82 FR 34663 - Notification of a Public Meeting of the Chartered Science Advisory Board

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 142 (July 26, 2017)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public meeting of the chartered SAB to: Conduct three quality reviews of (1) the SAB peer review of EPA's Draft Assessment entitled Toxicological Review of Hexahydro- 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX); (2) the draft SAB report on Economy-wide Modeling of the Benefits and Costs of Environmental Regulation and (3) the draft SAB review of the EPA's Framework for Assessing Biogenic CO<INF>2</INF> Emissions from Stationary Sources (2014); and receive briefings on SAB projects and future topics from the EPA.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34663-34664]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15722]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9965-17-OA]


Notification of a Public Meeting 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 of the chartered 
SAB to: Conduct three quality reviews of (1) the SAB peer review of 
EPA's Draft Assessment entitled Toxicological Review of Hexahydro-
1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX); (2) the draft SAB report on 
Economy-wide Modeling of the Benefits and Costs of Environmental 
Regulation and (3) the draft SAB review of the EPA's Framework for 
Assessing Biogenic CO2 Emissions from Stationary Sources 
(2014); and receive briefings on SAB projects and future topics from 
the EPA.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 29, 2017, 
from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, August 30, 2016, from 9:00 
a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Residence Inn Arlington 
Capital View, 2850 South Potomac Ave., Arlington, VA 22202.

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.

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. The 
chartered SAB will conduct quality reviews of three draft reports. The 
SAB quality review process ensures that all draft reports developed by 
SAB panels, committees or workgroups are reviewed and approved by the 
Chartered SAB before being finalized and transmitted to the EPA 
Administrator. These reviews are conducted in a public meeting as 
required by FACA.
    Quality Review of the draft SAB Review of EPA's Draft Assessment 
entitled Toxicological Review of Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-
triazine (RDX): The National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) 
in the EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) develops 
toxicological reviews/assessments for various chemicals for IRIS. NCEA 
is developing a draft IRIS assessment for Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-
1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and has asked the SAB to peer review the draft 
document. The draft will be a reassessment of RDX. NCEA's draft 
Toxicological Review of Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) 
currently posted to the IRIS database includes an oral reference dose 
(RfD) (posted in 1988), and a cancer descriptor and oral cancer slope 
factor (posted in 1990). Epidemiological data, experimental animal 
data, and other relevant data from studies of the noncancer and cancer 
effects of RDX are being evaluated in this reassessment. The 
reassessment is expected to include an updated RfD and oral cancer 
assessment. Background on the current advisory activity, IRIS 
Assessment for Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) can be 
found on the SAB Web site at https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/0/50370BADC61C408685257E380077D825?OpenDocument.
    Quality Review of the draft SAB report on Economy-wide Modeling of 
the Benefits and Costs of Environmental Regulation: The EPA requested 
that the SAB provide review of the EPA's modeling and ability to 
measure full regulatory impacts and to make recommendations on the use 
of economy-wide modeling frameworks to characterize the social costs, 
benefits, and economic impacts of air regulations with the aim of 
improving benefit-cost and economic impact analyses used to inform 
decision-making at the agency. As a first step, the EPA has asked the 
SAB to provide feedback on its draft charge questions and analytic 
blueprint. Background on the current advisory activity, Economy-wide 
Modeling of the Benefits and Costs of Environmental Regulation can be 
found on the SAB Web site at https://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/LookupWebProjectsCurrentBOARD/07e67cf77b54734285257bb0004f87ed!OpenDocument&TableRow=2.1#2.
    Quality review of a draft SAB review report on the Framework for 
Assessing Biogenic CO2 Emissions from Stationary Sources: In 2012, the 
SAB completed a review of the first draft accounting framework 
addressing scientific and technical issues associated with biogenic 
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, Accounting Framework for 
Biogenic CO2 Emissions from Stationary Sources (September 2011). The 
EPA subsequently revised the 2011 framework and requested the SAB to 
conduct a review of the Framework for Assessing Biogenic CO2 Emissions 
from Stationary Sources (November 2014). The purpose of the 2014 
framework is to develop a method for calculating the adjustment, or 
Biogenic Assessment Factor (BAF), for carbon emissions associated with 
the combustion of biogenic feedstocks taking into account the 
biological carbon cycle effects

[[Page 34664]]

associated with their growth, harvest and processing. The SAB convened 
the Biogenic Carbon Emissions Panel to review the framework. Background 
on the current advisory activity, Biogenic Carbon Dioxide Emissions 
from Stationary Sources--Assessment Framework can be found on the SAB 
Web site at http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/Biogenic%20CO2%20Framework?OpenDocument.
    Briefings and updates: The SAB will receive updates from SAB 
members on the current activities of committees and panels developing 
advisory reports and briefings on future topics from the EPA staff.
    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.
    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 August 29-30, 
2017, meeting should contact Mr. Thomas Carpenter, DFO, in writing 
(preferably via email) at the contact information noted above by August 
21, 2017 to be placed on the list of registered speakers. Written 
Statements: Written statements for the August 29-30, 2017, meeting 
should be received in the SAB Staff Office by August 21, 2017, 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: July 11, 2017.
 Khanna Johnston,
Acting Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2017-15722 Filed 7-25-17; 8:45 am]
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