Science Advisory Board; Notification of Public Advisory Committee Meetings

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5164-3]

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

[[Page 11972]] Board (SAB) will meet on the dates and times described

below. All times noted are Eastern Time. Documents that are the subject

of SAB reviews are normally available from the originating EPA office

and are not available from the SAB Office, unless otherwise specified.

All meetings are open to the public, however, due to limited space,

seating at meetings will be on a first-come basis.

1. Executive Committee (EC)

The Science Advisory Board's Executive Committee will conduct a

public teleconference meeting on Monday, March 20, 1995, between the

hours of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The meeting will be coordinated through a

conference call connection at the Environmental Protection Agency, 401

M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460. Additional instructions about how

to participate in the conference call (in person or via telephone) can

be obtained by calling Ms. Constance Valentine at (202) 260-6552 or FAX

(202) 260-7118 no later than March 13.

This is the first conference call meeting conducted by the

Executive Committee. It stems from a recommendation of the Board's

self-study committee that the SAB explore methods for speeding final

action on reports from the Board's various committees. By conducting

the final review of reports via conference call that take place between

the quarterly face-to-face meetings of the Executive Committee, the

production for final SAB reports can be shortened by as much as several

weeks.

In this meeting the Executive Committee plans to review three

reports from two of its Committees: (1) Environmental Health

Committee--(a) Review of the Agency's Reproductive Toxicity Risk

Assessment Guidelines and (b) Commentary on the Benchmark Dose; and (2)

Drinking Water Committee--Review of the Agency's Arsenic in Drinking

Water Document. Copies of these documents are available from Ms.

Valentine at the above phone numbers.

Any member of the public wishing further information concerning the

meeting or wishing to submit comments should contact Mr. A. Robert

Flaak, Acting Designated Federal Official for the Executive Committee,

Science Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Washington DC 20460; telephone (202) 260-6552; FAX (202) 260-7118; or

via the INTERNET at [email protected]

2. Research Strategies Advisory Committee (RSAC)

The Research Strategies Advisory Committee (RSAC) of the SAB will

meet on March 17, 1995, at the Holiday Inn, 550 C Street SW.,

Washington, DC. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end no later

than 5 p.m.

The Research Strategies Advisory Committee routinely reviews broad

issues related to the planning and management of research activities

within the Agency. At this meeting, RSAC will receive briefings on the

FY 1996 President's Budget Request for the Office of Research and

Development (ORD), the status of several management and reorganization

initiatives within ORD, and the Agency's Research Strategic Planning

activities. Based on these presentations, RSAC will offer

recommendations to the Agency and develop its agenda for formal reviews

later in this fiscal year.

Members of the public desiring additional information about the

meeting, including a draft agenda, should contact Mrs. Constance

Valentine, Staff Secretary, Science Advisory Board (1400F), US EPA, 401

M Street SW., Washington DC 20460, by telephone at (202) 260-6552 or

fax at (202) 260-7118. Anyone wishing to submit written comments must

forward at least 35 copies of their comments to Dr. Edward S. Bender,

Designated Federal Official, at the above address, no later than March

13 for distribution to the Committee and the interested public. Dr.

Bender may also be contacted via the INTERNET at:

[email protected] EPA.GOV.

3. Radionuclide Cleanup Standards Subcommittee (RCSS) of the

Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC)

The Radionuclide Cleanup Standards Subcommittee (RCSS) of the

Science Advisory Board's (SAB's) Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC),

will continue its review of the technical basis of the Agency's Cleanup

Standards for Radionuclides with a public teleconference meeting on

Monday, March 27, 1995 from 11 am to 1 p.m. The RCSS formally began

this review at its first public meeting on the topic on October 27 and

28, 1994 (See Federal Register Vol. 59, No. 191, Tuesday, October 4,

1994, pages 50600-50601), and had a follow-up review meeting on January

26 and 27, 1995 (See Federal Register Vol. 60, No. 5, January 9, 1995,

pp. 2386-2387). This teleconference meeting is open to the public, but

the number of lines available is limited and available on a first-come

basis. Additional instructions about how to participate in the

conference call can be obtained by calling Ms. Diana Pozun at (202)

260-6552 or FAX (202) 260-7118 no later than March 21, 1995.

The draft documents that are the subject of this review are

available from the originating EPA office (see below) and are not

available from the SAB Office. These draft documents are: (1) Radiation

Site Cleanup Regulations: Technical Support Document for the

Development of Radionuclide Cleanup Levels for Soil, Review Draft,

September, 1994. and (2) Radiation Site Cleanup Regulations: Technical

Support Document for the Development of Radionuclide Cleanup Levels for

Soil, Appendices, September 1994.

