A Report of the Science Advisory Board Staff Office

Advisory Committee Meetings

and Report Development:

Process for Public Involvement
Foreword

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) relies on the independent expert advice and counsel from its

federal advisory committees to strengthen the scientific and technical bases for Agency actions in the pursuit

of protecting human health and the environment. Advisory committee meetings and the preparation of a

final report are among the key steps in the process of developing advice. The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB)

Staff Office manages three federal advisory committees that report directly to the EPA Administrator — the

Science Advisory Board (SAB), the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), and the Advisory Council

on Clean Air Compliance Analysis (Council). This pamphlet has been developed by the SAB Staff Office to

provide information about how these committees work and how the public can participate in advisory meetings and report development.

Agency policy and the laws directing the establishment of these committees not only allow but also encourage public involvement. The Staff Office hopes that this pamphlet helps members of the public provide

effective input into the activities of these EPA advisory bodies.

Vanessa T. Vu, Ph.D.

Director, SAB Staff Office 

The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB), the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), and

the Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis (Council) welcome public involvement.

As the SAB Staff Office explains in detail in this pamphlet, to participate in activities you can do one or

more of the following:

• Contact the appropriate Designated Federal Officer (DFO) or the SAB Staff Office to obtain information

on or provide comments about committee activities.

• Attend and observe public meetings and teleconferences.

• Review materials used by committee members in their deliberations.

• Provide written comments for consideration by committee members.

• Present oral statements for consideration by committee members at public meetings during time periods

set aside for that purpose.

• Review minutes of committee meetings and teleconferences.

Advisory

Committee

Meetings and

Report

Development
Process

for

Public

Involvement

3

Introduction

The federal advisory committees

administered by the SAB Staff

Office provide important scientific advice to help EPA meet its mission. Public involvement assists

the committees in their work by

improving the clarity of committee decisions and pointing out

possible factual errors and alternative scientific interpretations

that might have been overlooked.

Public involvement also ensures

confidence that the advisory committee decisions are objective and

comprehensive. The current

practices of the advisory committees and their subcommittees and

panels described here are

designed to enable the public to

contribute to this process.

About the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA)

Science Advisory Board Staff

Office and the federal advisory

committees that it supports

The Science Advisory Board (SAB)

Staff Office performs management and administrative functions and provides technical

assistance to three EPA federal

advisory committees — the

Science Advisory Board (SAB), the

Clean Air Scientific Advisory

Committee (CASAC), and the

Advisory Council on Clean Air

Compliance Analysis (Council). 

The SAB was established in 1978

under the Environmental

Research, Development, and

Demonstration Authorization Act

(ERDDAA) [42 U.S.C. § 4365] to

provide independent advice and

peer review on the scientific and

technical aspects of environmental problems and issues as requested by the EPA Administrator, or by

the Congress through the

Administrator. Most (though not

all) preliminary work of the SAB is

done by subcommittees or panels

focused on various environmental science topics and chaired

by Board members.

Recommendations of subcommittees and panels are transmitted to

the Board for discussion and deliberation. Recommendations are

forwarded to EPA only if the Board

determines that it is appropriate.

The CASAC was established in

1977 under the Clean Air Act

(CAA) Amendments of 1977 (see

42 U.S.C. § 7409(d)(2)) to provide

advice, information, and recommendations to the Administrator

on the scientific and technical

aspects of issues related to the criteria for air quality standards,

research related to air quality,

sources of air pollution, and the

strategies to attain and maintain

air quality standards and to prevent significant deterioration of

air quality. 

The Council was established in

1990 pursuant to the CAA

Amendments of 1990 (see 42

U.S.C. § 7612) to provide advice,

information, and recommendations on technical and economic

aspects of analyses and reports

EPA prepares concerning the

impacts of the CAA on the public

health, economy, and environment of the United States.

These committees exist primarily

to provide expert outside advice

to the Administrator and they are

subject to the Federal Advisory

Committee Act (FACA). This

statute provides for public

involvement in committee activities, primarily by means of open

access to meetings and records

and by providing the public the

opportunity to submit comments

to the committee.

The Staff Office manages EPA

requests for advice and peer

review and provides technical

assistance to these advisory committees in conducting meetings

and preparing reports. Under the

terms of FACA, the Staff Office is

responsible for ensuring that the

membership of these committees

is balanced in the points of view

represented for the function the

committee is to perform. 

For the advisory committees supported by the SAB Staff Office, a

balanced committee, subcommittee, or panel is characterized

by inclusion of 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
Advisory

Committee

Meetings and

Report

Development

4

Commentary—A short communication issued primarily by the

SAB that provides unsolicited

advice about an important technical issue.

