[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 133 (Thursday, July 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37327-37328]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15013]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL--FRL 8679-01-OA]


Request for Nominations for the Science Advisory Board; 
Contaminant Candidate List 5 Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) Staff Office requests public nominations of scientific 
experts to form a Panel to review the draft EPA document titled 
Contaminant Candidate List 5--Draft (CCL 5--Draft). This draft document 
presents a list of contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur 
in public water systems, and which may require future regulation under 
the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The CCL is one tool, EPA uses to 
identify priority contaminants for future regulatory decision making 
and research needs, and does not impose any requirements on any 
regulated entity.

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by August 5, 2021 per the 
instructions below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding this Notice and Request for Nominations 
may contact Carolyn Kilgore, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA 
Science Advisory Board by telephone/voice mail (202) 564-0230, or email 
at [email protected]. General information concerning the EPA SAB 
can be found at the EPA SAB website at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: The SAB (42 U.S.C. 4365) is a chartered Federal 
Advisory Committee that provides independent scientific and technical 
peer review, advice, and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on 
the technical basis for EPA actions. As a Federal Advisory Committee, 
the SAB conducts business in accordance with the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. 2) and related regulations. The SAB 
Staff Office is forming an expert Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) 5 
Panel, under the auspices of the Chartered SAB. The CCL 5 Panel will 
provide advice through the chartered SAB. The SAB and CCL 5 Panel will 
comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office 
procedural policies.
    The CCL 5 Panel will conduct the review of CCL 5--Draft prepared by 
the EPA's Office of Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW). 
OGWDW develops and helps implement national drinking water standards, 
including the Contaminant Candidate List. EPA uses this list of 
unregulated contaminants to prioritize drinking water research and data 
collection efforts. The panel will be charged with reviewing the 
science, clarity, transparency and supporting documents used to develop 
the CCL 5--Draft. This panel will provide advice through the Chartered 
SAB.
    Request for Nominations: The SAB Staff Office is seeking 
nominations of nationally and internationally recognized scientists 
with demonstrated expertise in: chemical assessments with expertise in 
one or more of the following disciplines: Microbiology (with a focus on 
waterborne pathogens); public health; toxicology including 
developmental/reproductive toxicology; expertise on new and emerging 
contaminants; statistical modeling and uncertainty analysis; risk 
assessment, and exposure of contaminants in drinking water.
    Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested 
person or organization may nominate qualified individuals in the areas 
of expertise described above for possible service on the SAB Panel. 
Individuals may self-nominate. Nominations should be submitted in 
electronic format (preferred) following the instructions for 
``Nominating Experts to Advisory Panels and Ad Hoc Committees Being 
Formed,'' provided on the SAB website (see the ``Nomination of 
Experts'' link under ``Current Activities'' at http://www.epa.gov/sab). 
To be considered, nominations should include the information requested 
below. EPA values and welcomes diversity. All qualified candidates are 
encouraged to apply regardless of sex, race, disability or ethnicity. 
Nominations should be submitted in time to arrive no later than August 
5, 2021.
    The following information should be provided on the nomination 
form: Contact information for the person making the nomination; contact 
information for the nominee; and the disciplinary and specific areas of 
expertise of the nominee. Nominees will be contacted by the SAB Staff 
Office and will be asked to provide a recent curriculum vitae and a 
narrative biographical summary that includes: Current position, 
educational background; research activities; sources of research 
funding for the last two years; and recent service on other national 
advisory committees or national professional organizations. Persons 
having questions about the nomination procedures, or who are unable to 
submit nominations through the SAB website, should contact the DFO at 
the contact information noted above. The names and biosketches of 
qualified nominees identified by respondents to this Federal Register 
notice, and additional experts identified by the SAB Staff Office, will 
be posted in a list of candidates for the Panel on the SAB website at 
http://www.epa.gov/sab. Public comments on the list of candidates will 
be accepted for 21 days. The public will be requested to provide 
relevant information or other documentation on nominees that the SAB 
Staff Office should consider in evaluating candidates.
    For the EPA SAB Staff Office a balanced review panel includes 
candidates who possess the necessary domains of knowledge, the relevant 
scientific perspectives (which, among other factors, can be influenced 
by work history and affiliation), and the collective breadth of 
experience to adequately address the charge. In forming the expert 
panel, the SAB Staff Office will consider public comments on the lists 
of candidates, information provided by the candidates themselves, and 
background information independently gathered by the SAB Staff Office. 
Selection criteria to be used for panel membership include: (a) 
Scientific and/or technical expertise, knowledge, and experience 
(primary factors); (b) availability and willingness to serve; (c) 
absence of financial conflicts of interest; (d) absence of an 
appearance of a loss of impartiality; (e) skills working in committees, 
subcommittees and advisory panels; and, (f) for the panel as a whole, 
diversity of expertise and scientific points of view.
    The SAB Staff Office's evaluation of an absence of financial 
conflicts of interest will include a review of the ``Confidential 
Financial Disclosure Form for Environmental Protection Agency Special 
Government Employees'' (EPA Form 3110-48). This confidential form is 
required and allows government officials to determine whether there is 
a statutory conflict between a person's public responsibilities (which 
include membership on an EPA federal advisory

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committee) and private interests and activities, or the appearance of a 
loss of impartiality, as defined by federal regulation. The form may be 
viewed and downloaded through the ``Ethics Requirements for Advisors'' 
link on the SAB website at http://www.epa.gov/sab. This form should not 
be submitted as part of a nomination.
    The approved policy under which the EPA SAB Office selects members 
for subcommittees and review panels is described in the following 
document: Overview of the Panel Formation Process at the Environmental 
Protection Agency Science Advisory Board (EPA-SAB-EC-02-010), which is 
posted on the SAB website at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

V. Khanna Johnston,
Deputy Director, Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-15013 Filed 7-14-21; 8:45 am]
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