[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50728-50729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-20824]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9451-8]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of Public 
Teleconferences of the Science Advisory Board Radiation Advisory 
Committee

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces 
two teleconferences of the SAB Augmented Radiation Advisory Committee 
(RAC) to discuss the draft advisory report related to uranium and 
thorium in-situ leach recovery and post-closure stability monitoring.

DATES: The public teleconferences will be conducted on Tuesday, 
September 6, 2011 and Wednesday, October 5, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 
(Eastern Daylight Time).

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

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 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.
    Technical Contact: Technical background information pertaining to 
the 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, or via 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 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 augmented RAC will hold two 
public teleconferences. The SAB will comply with the provisions of FACA 
and all appropriate EPA and SAB Staff Office procedural policies.
    The EPA has requested the SAB review the Agency 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 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 
Agency's draft technical document 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. The SAB RAC augmented with additional experts 
held an initial public teleconference of July 12, 2011 and a two-day 
meeting on July 18 and 19, 2011 to discuss advisory comments on the 
EPA's June 2011 draft technical document entitled ``Considerations 
Related to Post-Closure Monitoring of Uranium In-Situ Leach/In-Situ 
Recovery (ISL/ISR) Sites''. These previous meetings were announced in 
the Federal Register on Thursday, June 23, 2011 (Vol. 76, No. 121, pp. 
36918-36919). The purpose of the September 6, 2011 and October 5, 2011 
public teleconferences is for the augmented RAC to discuss its draft 
advisory report on this topic.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: The Agenda, roster of the 
augmented RAC,

[[Page 50729]]

the charge to the SAB for the consultation, and other supplemental 
materials in support of the two public teleconferences will be placed 
on the SAB Web site at http//www.epa.gov/sab 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 at the contact information provided.
    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 either 
the September 6 and October 5, 2011 teleconferences should contact Dr. 
Kooyoomjian at the contact information provided above no later than 
noon on September 2, 2011 for the September 6, 2011 teleconference, and 
no later than October 3, 2011 for the October 5, 2011 teleconference.
    Written Statements: Written statements should be supplied to the 
DFO via e-mail at the contact information noted by noon September 2, 
2011 for the September 6, 2011 teleconference, and no later than 
Monday, October 3, 2011 for the October 5, 2011 teleconference, so that 
the information may be made available to the members of the augmented 
RAC and the public 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 [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: August 9, 2011.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2011-20824 Filed 8-15-11; 8:45 am]
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