[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]



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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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