[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 199 (Monday, October 17, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 60338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-20704]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7984-1]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of an Upcoming 
Science Advisory Board Meeting (Teleconference)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a 
public teleconference meeting of the chartered SAB to discuss a draft 
SAB report.

DATES: November 7, 2005, 1-3 p.m. (Eastern Time).

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place via telephone only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to 
obtain the call-in number and access code to participate in the 
telephone conference or who wish to obtain further information 
regarding this teleconference meeting may contact Mr. Thomas O. Miller, 
Designated Federal Officer (DFO), Science Advisory Board Staff Office 
(1400F), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
or via telephone/voice mail at (202) 343-9982 or via e-mail at 
[email protected]. General information about the SAB, as well as any 
updates concerning the meeting announced in this notice, may be found 
on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this SAB telephone conference 
meeting is to conduct a final public review and discussion of the draft 
SAB report Review of EPA's Draft Framework for Inorganic Metals Risk 
Assessment. The focus of the meeting is to consider whether: (i) The 
original charge questions to the SAB review panel have been adequately 
addressed in the draft report, (ii) the draft report is clear and 
logical; and (iii) the conclusions drawn, or recommendations made in 
the draft report, are supported by the body of the report.
    Background: Background on the EPA metals Risk Assessment was 
provided in a Federal Register Notice published on July 29, 2004 (69 FR 
45314-45315). EPA has been undertaking an effort to develop cross-
Agency guidance for assessing the human health and ecological hazards 
and risks of metals and metal compounds. EPA developed the draft 
guidance document entitled, ``Framework for Inorganic Metals Risk 
Assessment,'' to supplement previous EPA guidance for use in site-
specific risk assessments, criteria derivation, and other similar 
Agency activities related to metals. The guidance is organized around 
the risk assessment paradigm. The document provides a conceptual model 
that highlights areas where consideration of metal-specific information 
is necessary and advantageous when conducting risk assessments. It 
outlines recommendations for conducting risk assessment for metals and 
metal compounds based on the unique attributes of these compounds. The 
guidance document also discusses metal-specific issues related to 
environmental chemistry, exposure, bioaccumulation and bioavailability, 
ecological effects, and human health effects. In addition, the guidance 
discusses research underway, planned, and needed to reduce uncertainty 
in metals risk assessment.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: A roster of participating SAB 
members and the meeting agenda will be posted on the SAB Web site prior 
to the meeting. The draft report that is the subject of this meeting is 
available on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    Procedures for Providing Public Comment: The SAB Staff Office 
accepts written public comments of any length, and accommodates oral 
public comments whenever possible. The SAB Staff Office expects that 
public statements presented at SAB 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 
teleconference meeting will usually be limited to no more than three 
minutes per speaker and no more than fifteen minutes total for all 
speakers. Interested parties should contact the DFO noted above in 
writing via e-mail at least one week prior to the meeting in order to 
be placed on the public speaker list for the meeting. Speakers should 
provide an electronic copy of their comments to the DFO for 
distribution to interested parties and participants in the meeting. 
Written Comments: Although written comments are accepted until the date 
of the meeting (unless otherwise stated), written comments should be 
received in the SAB Staff Office at least one week prior to the meeting 
date so that the comments may be made available to the committee for 
their consideration. Comments should be supplied to the DFO at the 
address/contact information above in the following formats: one hard 
copy with original signature, and one electronic copy via e-mail 
(acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat, WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text 
files (in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Mr. Thomas O. Miller at 
(202) 343-9982 or [email protected]. To request accommodation of a 
disability, please contact Mr. Miller, preferably at least 10 days 
prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process 
your request.

    Dated: October 7, 2005.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Associate Director for Science, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff 
Office.
[FR Doc. 05-20704 Filed 10-14-05; 8:45 am]
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