[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 178 (Friday, September 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43361-43362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19702]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0439; FRL-9967-70-OW]


Request for Public Comments To Be Sent to Versar, Inc., on an 
Interim List of Perchlorate in Drinking Water Expert Peer Reviewers and 
Draft Peer Review Charge Questions

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 
request for public comment on an interim list of peer review candidates 
and materials that relate to the expert peer review to support EPA's 
Safe Drinking Water Act decision making for perchlorate. This request 
is one of two Federal Register notices being published concurrently, 
seeking public comment on two separate sets of materials. This notice 
requests comments to be sent to EPA's contractor, Versar, Inc., on the 
interim list of peer review candidates and the draft charge questions. 
Versar, Inc., will consider the comments received on this notice in 
selecting the final peer review panel, which will collectively provide 
appropriate expertise spanning the subject matter areas covered by the 
draft report and, to the extent feasible, best provide a balance of 
perspectives. EPA will consider comments received on this notice to 
help inform the final peer review panel's charge. The companion notice 
requests comments (to be sent to EPA) on a draft report entitled 
``Draft Report: Proposed Approaches to Inform the Derivation of a 
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal for Perchlorate in Drinking Water'' 
(draft MCLG Approaches Report).

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 6, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments to Versar, Inc., no later than October 
6, 2017 by one of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected] (subject line: Perchlorate 
Peer Review)
     Mail: Versar, Inc., 6850 Versar Center, Springfield, VA 
22151 (ATTN: Tracey Cowen).
    Please be advised that public comments are subject to release under 
the Freedom of Information Act.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the interim list 
of expert peer review candidates and draft peer review charge questions 
should be directed to Versar, Inc., at 6850 Versar Center, Springfield, 
VA 22151; by email [email protected] (subject line: Perchlorate 
Peer Review); or by phone: (301) 304-3121 (ask for Tracey Cowen).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Process of Obtaining Candidate Reviewers

    EPA announced a public nomination period from March 1, 2016, to 
March 31, 2016, in the Federal Register (81 FR 10617; March 1, 2016), 
during which members of the public were able to nominate scientific 
experts with knowledge and experience in one or more of the following 
areas: (1) Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK), 
physiologically-based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PBPK/PD) and/or 
biologically based dose-response (BBDR) modeling, (2) fetal and 
neonatal thyroid endocrinology (clinical and experimental), (3) iodide 
homeostasis, and (4) perchlorate toxicology and mode of action or 
adverse outcome pathway. On June 3, 2016, in the Federal Register (81 
FR 35760), EPA invited the public to also nominate scientific experts 
with knowledge and experience in one or

[[Page 43362]]

more of the following areas of human health risk assessment: (1) An 
understanding of thyroid function (preferably in the sensitive life 
stages of interest), (2) the importance of maternal thyroid hormone 
homeostasis in each stage of gestation, (3) hypothyroxinemia, (4) 
neurodevelopmental assessment indices for young children including the 
Bayley's Scale, (5) the toxicity of perchlorate, (6) epidemiological 
assessment techniques, and (7) statistics.
    Versar, Inc., considered the nominated peer review candidates and 
also conducted an independent search for scientific experts to augment 
the list of publically-nominated candidates.
    Selection Process: Versar, Inc., considered and screened all 
candidates against the selection criteria described in the March 1, 
2016, and June 3, 2016, Federal Register notices (81 FR 10617 and 81 FR 
35760, respectively), which included the candidates being free of any 
conflict of interest and being available to participate in-person in a 
two-day, public, peer review meeting in the Washington, DC, area. 
Versar, Inc., narrowed the list of potential reviewers for the second 
panel to 12 candidates. EPA is now soliciting comments on the interim 
list of 12 candidates.
    EPA requests that the public provide relevant information or 
documentation on the experts that the contractor should consider in 
evaluating these candidates. Once the public comments on the interim 
list of candidates have been reviewed and considered, the contractor 
will select the final list of peer reviewers.
    Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers: Peer reviewers will be charged 
with evaluating and preparing written comments on EPA's draft MCLG 
Approaches Report. Versar, Inc., will provide reviewers with a summary 
and compilation of public comments on the draft MCLG Approaches Report 
submitted to EPA's docket (ID number EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0438) during the 
45-day public comment period, for their consideration. Reviewers will 
participate in a two-day meeting expected to be held in the Washington, 
DC, metro area, projected to occur in late fall of 2017 (exact date to 
be determined), to discuss the scientific basis supporting these 
materials. Following the meeting, Versar, Inc., will provide a report 
to EPA, summarizing the peer reviewers' evaluation of the scientific 
and technical merit of the draft MCLG Approaches Report and the peer 
reviewers' full responses to the charge questions. EPA will make the 
final peer review report available to the public (exact date to be 
determined). In preparing the final MCLG Approaches Report, EPA will 
consider the peer review report as well as the written public comments 
submitted to the docket.

II. Interim List of Peer Reviewers

    Versar, Inc., is considering the following candidates for the peer 
review panel. Biosketches are available through the EPA docket at 
http://www.regulations.gov (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0439). After 
review and consideration of public comments and consultation with EPA's 
Scientific Integrity Official, Versar, Inc., will select from this 
list, the final list of peer reviewers, who will, collectively, best 
provide expertise spanning the previously mentioned areas of knowledge 
and experience and, to the extent feasible, best provide a balance of 
perspectives. EPA will announce the peer review panel meeting date, 
location and registration details, along with the final list of peer 
reviewers selected by Versar, Inc., at least 30 days prior to the 
meeting.

Name of Nominee, Degree, Place of Employment

1. Hugh A. Barton, Ph.D., Pfizer, Inc.
2. Nancy Carrasco, M.D., Yale School of Medicine
3. Jonathan Chevrier, Ph.D., McGill University Faculty of Medicine
4. Claude Emond, Ph.D., University of Montreal
5. Dale Hattis, Ph.D., George Perkins Marsh Institute, Clark University
6. Judy S. LaKind, Ph.D., LaKind Associates, LLC
7. Angela M. Leung, M.D., M.Sc., UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
8. Paul H. Lipkin, M.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
9. Elizabeth N. Pearce, M.D., M.Sc., Boston Medical Center/Boston 
University School of Medicine
10. Stephen M. Roberts, Ph.D., University of Florida
11. Joanne F. Rovet, Ph.D., The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto)
12. Craig Steinmaus, M.D., M.P.H., University of California, Berkeley

III. Draft Peer Review Charge Questions

    The draft peer review charge questions are available through the 
EPA docket at http://www.regulations.gov (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2016-
0439).

    Dated: September 6, 2017.
Michael H. Shapiro,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2017-19702 Filed 9-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P