[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 28 (Monday, February 11, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9689-9690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-02925]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL--9778-2]


Notification of a Public Meeting of the Chartered Science 
Advisory Board

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the chartered 
SAB to: (1) Receive an update briefing on the EPA's Office of Research 
and Development's (ORD) implementation of strategic research plans; (2) 
conduct quality reviews of three draft SAB reports [on the use of 
computational toxicology (CompTox) to advance risk assessment; on EPA's 
retrospective study of the costs of EPA regulations; and on 
methodologies for estimating air emissions for broiler animal feeding 
operations and for lagoons and basins at swine and dairy animal feeding 
operations]; and (3) to discuss information provided in the agency's 
regulatory agenda, specifically planned actions and their supporting 
science.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2013, from 
10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday, March 8, 2013, from 8:00 a.m. to 
1:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time).

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Washington Marriott, 1221 
22nd Street NW., Washington, DC, 20037.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wants 
further information concerning the meeting may contact Dr. Angela 
Nugent, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA Science Advisory Board 
(1400R), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice mail (202) 564-2218, 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

    The SAB was established pursuant to the Environmental Research, 
Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDDAA), codified at 
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 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C., App. 2. The SAB 
will comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff 
Office procedural policies. Pursuant to FACA and EPA policy, notice is 
hereby given that the SAB will hold a public meeting to discuss and 
deliberate on the topics below.

Briefing on Implementation of ORD Strategic Research Plans

    The SAB and ORD's Board of Scientific Councilors (BOSC) provided a 
joint report to the Administrator in September 2012 entitled 
Implementation of ORD Strategic Research Plans: A Joint Report of the 
Science Advisory Board and ORD Board of Scientific Counselors (EPA-SAB-
12-012). ORD will provide a briefing to update SAB members on recent 
significant ORD activities to implement the recommendations in the ORD-
BOSC report, available on the SAB Web site at http://yosemite.epa.gov/
sab/sabproduct.nsf/3822EB089

[[Page 9690]]

FCCB18D85257A8700800679/$File/EPA-SAB-12-012-unsigned.pdf.

Draft SAB Report on the Use of CompTox To Advance Risk Assessment

    The chartered SAB will conduct a quality review of a draft report 
providing advice to assist the EPA in advancing the application of 
ORD's CompTox research for human health risk assessment to meet the 
agency's programmatic needs. The SAB undertook this initiative to 
identify applications for outputs from the CompTox Research Program, 
barriers to their use, and strategies for overcoming those barriers. 
The CompTox Research Program conducts research that integrates advances 
in molecular biology, chemistry and innovative computer science to more 
effectively and efficiently rank chemicals based on risks. The goal of 
the CompTox Research Program is to provide high-throughput chemical 
screening data and decision support tools for assessing chemical 
exposure, hazard, and risk to human health and the environment. 
Information about this advisory activity can be found on the Web at: 
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/CompTox%20data%20in%20RA?OpenDocument.

Draft SAB Report on EPA's Retrospective Study of the Costs of EPA 
Regulations

    The chartered SAB will conduct a quality review of a draft report 
providing a review of the EPA's retrospective study of the costs of EPA 
regulations. The EPA conducts benefit-cost analyses of its rules and 
regulations and 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 prepared 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 EPA requested the SAB's review of its approach 
to assessing ex post costs as detailed in a draft paper entitled 
``Retrospective Study of the Costs of EPA Regulations: An Interim 
Report'' (March 2012). Information about this advisory activity can be 
found on the Web at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/Retrospective%20Cost%20Study?OpenDocument.

Draft Report on EPA's Emissions Estimation Methodologies (EEMs) From 
Broiler Animal Feeding Operations and From Lagoons and Basins at Swine 
and Dairy Animal Feeding Operations

    The chartered SAB will conduct a quality review of a draft report 
providing review of EPA's draft methodologies for estimating air 
emissions from animal feeding operations (AFOs). The EPA developed the 
draft methodologies to address commitments in a voluntary air 
compliance consent agreement signed in 2005 between the agency and 
nearly 14,000 broiler, dairy, egg layer and swine AFO operations. The 
goals of the agreement are to reduce air pollution, monitor AFO 
emissions, promote a national consensus on methodologies for estimating 
emissions from AFOs, and ensure compliance with the requirements of the 
Clean Air Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
and Liability Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
Know Act. The EPA's Office of Air and Radiation has requested the SAB 
review. Information about this advisory activity can be found on the 
Web at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/AFO-AEEM?OpenDocument.

Discussion of Information Provided in the Agency's Semiannual 
Regulatory Agenda

    The EPA has recently underscored the need to routinely inform the 
SAB about proposed and planned agency actions that have a scientific or 
technical basis. Accordingly, the agency provided notice to the SAB 
that the Office of Management and Budget published the ``Unified 
(Regulatory) Agenda'' on the Web on December 21, 2012 (http://www.reginfo.gov/public/). The SAB will discuss whether it should 
provide advice and comment on the adequacy of the scientific and 
technical basis for EPA actions included in the Agenda.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: A meeting agenda and other 
materials for the meeting will be placed on the SAB Web site at http://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 the EPA. Members of 
the public can submit relevant comments pertaining to the EPA's charge, 
meeting materials, or the group providing advice. Input from the public 
to the SAB will have the most impact if it provides specific scientific 
or technical information or analysis for the SAB 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 DFO 
directly.
    Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an 
oral presentation at a public meeting will be limited to five minutes. 
Persons interested in providing oral statements at the March 7-8, 2013, 
meeting should contact Dr. Angela Nugent, DFO, in writing (preferably 
via email) at the contact information noted above by February 27, 2013. 
Written Statements: Written statements for the March 7-8, 2013, meeting 
should be received in the SAB Staff Office by February 27, 2013, so 
that the information may be made available to the SAB for its 
consideration prior to this meeting. Written statements should be 
supplied to the DFO in the following formats: either an electronic copy 
(preferred) 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) or in hard copy with original signature. Submitters 
are asked to provide electronic versions of each document submitted 
with and without signatures, 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 at the phone 
number or email address noted above, preferably at least ten days prior 
to the meeting, to give the EPA as much time as possible to process 
your request.

    Dated: January 30, 2013.
Thomas H. Brennan,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2013-02925 Filed 2-8-13; 8:45 am]
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