Science Advisory Board Notification of Public Advisory Committee Meetings

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 68 (Monday, April 8, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15481-15482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-8665]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5454-5]


Science Advisory Board Notification of Public Advisory Committee 
Meetings

    Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, 
notice is hereby given that several committees of the Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) will meet on the dates and times described below. All times 
noted are Eastern Time. All meetings are open to the public. Due to 
limited space, seating at meetings will be on a first-come basis. For 
further information concerning specific meetings, please contact the 
individuals listed below. Documents that are the subject of SAB reviews 
are normally available from the originating EPA office and are not 
available from the SAB Office.

1. Lakes Biocriteria Subcommittee Meeting

    The Lakes Biocriteria Subcommittee of the Ecological Processes and 
Effects Committee (EPEC) of the Science Advisory Board (SAB) will meet 
on April 22-23, 1996, at the Washington Information Center (WIC), Room 
17, at the EPA Waterside Mall Complex, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 
20460. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on April 22 and at 8:00 a.m. 
on April 23, and will end no later than 5:00 p.m. on both days. The 
meeting is open to the public and seating is on a first come basis.
    The purpose of the meeting is to review the Agency's draft 
technical guidance document on Lake and Reservoir Bioassessment and 
Biocriteria. The document describes a set of protocols for biological 
assessment/monitoring to assess the total ecological health of lakes 
and reservoirs. The technical guidance is the second in a series of 
guidance documents being developed to assist states to develop 
biocriteria, numeric values or narrative expressions that measure 
attainment of biological integrity of aquatic communities inhabiting 
waters that have been given a designated aquatic life use; in 1994, a 
subcommittee of EPEC reviewed draft guidance on biocriteria for streams 
and small rivers. The charge to the Lakes Biocriteria Subcommittee is 
to review for scientific adequacy and pertinence: (1) The selection and 
treatment of biotic parameters used to evaluate lake and reservoir 
resource quality; (2) the selection and treatment of habitat 
characteristics used to classify and to assess lakes and reservoirs; 
(3) recommended sampling design; and (4) techniques to determine 
significant deviations from the criteria.
    Single copies of the review materials provided to the Subcommittee 
can be obtained by contacting Chris Faulker, Assessment and Watershed 
Protection Division (4503F), EPA Office of Water, 401 M Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20460, telephone (202) 260-6228. Members of the public 
desiring additional information concerning the meeting, including an 
agenda, should contact Ms. Constance Valentine, Staff Secretary, 
Science Advisory Board (1400F), US EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington DC 
20460, by telephone at (202) 260-6552, fax at (202) 260-7118, or via 
The INTERNET at: Valentine.Connie@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.
    Anyone wishing to make an oral presentation at the meeting should 
contact Stephanie Sanzone, Designated Federal Official for EPEC, no 
later than 4:00 p.m., April 17, 1996, at (202) 260-6557 or via the 
Internet at Sanzone.Stephanie@epamail.epa.gov. The request should 
identify the name of the individual who will make the presentation, the 
organization they represent, if any, and an outline of the issues to be 
addressed. At least 35 copies of any written comments to the 
Subcommittee are to be given to Ms. Sanzone no later than the time of 
the presentation for distribution to the Subcommittee and the 
interested public. See below for additional information on providing 
comments to the SAB.

2. Integrated Risk Project Steering Committee Teleconference

    The Steering Committee for the Science Advisory Board's (SAB) 
Integrated Risk Project will hold a public teleconference on April 29, 
1996 from 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. The purpose of the teleconference is to 
discuss various aspects of the Integrated Risk Project, including 
project organization, scope, and schedule.

Background:

    In a letter dated October 25, 1995, to Dr. Matanoski, Chair of the 
SAB Executive Committee, Deputy Administrator Fred Hansen charged the 
SAB to update its 1990 report, Reducing Risk: Setting Priorities and 
Strategies for Environmental Protection. Specifically, the charge is 
to: (1) Develop an updated ranking of the relative risk of different 
environmental problems based upon explicit scientific criteria; (2) 
provide an assessment of techniques and criteria that could be used to 
descriminate among emerging environmental risks and identify those that 
merit serious, near-term Agency attention; (3) assess the potential for 
risk reduction and propose alternative technical risk reduction 
strategies for the

