[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 62 (Friday, March 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22143-22144]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06758]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-11833-01-OA]


Request for Nominations of Candidates for the Science Advisory 
Board Integrated Risk Information System Chloroform Review 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, 
Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Toxicological Review of 
Chloroform (inhalation). The draft IRIS cancer and non-cancer 
assessment includes a hazard identification analysis, which summarizes 
the available evidence on health effects that may be associated with 
environmental or occupational exposure, and dose-response analysis that 
characterizes the quantitative relationship between chloroform 
inhalation exposure and each credible health hazard.

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by April 19, 2024 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 Dr. Suhair Shallal, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA 
Science Advisory Board Staff Office by telephone/voice mail (202) 564-
2057, or email at [email protected]. General information 
concerning the EPA SAB can be found at the EPA SAB website at https://sab.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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. 10) and related 
regulations. The SAB Staff Office is forming an expert panel, the IRIS 
Chloroform Review Panel, under the auspices of the Chartered SAB. The 
IRIS Chloroform Review Panel will provide advice through the chartered 
SAB. The SAB and the IRIS Chloroform Review Panel will comply with the 
provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural 
policies.
    The IRIS Chloroform Review Panel will conduct the review of the 
draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroform prepared by the EPA IRIS 
Program. The IRIS Program is located within EPA's Center for Public 
Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) in the Office of Research 
and Development (ORD). The draft IRIS cancer and non-cancer assessment 
includes a hazard identification analysis, which summarizes the 
available evidence on health effects that may be associated with 
environmental or occupational exposure, and dose-response analysis that 
characterizes the quantitative relationship between chloroform 
inhalation exposure and each credible health hazard. The SAB IRIS 
Chloroform Review Panel will consider whether the conclusions found in 
the EPA's draft IRIS assessment are clearly presented and 
scientifically supported. The Panel will also be asked to provide 
recommendations on how the assessment may be strengthened.
    Request for Nominations: The SAB Staff Office is seeking 
nominations of nationally and internationally recognized scientists 
with demonstrated expertise in the following disciplines: toxicology, 
specifically inhalation toxicology/dosimetry, hepatic and nephrological 
toxicology; epidemiology; systematic review; biostatistics; uncertainty 
analysis; physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling; 
carcinogenesis; risk assessment; dose response analysis.
    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) using the online nomination form on the 
SAB website at https://sab.epa.gov (see the ``Public Input on 
Membership'' list under ``Committees, Panels, and Membership'' 
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 
https://sab.epa.gov). 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 April 19, 2024.
    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; 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 https://sab.epa.gov. 
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 
when 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

[[Page 22144]]

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.
    Candidates may be asked to submit the ``Confidential Financial 
Disclosure Form for Special Government Employees Serving on Federal 
Advisory Committees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency'' (EPA 
Form 3110-48). This confidential form is required for Special 
Government Employees (SGEs) and allows EPA to determine whether there 
is a statutory conflict between a person's public responsibilities 
(which includes membership on an EPA federal advisory 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 https://sab.epa.gov. This form should not be 
submitted as part of a nomination.

V. Khanna Johnston,
Deputy Director, Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-06758 Filed 3-28-24; 8:45 am]
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