[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 4 (Monday, January 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1221-1222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8514-2]


Adaptation for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources 
Advisory Committee (ACSERAC)

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of a public conference call meeting of the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency's Adaptation for Climate-Sensitive 
Ecosystems and Resources Advisory Committee on January 15, 2008, from 2 
p.m. until 4 p.m. (EST).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-
463 as amended (5 U.S.C., App. 2), notification is hereby given that 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and 
Development (ORD) will hold a public conference call of the ACSERAC. 
This public conference call meeting is a follow-up to the public 
meeting that was held on October 22-23, 2007 (72 FR 52875, September 
17, 2007).
    The U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California has 
ordered the interagency U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) to 
produce the periodic scientific assessment of climate change required 
by the Global Change Research Act of 1990 by May 31, 2008 (Center for 
Biological Diversity v. Brennan et al., 2007 WL 2408901 [No. 06-7062, 
Aug. 21, 2007]). Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.4, which is being 
reviewed by the ACSERAC, is an integral component of this assessment. 
The CCSP has directed EPA to complete and submit a final draft of 
Product 4.4 to the CCSP by January 31, 2008. To meet this deadline, the 
ACSERAC is holding this conference call meeting to review its final 
report on this product. This notice is being published less than 15 
days before the teleconference. Product 4.4 is a very large document 
that has been developed under an unusually short time frame, with 
impacts on the authors' and committee members' schedules. January 15 is 
the only date that the Committee is available to hold this conference 
call meeting. Since EPA will likely have to make changes to the 
document following the teleconference, delaying this meeting would 
cause EPA to be late in submitting this product to the CCSP. 
Participants will discuss the revisions to the document that were a 
result of the public meeting in October. The CCSP expects to release 
the draft scientific assessment in April 2008. Interested parties will 
have an opportunity to review and comment on the entire scientific 
assessment, including Product 4.4, when it is released to the public.
    Public Participation: Members of the public may submit written 
comments to Joanna Foellmer, Designated Federal Official, ACSERAC (see 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section below). In addition, 
members of the public may call into the conference call meeting as 
observers, and there will be a limited time for comments from the 
public. Please contact Joanna Foellmer no later than January 11, 2008, 
if you wish to make oral comments during the conference call meeting. 
Requests to make oral comments must be in writing (via e-mail, fax or 
ground mail). Please send a copy of your presentation to Joanna 
Foellmer by January 13, 2008. Information on services for the disabled 
may be obtained by contacting Joanna Foellmer.
    Agenda: The proposed agenda for the conference call includes, but 
is not limited to, an extensive discussion by the ACSERAC with respect 
to EPA's response to the Committee's comments on the external review 
draft report entitled: ``Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.4; 
Preliminary Review of Adaptation Options for Climate-Sensitive 
Ecosystems and Resources'' (SAP 4.4). A draft agenda may be obtained 
from Joanna Foellmer (see the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 
below).

DATES: The conference call will take place on January 15, 2008, from 2 
p.m. until 4 p.m. (EST).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding information and 
logistics for the ACSERAC should be directed to Joanna Foellmer by 
telephone: 703-347-8508, by e-mail: [email protected], by fax: 
703-347-8694, or by regular mail: Joanna Foellmer, ORD/NCEA (Mail Code 
8601P), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20460.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ACSERAC supports the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) in its participation in the CCSP, specifically 
in implementation of Goal 4 of the Strategic Plan for the CCSP. Goal 4 
is to understand ``the sensitivity and adaptability of different 
natural and managed ecosystems and human systems to climate and related 
global changes.'' EPA also helps the CCSP satisfy its requirement to 
conduct periodic assessments of climate change and variability, as set 
forth in the Global Change Research Act of 1990. The ACSERAC supports 
EPA in performing its duties and responsibilities.

[[Page 1222]]

    The primary responsibility of the ACSERAC is to conduct an expert 
peer review of the external review draft report entitled: ``Synthesis 
and Assessment Product 4.4: Preliminary Review of Adaptation Options 
for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources'' (SAP 4.4). The ACSERAC 
will provide advice to the EPA Administrator on the conduct of this 
study, and within the context of the basic study plan, the ACSERAC will 
advise on: (1) The specific issues to be addressed; (2) appropriate 
technical approaches; (3) the usefulness of information provided to 
decision makers; (4) the quality of the content of the final report; 
(5) compliance with the Information Quality Act; and (6) other matters 
important to the successful achievement of the objectives of the study. 
Additionally, once the Agency completes its responses to the comments 
received from the ACSERAC and the public, the ACSERAC will review the 
Agency's responses.
    EPA has already released the external draft SAP 4.4 report for 
public review. The Federal Register notice (FR72 46610) announcing a 
forty-five day public comment period was posted on the U.S. Climate 
Change Science Program (CCSP) Web site (www.climatescience.gov) on 
August 21, 2007. This report is accessible at www.epa.gov/ncea under 
Recent Additions and is linked to the CCSP Web site.

     Dated: December 31, 2007.
Rebecca Clark,
Deputy Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E8-17 Filed 1-4-08; 8:45 am]
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