[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6033-6034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2343]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8770-8]


EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations 
of Experts for EPA Science Advisory Board, Scientific and Technological 
Achievement Awards Committee

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is 
requesting nominations for experts to serve on a SAB Scientific and 
Technological Achievement Awards (STAA) Committee. This Committee will 
review peer-reviewed publications from EPA scientists and makes 
recommendations for awards.

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by February 25, 2009 per 
instructions below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding this Notice and Request for Nominations 
may contact Mr. Edward Hanlon, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), SAB 
Staff Office, by telephone/voice mail at (202) 343-9946; by fax at 
(202) 233-0643 or via email at [email protected]. General 
information concerning the EPA Science Advisory Board can be found at 
the EPA SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA's Scientific and Technological 
Achievement Awards (STAA) was established in 1980 to recognize Agency 
scientists and engineers who published their work in the peer-reviewed 
literature. The STAA Program is an Agency-wide competition to promote 
and recognize scientific and technological achievements by EPA 
employees. The STAA program is administered and managed by EPA's Office 
of Research and Development (ORD). Each year the EPA Science Advisory 
Board has been asked to review scientific publications nominated by EPA 
managers and make recommendations to the Administrator for awards. The 
SAB Staff Office is announcing the formation of a new ad hoc STAA 
Committee. This Committee will serve for a three year period, and 
review nominated publications and recommend awards for 2009 through 
2011. The SAB is chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA), as amended (5 U.S.C. App.). The Committee will comply with the 
provisions of FACA and SAB procedural policies, including the SAB 
process for Committee formation that is described further on the SAB 
Web site at http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/WebSABSO/OverviewPanelForm?OpenDocument. The Committee will hold closed meetings 
to review nominated scientific publications and make monetary award 
recommendations.

Request for Nominations

    The SAB Staff Office is soliciting nominations of nationally and 
internationally recognized scientists and engineers with documented 
research experience to serve on the STAA Committee. Nominations are 
requested in the areas of: Environmental Exposure, Transport and Fate; 
Environmental Monitoring and Methods; Environmental Control Systems and 
Risk Management; Ecosystems and Ecological Risk Assessment; Human 
Health and Risk Assessment; and Social and Decision Sciences.
    Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested 
person or organization may nominate qualified individuals to be 
considered for appointment on this SAB Committee. Candidates may also 
nominate themselves. Nominations should be submitted in electronic 
format (which is preferred over hard copy) following the instructions 
for ``Nominating Experts to Advisory Panels and Ad Hoc Committees Being 
Formed'' provided on the SAB Web site. The form can be accessed through 
the ``Nomination of Experts'' link on the blue navigational bar on the 
SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab. To receive full consideration, 
nominations should include all of the information requested.
    EPA's SAB Staff Office requests contact information about the 
person making the nomination; contact information about the nominee; 
the disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the nominee; the 
nominee's curriculum vitae; sources of recent grant and/or contract 
support; and a biographical sketch of the nominee indicating current 
position, educational background, research activities, and recent 
service on other national advisory committees or national professional 
organizations.
    Persons having questions about the nomination procedures, or who 
are unable to submit nominations through the SAB Web site, should 
contact Mr. Edward Hanlon, DFO, at the contact information provided 
above in this notice. Non-electronic submissions must follow the same 
format and contain the same information as the electronic.
    The SAB Staff Office will acknowledge receipt of the nomination and 
inform nominees of the panel for which they have been nominated. From 
the nominees identified by respondents to this Federal Register notice 
(termed the ``Widecast'') and other sources, the SAB Staff Office will 
develop a smaller subset (known as the ``Short List'') for more 
detailed consideration. 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 biosketch. Public comments on the Short List 
will be accepted for 21 calendar days. During this comment period, the 
public will be requested to provide information, analysis, or other 
documentation on nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in 
evaluating candidates for the Panel.
    For the SAB a balanced panel is characterized by inclusion of 
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. Public responses to the 
Short List candidates will be considered in the selection of the panel, 
along with information provided by candidates and information gathered 
by SAB Staff independently concerning the background of each candidate 
(e.g., financial disclosure information and computer searches to 
evaluate a nominee's prior involvement with the topic under review). 
Specific criteria to be used in evaluation of an individual Panel 
member include: (a) Scientific and/or technical expertise, knowledge, 
and experience (primary factors); (b) absence of financial conflicts of 
interest; (c) scientific credibility and impartiality; (d) availability 
and willingness to serve; and (e) ability to work constructively and 
effectively in committees.
    Prospective candidates will 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. Ethics information, including EPA 
Form 3110-48, is available on the SAB Web site at

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http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/Web/ethics?OpenDocument.

    Dated: January 29, 2009.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E9-2343 Filed 2-3-09; 8:45 am]
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