[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 4 (Monday, January 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1222-1223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8514-3]


Human Impacts of Climate Change Advisory Committee

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, HICCAC.

ACTION: Notice of a public conference call meeting of the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency's Human Impacts of Climate Change 
Advisory Committee (HICCAC) on January 14, 2008, at 12 noon until 2 pm. 
(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 meeting of the 
HICCAC. This public conference call meeting is a follow-up to the 
public meeting that was held on October 15-16, 2007 (72 FR 52877, 
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 4.6, which is being 
reviewed by the HICCAC, is an integral component of this assessment. 
The CCSP has directed EPA to complete and submit a final draft of 
Product 4.6 to the CCSP by January 31, 2008. To meet this deadline, the 
HICCAC 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 4.6 is a large document that 
has been developed under an unusually short time frame, with impacts on 
the authors' and committee members' schedules. January 14 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 4.6, when it is released to the public.
    Public Participation: Members of the public may submit written 
comments to Joanna Foellmer, Designated Federal Official, HICCAC (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 COB January 10, 
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 12, 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, a review of the revised Synthesis and Assessment 
Product (SAP 4.6) that analyzes the impacts of global change on human 
health, human settlements, and human welfare. The HICCAC will respond 
to the changes made to the final report based on the review of an 
earlier draft of the report. There will be a discussion by the HICCAC 
panel with respect to their individual and collective assessment of the 
revised SAP 4.6 report. 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 14, 2008, at 12 
noon until 2 pm (EST).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding information and 
logistics for the HICCAC public conference call meeting 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 HICCAC supports the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) in its participation in the interagency U.S. 
Climate Change Science Program (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 HICCAC serves in the public's 
interest and supports EPA in performing its duties and 
responsibilities.
    The primary responsibility of the HICCAC is to conduct an expert 
peer review of the external review draft report entitled: ``Synthesis 
and Assessment Product 4.6: Analyses of the effects of global change on 
human health and welfare and human systems'' (SAP 4.6). The HICCAC will 
provide advice to the EPA Administrator on the results of this study, 
and within the context of the basic study plan, the HICCAC 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

[[Page 1223]]

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 HICCAC and the public, the HICCAC will review the Agency's 
responses.
    EPA has already released the external draft SAP 4.6 report for 
public review. The Federal Register notice (FR 72 39798) 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 July 
20, 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. E8-22 Filed 1-4-08; 8:45 am]
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