Science Advisory Board; Notice of Public Meetings

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5940-3]

Science Advisory Board; Notice of Public 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 and all meetings are open to the public,

however, seating is limited and available on a first come basis.

Documents that are the subject of SAB reviews are normally available

from the originating EPA Office and are not available from the SAB

Office. Public drafts of SAB reports are available to the Agency and

the public from the SAB Office. Details on availability are noted

below.

1. Executive Committee (EC)

The Science Advisory Board's Executive Committee (EC) will meet on

Tuesday, January 13, 1998, and Wednesday, January 14, 1998. The meeting

will convene each day at 8:30 a.m., in the Administrator's Conference

Room 1103 West Tower of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Headquarters Building, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460, and will

adjourn no later than 5:30 p.m. on each day (Eastern Time).

At this meeting, the Executive Committee will receive updates from

its committees and subcommittees summarizing their recent and planned

activities. As part of these updates, some committees expect to present

draft reports for the Executive Committee review and approval. Expected

drafts include:

(a) Environmental Engineering Committee

(1) Review of Pollution Prevention Research Plan

(2) Review of Surface Impoundments Survey

(b) Integrated Human Exposure Committee

(1) Update on Expedited Action on ``Review of Indoor Air Source

Ranking Database''

(2) Commentary on ``Importance of Indoor Air Environments''

Other items on the agenda tentatively include, but are not limited

to, the following:

(a) Discussion with Deputy Administrator Fred Hansen on various

issues.

(b) Discussion with the Acting Assistant Administrator for Research

and Development, Mr. Henry Longest on Peer Review at EPA.

(c) Updates on Activities of the Agency's FIFRA Scientific Advisory

Panel (SAP) and the Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) and their

interactions with the SAB.

(d) An update of the Futures activities of the SAB.

(e) An update on the Integrated Risk Project.

(f) A follow-up to the Board's Strategic Planning Retreat held in

November 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public desiring

additional information concerning the meeting or who wish to submit

comments should contact Dr. Donald G. Barnes, Designated Federal

Official for the Executive Committee, Science Advisory Board (1400),

U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460, telephone (202) 260-

4126; fax (202) 260-9232; or via the INTERNET at:

[email protected]. Copies of the draft meeting agenda and

available draft reports listed above can be obtained from Ms. Priscilla

Tillery-Gadson on (202) 260-8414; fax (202) 260-7118; or via the

INTERNET at: [email protected].

2. Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis--Three

Meetings

The Science Advisory Board's (SAB) Advisory Council on Clean Air

Compliance Analysis (ACCACA, or the ``Council''), its Air Quality

Models Subcommittee (AQMS), and its Health and Ecological Effects

Subcommittee (HEES) will each hold public meetings on the dates and

times described below. All meetings are open to the public, and all

times noted are Eastern Time. For further information concerning the

specific meetings described in this section, please contact the

individuals listed below. These public meetings are a follow-up to

earlier Council public teleconference discussions held on March 14,

March 19, May 15 and June 30, 1997, as well as the AQMS public

teleconference meeting discussions of

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May 5, 1997 pertaining to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA)

section 812 Prospective Study of Costs and Benefits (See 62 FR 10045,

Wednesday, March 5, 1997, 62 FR 19320, April 21, 1997 and 62 FR 32605,

June 16, 1997, for further information).

Consistent with the apparent Congressional intent behind section

812 of the 1990 CAAA, and with the Environmental Protection Agency's

(EPA's) judgments regarding the potential utility of a comprehensive

economic assessment of the Clean Air Act, the four fundamental goals of

the first Prospective Study to be submitted to Congress are stated

succinctly as follows:

(a) To facilitate greater understanding of the value of America's

overall investment in clean air, particularly the value of the

additional requirements established by the 1990-CAAA,

(b) To facilitate greater understanding of where future investments

in air pollution control might yield the greatest reduction in adverse

human health and/or environmental effects for the resources expended,

(c) To help evaluate the significance of potential new and emerging

information pertaining to the benefits and costs of air pollution

control, and

(d) To help identify areas of economic and scientific research

where additional effort might improve the comprehensiveness of and/or

decrease the uncertainty associated with future estimates of the

benefits and costs of air pollution control.

Pursuant to the above four goals, the Agency has embarked on the

Prospective Study activities. These activities involve a number of

component studies, such as analytical design, scenario development,

emissions profiles, air quality modeling, physical effects modeling,

direct cost estimation, sector studies, air toxics analysis, economic

valuation, comparison of benefits and costs, and report generation.

Working drafts of relevant portions of these components, along with

focused charges will be presented to the Council and its two

subcommittees, the Air Quality Models Subcommittee (AQMS) and the

Health and Ecological Effects Subcommittee (HEES), in the upcoming

meetings described below. The draft documents that present, compile and

document the results and methodologies used for the Prospective Study,

including the Appendices to the future draft Prospective Study report,

which are the subject of these reviews will be available upon request

from the originating EPA office (See below for details).

2a. Air Quality Models Subcommittee

The Air Quality Models Subcommittee (AQMS) of the Advisory Council

on Clean Air Compliance Analysis will meet Thursday, January 22, 1998,

from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, January 23, 1998 from 9 a.m. to 4

p.m. The meeting will take place in the Science Advisory Board

Conference Room 2103 of Waterside Mall at the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460. The public is

welcome to attend the meeting on a space-available basis. Additional

instructions about how to participate in the public meeting can be

obtained by calling Ms. Diana L. Pozun at (202) 260-8432 prior to the

meeting.

In this meeting, the Subcommittee plans to review the draft

documents pertaining to the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) section 812

Prospective Study data, emissions modeling assumptions, methodology,

results and documentation. In previous public teleconference meetings

of the Council (See 61 FR 54196, Thursday, October 17, 1996, and 62 FR

10045, Wednesday, March 5, 1997 for further information), the Council

advised the Agency staff that the Subcommittee should review the

emissions modeling information before proceeding to conduct any model

runs. The May 5, 1997 public teleconference (See 62 FR 19320, Monday,

April 21, 1997) of the AQMS was conducted for this purpose and produced

a letter report (See EPA-SAB-COUNCIL-LTR-97-012, dated September 9,

1997 for further information).

2b. Health and Ecological Effects Subcommittee

The Health and Ecological Effects Subcommittee (HEES) of the

Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis will meet to review

draft documents pertaining to the health and ecological aspects of the

Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) section 812 Prospective Study data,

emissions modeling assumptions, methodology, results and documentation.

The Subcommittee will meet on Thursday, January 29, 1998, from 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m. and Friday, January 30, 1998 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The

meeting will take place in the Administrator's Conference Room 1103

West Tower of Waterside Mall at the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20460. The public is welcome to

attend the meeting on a space-available basis. Additional instructions

about how to participate in the public meeting can be obtained by

calling Ms. Diana L. Pozun at (202) 260-8432 prior to the meeting.

2c. Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis (the

``Council'')

The Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis ( the

``Council'') of the Science Advisory Board (SAB) will meet on Thursday,

February 5, 1998 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, February 6, 1998

from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The meeting will take place in the

Administrator's Conference Room 1103 West Tower of Waterside Mall at

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street SW, Washington,

DC 20460. The public is welcome to attend the meeting on a space-

available basis. Additional instructions about how to participate in

the public meeting can be obtained by calling Ms. Diana L. Pozun at

(202) 260-8432 prior to the meeting. The Council plans to discuss

results of the preliminary findings and recommendations of its Air

Quality Models Subcommittee (AQMS) and Health and Ecological Effects

Subcommittee (HEES) in relation to the emissions estimates, modeling

assumptions, methodology, results and documentation of the Prospective

Study. The various draft documents pertaining to the draft Prospective

Study are not available from the Science Advisory Board, but may be

obtained by contacting Ms. Catrice Jefferson (see below for ordering

information). To discuss technical aspects of the Prospective Study

draft documents, please call Mr. James DeMocker, Office of Air and

Radiation (see below for further information).

2d. For Further Information

Please contact the SAB staff (see below) to obtain agendas and to

determine the logistics and details of the individual public meetings.

To discuss technical aspects of the draft documents pertaining to

the CAA section 812 Prospective Study, please contact Mr. James

DeMocker, Office of Policy Analysis and Review (OPAR) (Mail Code 6103),

US Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC

20460. Tel. (202) 260-8980; FAX (202) 260-9766, or via the Internet at:

[email protected]. To obtain copies of the draft documents

pertaining to the CAA Section 812 Prospective Study, please contact Ms.

Catrice Jefferson, Office Manager, Office of Policy Analysis and Review

(OPAR), (Mail Code 6103), US Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. Tel. (202) 260-5580; FAX (202) 260-

9766, or via the

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Internet at jefferson.catrice @epamail.epa.gov.

To obtain copies of the meeting agendas, please contact Ms. Diana

L. Pozun, Secretary to the Council, AQMS and HEES Science Advisory

Board (1400), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC

20460; at Tel. (202) 260-8432; FAX (202) 260-7118; or via the Internet:

[email protected]. To discuss technical or logistical aspects

of the Council or its AQMS and HEES subcommittee review process or to

submit written comments, please contact Dr. K. Jack Kooyoomjian,

Designated Federal Official to the Council, AQMS and HEES, at Tel.

(202) 260-2560; FAX (202) 260-7118; or via the Internet:

kooyoomjian.jack @epamail.epa.gov. Members of the public who wish to

attend these public meetings should contact Ms. Pozun at least one week

prior to the meeting of interest to express your intention to attend.

To request time to provide public comments at the meetings, please

contact Ms. Diana L. Pozun in writing by mail, FAX or E-Mail addresses

given above no later than one week prior to each of the meetings.

Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings

The Science Advisory Board (SAB) expects that public statements

presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously

submitted oral or written statements. In general, opportunities for

oral comment at meetings will be usually limited to five minutes per

speaker and no more than thirty minutes total. Written comments (at

least 35 copies) received in the SAB Staff Office sufficiently prior to

a meeting date (usually one week prior to a meeting), may be mailed to

the Council and its respective AQMS and HEES subcommittees prior to its

meeting; comments received too close to the meeting date will normally

be provided to the Council and its subcommittees in the meeting.

Written comments may be provided up until the time of the meeting.

Dated: December 18, 1997.

Donald G. Barnes, Ph. D.,

Staff Director, Science Advisory Board.

[FR Doc. 97-33613 Filed 12-23-97; 8:45 am]

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