80 FR 23270 - Request for Nominations of Candidates to the EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB)

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 80 (April 27, 2015)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites nominations of scientific experts from a diverse range of disciplines to be considered for appointment to the Science Advisory Board (SAB) and six SAB committees described in this notice. Appointments are anticipated to be filled by the start of Fiscal Year 2016 (October 2015).

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 80 (Monday, April 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23270-23271]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09782]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9926-84-OA]


Request for Nominations of Candidates to the EPA's Science 
Advisory Board (SAB)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites 
nominations of scientific experts from a diverse range of disciplines 
to be considered for appointment to the Science Advisory Board (SAB) 
and six SAB committees described in this notice. Appointments are 
anticipated to be filled by the start of Fiscal Year 2016 (October 
2015).

DATES: Nominations should be submitted in time to arrive no later than 
May 27, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nominators unable to submit 
nominations electronically as described below may submit a paper copy 
to the Designated Federal Officers for the committees, as identified 
below. General inquiries regarding the work of the SAB or SAB 
committees may also be directed to the designated DFOs.
    Background: The SAB is a chartered Federal Advisory Committee, 
established in 1978 under the authority of the Environmental Research, 
Development and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDDAA), codified at 
42 U.S.C. 4365, to provide independent scientific and technical peer 
review, consultation, advice and recommendations to the EPA 
Administrator on the scientific bases for EPA's actions and programs. 
Members of the SAB constitute a distinguished body of non-EPA 
scientists, engineers, economists, and behavioral and social scientists 
who are nationally and internationally recognized experts in their 
respective fields. Members are appointed by the EPA Administrator for a 
3-year term. Additional information about the SAB is available at 
http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    Expertise Sought for the SAB: The chartered SAB provides strategic 
advice to the EPA Administrator on a variety of EPA science and 
research programs. All the work of SAB committees and panels is under 
the direction of the chartered SAB. The chartered SAB reviews all SAB 
committee and panel draft reports and determines whether they are 
appropriate to send to the EPA Administrator. The SAB Staff Office is 
seeking nominations of experts to serve on the chartered SAB in the 
following disciplines as they relate to human health and the 
environment: Analytical chemistry; ecological sciences and ecological 
assessment; economics; engineering; geochemistry; health disparities; 
health sciences; hydrology; hydrogeology; medicine; microbiology; 
modeling; pediatrics; public health; risk assessment; social, 
behavioral and decision sciences; statistics; and toxicology.
    The SAB Staff Office is especially interested in scientists with 
expertise described above who have knowledge and experience in air 
quality; agricultural sciences; climate change; drinking water; energy 
and the environment; water quality; water quantity; water reuse; 
ecosystem services; community environmental health; sustainability; 
chemical safety; green chemistry; human health risk assessment; 
homeland security; and waste and waste management.
    For further information about the chartered SAB membership 
appointment process and schedule, please contact Mr. Thomas Carpenter, 
DFO, by telephone at 202-564-4885 or by email at 
[email protected].
    The SAB Staff Office is also seeking nominations for experts for 
six SAB committees: The Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee; the 
Drinking Water Committee; the Ecological Processes and Effects 
Committee; the Environmental Economics Advisory Committee; the 
Environmental Engineering Committee; and the Radiation Advisory 
Committee.
    (1) The SAB Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee (CAAC) provides 
advice through the chartered SAB regarding selected toxicological 
reviews of environmental chemicals available on EPA's Integrated Risk 
Information System (IRIS). The SAB Staff Office is seeking nominations 
of experts with experience in chemical assessments. Members should have 
expertise in one or more of the following disciplines: Public health; 
epidemiology; toxicology, including neurotoxicology, developmental/
reproductive toxicology, and inhalation toxicology; carcinogenesis; 
PBPK modeling; biostatistics; risk assessment; and health disparities. 
For further information about the CAAC membership appointment process 
and schedule, please contact Dr. Suhair Shallal, DFO, by telephone at 
202-564-2057 or by email at [email protected].
    (2) The SAB Drinking Water Committee (DWC) provides advice on the 
scientific and technical aspects of EPA's national drinking water 
program. The SAB Staff Office is seeking nominations of experts with 
experience on drinking water issues. Members should have expertise in 
one or more of the following disciplines: Environmental chemistry; 
environmental engineering; epidemiology; microbiology; public health; 
risk assessment; and toxicology. For further information about the DWC 
membership appointment process and schedule, please contact Ms. Iris 
Goodman, DFO, by telephone at 202-564-2164 or by email at 
[email protected].
    (3) The SAB Ecological Processes and Effects Committee (EPEC) 
provides advice on science and research to assess, protect and restore 
the health of ecosystems. The SAB Staff Office is seeking nominations 
of experts with demonstrated expertise in the following disciplines: 
Aquatic ecology; marine and estuarine ecology; ecological risk 
assessment; ecotoxicology; systems ecology; and statistics. For further 
information about the EPEC membership appointment process and schedule, 
please contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, DFO, by telephone at 202-564-2155 
or by email at [email protected].
    (4) The SAB Environmental Economics Advisory Committee (EEAC) 
provides advice on methods and analyses related to economics, costs,

