[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 237 (Friday, December 9, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89092-89094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-29579]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0713; FRL-9956-17]


Nominations to the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals; 
Request for Comments

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This document provides the names and affiliations of nominees 
currently under consideration for appointment to the Science Advisory 
Committee on Chemicals (SACC) established pursuant to the Frank R. 
Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. The purpose of the 
SACC is to provide independent advice and expert consultation, at the 
request of the EPA Administrator, with respect to the scientific and 
technical aspects of risk assessments, methodologies, and pollution 
prevention measures or approaches. The Agency, at this time, 
anticipates selecting approximately fourteen members to serve on the 
Committee. Public comments on the nominees are invited, as these 
comments will be used to assist the Agency in selecting the new 
chartered Committee members.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 9, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0713, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute.
     Mail: OPPT Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 
20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand 
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the 
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html.
    Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along 
with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tamue Gibson, DFO, Office of Science 
Coordination and Policy (7201M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: 
(202) 564-7642; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. This action may 
be of interest to those involved in the manufacture, processing, 
distribution, disposal, and/or interested in the assessment of risks 
involving chemical substances and mixtures. Since other entities may 
also be interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the 
specific entities that may be affected by this action.

B. What is EPA's authority?

    This committee is being established under FACA, 5 U.S.C. Appendix 
2, and pursuant to the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st 
Century Act, which amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), 15 
U.S.C. 2601 et seq.

II. Background

    The SACC is being established under FACA section 9(a), and pursuant 
to TSCA section 2625(o), as amended, to provide advice and 
recommendations on the scientific basis for risk assessments, 
methodologies, and pollution prevention measures or approaches.
    EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) manages 
programs

[[Page 89093]]

under TSCA (as amended), 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq. and the Pollution 
Prevention Act (PPA), 42 U.S.C. 13101 et seq. Under these laws, EPA 
evaluates new and existing chemical substances and their risks, and 
finds ways to prevent or reduce pollution before it is released into 
the environment. OPPT also manages a variety of environmental 
stewardship programs that encourage companies to reduce and prevent 
pollution.
    The SACC will be composed of approximately 14 members who will 
serve as Special Government Employees or Regular Government Employees 
(RGEs). The SACC expects to meet in person or by electronic means 
(e.g., webinar) approximately 3 to 4 times a year, or as needed and 
approved by the Designated Federal Officer (DFO). Meetings will be held 
in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The charter will be in effect 
for 2 years from the date it is filed with Congress. After the initial 
2-year period, the charter will be renewed as authorized in accordance 
with section 14 of FACA (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2, Section 14). A copy of 
the charter will be available on the EPA Web site and in the docket.

III. Charter

    A Charter for the SACC will be issued in accordance with the 
requirements of FACA.

A. Qualifications of Members

    Members are scientists who have sufficient professional 
qualifications, including training and experience, to provide expert 
comments on the scientific and technical aspects of risk assessments, 
methodologies, and pollution prevention measures or approaches. No 
persons shall be ineligible to serve on the Committee by reason of 
their membership on any other advisory committee to a Federal 
department or agency or their employment by a Federal department or 
agency (except the EPA). The Administrator appoints individuals to 
serve on the Committee for staggered terms of 1 to 3 years. Panel 
members are subject to the provisions of 40 CFR part 3, subpart F, 
Standards of Conduct for Special Government Employees, which include 
rules regarding conflicts of interest. Each nominee selected by the 
Administrator, before being formally appointed, is required to submit a 
confidential statement of employment and financial interests, which 
shall fully disclose, among other financial interests, the nominee's 
sources of research support, if any.

B. Applicability of Existing Regulations

    EPA's existing regulations applicable to Special Government 
Employees, which include advisory committee members, will apply to the 
members of the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals. These 
regulations appear in 40 CFR part 3, subpart F.

