[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 124 (Thursday, June 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 35465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12568]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8332-8]


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

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is 
announcing two public teleconferences of the SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel 
to discuss revisions to its draft advisory report concerning the 
hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

DATES: The teleconferences will be held on July 30, 2007 from 2 p.m. to 
5 p.m. (Eastern time) and August 1, 2007 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern 
time).

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 meetings announced in this notice, may be found 
in the SAB Web Site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public 
Law 92-463, notice is hereby given that the SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel 
will hold public meetings to develop a report that details advances 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 EPA 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.
    EPA participates with other Federal agencies, states 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 2000 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. Given the passage of 6 years, EPA's Office of Water has 
requested that the SAB develop a report that evaluates the updated 
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.
    In response to EPA's request, the SAB Staff Office 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). The SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel has previously held 
several face-to-face meetings (71 FR 45543-45544, 71 FR 66329-66330, 72 
FR 5968-5969 and 72 FR 17158-17159) and teleconferences (71 FR 55786-
55787, 71 FR 59107, 71 FR 77743-77744 and 72 FR 11359-11360). 
Information about the SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel is available on the 
SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: Materials in support of these 
meetings will be placed on the SAB Web Site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/ 
in advance of the 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 
teleconference 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, no later than July 23, 2007, to be placed on the public speaker 
list for the July 30 or August 1 meetings. Written Statements: Written 
statements should be received in the SAB Staff Office no later than 
July 23, 2007 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 at: 
[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 teleconference to give EPA as much time as possible to 
process your request.

    Dated: June 22, 2007.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
 [FR Doc. E7-12568 Filed 6-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P