[[Page 23271]]

and benefits of EPA environmental programs. The SAB Staff Office is 
cseeking nominations of experts in environmental economics to serve on 
the EEAC. In particular, expertise will be sought in the following 
areas: Eonomic approaches for health risk valuation, e.g., stated 
preference approaches, hedonic analyses, averting behavior analyses, 
and/or cost of illness approaches; meta-analytic approaches to 
assessing and aggregating valuation estimates, e.g., expertise in meta-
regression models; and approaches for treating uncertainty in benefit 
cost analyses, particularly for health risks. For further information 
about the EEAC membership appointment process and schedule, please 
contact Dr. Holly Stallworth, DFO, by telephone at 202-564-2073 or by 
email at [email protected].
    (5) The SAB Environmental Engineering Committee (EEC) provides 
advice on risk management technologies to control and prevent 
pollution. The SAB Staff Office is seeking nominations of experts in 
chemical fate and transport; chemical engineering; civil engineering; 
environmental engineering; environmental system modeling; and 
wastewater treatment systems to serve on the EEC. For further 
information about the EEC membership appointment process and schedule, 
please contact Mr. Edward Hanlon, DFO, by telephone at 202-564-2134 or 
by email at [email protected].
    (6) The Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC) provides advice on 
radiation protection, radiation science, and radiation risk assessment. 
The SAB Staff Office is seeking nominations of experts to serve on the 
RAC with demonstrated expertise in the following disciplines: Fate and 
transport of radionuclides; nuclear waste remediation; radiation 
biostatistics; radiation dosimetry; and radiation exposure. For further 
information about the RAC membership appointment process and schedule, 
please contact Mr. Edward Hanlon, DFO, by telephone at 202-564-2134 or 
by email at [email protected].
    Selection Criteria for the SAB and six SAB Committees includes:
    --Demonstrated scientific credentials and disciplinary expertise in 
relevant fields;
    --Willingness to commit time to the committee and demonstrated 
ability to work constructively and effectively on committees;
    --Background and experiences that would help members contribute to 
the diversity of perspectives on the committee, e.g., geographic, 
economic, social, cultural, educational backgrounds, professional 
affiliations; and other considerations; and
    --For the committee as a whole, consideration of the collective 
breadth and depth of scientific expertise; and a balance of scientific 
perspectives.
    As these committees undertake specific advisory activities, the SAB 
Staff Office will consider two additional criteria for each new 
activity: Absence of financial conflicts of interest and absence of an 
appearance of a loss of impartiality.
    How to Submit Nominations: Any interested person or organization 
may nominate qualified persons to be considered for appointment to 
these advisory committees. Individuals may self-nominate. Nominations 
should be submitted in electronic format (preferred) following the 
instructions for ``Nominating Experts for Annual Membership'' provided 
on the SAB Web site. The form can be accessed through the ``Nomination 
of Experts'' link on the blue navigational bar on the SAB Web site at 
http://www.epa.gov/sab. To be considered, all nominations should 
include the information requested. EPA values and welcomes diversity. 
In an effort to obtain nominations of diverse candidates, EPA 
encourages nominations of women and men of all racial and ethnic 
groups.
    Nominators are asked to identify the specific committee for which 
nominees are to be considered. The following information should be 
provided on the nomination form: Contact information for the person 
making the nomination; contact information for the nominee; the 
disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the nominee; the 
nominee's curriculum vitae; and a biographical sketch of the nominee 
indicating current position, educational background; research 
activities; sources of research funding for the last 2 years; and 
recent service on other national advisory committees or national 
professional organizations. To help the agency evaluate the 
effectiveness of its outreach efforts, please indicate how you learned 
of this nomination opportunity. Persons having questions about the 
nomination process or the public comment process described below, or 
who are unable to submit nominations through the SAB Web site, should 
contact the Designated Federal Officer for the committee, as identified 
above. The DFO will acknowledge receipt of nominations and in that 
acknowledgement will invite the nominee to provide any additional 
information that the nominee feels would be useful in considering the 
nomination, such as availability to participate as a member of the 
committee; how the nominee's background, skills and experience would 
contribute to the diversity of the committee; and any questions the 
nominee has regarding membership. The names and biosketches of 
qualified nominees identified by respondents to this Federal Register 
notice, and additional experts identified by the SAB Staff, will be 
posted in a List of Candidates on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab. Public comments on this List of Candidates will be 
accepted for 21 days from the date the list is posted. The public will 
be requested to provide relevant information or other documentation on 
nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in evaluating 
candidates.
    Candidates invited to serve will 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 allows EPA to determine whether there is a statutory conflict 
between that person's public responsibilities as a Special Government 
Employee 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 blue navigational bar on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab. This form should not be submitted as part of a 
nomination.

    Dated: April 20, 2015.
Thomas H. Brennan,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2015-09782 Filed 4-24-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P