C. Process of Obtaining Nominees

    On August 26, 2016, EPA published a Federal Register inviting 
public nominations for the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (81 
FR 58925) (FRL-9950-66). The nomination period ended on October 11, 
2016. In response, the Agency received approximately 100 nominees. EPA 
considered the following criteria to select candidates from these 
nominations: Interest and availability to participate in committee 
meetings, absence of financial conflicts of interest, absence of the 
appearance of a loss of impartiality, scientific expertise, and 
backgrounds and experiences that would contribute to the diversity of 
scientific viewpoints on the committee, including professional 
experiences in government, labor, public health, public interest, 
animal protection, industry, or other groups.
    Based on these criteria, EPA has identified 29 candidates for 
further consideration for membership on the SACC. Nine of these 
candidates are members of the existing EPA Chemical Safety Advisory 
Committee. The following are the names and professional affiliations of 
these candidates. Brief biographical sketches for these candidates are 
posted on the EPA Web site at https://www.epa.gov/TSCA-Peer-Review.
    1. Henry A. Anderson, M.D., Adjunct Professor, Institute for 
Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Madison, WI.
    2. Holger Behrsing, Ph.D., Principal Scientist (Respiratory 
Toxicology Program), Institute for In Vitro Sciences, Inc., 
Gaithersburg, MD.
    3. James V. Bruckner, Ph.D., Professor, Pharmacology and 
Toxicology, Department of Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Sciences, College 
of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
    4. Stuart Cagen, Ph.D., Senior Toxicologist, Shell Health, Houston, 
TX.
    5. Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., Professor, Environmental Medicine, 
Pediatrics and Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical 
School, Rochester, NY.
    6. Holly Davies, Ph.D., Senior Toxicologist, Department of Ecology, 
State of Washington, Olympia, WA.
    7. William Doucette, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Civil and 
Environmental Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT.
    8. Panos G. Georgopoulos, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental and 
Occupational Health, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences--School of 
Public Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, 
NJ.
    9. Kathleen Gilbert, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology 
and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little 
Rock, AR.
    10. Gary Ginsberg, Ph.D., Senior Toxicologist, Connecticut 
Department of Public Health, Hartford, CT.
    11. Concepcion Jimenez Gonzalez, Ph.D., Program Director, Global 
Manufacturing & Supply, GlaxoSmithKline, Raleigh-Durham, NC.
    12. Michael A Jayjock, Ph.D. CIH, Sole Proprietor, Jayjock 
Associates, LLC, Langhorne, PA.
    13. Alan Kaufman, Senior VP, Technical Affairs, Toy Industry 
Association (TIA), New York, NY.
    14. John Kissel, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental and Occupational 
Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
    15. Melanie Marty, Ph.D., Former Acting Deputy Director for 
Scientific Affairs (Retired), Office of Environmental Hazard and Health 
Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Sacramento, CA.
    16. Jaymie Meliker, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Program in Public 
Health, Department of Family, Population, & Preventive Medicine, Stony 
Brook University, Stony Brook, NY.
    17. Kenneth Portier, Ph.D., Vice President, Statistics and 
Evaluation Center, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA.
    18. J. Craig Rowlands, Ph.D., Sr. Toxicologist, Business 
Development and Innovation, UL Supply Chain & Sustainability, 
Underwriters Laboratories, LLC, Northbrook, IL.
    19. Sheela Sathyanarayana MD, M.P.H., Seattle Children's Research 
Institute, Center for Health, Behavior, and Development, Associate 
Professor, Pediatrics and Adjunct Associate Professor Department of 
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of 
Washington, Seattle, WA.
    20. Val Schaeffer, Ph.D., Senior Health Scientist, Office of the 
Director, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, U.S. Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration, Washington, DC.
    21. Daniel Schlenk, Ph.D., Professor of Aquatic Ecotoxicology and 
Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Riverside, 
Riverside, CA.
    22. Kristie Sullivan, M.P.H., Director, Regulatory Testing Issues, 
Physicians

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Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington DC.
    23. Kristina Thayer, Ph.D., Deputy Division Director of Analysis 
and Director, Office of Health Assessment and Translation, National 
Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health 
Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC.
    24. Leonardo Trasande, MD, M.P.P. Associate Professor in 
Pediatrics, Environmental Medicine and Population Health, New York 
University, School of Medicine, New York, NY.
    25. Laura N. Vandenberg, Ph.D. Department of Environmental Health 
Science, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of 
Massachusetts--Amherst, Amherst, MA.
    26. Chris L. Waller, Ph.D., Executive Director & Head, Scientific 
Modeling Platforms, Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, MA.
    27. Christine Whittaker, Ph.D., Chief, Risk Evaluation Branch, 
Education and Information Division, National Institute for Occupational 
Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control, Cincinnati, OH.
    28. Catherine Willett, Ph.D., Director, Regulatory Toxicology, Risk 
Assessment & Alternatives Coordinator, The Humane Society of the United 
States, Washington, DC.
    29. Tracey Woodruff, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor in Residence and 
Director, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, 
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, 
University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.; 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2 et seq.

    Dated: December 2, 2016.
Stanley Barone,
Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy.
[FR Doc. 2016-29579 Filed 12-8-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P