[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 131 (Monday, July 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40358-40359]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16675]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative 
Toxicological Methods (SACATM)

AGENCY: Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP), National 
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes 
of Health (NIH), HHS.

ACTION: Meeting announcement and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. appendix 2), notice is hereby given of a 
meeting of SACATM on September 5-6, 2012, at the Rodbell Auditorium, 
Rall Building at the NIEHS, 111 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle 
Park, NC 27709. The meeting is open to the public with attendance 
limited only by the space available. The meeting will be webcast 
through a link at (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/video/live). SACATM 
advises the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of 
Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), the NTP Interagency Center for the 
Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM), and the 
Director of the NIEHS and NTP regarding statutorily mandated duties of 
ICCVAM and activities of NICEATM.

DATES: The SACATM meeting will be held on September 5-6, 2012. The 
meeting is tentatively scheduled from 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time 
to 5:30 p.m. on September 5 and 8:30 a.m. until adjournment on 
September 6. All individuals who plan to attend are encouraged to 
register online at the NTP Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822) 
by August 29, 2012. In order to facilitate planning, persons wishing to 
make an oral presentation are asked to notify Dr. Lori White, NTP 
Designated Federal Officer, via online registration, phone, or email by 
August 29, 2012 (see ADDRESSES below). Written comments should also be 
received by August 29, 2012, to enable review by SACATM and NIEHS/DNTP 
staff before the meeting. TTY users should contact the Federal TTY 
Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Requests should be made at least 5 
business days in advance of the event.

ADDRESSES: The SACATM meeting will be held at the Rodbell Auditorium, 
Rall Building at the NIEHS, 111 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle 
Park, NC 27709. Public comments and other correspondence should be 
directed to Dr. Lori White (Office of Liaison, Policy and Review, DNTP, 
NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, MD K2-03,

[[Page 40359]]

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; telephone: 919-541-9834 or email: 
[email protected]). Courier address: NIEHS, 530 Davis Drive, Room 
2136, Morrisville, NC 27560.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Preliminary Agenda and Other Meeting Information

    A preliminary agenda, roster of SACATM members, background 
materials, public comments, and any additional information, when 
available, will be posted on the SACATM meeting Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822) or available upon request (see ADDRESSES 
above). Following the meeting, summary minutes will be prepared and 
available on the SACATM Web site or upon request.

Request for Comments

    Both written and oral public input on the agenda topics is invited. 
Written comments received in response to this notice will be posted on 
the NTP Web site. Persons submitting written comments should include 
their name, affiliation (if applicable), and sponsoring organization 
(if any) with the document. Time is allotted during the meeting for 
presentation of oral comments and each organization is allowed one time 
slot per public comment period. At least 7 minutes will be allotted for 
each speaker, and if time permits, may be extended up to 10 minutes at 
the discretion of the chair. Registration for oral comments will also 
be available on-site, although time allowed for presentation by on-site 
registrants may be less than for pre-registered speakers and will be 
determined by the number of persons who register at the meeting. In 
addition to in-person oral comments at the meeting, public comments can 
be presented by teleconference line. There will be 50 lines for this 
call; availability will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The 
available lines will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on 
September 5 and 8:30 a.m. to adjournment on September 6, although 
public comments will be received only during the formal public comment 
periods, which will be indicated on the preliminary agenda. The access 
number for the teleconference line will be provided to registrants by 
email prior to the meeting.
    Persons registering to make oral comments are asked to do so 
through the online registration form (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822) and to send a copy of their statement to Dr. White (see 
ADDRESSES above) by August 29, 2012, to enable review by SACATM, 
NICEATM-ICCVAM, and NIEHS/DNTP staff prior to the meeting. Written 
statements can supplement and may expand the oral presentation. If 
registering on-site and reading from written text, please bring 40 
copies of the statement for distribution and to supplement the record.

Background Information on ICCVAM, NICEATM, and SACATM

    ICCVAM is an interagency committee composed of representatives from 
15 Federal regulatory and research agencies that require, use, 
generate, or disseminate toxicological and safety testing information. 
ICCVAM conducts technical evaluations of new, revised, and alternative 
safety testing methods with regulatory applicability and promotes the 
scientific validation and regulatory acceptance of toxicological and 
safety testing methods that more accurately assess the safety and 
hazards of chemicals and products and that reduce, refine (decrease or 
eliminate pain and distress), or replace animal use. The ICCVAM 
Authorization Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 285l-3) established ICCVAM as a 
permanent interagency committee of the NIEHS under NICEATM. NICEATM 
administers ICCVAM, provides scientific and operational support for 
ICCVAM-related activities, and conducts independent validation studies 
to assess the usefulness and limitations of new, revised, and 
alternative test methods and strategies. NICEATM and ICCVAM work 
collaboratively to evaluate new and improved test methods and 
strategies applicable to the needs of U.S. Federal agencies. NICEATM 
and ICCVAM welcome the public nomination of new, revised, and 
alternative test methods and strategies for validation studies and 
technical evaluations. Additional information about ICCVAM and NICEATM 
can be found on the NICEATM-ICCVAM Web site (http://iccvam.niehs.nih.gov).
    SACATM was established in response to the ICCVAM Authorization Act 
[Section 285l-3(d)] and is composed of scientists from the public and 
private sectors. SACATM advises ICCVAM, NICEATM, and the Director of 
the NIEHS and NTP regarding statutorily mandated duties of ICCVAM and 
activities of NICEATM. SACATM provides advice on priorities and 
activities related to the development, validation, scientific review, 
regulatory acceptance, implementation, and national and international 
harmonization of new, revised, and alternative toxicological test 
methods. Additional information about SACATM, including the charter, 
roster, and records of past meetings, can be found at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/167.

    Dated: June 27, 2012.
John R. Bucher,
Associate Director, National Toxicology Program.
[FR Doc. 2012-16675 Filed 7-6-12; 8:45 am]
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