[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1243-1244]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-264]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7857-9]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office Notification of Advisory 
Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Regulatory Environmental Modeling 
(REM) Guidance Review Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Science Advisory Board (SAB) Regulatory Environmental 
Modeling (REM) Guidance Review Panel will hold two public advisory 
meetings, one teleconference and one face-to-face meeting, to provide 
the Agency advice on their Draft Guidance and Models Knowledge Base 
related to modeling activity within the EPA.

DATES: January 21, 2005 and February 7-9, 2005.
    January 21, 2005 Public Conference call: The SAB REM Guidance 
Review Panel will meet on January 21, 2005, via teleconference from 1 
p.m. to 3 p.m. (eastern standard time).
    February 7-9, 2005 Public meeting: The SAB REM Guidance Review 
Panel will meet on February 7-9, 2005, in Washington, DC. The meeting 
will commence at 9 a.m. (eastern standard time) on February 7, 2005, 
and adjourn no later than 2:30 p.m. on February 9, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The public teleconference will take place via teleconference 
only. The face-to-face public meeting will take place at the SAB 
Conference Center, 1025 F Street, NW., Suite 3700, Washington, DC 
20004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wishes to 
obtain the teleconference call-in numbers and access codes, would like 
to submit written or brief oral comments (5 minutes or less for the 
public face-to-face meeting, and 3 minutes or less for the public 
teleconference meeting), or who wants further information concerning 
these public meetings should contact Dr. Jack Kooyoomjian, Designated 
Federal Officer (DFO), EPA SAB, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., (MC 
1400F), Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice mail: (202) 343-9984; 
fax: (202) 233-0643; or e-mail at: [email protected]. General 
information concerning the SAB can be found on the SAB Web site at: 
http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Pub. L. 
92-463, the SAB Staff Office hereby gives notice of two public meetings 
of the SAB REM Guidance Review Panel. The EPA's Office of Research 
Development (ORD) requested that the SAB review the Agency's draft 
guidance entitled, ``Draft Guidance on the Development, Evaluation, and 
Application of Regulatory Environmental Models,'' dated November 2003 
(referred to here also as the Draft Guidance) and ``Models Knowledge 
Base.'' The Draft Guidance is for those who develop, evaluate, and 
apply environmental models. It does not impose legally binding 
requirements and, depending on the circumstances, may not apply to a 
particular situation. The EPA retains the discretion to adopt 
approaches that differ from the guidance on a case-by-case basis. The 
Models Knowledge Base is an inventory of EPA's environmental models. It 
contains information about model use and model science and is intended 
to be a useful tool for environmental modelers and managers. Additional 
background information on this review activity, such as the Federal 
Register notice (68 FR 46602, August 6, 2003) soliciting nominations 
for Panel membership can be found on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/panels/cremgacpanel.html.
    Purpose of the January 21, 2005 Public Teleconference: The purpose 
of this public teleconference meeting is to discuss the charge to the 
SAB REM Guidance Review Panel; discuss available materials and 
background materials as they pertain to the charge, discuss assignments 
to the Panelists, and plan for the February 7-9, 2005 face-to-face 
public advisory meeting.
    Purpose of the February 7-9, 2005 Public Face-to-Face Meeting: The 
purpose of this meeting is to conduct a peer review of the Agency's 
Draft Guidance and Models Knowledge Base and any other supplemental 
materials in response to the charge questions.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: Copies of the meeting agendas, 
the roster of the SAB Review Panel, and the charge to the SAB described 
in this notice will be posted on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/panels/cremgacpanel.html prior to each meeting. Persons 
who wish to obtain copies of the Agency's Draft Guidance, the Models 
Knowledge Base or other materials pertinent to this advisory activity 
may obtain these materials at http://www.epa.gov/crem, or http://www.epa.gov/crem/sab.
    For further information regarding the Agency's Draft Guidance or 
Models Knowledge Base or other relevant background materials, please 
contact Mr. Pasky Pascual of the U.S. EPA, Office of Research & 
Development (Mail Code 8102), by telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-
2259, by fax at (202) 565-2925; or via e-mail at [email protected].
    Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings: It is the 
policy of the SAB Staff Office to accept written public comments of any 
length, and to accommodate oral public comments wherever possible. The 
SAB Staff Office expects the public statements presented at its 
meetings will not be repetitive of previously-submitted oral or written 
statements. Oral Comments: In general, each individual or group 
requesting an oral presentation at a public face-to-face meeting will 
be limited to a total time of five minutes (unless otherwise 
indicated), and three minutes at a teleconference meeting (unless 
otherwise indicated). Requests to provide oral comments must be in 
writing (e-mail, fax, or mail) and received by the DFO no later than 
noon Eastern Time five business days prior to the meeting in order to 
reserve time on the meeting agenda. Speakers should bring at least 35 
copies of their comments and presentation slides for distribution to 
the reviewers and public at the meeting. Written Comments: Although the 
SAB Staff Office accepts written comments until the date of the meeting 
(unless otherwise stated), written comments should be received in the 
SAB Staff Office no later than noon Eastern Time five business days 
prior to the meeting so that the comments may be made available to the 
Panelists for their consideration. Comments should be supplied to the 
DFO (preferably by e-mail) at the address/contact information noted 
above in the following formats: one hard copy with original signature, 
and one electronic copy via e-mail (acceptable file format: Adobe 
Acrobat

[[Page 1244]]

PDF, WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files (in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/
XP format)). Those providing written comments and who attend the 
meeting are also asked to bring 35 copies of their comments for public 
distribution.
    Meeting Access: Individuals requiring special accommodation for 
these public meetings, such as hearing impaired accommodations for the 
teleconference call or wheelchair access to the conference room for the 
face-to-face meeting, should contact the DFO at least five business 
days prior to the meeting, so that appropriate arrangements can be 
made.

    Dated: December 22, 2004.
Anthony Maciorowski,
Acting Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 05-264 Filed 1-5-05; 8:45 am]
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