[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 9, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45543-45544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12954]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8207-4]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Public 
Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Hypoxia Advisory Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is 
announcing a public meeting of the SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel.

DATES: The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. (EST) September 6, 2006 to 
3 p.m. September 7, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Doubletree Hotel located at 
1515 Rhode Island Avenue NW., Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding the public meeting may contact Dr. Holly 
Stallworth, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), U.S. EPA Science Advisory 
Board Staff Office by telephone/voice mail at (202) 343-9867, or via e-
mail at [email protected]. The SAB mailing address is: US EPA, 
Science Advisory Board (1400F), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460. General information about the SAB, as well as any 
updates concerning the meeting announced in this notice, may be found 
in the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act, Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given that the SAB Hypoxia 
Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting to plan its work for 
developing a report that details advancements in the state of the 
science regarding hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. The SAB was 
established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent scientific and 
technical advice to the Administrator on the technical basis for Agency 
positions and regulations. The SAB is a Federal Advisory Committee 
chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 
5 U.S.C., App. The SAB will comply with the provisions of FACA and all 
appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies.
    Background: EPA participates with other Federal agencies, state and 
tribes in the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task 
Force. In 2001, the Task Force released the Action Plan for Reducing, 
Mitigating and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (or 
Action Plan available at http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/taskforce/actionplan.htm). The Action Plan was informed by the science described 
in An Integrated Assessment of Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico 
(or Integrated Assessment (available at http://www.noaa.gov/products/hypox_finalfront.pdf) developed by the National Science and Technology 
Council, Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Six technical 
reports provided the scientific foundation for the Integrated 
Assessment and are available at http.//www.nos.noaa.gov/products/pub_hypox.html. The aforementioned documents provide a comprehensive 
summary of the state-of-the-science for the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone 
through about the year 2000.
    EPA's Office of Water has requested that the SAB develop a report 
that evaluates the state-of-the-science regarding the causes and extent 
of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the scientific basis of 
possible management options in the Mississippi River Basin. The SAB is 
asked to focus on scientific advances since 2000 that may have 
increased scientific understanding and control options in three general 
areas.
    1. Characterization the Cause(s) of Hypoxia. The physical, 
biological and chemical processes that affect the development, 
persistence and extent of hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
    2. Characterization of Nutrient Fate, Transport and Sources. 
Nutrient loadings, fate, transport and sources in the Mississippi River 
that impact Gulf Hypoxia.
    3. Scientific Basis for Goals and Management Options. The 
scientific basis for, and recommended revisions to, the goals proposed 
in the Action Plan; and the scientific basis for the efficacy of 
recommended management

[[Page 45544]]

actions to reduce nutrient flux from point and nonpoint sources.
    In developing its report on scientific advancements since 2000, the 
SAB is also asked to focus on the strengths and limitations of the 
science in managing the Gulf hypoxia problem, including available data, 
models and model results and uncertainty. The SAB is asked to pay 
particular attention to any new information that has emerged since or 
was not adequately considered in the last Integrated Assessment. In 
response to EPA's request, the SAB Staff Office has formed the SAB 
Hypoxia Advisory Panel. Background on the Panel formation process was 
provided in a Federal Register notice published on February 17, 2006 
(71 FR 8578-8580).
    Availability of Meeting Materials: Materials in support of this 
meeting will be placed on the SAB Web Site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/ 
in advance of this meeting.
    Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the 
public may submit relevant written or oral information for the SAB to 
consider during the advisory process. Oral Statements: In general, 
individuals or groups requesting an oral presentation at a public 
meeting will be limited to five minutes per speaker, with no more than 
a total of one hour for all speakers. Interested parties should contact 
Dr. Stallworth, DFO, at the contact information noted above, by August 
25, 2006, to be placed on the public speaker list for the September 6-
7, 2006 meeting. Written Statements: Written statements should be 
received in the SAB Staff Office by August 25, so that the information 
may be made available to the SAB for their consideration prior to this 
meeting. Written statements should be supplied to the DFO in the 
following formats: one hard copy with original signature, and one 
electronic copy via e-mail to [email protected] (acceptable file 
format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Rich 
Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).
    Meeting Access: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Stallworth at (202) 
343-9867 or [email protected]. To request accommodation of a 
disability, please contact Dr. Stallworth, preferably at least 10 days 
prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time as possible to process 
your request.

    Dated: August 4, 2006.
 Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Associate Director for Science, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff 
Office.
[FR Doc. E6-12954 Filed 8-8-06; 8:45 am]
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