[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41245-41246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17616]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9437-3]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Public 
Teleconference 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 a 
public teleconference of the Chartered SAB on July 28, 2011 to conduct 
a quality review of a draft SAB report, Review of EPA's Draft Oil Spill 
Research Strategy.

DATES: The public teleconference will be held on July 28, 2011 from 12 
p.m. to 3 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time).

ADDRESSES: The public teleconference will be conducted by telephone 
only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing to 
obtain general information concerning the public teleconference may 
contact Dr. Angela Nugent, Designated Federal Officer (DFO). Dr. Nugent 
may be contacted at the EPA Science Advisory Board (1400R), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; or by telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-2188; fax 
at (202) 565-2098; or e-mail at [email protected]. General 
information concerning the EPA Science Advisory Board can be found on 
the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 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), 5 U.S.C., App. 2. Pursuant to FACA and EPA 
policy, notice is hereby given that the SAB will hold a public 
teleconference to conduct a quality review of an SAB draft report 
entitled Review of EPA's Draft Oil Spill Research Strategy. The SAB 
will comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff 
Office procedural policies.
    Background: EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) has 
developed a draft Oil Spill Research Strategy in light of the 2010 
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The

[[Page 41246]]

Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had fundamentally 
different characteristics than previous near-shore oil spills creating 
new research needs for oil spill treatment methods (e.g., in-situ 
burning, bioremediation, and the use of dispersants), and potential 
human health and ecological impacts. ORD requested SAB advice on its 
draft Oil Spill Research Strategy. The SAB Oil Spill Research Strategy 
Review Panel has considered ORD's strategy and prepared an advisory 
report that will undergo quality review by the chartered SAB.
    Background information about the SAB advisory activity can be found 
on the SAB Web site at http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/Oil%20Spill%20Research%20Strategy?OpenDocument.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: The agenda and other materials 
in support of the teleconference will be placed on the SAB Web site at 
http://www.epa.gov/sab in advance of the teleconference.
    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 28, 2011 teleconference should contact Dr. Nugent at 
the contact information provided above no later than July 21, 2011. 
Written Statements: Written statements should be supplied to the DFO 
via email at the contact information noted above by July 21, 2011 for 
the teleconference so that the information may be made available to the 
Panel members 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/Windows 98/2000/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. Nugent (202) 564-2188 
or [email protected]. To request accommodation of a disability, 
please contact Dr. Nugent preferably at least ten days prior to the 
teleconference to give EPA as much time as possible to process your 
request.

    Dated: July 6, 2011.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2011-17616 Filed 7-12-11; 8:45 am]
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