81 FR 4296 - Notification of a Public Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Environmental Economics Advisory Committee

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 16 (January 26, 2016)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the SAB Environmental Economics Advisory Committee to review the EPA's proposed methodology for updating its mortality risk valuation estimates for policy analysis.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4296-4297]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01507]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9941-63-OA]


Notification of a Public Meeting of the Science Advisory Board 
Environmental Economics Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science 
Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the SAB 
Environmental Economics Advisory Committee to review the EPA's proposed 
methodology for updating its mortality risk valuation estimates for 
policy analysis.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on March 7, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. 
to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) and on March 8, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time).

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Crowne Plaza 
Washington National Airport Hotel, 1480 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 
22202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public who wants 
further information concerning this public meeting may contact Dr. 
Thomas Armitage, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA Science Advisory 
Board Staff Office (1400R) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; by telephone at (202) 
564-2155 or via email at [email protected]. General information 
concerning the EPA SAB can be found at http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: The SAB was established pursuant to the Environmental 
Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDAA) 
codified at 42 U.S.C. 4365, to provide independent scientific and 
technical advice to the Administrator on the 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 Environmental Economics 
Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting to review the EPA's 
proposed methodology for updating its mortality risk valuation 
estimates for policy analysis. Estimates of the value of mortality risk 
reductions play an important role in the EPA's analysis of the benefits 
of regulatory actions. The committee will provide advice to the 
Administrator through the chartered SAB.
    The EPA's Office of Policy has requested advice on proposed 
improvements to the Agency's methodology for estimating benefits 
associated with reduced risk of mortality. This methodology takes into 
account the amounts that individuals are willing to pay for reductions 
in mortality risk. The resulting values are combined into an estimate 
known as the value of statistical life (VSL) which is used in 
regulatory benefit-cost analysis. The EPA has also requested that the 
SAB review options for accounting for changes in the VSL over time as 
real income grows, known as income elasticity of willingness to pay. 
The EPA has submitted the following documents to the SAB for review: 
(1) Valuing Mortality Risk for Policy: a Meta-analytic Approach, a 
white paper prepared by the EPA Office of Policy to describe the 
Agency's interpretation and application of SAB recommendations received 
in July 2011 regarding updates to the EPA's estimates of mortality risk 
valuation; (2) The Effect of Income on the Value of Mortality and 
Morbidity Risk Reductions, a report prepared for the EPA's Office of 
Air and Radiation on options for updating the Agency's recommended 
estimate for the income elasticity of the value of statistical life; 
and (3) Recommended Income Elasticity and Income Growth Estimates: 
Technical Memorandum, an EPA memorandum providing supplementary 
information to the report. Additional information about this SAB 
advisory activity can be found at the following URL: http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/Measuring%20Mortality%20Risk?OpenDocument.
    Technical Contacts: Any technical questions concerning the 
documents to be reviewed by the SAB should be directed to Dr. Nathalie 
Simon in the EPA's National Center for Environmental Economics, by 
telephone at 202-566-2347 or by email at [email protected].
    Availability of the meeting materials: Prior to the meeting, the 
review documents, agenda and other materials will be accessible on the 
meeting page on the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
    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. 
Interested members of the public may submit relevant information on the 
topic of this advisory activity, including the charge to the panel and 
the EPA review documents, and/or the group conducting the activity, for 
the SAB to consider during the advisory process. Input from the public 
to the SAB will have the most impact if it consists of comments that 
provide specific scientific or technical information or analysis for 
the SAB panel 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 the meeting will be limited to five minutes per 
speaker. Interested parties should contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, DFO, in 
writing (preferably via email), at the contact information noted above, 
by February 29, 2016 to be placed on the list of public speakers for 
the meeting.
    Written Statements: Written statements will be accepted throughout 
the advisory process; however, for timely consideration by Committee 
members, statements should be

[[Page 4297]]

supplied to the DFO (preferably via email) at the contact information 
noted above by February 29, 2016. It is the SAB Staff Office general 
policy to post written comments on the Web page for advisory meetings. 
Submitters are requested to provide an 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 Dr. Armitage at the 
contact information provided above. To request accommodation of a 
disability, please contact Dr. Armitage preferably at least ten days 
prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process 
your request.

    Dated: January 19, 2016.
Thomas H. Brennan,
 Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2016-01507 Filed 1-25-16; 8:45 am]
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