[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7734-7735]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2893]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7873-6]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations for 
the Science Advisory Board's Consultation on EPA's Framework for 
Revising the Aquatic Life Criteria Guidelines

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is 
requesting nominations to augment expertise on the SAB Ecological 
Processes and Effects Committee for a panel to provide consultation to 
EPA on the framework for revising the Aquatic Life Criteria Guidelines.

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by March 1, 2005 per the 
instructions below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding this Request for Nominations may contact 
Dr. Thomas Armitage, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), via telephone/
voice mail at (202) 343-9995; 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 in the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: EPA's recommended ambient water 
quality criteria for aquatic life provide guidance to states and tribes 
for adopting water quality standards which are the basis for 
controlling discharges or releases of pollutants. Currently, ambient 
water quality criteria for aquatic life protection are derived 
according to the Guidelines for Derivation of Ambient Water Quality 
Criteria for the Protection of Aquatic Life and Their Uses, published 
in 1985. To ensure that ambient water quality criteria are derived from 
the best available science, EPA's Office of Water assessed the need to 
update the Guidelines and identified issues that should be addressed in 
the

[[Page 7735]]

revisions. EPA briefed the SAB Ecological Processes and Effects 
Committee about this effort in December 2002, and the Committee 
supported EPA's assessment of the need to update the Guidelines as well 
as the issues EPA identified to address. To achieve the goal of 
revising the Guidelines EPA has formed an interagency workgroup, the 
Aquatic Life Criteria Guidelines Committee, as the technical body to 
review the state-of-the-science and recommend new or improved 
approaches for deriving ambient water quality criteria. EPA's Office of 
Water has therefore requested a consultation with the SAB on a proposed 
framework for revising the Guidelines.
    The Science Advisory Board is a chartered Federal advisory 
committee established under 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent 
scientific and technical advice, consultation, and recommendations to 
the EPA Administrator on the technical basis for Agency positions and 
regulations. The panel being formed will provide advice to the EPA 
through the Chartered SAB. The Panel will comply with the provisions of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act and all appropriate SAB procedural 
policies, including the SAB process for panel formation described in 
the Overview of the Panel Formation Process at the Environmental 
Protection Agency Science Advisory Board, which can be found on the 
SAB's Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec0210.pdf. The work of 
this panel includes reviewing background material, and participating in 
a one-day face-to-face meeting for the consultation.
    Tentative Charge to the Panel: EPA's Office of Water seeks the 
opportunity for a consultation with the SAB to receive comments on the 
Agency's proposed framework for revising the Aquatic Life Criteria 
Guidelines. EPA is seeking advice and recommendations on: (1) The 
general scope of the proposed framework; (2) the suitability of the 
preliminary scientific approaches, methods and models identified to be 
incorporated into the revised Guidelines; (3) additional or alternative 
approaches, methods, and models that should be considered; and (4) 
additional scientific issues and/or revisions that should be 
considered.
    Request for Nominations: The SAB Staff Office is requesting 
nominations to augment expertise on the SAB Ecological Processes and 
Effects Committee to form an SAB panel for a consultation on the 
framework for revising the Aquatic Life Criteria Guidelines. To augment 
expertise on the Ecological Processes and Effects Committee, the SAB 
Staff Office is seeking individuals who have expertise in one or more 
of the following areas: (a) Aquatic toxicology, particularly kinetic 
toxicity modeling and tissue residue-based toxicity data and residue-
response relationships; (b) biology of aquatic and benthic species; (c) 
bioaccumulation modeling, including both simple bioaccumulation factors 
(bioaccumulation factors and biota-sediment accumulation factors) and 
complex dynamic food web/chain models; and (d) population modeling.
    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 Subcommittee. 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 at: http://www.epa.gov/sab. The form can 
be accessed through a link on the blue navigational bar on the SAB Web 
site. To be considered, all nominations must include the information 
required on that form.
    Anyone who is unable to submit nominations using this form, and any 
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 March 1, 2005. Any questions 
concerning either this process or any other aspects of this notice 
should be directed to the DFO.
    The SAB 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 biosketch. Public comments on the Short List will be accepted 
for 14 calendar days. 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 the Panel.
    For the 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 SAB 
Staff 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 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 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.
    In addition to reviewing background material, Panel members will be 
asked to attend one public face-to-face meeting over the anticipated 
course of the advisory activity.

    Dated: February 7, 2005.
 Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 05-2893 Filed 2-14-05; 8:45 am]
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