[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14553-14555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7185]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8787-7]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations of 
Scientists and Engineers To Augment the Environmental Engineering 
Committee (EEC)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is 
requesting nominations for scientists and engineers with expertise and 
direct experience in water infrastructure assessment, rehabilitation, 
and renewal to augment expertise on the SAB Environmental Engineering 
Committee (EEC).

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by April 21, 2009 per 
instructions below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: 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 e-mail 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. Any inquiry regarding EPA's Aging

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Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Research Initiative should 
be directed to Mr. Thomas Speth of EPA's Office of Research and 
Development (ORD), at [email protected] or (513) 569-7208.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to 
provide independent scientific and technical advice to the EPA 
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. The SAB EEC provides scientific and 
technical advice to the EPA Administrator through the chartered SAB on 
risk management technologies to control and prevent pollution.
    In support of EPA's Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative, 
EPA's ORD initiated a research program in 2007 to improve and evaluate 
innovative technologies and techniques for reducing the cost and 
improving the effectiveness of operations, maintenance, and replacement 
of aging and failing systems for drinking water and wastewater 
treatment and conveyance. The outputs from this research program are 
intended to assist EPA's program and regional offices to implement 
Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act requirements; to help 
states and tribes meet their programmatic requirements; and to assist 
utilities to more effectively implement comprehensive management of 
drinking water and wastewater treatment and conveyance systems, provide 
reliable service to their customers, and meet their statutory 
requirements. ORD's 2007 Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative 
research plan proposes work relating to infrastructure condition 
assessment, system rehabilitation, infusion of advanced design and 
management concepts, and evaluation of innovative treatment 
technologies. ORD requested that the SAB review and provide advice on 
the suitability and appropriateness of completed, existing and upcoming 
projects; the appropriateness of the funding vehicles; whether 
additional projects are needed; and the overall scope and funding of 
the initiative. The SAB EEC, augmented with additional experts, will 
conduct the consultation.

Request for Nominations

    There is a need to supplement EEC expertise with scientists and 
engineers having experience and expertise with water infrastructure 
assessment, rehabilitation, and renewal. Accordingly, the SAB Staff 
Office is seeking nominations of nationally and internationally 
recognized scientists and engineers in multidisciplinary fields such as 
microbiology, environmental science, and chemistry; and civil, 
environmental, chemical, and mechanical engineering. We particularly 
seek scientists and engineers with specialized expertise in condition 
assessment, system rehabilitation, and in reducing the cost and 
improving the effectiveness of operations, maintenance, and replacement 
of aging and failing drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater 
treatment and conveyance systems. Also, the SAB Staff Office seeks 
nominations of individuals with experience in applying this expertise 
towards municipal infrastructure systems. Qualified nominees will be 
considered for serving on the EEC augmented with additional expertise 
to provide advice on EPA's Aging Drinking Water and Wastewater 
Infrastructure Research Initiative.
    Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested 
person or organization may nominate individuals qualified in the area 
of science and engineering as described above 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, and should 
be submitted in time to arrive no later than April 21, 2009.
    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 Committee 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 Committee.
    For the SAB, a balanced Committee 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 
Committee, 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 Committee 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

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

    Dated: March 24, 2009.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E9-7185 Filed 3-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P