[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20484-20485]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08836]


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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 and 
registration is requested for both attendance and oral comment and 
required to access the webcast. Information about the meeting and 
registration are available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165.

DATES: 
    Meeting: June 29, 2017; it begins at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight 
Time (EDT) and continues until adjournment.
    Written Public Comment Submissions: Deadline is June 22, 2017.
    Registration for Meeting and/or Oral Comments: Deadline is June 22, 
2017. 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 are at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165.
    Webcast: The meeting will be webcast; the URL will be provided to 
those who register for viewing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Mary Wolfe, 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: 919-541-7539, Fax: 301-451-5759, Email: [email protected]. 
Hand Deliver/Courier address: 530 Davis Drive, Room K2130, Morrisville, 
NC 27560.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Meeting and Registration: The meeting is open to the public with 
time scheduled for oral public comments; attendance at the meeting is 
limited only by the space available.
    The BSC will provide input to the NTP on programmatic activities 
and issues. Preliminary agenda topics include: Reports from the NIEHS/
NTP Director and NTP Associate Director, and presentations on 
programmatic activities including issues related to studying mixtures, 
an evaluation of the zebrafish model for toxicology, a state of the 
science evaluation of transgenerational inheritance of health effects, 
and the new Integrated Chemical Environment database. This meeting will 
also provide opportunity for input on an effort being coordinated by 
the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative 
Methods (ICCVAM) to explore new approaches for evaluating the safety of 
chemicals and medical products in the United States. 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 or view the webcast. 
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) are encouraged to register 
online at the BSC meeting Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165) by 
June 22, 2017, 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 June 22, 2017. 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. Guidelines for 
public comments are at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/guidelines_public_comments_508.pdf.
    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 from 8:30 a.m. until adjournment, 
although the BSC will receive public comments only during the formal 
public comment periods, which are indicated on the preliminary agenda. 
Each organization 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 June 22, 2017, indicate whether they will present comments in-
person or via the teleconference line, and indicate 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 June 22, 2017. Written statements can supplement and may 
expand upon the oral presentation. If registering on-site and reading 
from written text,

[[Page 20485]]

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: April 13, 2017.
John R. Bucher,
Associate Director, NTP.
[FR Doc. 2017-08836 Filed 5-1-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P