81 FR 26551 - Notification of a Public Meeting and Public Teleconference of the Chartered Science Advisory Board

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 85 (May 3, 2016)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting and a public teleconference of the chartered SAB to conduct a quality review of a draft SAB report on an assessment of potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources and to receive briefings on topics of interest for possible future SAB advice.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26551-26552]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10392]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9945-99-OA]


Notification of a Public Meeting and Public Teleconference of the 
Chartered Science Advisory Board

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting and a public 
teleconference of the chartered SAB to conduct a quality review of a 
draft SAB report on an assessment of potential impacts of hydraulic 
fracturing on drinking water resources and to receive briefings on 
topics of interest for possible future SAB advice.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2016, from 
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, June 15, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. to 
1:00 p.m. The teleconference, if needed to accommodate registered 
public speakers, will be held on June 8, 2016 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 
p.m. (Eastern Time).

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Westin Alexandria, 400 
Courthouse Square, Alexandria, VA 22314.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wants 
further information concerning the meeting may contact Mr. Thomas 
Carpenter, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA Science Advisory Board 
(1400R), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/voice mail (202) 564-4885, or 
email at [email protected]. General information concerning the 
SAB can be found on the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    Technical Contact for EPA's Draft Report: Any technical questions 
concerning EPA's draft report, Assessment of the Potential Impacts of 
Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources (May 
2015 External Review Draft, EPA/600/R-15/047), should be directed to 
Dr. Jeffrey Frithsen, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 
Office of Research and Development, U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue 
NW., Mail Code 8601P, Washington, DC 20460, telephone (703) 347-8623 or 
via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: The SAB was established pursuant to the Environmental 
Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDDAA), 
codified at 42 U.S.C. 4365, to provide independent scientific and 
technical advice to the Administrator on the scientific and technical 
basis for Agency positions and regulations. The SAB is a Federal 
Advisory Committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA), 5 U.S.C., App. 2. The SAB will comply with the provisions of 
FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies. Pursuant 
to FACA and EPA policy, notice is hereby given that the SAB will hold a 
public meeting to discuss and deliberate on the topics below.
    (1) Quality review of the SAB Draft 4-26-16 Review of EPA's draft 
Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and 
Gas on Drinking Water Resources. The EPA's Office of Research and 
Development (ORD) requested the SAB to conduct a peer review of the 
draft assessment report concerning the relationship between hydraulic 
fracturing and drinking water in the United States. The purpose of the 
report, Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for 
Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources (May 2015 External Review 
Draft, EPA/600/R-15/047), is to synthesize available scientific 
literature and data to assess the potential for hydraulic fracturing 
for oil and gas to impact the quality or quantity of drinking water 
resources, and identify factors affecting the frequency or severity of 
any potential impacts.
    The SAB Hydraulic Fracturing Research Advisory Panel conducted a 
peer review of the EPA draft assessment and the chartered SAB will 
conduct a quality review of the panel's draft report. Quality review is 
a key function of the chartered SAB. Draft reports prepared by SAB 
committees, panels, or work groups must be reviewed and approved by the 
chartered SAB before transmittal to the EPA Administrator. Consistent 
with FACA, the chartered SAB makes a determination in a public meeting 
about each draft report and determines whether the report is ready to 
be transmitted to the EPA Administrator.
    Background on the current advisory activity, Assessment of the 
Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking 
Water Resources, can be found on the SAB Web site at https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf//LookupWebProjectsCurrentBOARD/F7A9DB9ABBAC015785257E540052DD54?OpenDocument.
    (2) Briefings from representatives of the EPA and other EPA 
advisory Committees on topics of interest for possible future SAB 
advice.
    If the SAB Staff Office determines that there will be insufficient 
time during the June 14-15, 2016 meeting to accommodate the members of 
the public who registered in advance to provide oral public comments, 
the teleconference will be held on June 8, 2016 to provide additional 
time for oral public comments.
    Availability of Meeting Materials: A meeting agenda and other 
materials for the meeting will be placed on the SAB Web site at http://epa.gov/sab.

[[Page 26552]]

    Procedures for Providing Public Input: Public comment for 
consideration by EPA's federal advisory committees and panels has a 
different purpose from public comment provided to EPA program offices. 
Therefore, the process for submitting comments to a federal advisory 
committee is different from the process used to submit comments to an 
EPA program office.
    Federal advisory committees and panels, including scientific 
advisory committees, provide independent advice to the EPA. Members of 
the public can submit relevant comments pertaining to the EPA's charge, 
meeting materials, or the group providing advice. Input from the public 
to the SAB will have the most impact if it provides specific scientific 
or technical information or analysis for the SAB to consider or if it 
relates to the clarity or accuracy of the technical information. 
Members of the public wishing to provide comment should contact the DFO 
directly.
    Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting an 
oral presentation at a public meeting will be limited to five minutes. 
Persons interested in providing oral statements at the June 14-15, 2016 
meeting should contact Mr. Thomas Carpenter, DFO, in writing 
(preferably via email) at the contact information noted above by June 
1, 2016 to be placed on the list of registered speakers. Written 
Statements: Written statements for the June 14-15, 2016 meeting should 
be received in the SAB Staff Office by June 7, 2016 so that the 
information can be made available to the SAB for its consideration 
prior to the meeting. Written statements should be supplied to the DFO 
at the contact information above via email (preferred) or in hard copy 
with original signature. Submitters are requested to provide a signed 
and unsigned version of each document because the SAB Staff Office does 
not publish documents with signatures on its Web sites. Members of the 
public should be aware that their personal contact information, if 
included in any written comments, may be posted to the SAB Web site. 
Copyrighted material will not be posted without explicit permission of 
the copyright holder.
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Mr. Carpenter at the 
phone number or email address noted above, preferably at least ten days 
prior to the meeting, to give the EPA as much time as possible to 
process your request.

    Dated: April 27, 2016.
 Thomas H. Brennan,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2016-10392 Filed 5-2-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P