[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 137 (Monday, July 17, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44051-44053]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18028]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL--6837-7]
Science Advisory Board; Notification of Public Advisory Committee
Meetings
Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463,
notice is hereby given of two meetings of Committees of the US EPA
Science Advisory Board on the dates and times noted below. All times
noted are Eastern Daylight Time. All meetings are open to the public,
however, seating is limited and available on a first come basis.
Important Notice: Documents that are the subject of SAB reviews are
normally available from the originating EPA office and are not
available from the SAB Office--information concerning availability of
documents from the relevant Program Office is included below.
1. Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC) Teleconference--August 1,
2000
The Science Advisory Board's (SAB) Radiation Advisory Committee
(RAC) will conduct a public teleconference meeting on Tuesday, August
1, 2000, between the hours of 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m (Eastern Daylight
Time). The meeting will be coordinated through a conference call
connection in Room 6013 in the Ariel Rios Building North, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 (adjacent to the
escalator to the Federal Triangle Metro Station on 12th Street NW). The
public is welcome to attend the meeting in person or through a
telephonic link, to the extent that lines are available (phone lines
will be very limited). Additional instructions about how to participate
in the conference call can be obtained by calling Ms. Diana Pozun at
(202) 564-4544, or via e-mail at: [email protected] by Thursday, July
27, 2000.
Purpose of the Meeting--At this meeting the RAC plans to review and
recap the EPA's response to the Committee's Low Activity Mixed Waste
Advisory (EPA-SAB-RAC-ADV-99-006), receive a brief overview
presentation on a Multi-Agency Radiation Laboratory Analytical
Protocols (MARLAP) Manual by the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air
(SAB Project 00-22), and tentatively have a discussion on RAC FY2001
self-initiated projects and other Agency proposed FY2001 projects.
Availability of Review Materials: Single copies of the EPA response
to the RAC's Low Activity Mixed Waste Advisory (EPA-SAB-RAC-ADV-99-006)
USEPA are available from Ms. Diana Pozun, Radiation Advisory Committee,
Science Advisory Board (1400A), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20460. Ms. Pozun can also be reached by telephone at
(202) 564-4544, fax at (202) 501-0582, or e-mail: [email protected].
The Committee's report (EPA-SAB-RAC-ADV-99-006) is available on the SAB
Website (www.epa.gov/sab) under the Reports heading. An electronic copy
of the overview of MARLAP is available at the website address: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/marlap/ by clicking on the underlined hotlink
titled ``Introduction to MARLAP''.
For Further Information:
Members of the public desiring additional information about the
meeting should contact Ms. Melanie Medina-Metzger, Designated Federal
Officer, Radiation Advisory Committee, Science Advisory Board (1400A),
Suite 6450, U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
20460; telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-5987; fax at (202) 501-0582;
or via e-mail at [email protected]. A copy of the draft
agenda is available from Ms. Diana Pozun at (202) 564-4544 or by FAX at
(202) 501-0582 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Members of the
public who wish to make a brief oral presentation to the Committee (in
Room 6013 only) must contact Ms. Medina-Metzger in writing (by letter
or by fax--see previously stated information) no later than 12 noon
Eastern Standard Time, Friday, July 28, 2000 in order to be included on
the Agenda. Public comments will be limited to five minutes per speaker
or organization; 15 minutes total. The request should identify the name
of the individual making the presentation, and the organization (if
any) that they will represent. Please note: If we receive more requests
than we can accommodate, time of receipt of the materials at the office
will determine priority, with the first three requests granted time
(additional requests may be granted to the extent that time is
available, as determined by the RAC Chair at the time of the meeting).
All others will have to provide written comments. Written comments of
any length may be submitted to Ms. Medina-Metzger at any time until the
date of the meeting.
2. Drinking Water Committee (DWC) Meeting--August 8-9, 2000
The Drinking Water Committee of the US EPA Science Advisory Board
(SAB), will meet on August 8 and 9, 2000 in Room 120/126 of the Andrew
W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center, 26 West Martin Luther
King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268; telephone (513) 569-7772. The meeting
will begin at 9:00 a.m. on August 8 and adjourn no later than 3:00 p.m.
on August 9, 2000.
Purpose of the Meeting--The Drinking Water Committee will conduct a
review of EPA's draft research plan in support of the Safe Drinking
Water Act's Candidate Contaminant Listing (CCL) program. The Committee
will also complete its deliberations on the EPA proposed arsenic
drinking water
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regulation and discuss possible interactions it might have with the
Agency on the pending Microbial/Disinfection Byproduct Stage 2 rule-
making proposal.
Background--(a) Research Plan for Candidate Contaminant Listing
(CCL)--The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended in 1996, requires
the EPA to establish a list of unregulated microbiological and chemical
contaminants to aid in priority setting for the Agency's drinking water
program. A new list must be published every five years. The first
Contaminant Candidate List (CCL1) was first proposed by EPA in 1997 and
was then finalized in 1998, following extensive consultation with
stakeholders.
The Agency must select five or more contaminants from the CCL1 and
determine, by August 2001, whether they should be regulated. To support
these decisions, the Agency will have to evaluate when and where these
contaminants occur, the extent of exposure and risk to public health,
and determine if cost effective control methods are available.
EPA has sorted CCL1 contaminants into categories depending upon
whether they need additional research (Research or Occurrence
Priorities categories) or have sufficient data for the evaluation of
exposure and risk to public health, and therefore enough data to
support a drinking water standard (Regulatory Determination Priorities
category). The contaminants considered for selection and regulatory
determination by August 2001 will be drawn from the Regulatory
Determination category and are not duplicated under the Research or
Occurrence Priorities categories.
