[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 121 (Thursday, June 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36918-36919]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-15761]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9323-1]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Public 
Teleconference and Meeting of the SAB Radiation Advisory Committee for 
the Advisory Review of EPA's Draft Technical Report Pertaining to 
Uranium and Thorium In-Situ Leach Recovery and Post-Closure Stability 
Monitoring

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a 
public meeting and teleconference of the Radiation Advisory Committee 
(RAC) augmented for an advisory review of EPA's draft report 
``Considerations Related to Post-Closure Monitoring of Uranium In-Situ 
Leach/In-Situ Recovery (ISL/ISR) Sites.''

DATES: The public teleconference will be conducted on July 12, 2011 
from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Daylight time). The two-day meeting will 
begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 18, 2011 and adjourn no later than 5 
p.m. on Tuesday, July 19, 2011.

ADDRESSES: The public teleconference will be conducted by telephone 
only. The two-day meeting will be held at the Saint Regis Hotel, 923 
16th and K Streets, NW., Washington, DC 20006.
    Purpose of the Teleconference and Meeting: The purpose of the July 
12, 2011 teleconference is to discuss and seek clarification of EPA's 
charge to the RAC, discuss the draft agenda for the face-to-face 
meeting of July 18 and 19, 2011, as well as to discuss committee 
assignments. The purpose of the July 18 and 19, 2011 meeting is to 
receive presentations from the Agency staff, discuss responses to the 
charge questions, receive public comment and begin to draft the 
response.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: A roster and biosketches of the 
augmented RAC, the meeting agenda, the charge to the SAB for the 
advisory, and other supplemental materials will be posted on the SAB 
Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab prior to the teleconference and 
meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding this Notice may contact Dr. K. Jack 
Kooyoomjian, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), SAB Staff Office 
(1400R), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; or by 
telephone/voice mail at (202)-564-2064, or via email at 
[email protected]. The review materials may be found at http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/c91996cd39a82f648525742400690127/0314cef928df63cc8525775200482fa3!OpenDocument. General information 
concerning the EPA Science Advisory Board can be found at the EPA SAB 
Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    Technical Contact: Technical background information pertaining to 
Uranium In-Situ Leach Recovery--Post-Closure Stability Monitoring can 
be found at http://www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm/pubs.html. Information 
pertaining to EPA's regulatory standards in 40 CFR part 192--Health and 
Environmental Protection Standards for Uranium and Thorium Mill 
Tailings can be found at http://yosemite.epa.gov/opei/rulegate.nsf/byRIN/2060-AP43?opendocument. For questions concerning the technical 
aspects of this topic, please contact Dr. Mary E. Clark of the U.S. 
EPA, ORIA by telephone at (202) 343-9348, fax at (202) 343-2395, or e-
mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: The SAB was established pursuant 
to the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration 
Authorization Act (ERDAA), codified at 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide 
independent scientific and technical peer review advice, consultation 
and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on the technical basis for 
Agency actions, positions and regulations. As a Federal Advisory 
Committee, the SAB conducts business

[[Page 36919]]

in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. 
App. 2) and related regulations. Pursuant to FACA and EPA policy, 
notice is hereby given that the SAB will hold a public teleconference 
to initiate an advisory, followed by a two-day meeting. The SAB will 
comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate EPA and SAB 
Staff Office procedural policies.
    EPA is conducting a review of its regulatory standards in 40 CFR 
part 192--Health and Environmental Protection Standards for Uranium and 
Thorium Mill Tailings. In accordance with the Uranium Mill Tailings 
Radiation and Control Act (UMTRCA) section 206, EPA is authorized to 
develop standards for the protection of public health, safety, and the 
environment from radiological and non-radiological hazards associated 
with residual radioactive materials. The Agency is currently 
undertaking a review to determine if the existing standards, last 
revised by EPA in 1995, should be updated. The expectation is that In-
Situ Leach Recovery (ISL/ISR) operations will be the most common type 
of new uranium extraction facility in the U.S. These facilities can 
affect groundwater. Accordingly, EPA is seeking scientific advice and 
relevant technical criteria to establish standards and procedures, 
including the relevant period for monitoring ISL/ISR facilities once 
uranium extraction operations are completed, to provide reasonable 
assurances of aquifer stability and groundwater protection.
    The EPA has requested the SAB review a draft technical document on 
ISL/ISR post closure stability monitoring to evaluate what criteria 
should be considered to establish a specific period of monitoring for 
ISL/ISR facilities, once uranium extraction operations are completed. 
Among the issues to be considered are whether a time frame can be 
established; whether specific site characteristics, features or 
benchmarks can be used to aid in establishing a post-closure monitoring 
time period; and if other technical approaches should be considered by 
EPA to provide reasonable assurances of aquifer stability and 
groundwater protection.
    The SAB Staff Office requested nominations of experts in the 
Federal Register (Vol. 75, No. 226, Weds, November 24, 2010, pages 
71702-71703) and has formed an expert panel by augmenting the RAC with 
additional experts to review the EPA's draft technical report, which 
will be used as a basis to evaluate the technical and scientific issues 
pertaining to standards in 40 CFR Part 192--Health and Environmental 
Protection Standards for Uranium and Thorium Mill Tailings.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: The Agenda and other materials 
in support of the teleconference and two-day meeting will be placed on 
SAB Web site in advance of the teleconference and meeting.
    Procedures for Providing Public Input: Public comment for 
consideration by EPA's federal advisory committees and panels has a 
different purpose from public comment provided to EPA program offices. 
Therefore, the process for submitting comments to a federal advisory 
committee is different from the process used to submit comments to an 
EPA program office.
    Federal advisory committees and panels, including scientific 
advisory committees, provide independent advice to EPA. Members of the 
public can submit comments for a federal advisory committee to consider 
as it develops advice for EPA. Input from the public to the SAB will 
have the most impact if it provides specific scientific or technical 
information or analysis for SAB panels to consider or if it relates to 
the clarity or accuracy of the technical information. Members of the 
public wishing to provide comment should contact the Designated Federal 
Officer directly.
    Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an 
oral presentation at a teleconference will be limited to three minutes. 
Those interested in being placed on the public speakers list for the 
July 6, 2011 teleconference should contact Dr. Kooyoomjian at the 
contact information provided above no later than noon on July 5, 2011. 
Those interested in being placed on the public speakers list for the 
July 18 and 19, 2011 meeting should contact Dr. Kooyoomjian by noon on 
July 15, 2011. Written Statements: Written statements should be 
supplied to the DFO via e-mail at the contact information noted by noon 
July 5, 2011 for the teleconference, and by noon on July 14, 2011 so 
that the information may be made available to the Panel members on the 
augmented RAC for their consideration. Written statements should be 
supplied in one of the following electronic formats: Adobe Acrobat PDF, 
MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows98/2000/XP 
format. It is the SAB Staff office general policy to post written 
comments on the Web page for the advisory meeting or teleconference. 
Submitters are requested to provide an unsigned version of each 
document, because the SAB Staff Office does not publish documents with 
signatures on its Web sites. Members of the public should be aware that 
their personal contact information, if included in any written 
comments, may be posted to the SAB Web site. Copyrighted material will 
not be posted without explicit permission of the copyright holder.
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Kooyoomjian at (202) 
564-2064 or e-mail at [email protected]. To request 
accommodation of a disability, please contact Dr. Kooyoomjian 
preferably at least ten days prior to the teleconference or meeting to 
give as much time as possible to process your request.

    Dated: June 16, 2011.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2011-15761 Filed 6-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P