[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31864-31865]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12495]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8575-7]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Upcoming 
Meetings of the Science Advisory Board; Ecological Processes and 
Effects Committee Augmented for the Advisory on EPA's Aquatic Life 
Water Quality Criteria

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science 
Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public teleconference and 
a public meeting of the SAB Ecological Processes and Effects Committee 
Augmented for the Advisory on EPA's Aquatic Life Water Quality 
Criteria. The teleconference and meeting are being held to provide 
advice on a methodology for deriving water quality criteria for the 
protection of aquatic life based on chemical mode of action.

DATES: The public teleconference will be held on Monday, June 23, 2008, 
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). The public meeting will 
be held on Monday, June 30, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through 
Tuesday, July 1, 2008, from 8 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m. (Eastern 
Daylight Time). The teleconference and meeting agendas will be posted 
on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting of the Committee will be held in the SAB 
Conference Center, located at 1025 F Street, NW., Room 3705, 
Washington, DC 20004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to 
obtain the teleconference call-in number and access code; or receive 
further information concerning the teleconference or meeting must 
contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, Designated Federal Officer (DFO). Dr. 
Armitage may be contacted at the EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,

[[Page 31865]]

Washington, DC 20460; or via telephone/voice mail: (202) 343-9995; fax 
(202) 233-0643; or e-mail at [email protected]. General 
information about the EPA SAB, as well as any updates concerning the 
teleconference and 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 Ecological 
Processes and Effects Committee will hold a public meeting to provide 
advice on a methodology for deriving water quality criteria for the 
protection of aquatic life based on chemical mode of action. 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: The Clean Water Act authorizes the EPA Administrator to 
develop and publish criteria for water quality that are protective of 
aquatic life. Traditionally, ambient water quality criteria for the 
protection of aquatic life have been derived using EPA's 1985 
Guidelines for Deriving Numerical National Water Quality Criteria for 
the Protection of Aquatic Life and Their Uses (Guidelines). To ensure 
the protection of aquatic life and meet a goal of protecting and 
restoring ecological integrity, the Guidelines established 
comprehensive toxicity test data requirements for a variety of aquatic 
organisms and procedures for deriving a scientifically defensible 
criterion that protects the aquatic life designated use. However, some 
emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care 
products exhibiting endocrine disrupting activity or other toxic 
mechanisms, have features that require additional consideration when 
applying the Guidelines. These chemicals may demonstrate low acute 
toxicity but cause significant reproductive effects at very low levels 
of exposure. In addition, the effects of exposure to aquatic organisms 
during the early stages of life may not be observed until adulthood. 
Therefore, traditional chronic toxicity test endpoints may not be 
sufficiently comprehensive for criteria derivation for these chemicals. 
These chemicals also have very specific modes of action that may affect 
only certain types of aquatic animals (e.g., vertebrates such as fish).
    EPA's Office of Water has developed a white paper describing 
technical issues in deriving aquatic life criteria for emerging 
contaminants and recommendations for developing such criteria. The 
white paper uses a model endocrine disrupter to illustrate issues 
relevant to the process. The Office of Water has asked the Science 
Advisory Board (SAB) to comment on scientific merit of the 
recommendations.
    For this particular advisory the SAB Staff Office has invited 
several additional experts to augment the Ecological Processes and 
Effects Committee. Background information on the Committee formation 
process was provided in a Federal Register Notice published on May 2, 
2008 (73 FR 24285-24286). The roster and biosketches of members of the 
Ecological Processes and Effects Committee Augmented for the Advisory 
on EPA's Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria are posted on the SAB Web 
site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: A white paper describing the 
technical challenges and recommendations for deriving aquatic life 
criteria for emerging contaminants will be reviewed by the SAB 
Committee. The white paper will be posted on the EPA Office of Water 
Web site at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/aqlife.html. The 
technical contact for the EPA's white paper is Mr. Joseph Beaman, EPA 
Office of Water. Mr. Beaman may be contacted by telephone at 202-566-
0420 or via e-mail at [email protected]. The agenda and other material 
for the upcoming public meeting will be posted on the SAB Web site at 
http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the 
public may submit relevant written or oral information for the SAB 
Panel to consider on the topics included in this advisory activity.
    Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an 
oral presentation at a public teleconference will be limited to three 
minutes per speaker, with no more than a total of 30 minutes for all 
speakers. 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. Armitage, DFO, in writing (preferably via e-mail) at 
the contact information noted above, by June 16, 2008 to be placed on 
the list of public speakers for the teleconference, and by June 23, 
2008 to be placed on a list of public speakers for the meeting.
    Written Statements: Written statements should be received in the 
SAB Staff Office by June 16, 2008 for the teleconference and by June 
23, 2008 for the meeting so that the information may be made available 
to the SAB Panel members for their consideration. 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 (acceptable 
file format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or 
Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Armitage at the phone 
number or e-mail address noted above, preferably at least ten days 
prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time as possible to process 
your request.

    Dated: May 28, 2008.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
 [FR Doc. E8-12495 Filed 6-3-08; 8:45 am]
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