[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 107 (Monday, June 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32769-32771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11162]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7921-4]
[E-Docket ID No. Ord-2005-0021]


Workshop to Peer Review Proposed Indicators for the U.S. EPA's 
2006 Report on the Environment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

[[Page 32770]]


ACTION: Notice of peer-review workshop and public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing 
that ERG, an EPA contractor for external scientific peer review, will 
convene a panel of experts and organize and conduct an independent 
external peer-review workshop to review the Proposed Indicators for the 
U.S. EPA's 2006 Report on the Environment (hereafter, Proposed 
Indicators--EPA ROE 2006). EPA is also announcing a 45-day public 
review and comment period on the Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2006. 
This public comment period and the public peer-review workshop are 
separate processes and will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders 
to weigh in on the primary contents of the draft 2006 Report on the 
Environment (EPA ROE 2006) at an early stage. The selection of the 
Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2006 was coordinated across EPA and with 
other agencies. The draft text and accompanying information for each 
indicator were prepared by EPA Program and Regional Offices, the Office 
of Research and Development (ORD), the Office of Environmental 
Information (OEI), and the Office of Policy Economics and Innovation 
(OPEI). In preparing the EPA ROE 2006, EPA will consider ERG's report 
of the comments and recommendations from the expert peer-review 
workshop and any public comments EPA receives in accordance with 
today's notice.

DATES: ERG will hold the three-day peer-review workshop from July 27-
29, 2005. The workshop will begin at 8 a.m. for registration and end at 
approximately 5 p.m., eastern daylight time. Members of the public may 
attend the peer-review workshop as observers. Interested parties will 
also have an opportunity to make brief oral statements at the 
commencement of the meeting each day.
    The 45-day public comment period begins June 6, 2005, and ends July 
21, 2005. Technical comments should be in writing and must be received 
by EPA by July 21, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The external peer-review workshop will be held in the Sphinx 
Room, Almas Temple, 1315 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005. To attend 
the workshop, register by July 21, 2005 at the following Web site: 
http://www2.ergweb.com/projects/conferences/roe/register-roe.htm. 
Interested parties can also register for the workshop by contacting 
ERG, 110 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421; telephone: 781-674-7374 
or toll-free 800-803-2833 (between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EDT); 
facsimile: 781-674-2906; or e-mail: [email protected]. Please include 
your full address and contact information. Space is limited, and 
reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. 
Workshop attendees who wish to make oral statements at the workshop 
should notify ERG at the time of your initial contact that you would 
like to register to make a public comment. The workshop agenda is also 
available at the above-mentioned Web site.
    The Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2006 are available primarily via 
the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/ROEindicators. EPA's peer-review 
charge is also available at this Web site. Each of the proposed 
indicators can be downloaded separately from this Web site in the PDF 
format. A limited number of electronic copies on compact disc (CD) are 
available from the National Center for Environmental Assessment's 
Technical Information Staff, NCEA-W; telephone: 202-564-3261; 
facsimile: 202-565-0050. If you are requesting a CD, please provide 
your name, your mailing address, and the document title, ``Proposed 
Indicators--EPA ROE 2006.''
    Public comments may be submitted electronically via EPA's E-Docket, 
by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/courier. Please follow the 
detailed instructions for submission of public comments as provided in 
the section of this notice entitled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. ERG will 
provide copies of the public comments received by July 15, 2005, to the 
panel of experts prior to the peer-review workshop.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the peer review 
workshop, contact: Conference Registration, ERG, 110 Hartwell Avenue, 
Lexington, MA 02421; telephone: 781-674-7374 or toll-free at 800-803-
2833 between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EDT; facsimile: 781-674-2906; or e-
mail: [email protected]. Questions regarding registration and logistics 
should be directed to ERG.
    For information on the public comment period, contact the OEI 
Docket; telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-1753; or e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you have technical questions about the Proposed Indicators--EPA 
ROE 2006, contact: Julie Damon, National Center for Environmental 
Assessment (8601D), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 202-564-3404; facsimile: 202-565-0065; 
or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

