[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 221 (Monday, November 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68441-68442]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27115]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9919-16-OA]


Notification of a Public Meeting of the Science Advisory Board, 
Lake Erie Phosphorus Objectives Review Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a meeting of the Lake Erie 
Phosphorus Objectives Review Panel. The SAB will conduct a consultation 
to develop advice on the ensemble modeling approach EPA is using to 
develop preliminary bi-national phosphorous objectives, loading targets 
and allocations for the nearshore and offshore waters for Lake Erie. 
The meeting will be held in Chicago, Illinois.

DATES: The Meeting will be held on December 10, 2014, from 8:00 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m. (Central Time).

ADDRESSES: The public face-to-face meeting will be held at the Ralph H. 
Metcalfe Federal Building, Lake Michigan Room (12th floor), 77 West 
Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60603.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wants 
further information concerning this public meeting may contact Mr. 
Thomas Carpenter, Designated Federal Officer (DFO) for the Lake Erie 
Phosphorus Review Panel, by telephone or at (202) 564-4885 or via email 
at [email protected]. General information concerning the EPA SAB 
can be found at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    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 
and its panels 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 Lake Erie Phosphorus Objectives 
Review Panel will hold a public face-to-face meeting. The purpose of 
the meeting is to conduct a consultation. In a consultation, panels 
develop advice on technical questions to the agency on projects that 
are in the early stages before EPA begins substantive work on the 
project. The SAB Panel will provide advice through the chartered SAB on 
the ensemble modeling approach the EPA is using to develop preliminary 
bi-national phosphorous objectives, loading targets and allocations for 
the nearshore and offshore waters to achieve the Lake Ecosystem 
Objectives for Lake Erie.
    Background: EPA Region 5 is co-leading a binational workgroup to 
develop and implement the Nutrients Annex (``Annex 4'') of the 2012 
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) in accordance with Article 
3(b)(i) of the GLWQA. Under Annex 4, the United States and Canada are 
charged with establishing binational Substance Objectives for 
phosphorus concentrations, loading targets and allocations for the 
nearshore and offshore waters of Lake Erie by February 2016. The 
general approach is to use an ensemble of Lake Erie ecosystem models to 
compute appropriate load-response relationships for eutrophication 
response indicators of concern. EPA Region 5 requested an SAB 
consultation (i.e., early advice) on the appropriateness of modeling 
approaches to meet the GLWQA Lake Ecosystem Objectives. EPA also 
requested a subsequent review of the modeled phosphorus targets and 
loads to obtain advice on (1) whether the process used to develop 
targets was appropriate to meet the Lake Ecosystem Objectives as 
defined in the GLWQA and (2) whether the modeled results reflect the 
best available information on the phosphorous sources and trophic 
status of Lake Erie. The SAB Staff Office anticipates that the Lake 
Erie Phosphorus Objectives Review Panel will conduct the subsequent 
review in 2015.
    For technical information concerning this effort under the GLWQA 
Annex 4 please contact Ms. Santina Wortman, Water Division, US EPA 
Region 5, 77 West Jackson Boulevard (WW-16J), Chicago, Illinois 60604, 
phone (312) 353-8319.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: Prior to the meeting, the review 
documents, agenda and other materials will be accessible through the 
calendar link on the blue navigation bar at http://www.epa.gov/sab/. 
Materials may also be accessed at the following SAB Web page http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstractivites/GLWQA?OpenDocument.
    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. 
Interested members of the public may submit relevant information on the 
topic of this advisory activity, and/or the group conducting the 
activity, for the SAB to consider during the advisory process. Input 
from the public to the SAB will have the most impact if it provides 
specific scientific or technical information or analysis for SAB 
committees and panels to consider or if it relates to the clarity or 
accuracy of the

[[Page 68442]]

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 the face-to-
face meeting will be limited to five minutes. Interested parties 
wishing to provide oral comments should contact Mr. Thomas Carpenter 
(preferably via email) at the contact information noted above by 
December 2, 2014 to be placed on the list of public speakers for the 
meeting. Written Statements: Written statements will be accepted 
throughout the advisory process; however, for timely consideration by 
Panel members, statements should be supplied to the DFO via email at 
the contact information noted above at least one week prior to a public 
meeting. 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/Windows 98/2000/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 Mr. Thomas Carpenter at 
(202) 564-4885 or [email protected]. To request accommodation of 
a disability, please contact Mr. Carpenter preferably at least ten days 
prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time as possible to process 
your request.

    Dated: November 5, 2014.
Thomas H. Brennan,
 Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2014-27115 Filed 11-14-14; 8:45 am]
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