[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 173 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 53360]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17820]



[[Page 53360]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7966-1]


Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office; Notification of an 
Upcoming Workshop and Meeting of the Science Advisory Board's 
Ecological Processes and Effects Committee (EPEC)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a 
public workshop and meeting of the SAB Ecological Processes and Effects 
Committee (EPEC). The EPEC will hold a public workshop and meeting to 
evaluate the state-of-the-practice of ecological risk assessment. The 
workshop and meeting are open to the public, however, seating for the 
public will be limited and available on a first come basis to those who 
pre-register.

DATES: February 7-9, 2006. The SAB Ecological Processes and Effects 
Committee public workshop will convene at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, 
February 7, 2006 and adjourn at approximately 5 p.m. (Eastern Time) on 
Wednesday, February 8, 2006. The SAB EPEC will meet on Thursday, 
February 9, 2006 at 8:30 a.m. to develop proceedings of the workshop 
and adjourn at approximately 4 p.m. (Eastern Time).

ADDRESSES: The public workshop and meeting of the SAB EPEC will be held 
in the Washington, DC area at a location to be posted on the SAB Web 
site (www.epa.gov/sab).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing to 
attend the workshop must pre-register via e-mail or fax to Ms. Vickie 
Richardson, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office (1400F), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone (202) 343-9978; Fax (202) 233-0643; or 
via e-mail at [email protected], providing your name, title, 
organization, mailing address, phone, and e-mail. Members of the public 
wishing further information concerning the workshop and meeting may 
contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), U.S. EPA 
Science Advisory Board by telephone/voice mail at (202) 343-9995, fax 
at (202) 233-0643, by e-mail at [email protected], or by mail at 
U.S. EPA SAB (1400F), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 
20460. General information about the SAB may be found on the SAB Web 
site, http://www.epa.sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Summary: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 
92-463, Notice is hereby given that the SAB Ecological Processes and 
Effects Committee will hold a public workshop and meeting to evaluate 
the state-of-the-practice of ecological risk assessment. The dates and 
times for the workshop and meeting are provided above.
    Background: The ongoing growth of ecological risk assessment has 
prompted the SAB EPEC to undertake a project to develop information on 
the current state-of-the-practice of ecological risk assessment. The 
goal of the project is to evaluate ecological risk assessment practices 
and to provide advice and recommendations to EPA regarding ways to 
enhance the conduct and application of ecological risk assessment in 
environmental decision making. To complete this project, the SAB EPEC 
plans to hold a public workshop in order to develop information on: (1) 
Application of ecological risk assessment in decision making and (2) 
technical themes and issues regarding ecological risk assessment. EPEC 
will use the workshop proceedings to develop advice and recommendations 
to EPA. The workshop, focusing on application of ecological risk 
assessment in decision making, will be held at the dates and times 
indicated above. The workshop will include: SAB members and EPA staff 
on the workshop steering committee, members of the SAB Ecological 
Processes and Effects Committee, and invited EPA and outside experts in 
the field of ecological risk assessment. The workshop will begin with a 
series of plenary presentations focusing on the application of 
ecological risk assessment: in product health and safety decision-
making, management of contaminated sites, and natural resources 
protection. Following the plenary presentations, participants will be 
assigned to breakout groups to discuss key cross-cutting issues in the 
application of ecological risk assessment in decision making. The 
workshop will conclude with the attendees identifying opportunities to 
advance the state-of-the-practice of ecological risk assessment for 
application in decision making. SAB EPEC will meet following the 
workshop at the time and date identified above to develop workshop 
proceedings.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: A draft workshop agenda is 
posted on the SAB Web site (www.epa.gov/sab). An updated agenda will be 
posted prior to the workshop.
    Procedures for Providing Public Comments: The SAB Staff Office 
accepts written public comments, and will accommodate oral public 
comments at the workshop to the extent possible.
    Written Comments: Written comments are preferred and should be 
submitted by e-mail to Dr. Thomas Armitage at [email protected] 
in Adobe Acrobat, WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/
Windows 98/2000/XP format) by January 30, 2006. Those without access to 
e-mail may submit one signed hard copy of the comments to Dr. Armitage 
by mail or courier. Commenters planning to attend the workshop in 
person are asked to bring 100 copies of their comments for public 
distribution.
    Oral Comments: Requests to provide oral comments must be in writing 
(e-mail or fax) and received by Dr. Armitage no later than January 30, 
2006 to reserve time on the workshop agenda. Presentation time for oral 
comment will typically be about five minutes per speaker, but may be 
reduced depending on time availability and the number of requests.
    Meeting Accommodations: Individuals requiring special accommodation 
to access the workshop and public meeting listed above should contact 
the DFO at least five business days prior to the workshop and meeting 
so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

    Dated: September 1, 2005.
Anthony Maciorowski,
Acting Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 05-17820 Filed 9-7-05; 8:45 am]
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