About the Report on the Environment and the Proposed Indicators--EPA 
ROE 2006

    In June 2003, EPA published its first national Draft Report on the 
Environment, using available indicators and data to answer questions 
pertaining to national environmental and human health conditions. At 
that time, EPA released two companion documents--one for readers with a 
general interest in the environment (Draft Report on the Environment 
Public Report) and another for more technical readers (Draft Report on 
the Environment Technical Document). These draft documents utilized 
indicators to describe the then current environmental conditions, 
trends, and data gaps.
    Shortly after the release of the 2003 draft documents, EPA 
announced that it planned to release the next Report on the Environment 
in 2006. Activities related to the development of EPA's 2006 ROE have 
been ongoing since release of the 2003 draft documents. As in 2003, EPA 
anticipates the 2006 ROE will include the release of two paper 
documents--one for readers with a general interest in the environment 
(a Public Report) and another for more technical readers (a Technical 
Document). EPA also intends to make the information in the 2006 ROE 
available as an interactive, searchable Web site--the ``e-ROE.'' The 
Technical Document is expected to provide the scientific foundation for 
the more general Public Report and the e-ROE. EPA plans to use the 
Technical Document to present and discuss indicators and data that are 
currently available to answer the questions posed in the ROE 2006.
    The peer-review workshop on the proposed indicators we are 
announcing today precedes the production of the draft EPA ROE 2006 
Technical Document. EPA has asked for this peer review to obtain expert 
opinion on whether the indicators proposed to be included in the EPA 
ROE 2006 Technical Document are supported by data that are technically 
sound, meet the established indicator definition and criteria, and help 
answer the questions posed in the ROE 2006. As noted above, EPA has 
issued a peer-review charge, which describes the areas of inquiry on 
which we have asked comment from external experts. EPA encourages the 
public to submit comments on the same areas of inquiry. In addition, 
EPA welcomes comments on any other aspect of the proposed indicators 
that the public would like to share with the Agency. After ERG provides 
EPA with a report of the peer-review workshop,

[[Page 32771]]

EPA will consider ERG's report and the public comments. Any resulting 
revisions to the proposed indicators or any changes to the list of 
proposed indicators will be discussed within EPA and with our federal 
agency partners. The external review draft of the EPA ROE 2006 
Technical Document is expected in spring/summer 2006.

How to Submit Comments to EPA's E-Docket

    EPA has established an official public docket for information 
pertaining to the Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2006, Docket ID No. ORD-
2005-0021. The official public docket is the collection of materials, 
excluding Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information 
for which disclosure is restricted by statute, that is available for 
public viewing at the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket 
in the Headquarters EPA Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room B102, 
1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center 
Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public 
Reading Room is 202-566-1744, and the telephone number for the OEI 
Docket is 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-1753; or e-mail: 
[email protected].
    An electronic version of the official public docket is available 
through EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, E-Docket. 
You may use E-Docket at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view 
public comments, to access the index of the contents of the official 
public docket, and to view those documents in the public docket that 
are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,'' 
then key in the appropriate docket identification number.
    Certain types of information will not be placed in E-Docket. 
Information claimed as CBI and other information for which disclosure 
is restricted by statute are not included in the official public docket 
and also will not be available for public viewing in E-Docket. 
Copyrighted material will not be placed in E-Docket, but will be 
referenced there and available as printed material in the official 
public docket.
    If you intend to submit comments to EPA, please note that it is EPA 
policy to make comments available for public viewing just as they are 
received at the EPA Docket Center or in E-Docket. This policy applies 
to information submitted electronically or in paper form, except where 
restricted by copyright, CBI, or statute. When EPA identifies a comment 
containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that 
material in the version of the comment placed in EPA's electronic 
public docket; the entire printed comment, including the copyrighted 
material, will be available in the official public docket.
    Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or 
delivered to the docket will be transferred to E-Docket. Physical 
objects will be photographed, where practical, and the photograph will 
be placed in E-Docket along with a brief description written by the 
docket staff.
    You may submit comments electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or 
by hand delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, include the 
appropriate docket identification number with your submission. Please 
adhere to the specified submitting period; public comments received 
past the closing date will be marked ``late'' and may only be 
considered if time permits.
    If you submit public comments electronically, EPA recommends that 
you include your name, mailing address, and an e-mail address or other 
contact information in the body of your comment. Also include these 
contact details on the outside of any submitted disk or CD-ROM, and in 
any cover letter accompanying the disk or CD-ROM. This ensures that you 
can be identified as the person submitting the comment and allows EPA 
to contact you in case the Agency cannot read your submission due to 
technical difficulties, or needs further information on the substance 
of your comment. EPA will not edit your comment, and any identifying or 
contact information provided in the body of the comment will be 
included as part of the comment placed in the official public docket 
and made available in E-Docket. If EPA cannot read what you submit due 
to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, it 
may delay or preclude EPA's consideration of your comments.
    Electronic submission of comments via E-Docket is the preferred 
method for receiving comments. To access EPA's electronic public docket 
from the EPA Internet Home Page, select ``Information Sources,'' 
``Dockets,'' and ``EPA Dockets.'' Once in the system, select 
``search,'' and key in Docket ID No. ORD-2005-0021. The system is an 
``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity, e-mail address, or other contact details unless you provide 
it in the body of your comment.
    Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to 
[email protected], Attention Docket ID No. ORD-2005-0021. In contrast 
to EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an 
``anonymous access'' system. If you send an e-mail directly to the 
docket without going through EPA's E-Docket, EPA's e-mail system 
automatically captures your e-mail address, and it becomes part of the 
information in the official public docket and is made available in E-
Docket.
    You may submit comments on a disk or CD-ROM mailed to the OEI 
Docket mailing address. Files will be accepted in WordPerfect, Word, or 
PDF file format. Avoid the use of special characters and any form of 
encryption. If you provide comments in writing, please submit one 
unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies. 
For attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively with the 
main text, and submit an unbound original and three copies.

    Dated: May 31, 2005.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 05-11162 Filed 6-3-05; 8:45 am]
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