[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4679-4680]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01715]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Annual Public Meeting of the Interagency Steering Committee on 
Multimedia Environmental Modeling

AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The annual public meeting of the Federal Interagency Steering 
Committee on Multimedia Environmental Modeling (ISCMEM) will convene to 
discuss the latest developments in environmental modeling applications, 
tools and frameworks as well as new operational initiatives for FY 2014 
among the participating agencies. This meeting is re-scheduled from 
October 22-23, 2013 due to Federal government shutdown that was caused 
by a lapse in Congressional appropriations. The meeting will be hosted 
by the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE), one of the participants in 
the ISCMEM, at its Forrestal Building Main Auditorium at 1000 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585 adjacent to the 
Smithsonian Metrorail Station. The meeting is open to the public and 
all interested parties may attend.

DATES: February 25, 2014, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern Standard 
Time (EST) and February 26, 2014, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, EST.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Main 
Auditorium (Room GE-086), 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For Federal and contractor employees 
with valid government badge, pre-registration may be accomplished 
through the ISCMEM public Web site: http://iemhub.org/topics/iscmem. 
Instructions for registration of Federal and contractor employees 
through the Web site may be requested by email to 
[email protected]. Other U.S. attendees need to provide name, 
citizenship, and company information to [email protected] to pre-
register before February 14, 2014. Foreign nationals need to contact 
[email protected] for registration requirements, and pre-
register before February 11, 2014. Other inquiries may be addressed to: 
Dr. Ming Zhu, ISCMEM Chair, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of 
Environmental Management, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 
20585, Tel 301-903-9240, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: In 2001, six Federal agencies 
began formal cooperation under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 
the research and development of multimedia (i.e. air, soil, water) 
environmental models. This MOU established the Federal Interagency 
Steering Committee on Multimedia Environmental Modeling (ISCMEM). The 
MOU was revised and renewed in 2006 and again in 2011. The MOU 
establishes a framework for facilitating cooperation and coordination 
among research organizations in the participating agencies. So far, 
seven agencies have signed the current renewal of the MOU: The U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers (Engineer Research and Development Center); the 
U.S. Department of Agriculture (National Resources Conservation 
Service); the U.S. Department of Energy (Office of Environmental 
Management); the U.S. Department of the Interior (U.S. Geological 
Survey); the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Office of Research 
and Development); the U.S. National Science Foundation (Geosciences 
Directorate); and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Office of 
Nuclear Regulatory Research). Other agencies are considering signing 
the revised MOU.
    In ISCMEM, agencies cooperate and coordinate in research and 
development of all aspects of multimedia environmental modeling. This 
includes development and enhancements of software, databases, and 
interoperability, and applications and assessment of site specific, 
generic, and process-oriented multimedia environmental models as they 
pertain to human and environmental health risk assessment. Multimedia 
environmental model development and simulation supports interagency 
interests in risk assessment, uncertainty analyses, management of 
geologic, hydrologic, atmospheric, terrestrial, and ecological 
resources, and decision making. The theme of this year's annual public 
meeting is ``How environmental modeling plays a role in decision 
making''. The topics to be discussed focus on: (1) Citizen science, 
crowd sourcing, and social media; (2)

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environment and energy; (3) energy/water nexus; (4) climate change; and 
(5) water resources management.
    Purpose of the Public Meeting: The annual public meeting provides 
an opportunity for the scientific community, ISCMEM members and other 
Federal and State agencies, and the public to discuss ISCMEM activities 
and their initiatives for the upcoming year, and to discuss 
technological advancements in multimedia environmental modeling.
    Proposed Agenda: The ISCMEM Chair will open the meeting with a 
brief overview of the goals of the MOU and an update on current 
activities and future plans of ISCMEM. This introduction will be 
followed by a series of invited technical presentations for the 
remainder of the first day, focusing on topics of mutual interest to 
ISCMEM participants. The steering committee will hold an open business 
session on the morning of the second day. A detailed agenda with 
presentation titles and speakers will be posted on the ISCMEM public 
Web site: http://iemhub.org/topics/iscmem. The agenda and instructions 
for registration will also be available through the list of public 
meetings on the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings.html.
    Meeting Access: The meeting location at the U.S. DOE Forrestal 
Building, Main Auditorium (Room GE-086) is located at 1000 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585 adjacent to the Smithsonian Metrorail 
Station. The meeting facility is wheelchair accessible. Please allow 
time to register with U.S. DOE visitor security check-in at the main 
lobby and bring two photo IDs. Direct access to the meeting room is on 
the same level as the visitor security check-in. Refer to the above 
section FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT for pre-registration 
requirements.

Ming Zhu,
Chair, Federal Interagency Steering Committee on Multimedia 
Environmental Modeling.
[FR Doc. 2014-01715 Filed 1-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P