[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 211 (Friday, October 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68870-68871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24093]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-10016-27-OA]


Notification of Public Meetings of the Science Advisory Board 
Radiation Advisory Committee Augmented for the Review of Revision 2 of 
the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual 
(MARSSIM) (Draft for Public Comment)

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 two meetings of the 
Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC) Augmented for the Review of Revision 
2 of the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual 
(Draft for Public Comment) (MARSSIM). A public teleconference will be 
held as a preparatory meeting for the RAC-augmented MARSSIM Panel to 
receive an Agency briefing, review charge questions, and to hear public 
comments on Revision 2 of MARSSIM (Draft for Public Comment). This will 
be followed by a virtual public meeting for the Panel to peer review 
Revision 2 of MARSSIM (Draft for Public Comment).

DATES: The public teleconference will be held on Thursday, December 3, 
2020, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). The public 
meeting will be held remotely via webcast and teleconference on January 
11-14, 2021 (Monday-Thursday), from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern 
Standard Time).

ADDRESSES: The public teleconference will be held by telephone only. 
The public virtual meeting will be conducted via webcast and 
teleconference.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding these meetings may contact Dr. Diana 
Wong, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), SAB Staff Office, via email at 
[email protected]. General information concerning the EPA Science 
Advisory Board can be found at the EPA SAB website at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 RAC--
augmented MARSSIM Panel will hold a public teleconference and a public 
virtual peer review meeting. The purpose of the teleconference is for 
the Panel to receive an Agency briefing, review charge questions, and 
to hear public comments on Revision 2 of the Multi-Agency Radiation 
Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) (Draft for Public 
Comment). The purpose of the public virtual review meeting is for the 
Panel to conduct a peer review on Revision 2 of MARSSIM (Draft for 
Public Comment). This SAB panel will provide advice to the 
Administrator through the chartered SAB.
    Background: EPA's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) requested that 
the SAB conduct a peer review on Revision 2 of Multi-Agency Radiation 
Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) (Draft for Public 
Comment). MARSSIM was originally developed by the technical staffs of 
the four Federal agencies having authority for control of radioactive 
materials: DoD, DOE, EPA, and NRC (60 FR 12555; March 7, 1995). The 
four agencies issued Revision 1 to MARSSIM in August 2000, and 
additional edits to Revision 1 in June 2001. MARSSIM has not been 
updated since 2001; updates prior to 2001 primarily consisted of minor 
non-technical edits. Revision 2 updates the science, clarifies methods, 
and implements lessons learned from over 20 years of the document's use 
in industry.
    MARSSIM provides information on planning, conducting, evaluating, 
and documenting environmental radiological surveys of surface soil and 
building surfaces for demonstrating

[[Page 68871]]

compliance with regulations. MARSSIM, when finalized as Revision 2, 
will update this multi-agency consensus document. The EPA SAB Staff 
Office augmented the SAB RAC with subject matter experts to provide 
advice through the chartered SAB regarding this document.
    Technical Contacts: Any technical questions concerning Revision 2 
of Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual 
(MARSSIM) (Draft for Public Comment) should be directed to Kathryn 
Snead of the U.S. EPA, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, by email at 
[email protected].
    Availability of Meeting Materials: Prior to the meeting, the agenda 
and other materials will be accessible through the calendar link on the 
blue navigation bar at http://www.epa.gov/sab/. Materials may also be 
accessed at the following SAB web page: https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf//LookupWebProjectsCurrentBOARD/E1D35FEB397932FF8525854D00836CFA?OpenDocument.
    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. 
Interested members of the public may submit relevant information on the 
topic of this advisory activity, for the group conducting the activity, 
for the SAB to consider during the advisory process. Input from the 
public to the SAB will have the most impact if it provides 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 on a public teleconference will be limited to three 
minutes and an oral presentation at the virtual public review meeting 
will be limited to five minutes. Interested parties wishing to provide 
comments should contact Dr. Diana Wong, DFO via email, at the contact 
information noted above, by November 25, 2020, to be placed on the list 
of registered speakers for the teleconference and by January 4, 2021, 
to be placed on the list of registered speakers for the peer review 
meeting.
    Written Statements: Written statements will be accepted throughout 
the advisory process; however, for timely consideration by Committee/
Panel members, statements should be supplied to the DFO via email at 
the contact information noted above by January 4, 2021, so that the 
information may be made available to the SAB Panel for their 
consideration. It is the SAB Staff Office general policy to post 
written comments on the web page for the advisory meeting or 
teleconference. Submitters are requested to provide a signed and 
unsigned version of each document because the SAB Staff Office does not 
publish documents with signatures on its websites. Members of the 
public should be aware that their personal contact information, if 
included in any written comments, may be posted to the SAB website. 
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. Diana Wong at 
[email protected]. To request accommodation of a disability, please 
contact Dr. Wong preferably at least ten days prior to the meeting, to 
give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

    Dated: October 22, 2020.
V. Khanna Johnson,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-24093 Filed 10-29-20; 8:45 am]
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