[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 171 (Wednesday, September 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42095-42096]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18764]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9967-00-OA]


Notification of a Public Meeting of the Science Advisory Board 
Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science 
Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the SAB 
Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee (CAAC) to receive a briefing 
from the EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) on 
the content and presentation of assessment products to be released at 
early stages of development of draft assessments. These products 
represent an update to the materials released for the purposes of early 
stakeholder engagement, as outlined in the ``IRIS enhancements'' 
(2013). These materials are expected to add transparency to draft 
assessment development, while simultaneously increasing throughput and 
responsiveness to Agency needs.

DATES: The public face-to-face meeting will be held from Wednesday, 
September 27, 2017 through Thursday, September 28, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. 
to 5:00 p.m., (Eastern time) daily.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at Residence Inn Arlington 
Capital View, 2850 S. Potomac Ave., Arlington, VA 22202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing to 
obtain further information concerning the meeting may contact Dr. 
Suhair Shallal, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), SAB Staff Office, by 
telephone at (202) 564-0257 or [email protected]. General 
information concerning the EPA Science Advisory Board, as well as any 
updates concerning the meeting announced in this notice, can be found 
at the EPA SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: The SAB was established pursuant to the Environmental 
Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDAA) 
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 will 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 CAAC will hold a public 
meeting to receive a briefing from the EPA's National Center for 
Environmental Assessment (NCEA) on the content and presentation of 
assessment products to be released at early stages of draft 
development. These products represent an update to the materials 
released for the purposes of early stakeholder engagement, as outlined 
in the ``IRIS enhancements'' (2013). These materials are expected to 
add transparency to draft assessment development, while simultaneously 
increasing throughput and responsiveness to Agency needs. The CAAC will 
provide advice to the Administrator through the chartered SAB.
    The NCEA continues to incorporate improvements in response to 
recommendations from the National Research Council and the SAB to (1) 
improve the scientific integrity of assessments; (2) improve the

[[Page 42096]]

productivity of the program; and (3) increase transparency so issues 
are identified early in the process. Information about this program is 
available at: https://www.epa.gov/iris.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: Additional background on this 
SAB activity, the meeting agenda, and other materials for the meeting 
will be posted on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    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. 
Members of the public can submit relevant comments pertaining to the 
meeting materials or the group conducting this SAB activity. Input from 
the public to the SAB will have the most impact if it consists of 
comments that provide 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 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 a public meeting will be limited to five minutes 
per speaker. Interested parties wishing to provide comments should 
contact Dr. Suhair Shallal, DFO (preferably via email) at the contact 
information noted above by September 20, 2017, 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 Committee 
members, statements should be supplied to the DFO (preferably via 
email) at the contact information noted above by September 20, 2017. It 
is the SAB Staff Office general policy to post written comments on the 
Web page for the advisory meeting. 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 Dr. Suhair Shallal at 
(202) 564-0257 or at [email protected]. To request accommodation 
of a disability, please contact Dr. Shallal preferably at least ten 
days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to 
process your request.

    Dated: August 21, 2017.
Christopher Zarba,
Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2017-18764 Filed 9-5-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P