[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 161 (Friday, August 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42297-42298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-20171]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL--8947-7]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Two Public 
Teleconference Meetings 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 teleconference meetings of the chartered SAB to conduct 
reviews of two draft SAB reports and to conduct additional business.

DATES: The meeting dates will be Wednesday, September 23, 2009 from 1 
p.m. until 4 p.m. and Thursday, September 24, 2009, from 1 p.m. until 4 
p.m. (all times are Eastern 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 this public teleconference 
meeting 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

[[Page 42298]]

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 will hold a public meeting to conduct two 
reviews of draft SAB committee reports and to conduct other business as 
noted. 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 
Reactive Nitrogen in the United States. The Chartered Science Advisory 
Board will conduct a review of the SAB Integrated Nitrogen Committee 
(INC) draft report: Reactive Nitrogen in the United States; An Analysis 
of Inputs, Flows, Consequences, and Management Options from 1 p.m. 
until not later than 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, 2009. Reactive 
nitrogen, a form of nitrogen consisting mainly of ammonium and nitrate, 
is ``fixed'' by natural or human-driven processes or recycled from 
decaying organic matter. Increasing quantities of reactive nitrogen 
released by human activities, such as the production and use of 
synthetic fertilizers, burning of fossil fuel, and planting of 
nitrogen-fixing crops currently surpasses the amount of nitrogen fixed 
by natural processes (e.g., microbial activities, wildfire). Adverse 
environmental effects may occur when reactive nitrogen occurs in 
amounts that exceed what the ecosystem can normally use or recycle. 
Adverse effects may include degradation of air and water quality, 
harmful algae blooms, hypoxia, fish kills, loss of drinking water 
supplies, loss of biodiversity, forest declines, and human health 
effects.
    The SAB Integrated Nitrogen Committee undertook this study to 
assess linkages among the environmental effects of reactive nitrogen 
and to explore their implications for nitrogen research and risk 
management. The study recommends a more integrated approach to reactive 
nitrogen research and identifies opportunities for integrated 
approaches for nitrogen management. Information about the work of the 
SAB Integrated Nitrogen Committee is available on the SAB Web site at 
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/Nitrogen%20Project?OpenDocument.
    (b) SAB Quality Review of the Draft Radiation Advisory Committee 
Report on Radiogenic Cancer Risk. The chartered Science Advisory Board 
will conduct a quality review of the draft report from its Radiation 
Advisory Committee during its teleconference scheduled from 1 p.m. 
until 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, 2009. EPA's Office of Air and 
Radiation requested an SAB review of a draft document entitled EPA 
Radiogenic Cancer Risk Models and Projections for the U.S. Population 
dated December 2008. EPA's draft document discusses a revised approach 
to cancer dose-response assessment for radionuclides, based on 
recommendations in the National Academies of Science 2005 report on 
Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (known as the BEIR VII report) 
as modified and expanded for EPA's purposes. At this teleconference, 
the SAB will conduct a quality review of the SAB Radiation Advisory 
Committee's draft advisory on this EPA draft document. Information 
about this work of the SAB Radiation Advisory Committee is available on 
the SAB Web site at http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/%E2%80%9CRevised%20Book%E2%80%9D?OpenDocument. The 
SAB will also discuss plans for future SAB advisory activities.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: The agenda and other materials 
in support of these meetings 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 this teleconference. 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 September 23 and September 24, 2009 
teleconferences, interested individuals should contact Mr. Thomas 
Miller, DFO, in writing (preferably by e-mail), by September 14, 2009 
at the contact information provided above. Written Statements: Written 
statements relevant to the September 23 and September 24, 2009 
teleconferences should be received in the SAB Staff Office by September 
15, 2009 so that the information may be made available to the SAB for 
their consideration prior to the teleconference meeting. 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: August 14, 2009.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E9-20171 Filed 8-20-09; 8:45 am]
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