[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 15, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34348-34349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-16842]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8931-4]


EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Two 
Public Teleconferences of the Chartered Science Advisory Board

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces 
two public teleconferences of the chartered SAB to conduct quality 
reviews of two draft SAB reports.

DATES: The teleconference dates will be Thursday, August 6, 2009 from 2 
to 3:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), and Friday, August 28, 2009, from 
2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time).

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be conducted by telephone only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing to 
obtain general information concerning these public teleconferences 
should contact Mr. Thomas Miller, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA 
Science Advisory Board (1400F), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice mail (202) 343-9982; fax 
(202) 233-0643; or e-mail at [email protected]. General information 
concerning the EPA Science Advisory Board can be found on the SAB Web 
site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act, 5 U.S.C., App. 2 (FACA), notice is hereby given that the EPA 
Science Advisory Board (SAB) will hold public teleconferences to 
conduct two quality reviews of draft SAB committee reports. The SAB was 
established pursuant to 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 under FACA. The SAB will comply with the provisions 
of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies.

Background

    (a) SAB Quality Review of the Draft SAB Report on EPA's Economic 
Analysis Guidelines Update. The Chartered SAB will conduct a quality 
review of the SAB Environmental Economics Advisory Committee (EEAC) 
draft report on EPA's Economic Analysis Guidelines Update from 2 p.m to 
3:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 2009. EPA's National Center for 
Environmental Economics (NCEE) has requested SAB review of EPA's 
revised Guidelines for Preparing Economic Analyses. EPA last issued 
Guidelines for Preparing Economic Analyses in September 2000 to 
represent Agency policy on the preparation of economic analysis 
required by legislation and administrative orders. EPA received advice 
from the SAB in developing those Guidelines. Since 2000, there has been 
considerable new economic research and EPA has received new guidance 
from the Office of Management and Budget pertaining to the Agency's 
conduct of regulatory analysis. In response, NCEE has revised and 
updated the Guidelines and has requested SAB review. More information 
on this topic can be found on the SAB Web site at http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/Guidelines%20Review?OpenDocument.
    (b) SAB Quality Review of the Draft SAB Panel Report on the EPA 
Expert Elicitation White Paper. The Chartered SAB will conduct a 
quality review of the draft report from its Expert Elicitation Advisory 
Panel from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2009. EPA's Office 
of the Science Advisor (OSA) has requested SAB review of an ``Expert 
Elicitation (EE) Task Force White Paper.'' The White Paper discusses 
the potential utility of using expert elicitation to support EPA 
regulatory and non-regulatory analyses and decision-making, provides 
recommendations for expert elicitation ``good practices,'' and 
describes steps for a broader application across EPA. OSA has asked the 
SAB to provide advice regarding the potential usefulness of expert 
elicitation, how to strengthen the scientific basis for its use, and 
the implications for possible implementation at EPA. More information 
on this topic can be found on the SAB Web site at http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/Expert%20Elicitation%20White%20Paper?OpenDocument.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: The agenda and other materials 
in support of these teleconferences will be placed on the SAB Web site 
at http://www.epa.gov/sab in advance of each meeting.
    Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the 
public may submit relevant written or oral information for the SAB to 
consider during these teleconferences. Oral Statements: In general, 
individuals or groups requesting time to make an oral presentation at a 
public SAB teleconference will be limited to three minutes, with no 
more than one-half hour for all speakers. To be placed on the public 
speakers list for the August 6, 2009 teleconference interested 
individuals should contact Mr. Thomas Miller, DFO, in writing 
(preferably by e-mail), by July 31 at the contact information provided 
above. Those interested in being placed on the public speakers list for 
the August 28, 2009 teleconference should contact Mr. Miller in the 
manner noted above by August 22, 2009. Written Statements: Written 
statements relevant to the August 6, 2009 teleconference should be 
received in the SAB Staff Office by July 31, 2009 so that the 
information may be made available to the SAB for their consideration 
prior to the teleconferences. Written statements

[[Page 34349]]

relevant to the August 28, 2009 teleconference should be received in 
the SAB Staff Office by August 20, 2009. Written statements should be 
supplied to the DFO via e-mail to [email protected] (acceptable file 
format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Rich 
Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format). Submitters are asked 
to provide versions of each document submitted with and without 
signatures, because the SAB Staff Office does not publish documents 
with signatures on its Web sites.
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Mr. Thomas Miller at 
(202) 343-9982, or [email protected]. To request accommodation of a 
disability, please contact Mr. Miller, preferably at least 10 days 
prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process 
your request.

    Dated: July 9, 2009.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E9-16842 Filed 7-14-09; 8:45 am]
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