[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 197 (Friday, October 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58078-58080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20146]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8481-6]


Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office; Clean Air Scientific 
Advisory Committee (CASAC) Carbon Monoxide Review Panel; Request for 
Nominations

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) Staff Office is announcing the formation 
of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) Carbon Monoxide 
Review Panel (or Panel). The Panel will provide advice to the EPA 
Administrator regarding the primary national ambient air quality 
standards (NAAQS) for carbon monoxide (CO). The SAB is hereby 
soliciting nominations of technical experts for Panel membership.

DATES: New nominations should be submitted by November 2, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding this Request for Nominations may contact 
Ms. Kyndall Barry, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA Science 
Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice 
mail: (202) 343-9868; fax: (202) 233-0643; or e-mail at: 
[email protected]. General information concerning the CASAC or the 
EPA Science Advisory Board can be found on the EPA Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) was 
established under section 109(d)(2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) 
(42 U.S.C. 7409) as an independent scientific advisory committee. The 
CASAC provides advice, information and recommendations on the 
scientific and technical aspects of air quality criteria and national 
ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) under sections 108 and 109 of the 
Act. The CASAC is a

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Federal advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C., App.
    Section 109(d)(1) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires that EPA 
carry out a periodic review and revision, as appropriate, of the air 
quality criteria and the NAAQS for the six ``criteria'' air pollutants, 
including CO. The current primary NAAQS for CO was first promulgated in 
1971 and retained in 1985 and 1994. EPA is currently preparing to 
update and revise, where appropriate, the air quality criteria for CO. 
Information on the Agency's plans to prepare an Integrated Science 
Assessment (ISA) as part of the review of the NAAQS for CO is contained 
in a recent Federal Register notice published on September 13, 2007 (72 
FR 52369-52371).
    This Federal Register notice solicitation is seeking nominations 
for additional, subject-matter experts to augment the chartered CASAC. 
The Panel will review EPA's scientific, technical, and policy 
assessments that form the basis for the Agency's review of the NAAQS 
for carbon monoxide. The Panel will comply with the provisions of FACA 
and all appropriate EPA and SAB Staff Office procedural policies.
    Expertise Sought: In response to the Agency's request, the SAB 
Staff Office is soliciting nominees who are nationally-recognized 
experts regarding carbon monoxide in one or more of the following 
disciplines:
    (1) Atmospheric Science. Expertise in physical/chemical properties 
of carbon monoxide and atmospheric processes involved in the formation, 
transport on urban to global scales, transformation and fate of this 
pollutant in the atmosphere, and movement of the pollutant between 
media through deposition and other mechanisms. Also, expertise in the 
evaluation of natural and anthropogenic sources and emissions of carbon 
monoxide, pertinent monitoring or measurement methods for this 
pollutant, and spatial and temporal trends in the atmospheric 
concentrations.
    (2) Exposure Modeling. Expertise in measuring human population 
exposure to carbon monoxide and/or in modeling human exposure from 
ambient and indoor sources.
    (3) Risk Assessment Modeling. Expertise in human health risk 
analysis modeling for carbon monoxide related to cardiovascular and 
other non-cancer health effects.
    (4) Dosimetry. Expertise in evaluation of the dosimetry of animal 
and human subjects, including identification of factors determining 
differential patterns of inhalation and/or deposition/uptake in 
respiratory tract regions that may contribute to differential 
susceptibility of human population subgroups and animal-to-human 
dosimetry extrapolations.
    (5) Toxicology. Expertise in evaluation of experimental laboratory 
animal studies and in vitro studies of the effects of carbon monoxide 
on cells, tissues and organ systems.
    (6) Controlled Human Exposure. Expertise in evaluation of 
controlled human exposure studies of the effects of carbon monoxide on 
healthy individuals as well as those with pre-existing cardiopulmonary 
disease.
    (7) Epidemiology. Expertise in epidemiologic evaluation of the 
effects of exposures to ambient carbon monoxide and/or other major air 
pollutants (e.g., particulate matter, ozone) on human population 
