[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34771-34773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13919]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological 
Methods; Announcement of Meeting; Request for Comments

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the next meeting of the Scientific 
Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods (SACATM). 
SACATM is a federally chartered external advisory group of scientists 
from the public and private sectors, including

[[Page 34772]]

representatives of regulated industry and national animal protection 
organizations. SACATM advises the Interagency Coordinating Committee on 
the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), the National Toxicology 
Program (NTP) Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative 
Toxicological Methods (NICEATM), and the Director of the National 
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and NTP regarding 
statutorily mandated duties of ICCVAM and activities of NICEATM. This 
SACATM meeting will be a virtual meeting only and available to the 
public for remote viewing. Registration is required to access the 
virtual meeting and to present oral comments. Information about the 
meeting and registration are available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822.

DATES: 
    Meeting: September 28, 2021, 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. EDT; September 
29, 2021, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. EDT. Ending times are approximate; 
meeting may end earlier or run later.
    Registration for Virtual Meeting: Deadline is September 29, 2021, 
4:00 p.m. EDT.
    Written Public Comment Submissions: Deadline is September 17, 2021.
    Register to Present Oral Comments: Deadline is September 17, 2021.
    Registration to view the virtual meeting and present oral public 
comments is required.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting web page: The preliminary agenda, registration, and other 
meeting materials are at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822.
    Virtual Meeting: The URL for viewing the virtual meeting will be 
provided to those who register for viewing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Sheena Scruggs, Designated Federal 
Official for SACATM, Office of Policy, Review, and Outreach, Division 
of NTP, NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, K2-03, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. 
Phone: 984-287-3355, Email: [email protected]. Hand Deliver/
Courier address: 530 Davis Drive, Room K2126, Morrisville, NC 27560.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Meeting and Registration: The meeting is open to the public with 
time scheduled for oral public comments. Due to restrictions on in-
person gatherings amid ongoing public health concerns, the meeting will 
be convened as a virtual meeting.
    SACATM will provide input to ICCVAM, NICEATM, and NIEHS on 
programmatic activities and issues. Preliminary agenda items for the 
upcoming meeting include: (1) Major ICCVAM accomplishments in 2021; (2) 
regulatory needs and research applications for ecotoxicity testing; (3) 
evolving approaches to validation; and (4) update on NICEATM 
computational resources. Please see the preliminary agenda for 
information about specific presentations.
    The preliminary agenda, roster of SACATM members, background 
materials, public comments, and any additional information will be 
posted when available on the SACATM meeting website (https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822) or may be requested in hardcopy from the 
Designated Federal Official for SACATM. Following the meeting, summary 
minutes will be prepared and made available on the SACATM meeting 
website.
    Registration is required to attend the virtual meeting and is open 
to all interested persons. Registrants will receive instructions on how 
to access the virtual meeting in the email confirming their 
registration. Individuals who plan to provide oral comments (see below) 
are required to register online at the SACATM meeting website (https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822) by September 17, 2021, to facilitate 
planning for the meeting. Individuals are encouraged to visit the 
website often to stay abreast of the most current information regarding 
the meeting.
    Individuals who plan to attend and need special assistance, such as 
sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should 
notify Ms. Robbin Guy at phone: (984) 287-3136 or email: 
[email protected] in advance of the meeting. 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.
    Written Public Comments: Written and oral public comments are 
invited for the agenda topics. Guidelines for public comments are 
available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/guidelines_public_comments_508.pdf. The deadline for submission of 
written comments is September 17, 2021. Written public comments should 
be submitted through the meeting website. Persons submitting written 
comments should include name, affiliation, mailing address, phone, 
email, and sponsoring organization (if any). Written comments received 
in response to this notice will be posted on the NTP website, and the 
submitter will be identified by name, affiliation, and sponsoring 
organization (if any).
    Oral Public Comment Registration: The preliminary agenda allows for 
several public comment periods, each allowing up to six commenters a 
maximum of five minutes per speaker. Registration for oral comments is 
on or before September 17, 2021, at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822. 
Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Each organization 
is allowed one time slot per comment period. After the maximum number 
of speakers per comment period is exceeded, individuals registering to 
submit an oral comment for the topic will be placed on a wait list and 
notified should an opening become available. Commenters will be 
notified after September 17, 2021, to provide logistical information 
for their presentations. If possible, oral public commenters should 
send a copy of their slides and/or statement or talking points to 
Robbin Guy by email: [email protected] by September 17, 2021.
    Meeting Materials: The preliminary meeting agenda will be posted 
when available on the meeting web page at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822 and will be updated one week before the meeting. Individuals are 
encouraged to visit this web page often to stay abreast of the most 
current information regarding the meeting.
    Responses to this notice are voluntary. No proprietary, classified, 
confidential, or sensitive information should be included in statements 
submitted in response to this notice or presented during the meeting. 
This request for input is for planning purposes only and is not a 
solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the U.S. 
Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to 
the request. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for the 
preparation of any information submitted or for its use of that 
information.
    Background Information on ICCVAM, NICEATM, and SACATM: ICCVAM is an 
interagency committee composed of representatives from 17 federal 
regulatory and research agencies that require, use, generate, or 
disseminate toxicological and safety testing information. ICCVAM 
conducts technical evaluations of new, revised, and alternative safety 
testing methods and integrated testing strategies with regulatory 
applicability, and promotes the scientific validation and regulatory 
acceptance of testing methods that more accurately assess the safety 
and hazards of chemicals and products and replace, reduce, or refine 
(enhance animal well-being and lessen or avoid pain and distress) 
animal use.

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    The ICCVAM Authorization Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 285l-3) establishes 
ICCVAM as a permanent interagency committee of NIEHS and provides the 
authority for ICCVAM involvement in activities relevant to the 
development of alternative test methods. Additional information about 
ICCVAM can be found at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvam.
    NICEATM administers ICCVAM, provides scientific and operational 
support for ICCVAM-related activities, and conducts and publishes 
analyses and evaluations of data from new, revised, and alternative 
testing approaches. NICEATM and ICCVAM work collaboratively to evaluate 
new and improved testing approaches applicable to the needs of U.S. 
federal agencies. NICEATM and ICCVAM welcome the public nomination of 
new, revised, and alternative test methods and strategies for 
validation studies and technical evaluations. Additional information 
about NICEATM can be found at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/niceatm.
    SACATM, established by the ICCVAM Authorization Act [Section 285l-
3(d)], provides advice on priorities and activities related to the 
development, validation, scientific review, regulatory acceptance, 
implementation, and national and international harmonization of new, 
revised, and alternative toxicological test methods to ICCVAM, NICEATM, 
and Director of NIEHS and NTP. Additional information about SACATM, 
including the charter, roster, and records of past meetings, can be 
found at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/167.

    Dated: June 24, 2021.
Brian R. Berridge,
Associate Director, National Toxicology Program.
[FR Doc. 2021-13919 Filed 6-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P