[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56749-56750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15080]
[[Page 56749]]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-12068-01-OA]
Request for Nominations for the Clean Air Scientific Advisory
Committee (CASAC) Ozone 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 for the CASAC Ozone Panel. This panel will provide advice
through the chartered CASAC on the scientific and technical bases for
the agency's review of the ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS).
DATES: Nominations should be submitted by July 31, 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 Mr. Aaron Yeow, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA
Science Advisory Board Staff Office (SABSO) by telephone/voice mail
(202) 564-2050, or email at [email protected]. General information
concerning the CASAC can be found at https://casac.epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CASAC was established pursuant to the
Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1977, codified at 42 U.S.C.
7409(d)(2), to review air quality criteria and NAAQS and recommend to
the EPA Administrator any new NAAQS and revisions of existing criteria
and NAAQS as may be appropriate. The CASAC shall also: advise the EPA
Administrator of areas in which additional knowledge is required to
appraise the adequacy and basis of existing, new, or revised NAAQS;
describe the research efforts necessary to provide the required
information; advise the EPA Administrator on the relative contribution
to air pollution concentrations of natural as well as anthropogenic
activity; and advise the EPA Administrator of any adverse public
health, welfare, social, economic, or energy effects which may result
from various strategies for attainment and maintenance of such NAAQS.
As amended, 5 U.S.C., app. Section 109(d)(1) of the Clean Air Act (CAA)
requires that EPA carry out a periodic review and revision, as
appropriate, of the air quality criteria and the NAAQS for the six
``criteria'' air pollutants, including ozone.
The CASAC is a Federal advisory committee chartered under the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). As a Federal Advisory Committee,
the CASAC conducts business in accordance with FACA (5 U.S.C. 10) and
related regulations. The CASAC and the CASAC Ozone Panel will comply
with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SABSO procedural
policies.
The EPA initiated a new statutory review of the air quality
criteria and standards for ozone and other photochemical oxidants,
incorporating the reconsideration of the 2020 decision on the ozone
NAAQS into the new review, and issued a call for information on August
25, 2023 (88 FR 58264, August 25, 2023). The CASAC Ozone Panel will
provide advice through the Chartered CASAC on the scientific and
technical bases for the agency's review of these air quality criteria
and NAAQS.
Request for Nominations: The SABSO is seeking nominations of
nationally and internationally recognized scientists with demonstrated
expertise and research in the field of air pollution related to
criteria pollutants. For the CASAC Ozone Panel, experts are being
sought in the following fields, especially with respect to ozone: air
quality, atmospheric science and chemistry; exposure assessment;
toxicology; controlled clinical exposure; epidemiology; biostatistics;
risk assessment; ecology, including of forests and terrestrial systems;
and effects on welfare and the environment.
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. Individuals may
self-nominate. Nominations should be submitted in electronic format
(preferred) using the online nomination form on the CASAC website at
https://casac.epa.gov under ``Public Input on Membership.'' 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 July
31, 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 SABSO 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 CASAC 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 SABSO, will be posted in a List of
Candidates for the Panel on the CASAC website at https://casac.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 SABSO should consider in evaluating
candidates.
For the SABSO, 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 SABSO
will consider public comments on the Lists of Candidates, information
provided by the candidates themselves, and background information
independently gathered by the SABSO. 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
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Advisors'' link on the CASAC website at https://casac.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. 2024-15080 Filed 7-9-24; 8:45 am]
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