[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 198 (Wednesday, October 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61831-61832]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26051]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors; 
Announcement of Meeting; Request for Comments

SUMMARY: This notice announces the next meeting of the National 
Toxicology Program (NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC). The BSC, 
a federally chartered, external advisory group composed of scientists 
from the public and private sectors, will review and provide advice on 
programmatic activities. The meeting is open to the public except for 
parts that are closed, as indicated on the agenda. Registration is 
requested for both attendance and oral comment and required to access 
the webcast. Information about the meeting and registration will be 
available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165.

DATES: 
    Meeting: December 1-2, 2015; it begins at 8:00 a.m. Eastern 
Standard Time (EST) on December 1 and at 10:00 a.m. on December 2 and 
continues each day until adjournment.
    Written Public Comment Submissions: Deadline is November 17, 2015.
    Registration for Meeting and/or Oral Comments: Deadline is November 
24, 2015.
    Registration to View Webcast: Deadline is December 2, 2015. 
Registration to view the meeting via the webcast is required.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting Location: Rodbell Auditorium, Rall Building, National 
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), 111 T.W. Alexander 
Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
    Meeting Web Page: The preliminary agenda, registration, and other 
meeting materials will be at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165.
    Webcast: The meeting will be webcast on December 2; the URL will be 
provided to those who register for viewing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    Dr. Lori White, Designated Federal Officer for the BSC, Office of 
Liaison, Policy and Review, Division of NTP, NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, K2-
03, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Phone: 919-541-9834, email: 
[email protected]. Hand Deliver/Courier address: 530 Davis Drive, 
Room K2124, Morrisville, NC 27560.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Meeting and Registration: Parts of the meeting are open to the 
public as indicated on the agenda; in-person attendance at NIEHS is 
limited only by the space available. Parts of the meeting are closed to 
the public as indicated on the agenda in accordance with the provisions 
set forth in section 552(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C., as amended, for the 
review, discussion, and evaluation of individual intramural programs 
and projects conducted by NIEHS, including consideration of personnel 
qualifications and performance, and the competence of individual 
investigators, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly 
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
    The BSC will provide input to the NTP on programmatic activities 
and issues. Preliminary agenda topics include: Reports from the NIEHS/
NTP Director and the NTP Associate Director, review of the Cellular and 
Molecular Pathology Branch, a contract concept titled Statistical 
Support--Informatics, an update on the National Center for 
Toxicological Research Interagency Agreement and arsenic research 
project, a report on the NTP Technical Report peer review on 
pentabromodiphenyl ether mixture [DE-71 Technical Grade], and a report 
on the Office of Report Carcinogens peer review on cobalt and certain 
cobalt compound. The Office of Health Assessment and Translation will 
present two evaluation concepts: Mountaintop removal mining (health 
impacts on surrounding communities) and fluoride (developmental 
neurotoxicity).
    The preliminary agenda, roster of BSC members, background 
materials, public comments, and any additional information, when 
available, will be posted on the BSC meeting Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165) or may be requested in hardcopy from the 
Designated Federal Officer for the BSC. Following the meeting, summary 
minutes will be prepared and made available on the BSC meeting Web 
site.
    The public may attend the meeting in person on both days or view 
the webcast on December 2. Registration is required to view the 
webcast; the URL for the webcast will be provided in the email 
confirming registration. Individuals who plan to provide oral comments 
(see below) should register online at the BSC meeting Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165) by November 24, 2015, to facilitate planning 
for the meeting. Individuals are encouraged to access the Web site to 
stay abreast of the most current information regarding the meeting. 
Visitor and security information for those attending in-person is 
available at niehs.nih.gov/about/visiting/index.cfm. Individuals with 
disabilities who need accommodation to participate in this event should 
contact Ms. Robbin Guy at phone: (919) 541-4363 or email: 
[email protected]. TTY users should contact the Federal TTY Relay 
Service at 800-877-8339. Requests should be made at least five business 
days in advance of the event.
    Request for Comments: Written comments submitted in response to 
this notice should be received by November 17, 2015. Comments will be 
posted on the BSC meeting Web site and persons submitting them will be 
identified by their name and affiliation and/or sponsoring 
organization, if applicable. Persons submitting written comments should 
include their name, affiliation (if applicable), phone, email, and 
sponsoring organization (if any) with the document.
    Time is allotted during the meeting for the public to present oral 
comments to the BSC on the agenda topics. Public comments can be 
presented in-person at the meeting or by teleconference line. There are 
50 lines for this call; availability is on a first-come, first-served 
basis. The lines will be open on December 2 from 10:00 a.m. until 
adjournment, although the BSC will receive public comments only during

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the formal public comment periods, which are indicated on the 
preliminary agenda. Each organization (sponsoring organization or 
affiliation) is allowed one time slot per agenda topic. Each speaker is 
allotted at least 7 minutes, which if time permits, may be extended to 
10 minutes at the discretion of the BSC chair. Persons wishing to 
present oral comments should register on the BSC meeting Web site by 
November 24, 2015, indicate whether they will present comments in-
person or via the teleconference line, and identify the topic(s) on 
which they plan to comment. The access number for the teleconference 
line will be provided to registrants by email prior to the meeting. On-
site registration for oral comments will also be available on the 
meeting day, although time allowed for comments by these registrants 
may be limited and will be determined by the number of persons who 
register at the meeting.
    Persons registering to make oral comments are asked to send a copy 
of their statement and/or PowerPoint slides to the Designated Federal 
Officer by November 24, 2015. Written statements can supplement and may 
expand upon the oral presentation. If registering on-site and reading 
from written text, please bring 20 copies of the statement for 
distribution to the BSC and NTP staff and to supplement the record.
    Background Information on the BSC: The BSC is a technical advisory 
body comprised of scientists from the public and private sectors that 
provides primary scientific oversight to the NTP. Specifically, the BSC 
advises the NTP on matters of scientific program content, both present 
and future, and conducts periodic review of the program for the purpose 
of determining and advising on the scientific merit of its activities 
and their overall scientific quality. Its members are selected from 
recognized authorities knowledgeable in fields such as toxicology, 
pharmacology, pathology, biochemistry, epidemiology, risk assessment, 
carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, molecular biology, behavioral toxicology, 
neurotoxicology, immunotoxicology, reproductive toxicology or 
teratology, and biostatistics. Members serve overlapping terms of up to 
four years. The BSC usually meets biannually. The authority for the BSC 
is provided by 42 U.S.C. 217a, section 222 of the Public Health Service 
Act (PHS), as amended. The BSC is governed by the provisions of the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. app.), which sets 
forth standards for the formation and use of advisory committees.

    Dated: October 8, 2015.
John R. Bucher,
Associate Director, NTP.
[FR Doc. 2015-26051 Filed 10-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P