A Research Plan has been prepared to describe the nature, timing
and priority of research needed in order to meet the CCL research
information needs of the Agency. The plan focuses on contaminants that
are on CCL1. Nevertheless, it is important for some research to be
conducted on emerging pathogens and chemicals to ensure that any future
CCL includes contaminants that are of potential public health concern.
The SAB has been asked to review this plan.
(b) Proposed Arsenic Drinking Water Standard--The DWC met from June
5-7, 2000 to discuss various elements of the proposed EPA proposal for
an arsenic drinking water standard (for further information, see 65 FR
30589-30590). The charge questions were discussed by panelists and a
number of conclusions reached on responses. The report to EPA is now
being drafted to convey the SAB's advice on the arsenic proposal. The
discussion at the August 8-9, 2000 DWC meeting will focus on, and reach
closure on, any remaining issues that are identified as the Committee
reviews and comments on its draft report to the Administrator.
Charge to the Committee--(a) CCL--EPA asks whether: (i) It
considered the appropriate existing information about CCL contaminants
in formulating the Plan; (ii) it identified the key science questions;
(iii) they identified appropriate research by subject and scope to
address the identified science questions; (iv) the relative priorities
and timetable proposed for the planned research are appropriate; and
(v) the process used to identify data gaps and prioritize research
needs is sound.
(b) Arsenic--Questions asked of the DWC for the June arsenic review
included: (i) Concentration on inorganic arsenic as principal form
causing health effects--Does the SAB have perspectives on this issue
that it believes EPA should consider in developing its risk assessment?
(ii) Implications of natural arsenic exposure through food--Does
SAB agree with the implied NRC perspective that relative source
contribution of food should be taken into consideration in the setting
of the drinking water standard and how might we consider this and
communicate it to the public?
(iii) Accounting for Cardiovascular Health End Point--Is
precautionary advice on use of low-arsenic water in preparation of
infant formula appropriate given the available information?
(iv) Decision tree for waste disposal options for arsenic treatment
brines and spent media--Based upon a review of the submitted materials,
does the SAB believe that the EPA produced an accurate projection of
the likely disposal options for arsenic residuals and the distribution
of these options by treatment type? What are the SAB's views on the
advantages and the limitations of the various waste disposal options?
What effect, if any, would the SAB's analysis of these advantages and
limitations have on the probabilities assigned? What are the SAB's
views on which options will be more likely used by small systems (less
than 10,000 people), and which will be more likely used by larger ones?
(v) Decision tree for ground water treatment technologies--Does the
SAB agree with the principal ``branches'' of EPA's decision tree
described in the submitted documents and the likelihood that these
options will be used for systems of various sizes with various source
water characteristics? What views does the SAB have on EPA's
description of the advantages and limitations of these treatment
technologies? Would the SAB's views on these advantages and limitations
affect the probabilities assigned?
Availability of Review Materials--Additional information on the
materials provided to the Committee for its arsenic review can be
obtained by contacting Ms. Irene Dooley, US EPA Office of Water by
telephone at (202) 260-9531 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Additional information on the materials provided to the Committee for
its CCL Research Plan review can be obtained by contacting Dr. Robert
Clark, US EPA, National Risk Management Research Laboratory,
Cincinnati, OH by telephone at (513) 569-7201 or by e-mail at
[email protected].
For Further Information--Any member of the public wishing further
information concerning this meeting or wishing to submit brief oral
comments (10 minutes or less) must contact Thomas O. Miller, Designated
Federal Officer, Science Advisory Board (1400A), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460;
telephone (202) 564-4558; FAX (202) 501-0582; or via e-mail at
[email protected]. Requests for oral comments must be in writing (e-
mail, fax or mail) and received by Mr. Miller no later than noon
Eastern Time on August 2, 2000.
Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings
It is the policy of the Science Advisory Board to accept written
public comments of any length, and to accommodate oral public comments
whenever possible. The Science Advisory Board expects that public
statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of
previously submitted oral or written statements. Oral Comments: In
general, each individual or group requesting an oral presentation at a
face-to-face meeting will be limited to a total time of ten minutes.
For teleconference meetings, opportunities for oral comment will
usually be limited to no more than three minutes per speaker and no
more than fifteen minutes total. Deadlines for getting on the public
speaker list for a meeting are given above. Speakers should bring at
least 35 copies of their comments and presentation slides for
distribution to the reviewers and public at the meeting. Written
Comments: Although the SAB accepts written comments until the date of
the meeting (unless otherwise stated), written comments should be
received in the SAB Staff Office at least one week prior to the meeting
date so that the
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comments may be made available to the committee for their
consideration. Comments should be supplied to the appropriate DFO at
the address/contact information noted above in the following formats:
One hard copy with original signature, and one electronic copy via e-
mail (acceptable file format: WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files (in
IBM-PC/Windows 95/98 format). Those providing written comments and who
attend the meeting are also asked to bring 25 copies of their comments
for public distribution.
General Information--Additional information concerning the Science
Advisory Board, its structure, function, and composition, may be found
on the SAB Website (http://www.epa.gov/sab) and in The FY1999 Annual
Report of the Staff Director which is available from the SAB
Publications Staff at (202) 564-4533 or via fax at (202) 501-0256.
Committee rosters, draft Agendas and meeting calendars are also located
on our website.
Meeting Access--Individuals requiring special accommodation at this
meeting, including wheelchair access to the conference room, should
contact the appropriate DFO at least five business days prior to the
meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Dated: July 10, 2000.
John R. Fowle, III,
Acting Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 00-18028 Filed 7-14-00; 8:45 am]
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