: 202-564-8476 and 202-
564-1656. The room at which submissions are accepted is only open until 
4 p.m. If a courier service comes after that time the service will be 
turned away. Non-uniformed (bicycle, etc.) couriers will be met at the 
1201 Constitution Ave. entrance by EPA personnel. Uniformed couriers 
are admitted to deliver directly to the technical contact.

D. What Should I Consider When Making Nominations?

    Potential candidates should be qualified persons with relevant 
technical scientific expertise (e.g., endocrinology, mammalian 
toxicology, ecotoxicology, in vitro testing, biostatistics, wildlife 
biology, icthyology); diversity of perspectives on endocrine disruptor 
screening and testing methods and procedures; and standardization and 
validation of toxicity test methods.
    Candidates with interdisciplinary technical scientific experience 
described above and former EDMVS subcommittee members are strongly 
encouraged to apply.
    In addition, proposed Committee candidates should be willing to:
     Commit to attend three to four meetings per year 
for 2 years, most of them in Washington, DC.
     Serve on a subcommittee or working group, as 
needed.
    Nominees not selected for the proposed Committee may be considered 
for membership on subcommittees or working groups.
    When making your nomination, please classify the candidate with 
respect to the types of organizations represented in Unit II.C. and 
identify the types of experience of the candidate in the form of a 
curriculum vitae or other informational document.

II. Background

A. Introduction

    EPA's ongoing implementation of the EDSP is science-driven and 
supported by the recommendations and comments of the Endocrine 
Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee, the Science 
Advisory Panel/Science Advisory Board Joint Panel, and the EDMVS. The 
Agency's implementation is currently proceeding on three fronts: 
Priority setting for chemicals to be screened and tested; validation of 
the Tier I screening methods and Tier II assays; and developing 
policies and procedures for requiring endocrine disruptor testing. See 
Unit I.B.1. to learn how to get more information on the EDSP.

B. Proposed Committee Purpose

    The proposed EDMVAC is being established in accordance with the 
provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 
2 (Public Law 92-463); copies of the Committee Charter have been filed 
with the appropriate committees of Congress and the Library of 
Congress. The proposed EDMVAC will support EPA in its scientific 
activities related to the

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validation of assays for the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (63 
FR 71541) (FRL-6052-9) required by FFDCA as amended in 1996 by FQPA (21 
U.S.C. 346a(p)). The proposed EDMVAC is in the public interest and will 
support EPA in performing its duties and responsibilities.
    This function was previously served by the Endocrine Disruptor 
Methods Validation Subcommittee under the auspices of EPA's National 
Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology. The proposed 
EDMVAC will continue the functions of the EDMVS providing advice and 
recommendations to EPA on scientific and technical aspects of the Tier 
I screens and Tier II assays being considered for the Endocrine 
Disruptor Screening Program. The proposed committee will evaluate 
relevant scientific issues, protocols, data and interpretations of the 
data for the assays during the validation process. The proposed EDMVAC 
will also provide advice on the composition of the Tier I screening 
battery.

C. Composition and Organization

    1. Membership. The proposed Committee will be composed of 
approximately 25 members. An EPA employee will act as the Designated 
Federal Official (DFO) who will be responsible for providing the 
necessary staffing, operations, and support for the Committee.
    The Agency is seeking qualified senior-level scientists from 
diverse sectors to be considered for membership on the proposed 
Committee. The Agency will consider candidates from the types of 
organizations listed below and other relevant interest areas.
     Federal, State and local government agency.
     Federally recognized Tribe.
     Public health or environmental professional.
     Chemical or pesticide manufacturer and/or user.
     Non-governmental organization, such as 
environmental group, environmental justice organization, children's 
advocate, and animal welfare organization.
     Other non-governmental entity, as deemed 
appropriate.
     Academics.
    Establishing a balance and diversity of experience and knowledge in 
membership is an important consideration in the selection of members.
    2. Subcommittees and workgroups. Subcommittees and workgroups may 
be established on an as-needed basis consisting of Committee members, 
or supplemented with individuals qualified in the area of the 
subcommittee or workgroup.
    3. Meetings and public involvement. All Committee meetings will be 
called, announced, and held in accordance with FACA requirements, 
including public notice of meetings in the Federal Register, open 
meetings, and an opportunity for interested persons to file comments 
before or after meetings, or to make statements during the public 
meetings to the extent time permits.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Endocrine disruptors, Endocrine Disruptor 
Screening Program, Endocrine Disrupor Methods Validation Subcommittee.


    Dated: April 8, 2004.
Susan B. Hazen,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic 
Substances.

[FR Doc. 04-9410 Filed 4-23-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S