[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 158 (Thursday, August 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46101-46102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16077]
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NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY COORDINATION OFFICE
Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology Subcommittee,
National Science and Technology Council, Committee on Technology;
Priorities for Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Related to
Engineered Nanoscale Materials: An Interim Document for Public Comment
August 10, 2007.
ACTION: Notice of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), on
behalf of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET)
Subcommittee of the Committee on Technology, National Science and
Technology Council (NSTC), will post a document for public comment on
the Web site www.nano.gov. The document, The Prioritization of
Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs for Engineered
Nanoscale Materials: An Interim Document for Public Comment, assigns
priority to research needs and areas that were identified in the NSET
Subcommittee document Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs
for Engineered Nanoscale Materials, which was published on September
21, 2006. The comment period will commence on August 16, 2007 and end
on September 17, 2007.
Web site Posting: The prioritization document and request for
comment will be posted at the Web site of the National Nanotechnology
Initiative, www.nano.gov. (The document can be accessed from the
indicated home page or by going directly to http://www.nano.gov/html/society/ehs_priorities.) Comments can be submitted to the NSET
Subcommittee via the Web site through September 17, 2007. Only written
comments are being solicited at this time.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding this Notice,
please contact Cate Alexander Brennan, National Nanotechnology
Coordination Office. Telephone: (703) 292-4399. E-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and
Technology (NSET) Subcommittee coordinates planning, budgeting, and
program implementation and review to ensure a balanced and
comprehensive National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). The NSET
Subcommittee is composed of representatives from agencies participating
in the NNI. The NNCO provides technical and administrative support to
the NSET Subcommittee in its work.
On September 21, 2006, the NSET Subcommittee released a document
identifying environmental, health, and safety research and information
needs related to understanding and management of potential risks of
nanomaterials. The document, Environmental, Health, and Safety Research
Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials, was created by the
Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) Working
Group of the NSET Subcommittee, which is composed of scientists and
other agency representatives. The document reflects expert input from
industry liaison groups and other research needs-identification
efforts. (To read this document, see http://www.nano.gov/NNI_EHS_research_needs.pdf).
On January 4, 2007, a public meeting was held in Arlington, VA, to
receive input on research needs related to the environmental, health,
and safety aspects of engineered nanoscale materials, and specifically,
prioritization criteria for the research identified in the September
21, 2006, document. Input gained from the public at the January 4
meeting was considered in preparing the prioritization document, which
is the subject of this call for public comment.
The additional feedback requested through this solicitation by the
NSET Subcommittee and the NNI participating agencies is whether parties
agree with the identified priorities of the Government or would suggest
different or additional priorities. Support for the submitted
perspectives is requested. The comment period is an opportunity for
public input into the prioritization of research related to
environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanomaterials. The
prioritization document will be used by the Federal agencies as they
set research priorities for Government-funded research programs.
For more information on the National Nanotechnology Initiative and
its various working entities, please visit www.nano.gov.
[[Page 46102]]
How Can You Participate?
You can participate through written electronic submissions to the
NNCO at http://www.nano.gov/html/society/ehs_priorities. Submissions
are welcome from all members of the public.
How Will Public Input Be Used?
All comments and recommendations that are submitted will be
considered by the NEHI Working Group. Input from multiple stakeholders
with various interests will be valuable to the NNI. Through activities
such as this solicitation, the NSET Subcommittee and NNI member
agencies are making the priority-setting process dynamic, open, and
transparent.
E. Clayton Teague,
Director, National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, Nanoscale
Science, Engineering, and Technology Subcommittee of the National
Science and Technology Council Committee on Technology.
[FR Doc. E7-16077 Filed 8-15-07; 8:45 am]
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