[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71503-71504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-6583]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8002-2]


Twelfth Meeting of the World Trade Center Expert Technical Review 
Panel To Continue Evaluation on Issues Relating to Impacts of the 
Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The World Trade Center Expert Technical Review Panel will hold 
its twelfth meeting intended to provide for greater input from 
individuals on ongoing efforts to monitor the situation for New York 
residents and workers impacted by the collapse of the World Trade 
Center. The panel members will help guide the EPA's use of the 
available exposure and health surveillance databases and registries to 
characterize any remaining exposures and risks, identify unmet public 
health needs, and recommend any steps to further minimize the risks 
associated with the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks. The 
panel has met 11 times and held one conference call since being formed 
in March 2004. Panel meetings are open to the public, except where the 
public interest requires otherwise. Information on the panel meeting 
agendas, documents (except where the public interest requires 
otherwise), and public registration to attend the meetings are 
available from an Internet Web site. EPA has established an official 
public docket for this action under Docket ID No. ORD-2004-0003.

DATES: The twelfth meeting of this panel will be held on December 13, 
2005 beginning at 9, Eastern Standard Time. On-site registration will 
begin at 8:30 a.m. The agenda for the meeting will be posted on the 
panel Web site: http://www.epa.gov/wtc/panel.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. 
Customs House, One Bowling Green, New York, NY in the Auditorium 
(basement level). A government-issued identification (e.g., driver's 
license) is required for entry.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For meeting information, registration 
and logistics, please see the Web site http://www.epa.gov/wtc/panel or 
contact ERG at (781) 674-7374. The meeting agenda and logistical 
information will be posted on the Web site and will also be available 
in hard copy. For further information regarding the technical panel, 
contact Ms. Lisa Matthews, EPA Office of the Science Advisor, telephone 
(202) 564-6669 or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Meeting Information

    Eastern Research Group, Inc., (ERG), an EPA contractor, will 
coordinate the meeting. To attend the meeting as an observer, please 
register by visiting the Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/wtc/panel. You 
may also register for the meeting by calling ERG's conference 
registration line between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. e.s.t. at 
(781) 674-7374 or toll free at 1-800-803-2833, or by faxing a 
registration request to (781) 674-2906 (include full address and 
contact information). Pre-registration is strongly recommended as space 
is limited, and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-
served basis. The deadline for pre-registration is December 7, 2005. 
Registrations will continue to be accepted after this date, including 
on-site registration, if space allows. There will be a limited time at 
the meeting for oral comments from the public. Oral comments will be 
limited to five (5) minutes each. If you wish to make a statement 
during the observer comment period, please check the appropriate box 
when you register at the Web site. Please bring a copy of your comments 
to the meeting for the record or submit them electronically via e-mail 
to [email protected], subject line: WTC.

II. Background Information

    Immediately following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on 
New York City's World Trade Center, many federal agencies, including 
the EPA, were called upon to focus their technical and scientific 
expertise on the national emergency. EPA, other federal agencies, New 
York City, and New York State public health and environmental 
authorities focused on numerous cleanup, dust collection and ambient 
air monitoring activities to ameliorate and better understand the human 
health impacts of the disaster. Detailed information concerning the 
environmental monitoring activities that were conducted as part of this 
response is available at the EPA Response to 9-11 Web site at http://www.epa.gov/wtc/.
    In addition to environmental monitoring, EPA efforts also included 
toxicity testing of the dust, as well as the development of a human 
exposure and health risk assessment. This draft risk assessment 
document, Exposure and Human Health Evaluation of Airborne Pollution 
from the World Trade Center Disaster, is available on the Web at http://www.epa.gov/ncea/wtc.htm). Numerous additional studies by other 
Federal and State agencies, universities, and other organizations have 
documented impacts to both the outdoor and indoor environments, and to 
human health.
    While these monitoring and assessment activities were ongoing, and 
the cleanup at Ground Zero itself was occurring, EPA began planning for 
a program to clean and monitor residential apartments. From June 2002 
until December 2002, residents impacted by World Trade Center dust and 
debris in an area of about 1 mile by 1 mile south of Canal Street and 
west of Pike-Allen Streets were eligible to request either federally-
funded cleaning and monitoring for airborne asbestos or monitoring of 
their residences. The cleanup continued into the summer of 2003, by 
which time the EPA had cleaned and monitored 3,400 apartments and 
monitored 800 apartments. Detailed information on this portion of the 
EPA response is also available at http://www.epa.gov/wtc/.
    A critical component of understanding long-term human health

[[Page 71504]]

impacts is the establishment of health registries. The World Trade 
Center Health Registry is a comprehensive and confidential health 
survey of those most directly exposed to the contamination resulting 
from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. It is intended to 
give health professionals a better picture of the health consequences 
of 9/11. It was established by the Agency for Toxic Substances and 
Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the New York City Department of Health and 
Mental Hygiene (NYCDHMH) in cooperation with a number of academic 
institutions, public agencies and community groups. Detailed 
information about the registry can be obtained from the registry Web 
site at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wtc/index.html.
    In order to obtain individual advice on the effectiveness of these 
programs, unmet needs and data gaps, the EPA has convened a technical 
panel of experts who have been involved with World Trade Center 
assessment activities. Mr. E. Timothy Oppelt of EPA's Office of 
Research and Development is serving as the Interim Panel Chair. Dr. 
Paul Lioy, Professor of Environmental and Community Medicine at the 
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute of the Robert 
Wood Johnson Medical School-UMDNJ and Rutgers University, serves as 
Vice Chair. A full list of the panel members, a charge statement and 
operating principles for the panel are available from the panel Web 
site listed above. Panel members will provide individual advice on 
issues the panel addresses. These meetings will occur in New York City 
and nearby locations. All of the meetings will be announced on the Web 
site and by a Federal Register Notice, and they will be open to the 
public for attendance and brief oral comments.
    The focus of the twelfth meeting of the WTC Expert Panel is on 
EPA's plan to test dust that may remain in lower Manhattan homes and 
commercial spaces from the collapse of the WTC towers, including 
program implementation and recruitment strategy. EPA welcomes input at 
the meeting and beyond about the most efficient and effective ways to 
obtain participation in the program. Further information on panel 
meetings can be found at the Web site identified earlier: http://www.epa.gov/wtc/panel.

III. How To Get Information on E-DOCKET

    EPA has established an official public docket for this action under 
Docket ID No. ORD-2004-0003. The official public docket consists of the 
documents specifically referenced in this action, any public comments 
received, and other information related to this action. Although a part 
of the official docket, the public docket does not include Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. The official public docket is the collection of 
materials that is available for public viewing at the Office of 
Environmental Information (OEI) Docket in the Headquarters EPA Docket 
Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West Building, Room B102, 1301 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. 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 public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public 
comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official 
public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that 
are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,'' 
then key in the appropriate docket identification number.

    Dated: November 20, 2005.
William H. Farland,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science, EPA Office of 
Research and Development.
 [FR Doc. E5-6583 Filed 11-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P