groups, including mortality and morbidity effects.
    (8) Biostatistics. Biostatistics related to exposures to ambient 
carbon monoxide and/or other major air pollutants (e.g., particulate 
matter, ozone) on human population groups, including mortality and 
morbidity effects and/or health risk analysis.
    Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested 
person or organization may nominate qualified individuals for 
consideration for membership on the CO Review Panel in the areas of 
expertise described above. Nominations should be submitted in 
electronic format through the SAB Web site at the following URL: http://www.epa.gov/sab directly via the nomination form, the Form for 
Nomination to Panel or Committee Being Formed. Please follow the 
instructions for submitting nominations carefully. To be considered, 
nominations should include all of the information required on the 
associated forms. Anyone unable to submit nominations using the 
electronic form and who has any questions concerning the nomination 
process may contact Ms. Kyndall Barry, DFO, as indicated above in this 
notice. Nominations should be submitted in time to arrive no later than 
November 2, 2007.
    To be considered, all nominations should include: A current 
curriculum vitae (C.V.) which provides the nominee's background, 
qualifications, research expertise and relevant publications for 
service on the Panel; and a brief biographical sketch (``biosketch''). 
The biosketch should be no longer than two paragraphs and should 
contain the following information for the nominee:
    (a) Current professional affiliations and positions held;
    (b) Educational background, especially advanced degrees, including 
when and from which institutions these were granted;
    (c) Area(s) of expertise, and research activities and interests 
relevant to the Panel; and
    (d) Leadership positions in national associations or professional 
publications or other significant distinctions and service on other 
advisory committees or professional societies, especially those 
associated with issues under discussion in this review.
    The Web form will also request information about sources of recent 
(i.e., within the preceding two years) grant and/or other contract 
support, from government, industry, academia, etc., including the topic 
area of the funded activity. Please note that even negative responsive 
information (e.g., no recent grant or contract funding) should be 
indicated on the biosketch (by ``N/A'' or ``None''). Incomplete 
biosketches will not be considered. The EPA SAB Staff Office will 
acknowledge receipt of nominations.
    The scientific expertise and credentials of nominees received in 
reply to this notice will be reviewed for demonstrative experience in 
the disciplines sought for the CO Review Panel. Qualified nominees will 
be included in a smaller subset (known as the ``Short List''). 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 their 
biosketch. Public comments on the Short List will be accepted for a 
minimum of 21 calendar days. During this comment period, the public 
will be requested to provide relevant information or other 
documentation on nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in 
evaluating candidates. Panel members will be selected from the Short 
List.
    For the EPA SAB Staff Office, a balanced subcommittee or review 
panel includes 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. In 
establishing the final CO Review Panel, the SAB Staff Office will 
consider public responses to the Short List, information provided by 
candidates, and background information independently-gathered by the 
SAB Staff Office on each candidate (e.g., financial disclosure 
information, and computer searches to evaluate a

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nominee's prior involvement with the topic under review). Specific 
criteria to be used in evaluating Short List candidates for Panel 
membership include: (a) Scientific and/or technical expertise, 
knowledge, and experience (primary factors); (b) availability and 
willingness to serve; (c) absence of financial conflicts of interest; 
(d) absence of an appearance of a lack of impartiality; and (e) skills 
working on committees, subcommittees and advisory panels; and, for the 
Panel as a whole, (f) diversity of, and balance among, scientific 
expertise, viewpoints, etc.
    Prospective candidates will also 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.
    The approved policy under which the EPA SAB Office selects 
subcommittees and review panels is described in the following document: 
Overview of the Panel Formation Process at the Environmental Protection 
Agency Science Advisory Board (EPA-SAB-EC-02-010), which is posted on 
the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec02010.pdf.

    Dated: October 5, 2007.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E7-20146 Filed 10-11-07; 8:45 am]
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