[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 58 (Monday, March 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17475-17476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6924]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9650-5]


Notification of Public Teleconferences of the Science Advisory 
Board; Environmental Economics Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces public teleconferences of the SAB 
Environmental Economics Advisory Committee to conduct a review of EPA's 
Draft White Paper ``Retrospective Study of the Costs of EPA 
Regulations: An Interim Report'' (March 2012).

DATES: The public teleconferences will be held on Thursday, April 19, 
2012 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time), Friday, April 20, 
2012 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) and Thursday, July 
12, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time).

ADDRESSES: The teleconferences will be conducted by telephone only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wants 
further information concerning the meeting may contact Dr. Holly 
Stallworth, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA Science Advisory 
Board (1400R), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1300 Pennsylvania 
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice mail (202) 564-
2073; fax (202) 565-2098; or email at [email protected]. General 
information concerning the SAB can be found on the EPA Web site at 
http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 
as amended, 5 U.S.C., App., notice is hereby given that the SAB 
Environmental Economics Advisory Committee (EEAC) will hold a public 
teleconferences to review the EPA draft report ``Retrospective Study of 
the Costs of EPA Regulations: An Interim Report'' (March 2012). 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 chartered under FACA. The SAB will comply with the 
provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural 
policies.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts benefit-
cost analyses of its rules and regulations. EPA strives to use the best 
available information to conduct its analyses. Benefit-cost analyses 
are by definition predictive, relying on ex ante or forecasted 
information. To improve future benefit-cost analyses, it is important 
to learn how well EPA's estimates compare with actual (ex post) costs 
and, if they differ substantially, to understand why. EPA's National 
Center for Environmental Economics has launched a series of case 
studies attempting to assess compliance costs retrospectively that, if 
successful, could help identify reasons for any systematic differences 
between ex ante and ex post cost estimates. The purpose is to identify 
potential improvements in the way in which ex ante analyses are

[[Page 17476]]

performed. EPA's draft ``Retrospective Study of the Costs of EPA 
Regulations: An Interim Report'' (March 2012) summarizes the work done 
to date, describes the methodologies employed thus far and discusses 
the numerous challenges faced in conducting these analyses. The report 
may be found at the SAB Web site (www.epa.gov/sab and on the EPA Web 
site at http://yosemite.epa.gov/ee/epa/eed.nsf/Web pages/
RetroCost.html). EPA has requested the SAB's review of its approach to 
assessing ex post costs as detailed in its draft paper.
    Technical Contacts: Any questions concerning EPA's White Paper 
should be directed to Dr. Nathalie Simon, NCEE at (202) 566-2347 or 
[email protected].
    Availability of Meeting Materials: A meeting agenda, charge 
questions, and other materials for the teleconferences will be placed 
on the SAB Web site at www.epa.gov/sab.
    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 relevant comments pertaining to the 
group conducting this advisory activity, EPA's charge, or meeting 
materials. Input from the public to the SAB will have the most impact 
if it consists of comments that provide specific scientific or 
technical information or analysis for the SAB to consider. Members of 
the public wishing to provide comment should contact the Designated 
Federal Officer for the relevant advisory committee directly. Oral 
Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an oral 
presentation at a public teleconference will be limited to five minutes 
per speaker. To be placed on the public speaker list for the April 19, 
2012 meeting, interested parties should notify Dr. Holly Stallworth, 
DFO, by email no later than April 12, 2012. To be placed on the public 
speaker list for the July 12, 2012 teleconference, interested parties 
should notify Dr. Holly Stallworth by July 5, 2012. Written Statements: 
Written statements for the April 19, 2012 teleconference should be 
received in the SAB Staff Office by April 12, 2012 so that the 
information may be made available to the SAB Panel for its 
consideration prior to this meeting. Written statements for the July 
12, 2012 teleconference should be received by July 5, 2012. Written 
statements should be supplied to the DFO via email (acceptable file 
format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, MS Word, WordPerfect, MS PowerPoint, or Rich 
Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Stallworth at the 
phone number or email address noted above, preferably at least ten days 
prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process 
your request.

    Dated: March 14, 2012.
Vanessa T. Vu,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2012-6924 Filed 3-23-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P