[[Page 15482]]
environmental problems identified; and (4) identify the uncertainties 
and data quality issues associated with the relative rankings. The 
project will be conducted by several SAB panels, working at the 
direction of an ad hoc Steering Committee established by the Executive 
Committee.
    Single copies of Reducing Risk can be obtained by contacting the 
SAB's Committee Evaluation and Support Staff (1400), 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20460, telephone (202) 260-8414, or fax (202) 260-1889. 
Members of the public who wish to participate in the teleconference 
meeting should contact Ms. Constance Valentine, Staff Secretary, no 
later than April 24, 1996 at Science Advisory Board (1400F), US EPA, 
401 M Street, SW, Washington DC 20460, by telephone at (202) 260-6552, 
fax at (202) 260-7118, or via The INTERNET at: 
Valentine.Connie@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.
    Anyone wishing to make an oral presentation at the meeting should 
contact Stephanie Sanzone, Designated Federal Official, no later than 
4:00 p.m., April 24, 1996, at (202) 260-6557 or via the Internet at 
Sanzone.Stephanie@epamail.epa.gov. The request should identify the name 
of the individual who will make the presentation, the organization they 
represent, if any, and an outline of the issues to be addressed. At 
least 35 copies of any written comments to the Committee are to be 
given to Ms. Sanzone for distribution to the Committee and the 
interested public. See below for additional information on providing 
comments to the SAB.

3. Ecological Processes and Effects Committee Teleconference

    The Ecological Processes and Effects Committee (EPEC) of the 
Science Advisory Board (SAB) will hold a public teleconference on May 
13, 1996, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. to continue discussions of ecological 
risks and the potential for risk reduction as part of an SAB project to 
update the 1990 SAB report, Reducing Risk: Setting Priorities and 
Strategies for Environmental Protection.

Background

    In a letter dated October 25, 1995, to Dr. Matanoski, Chair of the 
SAB Executive Committee, Deputy Administrator Fred Hansen charged the 
SAB to update its 1990 report, Reducing Risk: Setting Priorities and 
Strategies for Environmental Protection. Specifically, the charge is 
to: (1) Develop an updated ranking of the relative risk of different 
environmental problems based upon explicit scientific criteria; (2) 
provide an assessment of techniques and criteria that could be used to 
descriminate among emerging environmental risks and identify those that 
merit serious, near-term Agency attention; (3) assess the potential for 
risk reduction and propose alternative technical risk reduction 
strategies for the environmental problems identified; and 4) identify 
the uncertainties and data quality issues associated with the relative 
rankings. The project will be conducted by several SAB panels, 
including EPEC, working at the direction of an ad hoc Steering 
Committee established by the Executive Committee.
    Single copies of Reducing Risk can be obtained by contacting the 
SAB's Committee Evaluation and Support Staff (1400), 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20460, telephone (202) 260-8414, or fax (202) 260-1889. 
Members of the public who wish to participate in the teleconference 
meeting should contact Ms. Constance Valentine, Staff Secretary, no 
later than 4:00 p.m. on May 8, 1996 at Science Advisory Board (1400F), 
US EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington DC 20460, by telephone at (202) 
260-6552, fax at (202) 260-7118, or via The INTERNET at: 
Valentine.Connie@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.
    Anyone wishing to make an oral presentation at the meeting should 
contact Stephanie Sanzone, Designated Federal Official for EPEC, no 
later than 4:00 p.m. on May 8, 1996, at (202) 260-6557 or via the 
Internet at Sanzone.Stephanie@epamail.epa.gov. The request should 
identify the name of the individual who will make the presentation, the 
organization they represent, if any, and an outline of the issues to be 
addressed. At least 35 copies of any written comments to the Committee 
are to be given to Ms. Sanzone for distribution to the Committee and 
the interested public. See below for additional information on 
providing comments to the SAB.

Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings

    The Science Advisory Board expects that public statements presented 
at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or 
written statements. In general, each individual or group making an oral 
presentation will be limited to a total time of ten minutes. For 
conference call meetings, opportunities for oral comment will be 
limited to no more than five minutes per speaker and no more than 
fifteen minutes total. Written comments (at least 35 copies) received 
in the SAB Staff Office sufficiently prior to a meeting date, may be 
mailed to the relevant SAB committee or subcommittee prior to its 
meeting; comments received too close to the meeting date will normally 
be provided to the committee at its meeting. Written comments may be 
provided to the relevant committee or subcommittee up until the time of 
the meeting.

    Dated: March 26, 1996.
John R. Fowle III,
Acting Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 96-8665 Filed 4-5-96; 8:45 am]
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