To discuss technical aspects of the draft documents, please contact

Dr. Anthony B. Wolbarst, Chief, Remedial Guidance Section, Office of

Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA) (6603J), U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, 401 M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460, tel. (202) 233-9392. To

simply obtain copies of the draft documents, please contact Ms.

Virginia Stradford, Secretary, at (202) 233-9350, FAX (202) 233-9650.

The background documents that support this review, as well as the draft

documents listed above are available in the Agency's Air and Radiation

Docket. Please address written inquiries as follows: USEPA, Attn: Air

and Radiation Docket, Mail Stop 6102, Air Docket No. A-93-27, Room

M1500, First Floor, Waterside Mall, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC

20460. The docket may be inspected from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday

through Friday, excluding Federal holidays, in Room M1500. A reasonable

fee may be charged for copies of docket materials. Inquiries regarding

access to the public information docket should be directed to Ms. Lynn

Johnson, ORIA Staff at (202) 233-9383.

The charge to the SAB is as follows:

(a) Is the methodology used by the Office of Radiation and Indoor

Air (ORIA) for evaluating source terms for radioactively contaminated

sites, for modeling transport to people, and for estimating risk to

individuals and populations acceptable for providing a technical basis

for writing a cleanup standard?

(b)(1) Are the assumptions for the combined residential/

agricultural land use scenario, and the pathways model, reasonable and

suitable for assessing risk at radioactively contaminated sites?

(2) Are the assumptions for the combined industrial/commercial land

use scenario, and the pathways model, reasonable and suitable for

assessing risk at radioactively contaminated sites? [[Page 11973]]

(c) Is RESRAD version 5.01 suitable for modeling radiation risk to

individuals at radioactively contaminated sites?

Members of the public who wish to make a brief oral presentation at

this teleconference should contact Mrs. Diana L. Pozun, Staff

Secretary, RCSS, (tel. 202-260-6552; FAX 202-260-7118) no later than

March 21, 1995, in order to advise the Agency of your desire to

participate in the teleconference and to have time reserved on the

agenda for public comments. For a copy of the teleconference draft

agenda, please contact Ms. Pozun at the numbers given above. For

questions regarding technical issues to be discussed, please contact

Dr. K. Jack Kooyoomjian, Designated Federal Official, Science Advisory

Board (1400F), US EPA, 401 M Street SW., Washington DC 20460, by

telephone at (202) 260-2560, FAX at (202) 260-7118, or via the INTERNET

at: KOOYOOMJIAN.JACK @EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.

4. Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC)

The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) of the Science

Advisory Board (SAB) will meet on March 21 and 22, 1995 at the Omni

Europa Hotel, 1 Europa Drive, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514. Phone:

(919) 968-4900. The meeting will begin at 9 am and end no later than 5

pm on both days. The Committee will meet to review and provide advice

on the scientific and technical adequacy of two EPA draft documents

under preparation for use by the Agency in decision-making on possible

retention or revision of the current National Ambient Air Quality

Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone. The documents to be reviewed are (a) the

revised Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related Photochemical

Oxidants (Ozone Criteria Document, CASAC Review Draft, February, 1995;

prepared by the Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office of the

U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development--ECAO) and (b) the Review

of National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone: Assessment of

Scientific and Technical Information--Draft Staff Paper (the Staff

Paper; prepared by the U.S. EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and

Standards--OAQPS).

Ozone Criteria Document

The Revised version of the draft Ozone Criteria Document (CASAC

Review Draft, February 1995) incorporates revisions made in response

both to public comments on a December 1993 External Review Draft (EPA/

600/AP-93/004a, b, c) of the document and to CASAC comments on that

earlier draft from a July 1994 review meeting. In its review of the

Ozone Criteria Document, the CASAC will focus on several key subjects,

including the following:

(a) Acute Ozone Exposure Effects on Human Health: Has the new data

on acute ozone exposure effects (1 to 2 hour and 6 to 8 hour exposures)

been adequately characterized in the revised Criteria Document? What is

the public health significance of these findings from humans exposed to

ozone concentrations lower than or equal to the current standard while

undergoing intermittent, moderate exercise? To what extent does the

data from acute exposure studies support the potential for possible

chronic irreversible effects?

(b) Chronic Effects of Ozone in Laboratory Animals: Recently,

information has been developed from chronic exposures (in diurnal or

seasonal exposure patterns) of laboratory animals to near-ambient

levels of ozone. How can the chronic effects data from laboratory

animal studies be credibly interpreted with regard to whether long-term

exposure to ozone leads to development or exacerbation of chronic lung

disease? Do the recent dosimetry model results discussed in the

Criteria Document allow for application of this information to risk

assessment for human population groups?

(c) Characterization of Ozone Vegetation Effects: Characterization

of ozone exposure parameters associated with effects on plants remains

controversial. Has the Ozone Criteria Document adequately assessed and

interpreted the available scientific literature on this subject

(especially relative to agricultural crops, tree growth and

reproduction, and subsequent impacts on natural ecosystems)? Of crucial

interest is the relative importance of peak versus mid-level ozone

concentrations in eliciting responses in plants.

Ozone Staff Paper

The February 1995 Draft Ozone Staff Paper draws upon scientific

evaluations contained in the above-mentioned Ozone Criteria Document

and other information (e.g., estimated human exposures and risks) to

assess health effects due to ozone. The draft Staff Paper includes

preliminary staff conclusions and recommendations for further

consideration of alternative primary NAAQS for ozone. A subsequent

draft of the Ozone Staff Paper will include information and assessments

of ecological effects. The key issues listed above, of interest in

review of the Draft Ozone Criteria Document, are also important in the

review of the Draft Ozone Staff Paper. In addition, CASAC will review

the results of the Agency's (OAQPS) human exposure and health risk

analyses.

Availability of Documents

Copies of the revised Draft Ozone Criteria Document will be mailed

to parties who submitted comments to EPA on the earlier December 1993

External Review Draft. A limited number of copies of the Criteria

Document will also be available to interested parties at the March 21-

22, 1995 CASAC meeting. Copies will also be available for public

inspection in the EPA Air Docket (401 M St., S.W., Washington, DC).

Following the March 21-22, 1995 meeting, further revisions to reflect

that review and final editorial changes will be made to produce a final

version of the document in time for EPA publication in 1995. For more

information regarding the draft Criteria Document, contact Diane Ray

(Phone: 919-541-3637; FAX: 919-541-1818).

Single copies of the Ozone Staff Paper may be obtained from Dr.

David J. McKee, Air Quality Standards and Strategies Division, Office

of Air Quality Planning and Standards (MD-15), U.S. EPA, Research

Triangle Park, NC 27711. Dr. McKee can also be reached by phone at

(919) 541-5288 or by FAX at (919) 541-0237. The Office of Air Quality

Planning and Standards (OAQPS) will accept written comments from the

public on all aspects of their draft of the Ozone Staff Paper. Written

comments will be accepted by Dr. McKee through April 15, 1995. Comments

should be sent to Dr. McKee at the previously stated address.

Single copies of the draft exposure analyses, and a draft health

risk assessment report are available by contacting Mr. Harvey Richmond,

U.S. EPA, MD-15, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. Mr. Richmond can

also be reached by phone at (919) 541-5271 or by FAX at (919) 541-0824.

OAQPS will accept written comments from the public on all aspects of

their draft exposure and risk analyses reports. Please forward comments

to Mr. Richmond through April 15, 1995 at the previously stated OAQPS

address.

Members of the public desiring additional information about the

meeting should contact Mr. Randall Bond, Designated Federal Official,

Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, Science Advisory Board (1400),

U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460, by telephone at

(202) 260-8414 or by FAX at (202) 260-1889, or via the INTERNET at

[[Page 11974]] [email protected] Those individuals

requiring a copy of the draft Agenda and the charge to the committee

should contact Ms. Lori Anne Gross at (202) 260-8414 or by FAX at (202)

260-1889 or via the INTERNET at [email protected] Additional

information concerning the Science Advisory Board, its structure,

function, and composition, may be found in The Annual Report of the

Staff Director which is available by contacting Ms. Gross at the

previously stated address.

Members of the public who wish to make a brief oral presentation to

the Committee concerning the scientific issues contained in the draft

document(s) must contact Mr. Bond in writing (by letter or by FAX--see

previously stated information) no later than 12 noon Eastern Time,

Friday, March 10, 1995 in order to be included on the Agenda. Public

comments will be limited to five minutes per speaker or organization.

The request should identify the name of the individual who will make

the presentation, the organization (if any) they will represent, any

requirements for audio visual equipment (e.g. overhead projector, 35mm

projector, chalkboard, etc.), and provide at least 35 copies of an

outline of the issues to be addressed or the presentation itself.

5. 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 five 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: February 22, 1995.

Samuel Rondberg,

Acting Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 95-5279 Filed 3-2-95; 8:45 am]

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