[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5317-5318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1350]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8027-2]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Three Public 
Teleconferences and a Meeting of the Science Advisory Board EPI Suite 
Review Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces 
three public teleconferences and a face-to-face meeting of the SAB EPI 
Suite Review Panel to review software developed by the Office of 
Pollution Prevention and Toxics known as the Estimation Programs 
Interface (EPI) Suite. An agenda and documents for this teleconference 
will be posted on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab prior to 
the call.

DATES: Public teleconferences of the SAB EPI Suite Review Panel will be 
held on Wednesday, February 22, 2006, Wednesday, March 1, 2006, and 
Wednesday, April 5, 2006, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. eastern standard time. 
The face-to-face public meeting will be held March 7-9, 2006, from 9 
a.m to 5:30 p.m. eastern standard time.

ADDRESSES: The public teleconferences will take place via telephone 
only. The public face-to-face meeting will be held at the SAB 
Conference Center, 1025 F Street, NW., Suite 3700, Washington, DC 
20004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General information concerning the SAB 
can be found on the SAB Web Site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab. Members of 
the public who wish to obtain the call-in number and access code for 
the teleconferences, or further information concerning the public face-
to-face meeting may contact Ms. Kathleen White, Designated Federal 
Officer (DFO), by mail at EPA SAB Staff Office (1400F), U.S. EPA, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; by telephone at (202) 
343-9878; by fax at (202) 233-0643; or by e-mail at 
[email protected]. Technical Contact: For questions and 
information concerning the software being reviewed, please contact Dr. 
Robert Boethling, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, by telephone 
(202) 564-8533; or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to 
provide independent scientific and technical advice, consultation, and 
recommendations to the EPA

[[Page 5318]]

Administrator on the technical basis for Agency positions and 
regulations. The SAB has been asked to review software developed by the 
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics known as the Estimation 
Programs Interface (EPI) Suite and has formed a specialized EPI Suite 
Review Panel for this purpose as previously announced (70 FR 4846, 
January 31, 2005).
    The Panel will comply with the provisions of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA) and all appropriate SAB procedural policies. EPI 
Suite is routinely used in evaluating new chemicals under EPA's 
Premanufacture Notices (PMNs) for new chemicals under section 5 of the 
Toxic Substances Control Act, and is widely used for predicting 
physical/chemical properties and environmental fate and transport 
properties for chemicals already in commerce. A more extensive 
description of EPI Suite can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/exposure/docs/episuite.htm. EPI Suite can be downloaded from http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/exposure/docs/EPISuitedl.htm.
    The purpose of the teleconference on February 22, 2006, is to 
prepare the Panel for the review through briefings and a discussion and 
clarification of the charge. The purpose of the March 1, 2006, 
teleconference is to prepare the Panel and the Agency for the face-to-
face meeting by responding to panelists' preliminary questions and 
identifying areas where additional information is needed. The purpose 
of the March 7-9, 2006, face-to-face meeting is for the Panel to reach 
consensus on the content of their response to the charge questions, to 
capture that consensus in writing, to brief the Agency on the major 
findings and conclusions, and to respond to Agency questions. The 
purpose of the April 5, 2006, teleconference is to provide the 
panelists with an opportunity to discuss their draft report and agree 
to final language. Subsequently, the Panel's report will be considered 
by the Board and transmitted to the Administrator.
    Procedures for Providing Public Input: Members of the public may 
submit relevant written or oral information for the EPI Suite Review 
Panel to consider during the advisory process.
    Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an 
oral presentation at a public teleconference will be limited to three 
minutes per speaker with no more than a total of thirty minutes for all 
speakers. In general, individuals or groups requesting an oral 
presentation at a face-to-face meeting will be limited to five to ten 
minutes with no more than two hours for all speakers. Those interested 
should contact Ms. White (preferably via e-mail) no later than seven 
days before the meeting date to be placed on the public speaker list. 
Written Statements: Written statements should be received in the SAB 
Staff Office at least seven days before the meeting so that the 
comments may be made available to the Panel for timely consideration. 
Comments should be supplied to the DFO in the following formats: One 
hard copy with original signature by mail, and one electronic copy by 
e-mail (acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, WordPerfect, MSWord, 
MSPowerPoint or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for people 
with disabilities, please contact Ms. Kathleen White at 202-343-9878 or 
[email protected]. To request accommodation of a disability, 
please contact Ms. White, preferably at least ten business days prior 
to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your 
request.

    Dated: January 26, 2006.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Associate Director for Science, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff 
Office.
 [FR Doc. E6-1350 Filed 1-31-06; 8:45 am]
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