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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43880-43881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-17567]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9836-3]

Request for Nominations of Experts for the Clean Air Scientific 
Advisory Committee (CASAC) Sulfur Oxides Primary National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards (NAAQS) Review Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is 
requesting public nominations for technical experts to form a CASAC ad 
hoc panel to provide advice through the chartered CASAC on primary 
(human health-based) air quality standards for sulfur oxides 
(SOX).

[[Page 43881]]

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by August 12, 2013 per 
instructions below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding this Notice and Request for Nominations 
may contact Dr. Diana Wong, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), SAB Staff 
Office, by telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-2049 or via email at 
wong.diana-M@epa.gov. General information concerning the EPA CASAC can 
be found at the EPA CASAC Web site at http://www.epa.gov/casac.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) was 
established under section 109(d)(2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act) 
(42 U.S.C. 7409) as an independent scientific advisory committee. CASAC 
provides advice, information and recommendations on the scientific and 
technical aspects of air quality criteria and National Ambient Air 
Quality Standards (NAAQS) under sections 108 and 109 of the Act. The 
CASAC is a Federal advisory committee chartered under the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (FACA). As amended, 5 U.S.C., App. Section 
109(d)(1) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires that EPA carry out a 
periodic review and revision, as appropriate, of the air quality 
criteria and the NAAQS for the six ``criteria'' air pollutants, 
including sulfur oxides. As a Federal Advisory Committee, the CASAC 
conducts business in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. 2) and related regulations. The CASAC will comply 
with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office 
procedural policies.
    Request for Nominations: The SAB Staff Office is seeking 
nominations of nationally and internationally recognized scientists in 
the science of air pollution related to sulfur oxides. Experts are 
sought in atmospheric science, human exposure, dosimetry, toxicology, 
epidemiology, medicine, public health, biostatistics and risk 
assessment.
    Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested 
person or organization may nominate qualified individuals in the areas 
of expertise described above. Nominations should be submitted in 
electronic format (preferred over hard copy) following the instructions 
for ``Nominating Experts to Advisory Panels and Ad Hoc Committees Being 
Formed,'' provided on the CASAC Web site. If you wish to nominate 
yourself or another expert, please follow the instructions that can be 
accessed through the ``Nomination of Experts'' link on the blue 
navigational bar at the CASAC Web site http://www.epa.gov/casac. To 
receive full consideration, nominations should include all of the 
information requested below.
    EPA's SAB Staff Office requests contact information about the 
person making the nomination; contact information about the nominee; 
the disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the nominee; the 
nominee's resume or curriculum vita; sources of recent grant and/or 
contract support; and a biographical sketch of the nominee indicating 
current position, educational background, research activities, and 
recent service on other national advisory committees or national 
professional organizations. The bio-sketches and resume or curriculum 
vita of nominees identified by respondents to this Federal Register 
notice, and additional experts identified by the SAB Staff, will be 
made available to the public upon request. Please be advised that 
information provided in response to the request described in this 
paragraph is subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.
    Persons having questions about the nomination procedures, or who 
are unable to submit nominations through the CASAC Web site, should 
contact Dr. Diana Wong, DFO, as indicated above in this notice. 
Nominations should be submitted in time to arrive no later than August 
12, 2013. EPA values and welcomes diversity. In an effort to obtain 
nominations of diverse candidates, EPA encourages nominations of women 
and men of all racial and ethnic groups.
    The EPA SAB Staff Office will acknowledge receipt of nominations. 
The names and bio-sketches of qualified nominees identified by 
respondents to this Federal Register notice, and additional experts 
identified by the SAB Staff, will be posted in a List of Candidates on 
the CASAC Web site at http://www.epa.gov/casac. Public comments on this 
List of Candidates will be accepted for 21 days. The public will be 
requested to provide relevant information or other documentation on 
nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in evaluating 
candidates.
    For the EPA SAB Staff Office a review panel includes candidates who 
possess the necessary domains of knowledge, the relevant scientific 
perspectives (which, among other factors, can be influenced by work 
history and affiliation), and the collective breadth of experience to 
adequately address the charge. In forming this expert panel, the SAB 
Staff Office will consider public comments on the List of Candidates, 
information provided by the candidates themselves, and background 
information independently gathered by the SAB Staff Office. Selection 
criteria to be used for panel membership include: (a) Scientific and/or 
technical expertise, knowledge, and experience (primary factors); (b) 
availability and willingness to serve; (c) absence of financial 
conflicts of interest; (d) absence of an appearance of a lack of 
impartiality; (e) skills working in committees, subcommittees and 
advisory panels; and, (f) for the panel as a whole, diversity of 
expertise and viewpoints.
    The SAB Staff Office's evaluation of an absence of financial 
conflicts of interest will include a review of the ``Confidential 
Financial Disclosure Form for Special Government Employees Serving on 
Federal Advisory Committees at the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency'' (EPA Form 3110-48). This confidential form allows government 
officials to determine whether there is a statutory conflict between a 
person's public responsibilities (which includes membership on an EPA 
federal advisory committee) and private interests and activities, or 
the appearance of a lack of impartiality, as defined by federal 
regulation. The form may be viewed and downloaded from the following 
URL address http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/epaform3110-48.pdf.
    The approved policy under which the EPA SAB Office selects 
subcommittees and review panels is described in the following document: 
Overview of the Panel Formation Process at the Environmental Protection 
Agency Science Advisory Board (EPA-SAB-EC-02-010), which is posted on 
the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec02010.pdf.

    Dated: July 11, 2013.
Thomas Brennan,
 Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2013-17567 Filed 7-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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