[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 115 (Thursday, June 13, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50326-50327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-12963]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2024-0114; FRL-11809-02-OCSPP]


1,1-Dichloroethane and 1,2-Dichloroethane; Peer Review of Draft 
Documents by the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC); 
Request for Comments on Experts Being Considered as ad hoc Peer 
Reviewers

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the ``Agency'') is 
announcing the change in the peer review mechanism from the letter peer 
review to a Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) peer review; 
the addition of the draft human health hazard assessment for 1,2-
dichloroethane for peer review; the availability of and solicitation of 
comment on the list of candidates under consideration for selection as 
ad hoc peer reviewers that will assist the SACC with their peer review 
of the Agency's draft risk evaluation of 1,1-dichloroethane and human 
health hazard assessment of 1,2-dichloroethane. The list of candidates 
provides the names and biographical sketches of all interested and 
available candidates identified from the responses to the call for 
nominations and other sources. Public comments on these candidates will 
assist the Agency in selecting ad hoc peer reviewers to assist the SACC 
with the identified peer review.

DATES:  Submit your comments on or before June 28, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments, identified by docket identification (ID) 
number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2024-0114, through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for 
submitting comments. Do not submit electronically any information you 
consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Additional 
instructions on commenting and visiting the docket, along with more 
information about dockets generally, is available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Designated Federal Official (DFO) 
is Alie Muneer, Mission Support Division (7602M), Office of Program 
Support, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, 
Environmental Protection Agency; telephone number: (202) 564-6369; 
email address: [email protected]; or call the SACC main office at 
(202) 564-8450 or send an email at email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. What action is the Agency taking?

    The Agency is seeking public comments on scientific and technical 
experts that EPA is considering for service as ad hoc peer reviewers 
that will assist the SACC with the peer review of the Agency's 
evaluation of the draft risk evaluation of 1,1-dichloroethane and the 
human health hazard assessment of 1,2-dichloroethane. The Agency 
requested nominations of ad hoc expert reviewers in the Federal 
Register of March 21, 2024 (88 FR 20201 (FRL-11809-01-OCSPP)).

B. What is the Agency's authority for taking this action?

    EPA established the SACC in 2016 in accordance with TSCA, 15 U.S.C. 
2625(o), to provide independent advice and expert consultation with 
respect to the scientific and technical aspects of issues relating to 
the implementation of TSCA. The SACC operates in accordance with the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. 10, and supports 
activities under TSCA, 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq., the Pollution Prevention 
Act (PPA), 42 U.S.C. 13101 et seq., and other applicable statutes.

C. Does this action apply to me?

    This action is directed to the public in general and may be of 
particular interest to those involved in the manufacture, processing, 
distribution, and disposal of the subject chemical substance, and/or 
those interested in the assessment of risks involving chemical 
substances and mixtures regulated under TSCA.

D. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    Do not electronically submit any information you consider to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Copyrighted material will not be 
posted without explicit permission of the copyright holder. Members of 
the public should also be aware that personal contact information, if 
included in any written comments, may be posted on the internet at 
https://www.regulations.gov. If your comment contains any information 
that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected, please contact the 
DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT to obtain special 
instructions before submitting that information.

E. How can I stay informed about SACC activities?

    You may subscribe to the following listserv for alerts regarding 
this and other SACC-related activities: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USAEPAOPPT/subscriber/new?topic_id=USAEPAOPPT_101.

II. Background

    EPA is planning this SACC peer review of the Agency's draft risk 
evaluation of 1,1-dichloroethane and human health hazard assessment of 
1,2-dichloroethane. As part of the TSCA risk evaluation for 1,1-
dichloroethane, EPA is assessing 1,1-dichloroethane conditions of use 
(COUs) (e.g., processing as a reactant, processing for repackaging, 
processing for recycling, commercial use for laboratory chemicals, 
etc.). EPA is providing for public comment and peer review of the TSCA 
human health hazard assessment for 1,2-dichloroethane because EPA has 
identified 1,2-dichloroethane as an analog for 1,1-dichloroethane to 
support a limited non-cancer and cancer human health hazard 1,1-
dichloroethane data set. Both 1,1-dichloroethane and 1,2-dichloroethane 
data sets were used wherever appropriate to conduct the dose-response 
assessment and identify points-of-departure (PODs) for the risk 
evaluation of 1,1-dichloroethane. Therefore, simultaneous issuance for 
public comment and peer review of both the full 1,1-dichloroethane 
draft risk evaluation (hazard and exposure assessments) and the 1,2-
dichloroethane draft human health hazard assessment will provide the 
public and peer reviewers with the full context of the human health 
hazard evaluations for both chemicals.
    Recommendations from the SACC peer review of the draft documents 
will be considered in the development of the TSCA risk evaluations for 
both chemical substances and may inform other EPA efforts related to 
the assessment and regulation of 1,1-dichloroethane and 1,2-
dichloroethane. The Agency will be seeking SACC review of its data 
analyses and methodologies relevant to human health hazard and exposure 
analyses that have not been previously peer reviewed.

[[Page 50327]]

    For additional information about the existing chemicals that have 
either undergone or are currently undergoing risk evaluation under 
TSCA, as well as information about the related process under TSCA, 
please see https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/ongoing-and-completed-chemical-risk-evaluations-under.

III. Request for Comments on the Candidates List

A. Will ad hoc reviewers be subjected to an ethics review?

    EPA is currently seeking public comments on all interested and 
available candidates, without prescreening for ethics concerns. 
However, SACC members and ad hoc peer reviewers are subject to the 
provisions of the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the 
Executive Branch at 5 CFR part 2635, conflict of interest statutes in 
title 18 of the United States Code and related regulations. In 
anticipation of this requirement, prospective candidates for service on 
the SACC will be asked to submit confidential financial information 
which shall fully disclose, among other financial interests, the 
candidate's employment, stocks and bonds, and where applicable, sources 
of research support. EPA will evaluate the candidates' financial 
disclosure forms to assess whether there are financial conflicts of 
interest, appearance of a loss of impartiality, or any prior 
involvement with the development of the documents under consideration 
(including previous scientific peer review) before the candidate is 
considered further for service on the SACC as a peer reviewer.

B. How will EPA select the ad hoc reviewers?

    The selection of scientists to serve as ad hoc peer reviewers for 
the SACC is based on the function of the Committee and the expertise 
needed to address the Agency's charge to the Committee. No interested 
scientists shall be ineligible to serve by reason of their membership 
on any other advisory committee to a federal department or agency or 
their employment by a federal department or agency, except EPA. Other 
factors considered during the selection process include availability of 
the prospective candidate to fully participate in the Committee's 
reviews, absence of any conflicts of interest or appearance of loss of 
impartiality, independence with respect to the matters under review, 
and lack of bias. Although financial conflicts of interest, the 
appearance of loss of impartiality, lack of independence, and bias may 
result in non-selection, the absence of such concerns does not assure 
that a candidate will be selected to serve on the SACC.
    Numerous qualified candidates are often identified for SACC 
reviews. Therefore, selection decisions involve carefully weighing a 
number of factors including the candidates' areas of expertise and 
professional qualifications and achieving an overall balance of 
different scientific perspectives across reviewers.
    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2625(o); 5 U.S.C. 10.

    Dated: June 7, 2024.
Michal Freedhoff,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2024-12963 Filed 6-12-24; 8:45 am]
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