Other activities—The SAB,

CASAC, and Council, and their

subcommittees often receive

information briefings from the

Agency. Periodically, the SAB

conducts scientific workshops and

performs original studies as

deemed appropriate or requested

by the Agency. The SAB, CASAC,

and Council conduct reviews of

and approve final reports of their

subcommittees or panels prior to

transmittal to the Administrator.

General order of business at

a public advisory committee

meeting or teleconference

The SAB, CASAC, and Council and

their subcommittees and panels

generally discuss their advice and

recommendations in response to

charge questions from the Agency

at a face-to-face meeting. They

may conduct teleconferences as

they prepare and plan for the faceto-face meeting or conduct followup discussions and review of draft

reports. Except for relatively simple issues, it is likely that deliberations on the charge questions may

require more than one meeting or

public teleconference. The agenda

of each public session is available

on the SAB website

(www.epa.gov/sab) before the

meeting or teleconference.

Minutes of each meeting, approved by the committee chair as

required by FACA, are placed on

the SAB website and made publicly

available within ninety calendar

days after the meeting takes place.

All meetings subject to FACA are

formally convened by the

Designated Federal Officer (DFO)

who is a member of the SAB Staff

Office with technical expertise

related to the area of the committee’s or subcommittee’s responsibility. The DFO makes a statement

certifying that the membership is

in compliance with federal ethics

and conflict-of-interest laws, and

introduces the chair and members

of the committee, subcommittee,

or panel. The chair makes some

introductory remarks, reviews the

meeting agenda, and commences

with the business of the meeting. 

At initial meetings of a particular

advisory activity, EPA representatives may make a brief presentation on the subject matter of the

meeting and the charge questions. Oral statements from members of the public usually will be

heard during a specific public

comment portion of the meeting,

and there may be an opportunity

for a brief interchange of questions between public presenters

and the members of the committee, subcommittee, or panel. The

committee, subcommittee, or

panel then conducts its deliberations on the charge questions. 

of experience to address the

charge adequately. These committees are technical advisory

bodies, not committees designed to

reflect stakeholder views. 

In addition, the Staff Office is

responsible for keeping the public

informed of the advisory activities

of these committees, for ensuring

that the committees conduct advisory activities in public, and for

providing the public an opportunity to provide input during the

advisory process.

Advisory activities

The SAB, CASAC, and Council

provide advice to the Agency by

means of:

Consultation—A public session

in which a panel of knowledgeable experts discusses a technical

topic before the Agency begins

substantive work on that particular subject.

Advisory—A report summarizing

the deliberations of one or more

public sessions in which panel

members provide advice on technical issues during the period in

which the Agency is developing

its position on a topic.

Peer review—A report summarizing the deliberations of one or

more public sessions in which

panel members review a completed Agency product.
Process

for

Public

Involvement

5

Role of key participants

The Designated Federal Officer

(DFO) is responsible for ensuring

that the legal requirements of

FACA are met. The DFO, in consultation with the chair of the

committee, subcommittee, or

panel, develops the agenda for

the meeting. The DFO’s responsibilities also include: 

• Arranging for meetings to be

open to the public at reasonably accessible and convenient

locations and convenient times;

• Ensuring that advance notice of

the meeting is published in the

Federal Register; 

• Making available for public

inspection and copying (subject

to the Freedom of Information

Act) documents and other

materials prepared by or for the

committee, subcommittee, or

panel or presented to it (including minutes of the meeting);

• Convening each meeting and

adjourning the meeting after

completion of the agenda or

when it is determined to be in

the public interest to do so; 

• Serving as the point of contact

between members of the public

and members of the committee, subcommittee, or panel.

It should be noted that although

the DFO assists the committee in

the preparation of documents and

reports, the advice and recommendations contained in those materials are solely the responsibility of

the committee, subcommittee, or

panel.

The Chair of the committee, subcommittee, or panel presides after

the DFO convenes the meeting and

informs the public of key departures from the agenda if there are

any. The chair sets the ground

rules for public participation at the

meeting in accordance with EPA

FACA policy, the agenda, and the

nature of the advisory meeting.

The chair assigns members of the

committee, subcommittee, or

panel as discussion leaders for specific charge questions. The chair

concludes the meeting with a summary of its major outcomes — the

areas of consensus, the areas

where there are different views

among the members, the major

views expressed, and key follow-up

steps. After the meeting, the chair

certifies that meeting minutes are

complete and accurate and is

responsible for coordinating the

writing of the report (or delegating

the task to another member). The

chair acts as a spokesperson for the

entire committee, subcommittee,

or panel.

Members of the committee, subcommittee, or panel (including

the chair) consider Agency presentations, public comments, and

background material on the subject and then deliberate and proPublic input can provide:

• Short oral statements

• Specific written comments

• