[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 1, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5479-5481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02047]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2020-0682; FRL-9518-01-ORD]


Request for Nomination of Experts for the Biofuels and the 
Environment: Third Triennial Report to Congress Peer Review Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; nomination of experts for peer review panel.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting 
nominations for an external expert panel to peer review EPA's Biofuels 
and the Environment: Third Triennial Report to Congress (RtC3). The 
peer review will be conducted under the framework of EPA's Scientific 
Integrity Policy (https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-02/documents/scientific_integrity_policy_2012.pdf) and follow procedures 
established in EPA's Peer Review Handbook 4th Edition, 2015 (EPA/100/B-
15/001). EPA invites the public to nominate scientific experts to be 
considered as peer reviewers for this contractor-managed peer review. 
Nominations of peer review candidates will be accepted by EPA's 
contractor, Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG). Relevant expertise 
includes economics, engineering, agronomics, land use change, remote 
sensing, air quality, biogeochemistry, water quality, hydrology, 
conservation biology, limnology, and ecology. EPA has instructed ERG to 
formulate a single pool of eighteen (18) candidate external reviewers 
to provide independent external peer review. After consideration of 
peer reviewer nominations submitted to ERG in response to this Federal 
Register notice (FRN) and after consideration of public comments on the 
List of Candidates (to be announced in a future FRN), ERG will select 
from this pool the final list of up to nine (9) peer reviewers in a 
manner consistent with EPA's Peer Review Handbook 4th Edition, 2015 
(EPA/100/B-15/001), ensuring their combined expertise best spans the 
above disciplines.

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DATES: Nominations should be submitted by March 3, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Any interested person or organization may nominate 
scientific experts to be considered as peer reviewers. Self-nominations 
will also be accepted. Nominations should be submitted to ERG no later 
than March 3, 2022 by sending an email to: [email protected] (subject 
line: RtC3 Peer Review). Nominations should include all nominee 
information described in section II of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning nominations of 
expert peer reviewers should be directed to EPA's contractor, ERG, by 
email to [email protected] (subject line: RtC3 Peer Review). For 
information on the period of submission, contact the ORD Docket at the 
EPA Headquarters Docket Center; phone: 202-566-1752; fax: 202-566-9744; 
or email: [email protected]. For technical information, contact 
Christopher Clark; phone: 202-564-4183; or email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Document

    In 2007, Congress enacted the Energy Independence and Security Act 
(EISA) with the stated goals of ``mov[ing] the United States toward 
greater energy independence and security [and] to increase the 
production of clean renewable fuels.'' In accordance with these goals, 
EISA revised the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program, which was 
created under the 2005 Energy Policy Act and is administered by EPA, to 
increase the volume of renewable fuel required to be blended into 
transportation fuel to 36 billion gallons per year by 2022. Section 204 
of EISA directs EPA, in consultation with the U.S. Departments of 
Agriculture and Energy, to assess and report triennially to Congress on 
the environmental and resource conservation impacts of the RFS Program.
    The first report to Congress (RtC1) was completed in 2011 and 
provided an assessment of the environmental and resource conservation 
impacts associated with increased biofuel production and use (EPA/600/
R-10/183F). The overarching conclusions of this first report were: (1) 
The environmental impacts of increased biofuel production and use were 
likely negative but limited in impact; (2) there was a potential for 
both positive and negative impacts in the future; and (3) EISA goals 
for biofuels production could be achieved with minimal environmental 
impacts if best practices were used and if technologies advanced to 
facilitate the use of second-generation biofuel feedstocks (corn 
stover, perennial grasses, woody biomass, algae, and waste).
    The second report to Congress (RtC2) was completed in 2018 and 
reaffirmed the overarching conclusions of the RtC1 (EPA/600/R-18/195). 
The RtC2 noted that the biofuel production and use conditions that led 
to the conclusions of the RtC1 had not materially changed, and that the 
production of biofuels from cellulosic feedstocks anticipated by both 
the EISA and the RtC1 had not materialized. Noting observed increases 
in acreage for corn and soybean production in the period prior to and 
following implementation of the RFS2 Program, the RtC2 concluded that 
the environmental and resource conservation impacts associated with 
land use change were likely due, at least in part, to the RFS and 
associated production of biofuel feedstocks but that further research 
was needed.
    This RtC3 builds on the previous two reports and provides an update 
on the impacts to date of the RFS Program on the environment. This 
report assesses air, water, and soil quality; ecosystem health and 
biodiversity; and other effects. This third report also includes new 
analyses not previously included in the first and second reports.

