[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30138-30139]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8043]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8174-8]


EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations 
of Candidates for a Panel To Review EPA's Draft Technical Document for 
the Report on the Environment 2007

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) 
Science Advisory Board (SAB or the Board) Staff Office is soliciting 
nominations of nationally recognized scientists for consideration of 
membership on an SAB Panel to review the Draft Technical Document for 
EPA's Report on the Environment 2007.

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by June 15, 2006 per the 
instructions below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding this Request 
for Nominations, please contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, Designated Federal 
Officer (DFO), EPA Science Advisory Board Staff, at 
[email protected] or (202) 343-9995. General information 
concerning the SAB can be found on the EPA Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab. For information on the Draft Technical Document for 
EPA's Report on the Environment, please contact Dr. Denice Shaw in the 
EPA Office of Research and Development at: [email protected] or (202) 
564-3234.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: EPA issued a draft Report on the Environment 2003 
describing the status of and trends in the environment and human 
health. This report was reviewed by the SAB (see http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/sab_05_004.pdf ). EPA has now prepared a new draft Report on 
the Environment Technical Document 2007 (ROE 2007) that addresses 
previous SAB recommendations. EPA(s Office of Research and Development 
(ORD) has requested that the SAB review the latest draft of the ROE 
2007. This draft Report on the Environment Technical Document updates 
information to answer key questions concerning the status of and trends 
in the environment and human health and contains new indicators as 
previously suggested by the SAB. National and some regional 
environmental trends are described along with indicator limitations and 
gaps. The SAB has been asked to: (1) Assess the adequacy of the 
approaches, processes, or frameworks used in the ROE 2007 to answer 
specified questions; (2) assess the adequacy of the technical content 
of the indicators provided in major theme areas in the ROE 2007 with 
regard to completeness of the technical data used and the relevance of 
indicators to the areas of concern; and (3) evaluate the 
appropriateness of the conclusions in the ROE 2007. This notice 
specifically requests nominations for candidates to serve on a new SAB 
panel that will critically review ROE 2007.
    The SAB (42 U.S.C. 4365) is a chartered Federal Advisory Committee 
that provides independent scientific and technical peer review, advice, 
consultation, and recommendations to

[[Page 30139]]

the EPA Administrator on the technical basis for EPA actions. As a 
Federal Advisory Committee, the SAB conducts business in accordance 
with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. C) and 
related regulations. Generally, SAB meetings are announced in the 
Federal Register, conducted in public view, and provide opportunities 
for public input during deliberations. Additional information about the 
SAB and its committees can be obtained on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    Expertise Sought: The SAB Staff Office requests nominations of 
engineers, ecologists, public health and biomedical scientists, and 
chemical and physical scientists to be considered for appointment to 
the expert panel described above. The Staff Office is interested in 
nominees who are nationally recognized experts with experience and 
expertise in designing, implementing, and applying indicator 
information and data at regional and national scales to evaluate the 
condition of air, water, and land environments, human health, and 
ecological condition as covered in ROE 2007. These include: (1) Air 
(e.g., outdoor or indoor air quality, greenhouse gases, etc.); (2) 
water (e.g., water and watersheds, drinking water, recreation in and on 
water, consumption of fish and shellfish, etc.); (3) land (e.g., land 
use, land cover, chemicals in the landscape, waste contaminated lands, 
etc.); (4) human health (e.g., pollution and disease, health and 
disease status and trends, epidemiology, exposure to environmental 
pollution, etc.); and (5) ecological condition (e.g., stressors and 
outcomes for aquatic, terrestrial, near-coastal, coastal, and ocean 
systems, etc.).
    How to Submit Nominations: Any interested person or organization 
may nominate qualified individuals to be considered for appointment on 
this SAB Panel. Candidates may also nominate themselves. Nominations 
should be submitted in electronic format (which is preferred over hard 
copy) through the Form for Nominating Individuals to Panels of the EPA 
Science Advisory Board provided on the SAB Web site. The form can be 
accessed through the SAB Nomination Form link on the blue navigational 
bar on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab. To receive full 
consideration, nominations should include all of the information 
requested on that form.
    The nominating form requests contact information about: The person 
making the nomination; contact information about the nominee; the 
disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the nominee; the 
nominee's curriculum vita; sources of recent grant and/or contract 
support; and a biographical sketch of the nominee indicating current 
position; educational background; research activities; and recent 
service on other national advisory committees or national professional 
organizations.
    Persons having questions about the nomination procedures, or who 
are unable to submit nominations through the SAB Web site, should 
contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, DFO, at the contact information provided 
above in this notice. Non-electronic submissions must follow the same 
format and contain the same information as the electronic.
    The SAB Staff Office will acknowledge receipt of the nomination and 
inform nominees of the panel for which they have been nominated. From 
the nominees identified by respondents to this Federal Register notice 
(termed the Widecast) and other sources, the SAB Staff Office will 
develop a smaller subset (known as the Short List for more detailed 
consideration. The Short List will be posted on the SAB Web site at: 
http://www.epa.gov/sab, and will include, for each candidate, the 
nominee's name and biosketch. Public comments on the Short List will be 
accepted for 21 calendar days. During this comment period, the public 
will be requested to provide information, analysis or other 
documentation on nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in 
evaluating candidates for the Panels.
    For the SAB, a balanced panel is characterized by inclusion of 
candidates who possess the necessary domains of knowledge, the relevant 
scientific perspectives (which, among other factors, can be influenced 
by work history and affiliation), and the collective breadth of 
experience to adequately address the charge. Public responses to the 
Short List candidates will be considered in the selection of the 
panels, along with information provided by candidates and information 
gathered by SAB Staff independently of the background of each candidate 
(e.g., financial disclosure information and computer searches to 
evaluate a nominee's prior involvement with the topic under review). 
Specific criteria to be used in evaluation of an individual Panel 
member include: (a) Scientific and/or technical expertise, knowledge, 
and experience (primary factors); (b) absence of financial conflicts of 
interest; (c) scientific credibility and impartiality; (d) availability 
and willingness to serve; and (e) ability to work constructively and 
effectively in committees.
    Short List candidates will be required to fill-out the Confidential 
Financial Disclosure Form for Special Government Employees Serving on 
Federal Advisory Committees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA Form 3110-48). This confidential form allows Government officials 
to determine whether there is a statutory conflict between that 
person's public responsibilities (which includes membership on an EPA 
Federal advisory committee) and private interests and activities, or 
the appearance of a lack of impartiality, as defined by Federal 
regulation. The form may be viewed and downloaded from the following 
URL address: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/epaform3110-48.pdf.

    Dated: May 18, 2006.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Associate Director for Science, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff 
Office.
 [FR Doc. E6-8043 Filed 5-24-06; 8:45 am]
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