[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 146 (Friday, July 30, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45705-45706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-17376]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7795-2]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations for 
the Science Advisory Board Superfund Benefits Analysis Advisory Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces 
the formation of a new advisory panel known as the Superfund Benefits 
Analysis Advisory Panel, and is soliciting nominations for members of 
the Panel.

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by August 20, 2004 per the 
instructions below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding this Request for Nominations may contact 
Dr. Holly Stallworth, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), via telephone/
voice mail at (202) 343-9867; via e-mail at [email protected] or 
at the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460. General information about the SAB can be 
found on the SAB Web Site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    In 1980, Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund. 
This law authorizes the Federal government to respond directly to 
releases, or threatened releases, of hazardous substances that may 
endanger public health, welfare or the environment. There are two basic 
types of Superfund cleanups: (1) Remedial actions which are generally 
long-term and more complex cleanups; and (2) removal actions which are 
generally short-term response actions taken to abate or mitigate 
imminent substantial threats to human health and the environment.
    In 2002, EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) 
initiated a study to enumerate, describe, quantify and, where possible, 
monetize the benefits of the Superfund program. OSWER is seeking advice 
from the SAB on the scientific soundness of the methods and analysis in 
this study.
    The SAB is a chartered Federal Advisory Committee, 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 policies and actions. The Advisory Panel will 
provide advice through the chartered SAB and will comply with the 
openness provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and 
all appropriate SAB procedural policies. The work of this panel 
includes reviewing background material, participating in a few public 
teleconferences, and attending at least two public face-to-face 
meetings, until the advisory is complete. The specific charge questions 
to the SAB Panel will be made available prior to the meeting on the SAB 
Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab/.
    The first meeting of the Advisory Panel will focus on the benefit 
transfer methods applied to hedonic property studies and the proposed 
methods for quantifying specific effect, including ecological and 
health effects. In a later meeting, the Advisory Panel will provide 
advice on the completed study.

EPA Technical Contact

    The draft Superfund Benefits Analysis will be available on EPA's 
OSWER website at: http://www.epa.gov/superfund. Ms. Melissa Friedland 
of OSWER is the EPA technical contact and may be contacted at (703) 
603-8864 or at [email protected].

Request for Nominations

    The SAB Staff Office is requesting nominations of recognized 
experts with one or more of the following areas of expertise to serve 
on the SAB Superfund Benefits Analysis Advisory Panel: (a) Hazardous 
waste management; (b) valuation for cost-benefit analysis, specifically 
hedonic pricing models and methods; (c) ecological risk assessment; (d) 
public health and epidemiology, and (e) toxicology and human health 
risk assessment of toxic chemicals.

Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations

    Any interested person or organization may nominate individuals 
qualified in the areas of expertise described above to serve on the SAB 
Superfund Benefits Analysis Advisory Panel. Nominations should be 
submitted in electronic format through the Form for Nominating 
Individuals to Panels of the EPA Science Advisory Board which can be 
accessed through a link on the blue navigational bar on the SAB Web 
site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab. To be considered, all nominations must 
include the information requested on that form.
    Anyone who is unable to submit nominations using this form and 
anyone with questions concerning any aspects of the nomination process 
may contact the DFO, as indicated above in this notice. Nominations 
should be submitted in time to arrive no later than August 20, 2004. 
Any questions concerning either this process or any other aspects of 
this notice should be directed to the DFO. The process for forming an 
SAB panel is described in the Overview of the Panel Formation Process 
at the Environmental Protection Agency, Science Advisory Board (EPA-
SAB-EC-COM-02-010), on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ecm02010.pdf.
    The SAB Staff Office 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''), the SAB Staff Office will develop a smaller subset 
(known as the ``Short List'') for more detailed consideration. 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 
biosketch. Public comments on the Short List will be accepted for 21 
calendar days. During this comment period, the public will be requested 
to provide information, analysis or other documentation on nominees 
that the SAB Staff Office should consider in evaluating candidates for 
the Panel.
    For the SAB, a balanced 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 SAB Staff Office 
independently of 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 evaluation of an individual Panel member include: (a)

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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 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 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.

    Dated: July 26, 2004.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 04-17376 Filed 7-29-04; 8:45 am]
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