II. How To Submit Nominations for Peer Reviewers

    Expertise sought: EPA is seeking candidates who are nationally and/
or internationally recognized scientific experts to serve as external 
peer reviewers for the draft report. Nominees should possess a strong 
background and demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following 
areas: Economics, engineering, agronomics, land use change, remote 
sensing, air quality, biogeochemistry, water quality, hydrology, 
conservation biology, limnology, and ecology. Economists should have 
expertise in partial equilibrium modeling (PE), computable general 
equilibrium modeling (CGE), and/or econometric studies. All candidates 
should have scientific credentials equivalent to a Ph.D., broad 
expertise in biofuels, and should be familiar with the Renewable Fuel 
Standard (RFS) Program.
    Selection criteria: From the pool of nominees, EPA's contractor, 
ERG, will select nine peer reviewers, in a manner consistent with EPA's 
Peer Review Handbook 4th Edition, 2015 (EPA/100/B-15/001), based on the 
following factors: (1) Demonstrated expertise in the areas listed above 
through relevant peer-reviewed publications; (2) professional 
accomplishments and recognition by professional societies; (3) 
demonstrated ability to work constructively and effectively in a 
committee setting; (4) absence of conflicts of interest; (5) no 
appearance of a lack of impartiality; (6) willingness to commit 
adequate time for a thorough review of the draft report, including 
preparation of individual written comments that will be made publicly 
available; and (7) availability to participate virtually in a public 
two-day or three-day peer review meeting and to provide subsequent 
revised individual comments. Registration information, meeting dates, 
and other logistical information will be provided in a subsequent FRN 
at least 30 days prior to the external peer review meeting.
    Required nominee information: To receive full consideration, the 
following information should be provided for each nominee in the 
submission to ERG at [email protected] (subject line: RtC3 Peer 
Review): (1) Contact information for the person making the nomination; 
(2) contact information for the nominee; (3) the disciplinary and 
specific areas of expertise of the nominee; (4) the nominee's 
curriculum vitae; (5) a biographical sketch of the nominee indicating 
current position, educational background, past and current research 
activities, recent service on other advisory committees, peer review 
panels, editorial boards or professional organizations, sources of 
recent grant and/or contract support, and (6) any other comments on the 
relevance of the nominee's expertise to this peer review topic. 
Compensation for non-federal peer reviewers will be provided by ERG.
    Selection process: ERG will notify nominees of selection or non-
selection. ERG will also conduct an independent search for candidates 
to assemble a balanced group representing the expertise needed to fully 
evaluate EPA's Third Triennial Biofuels and the Environment Report to 
Congress (RtC3). ERG will consider and screen all nominees against the 
criteria previously described. Following the screening process, ERG 
will narrow the list of potential reviewers to eighteen candidates. 
Prior to selecting the final peer reviewers, an FRN will be published 
(exact date to be determined) to solicit comments on the pool of 
eighteen candidates. In that notice, the public will be requested to 
provide relevant information or documentation on the candidate pool 
within 15 days of the announcement of the interim list of candidates. 
After considering the public comments on the candidate pool, ERG will 
select nine peer reviewers, carefully

[[Page 5481]]

weighing a number of factors including the candidates' areas of 
expertise and professional qualifications.

Timothy Watkins,
Acting Director, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2022-02047 Filed 1-31-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P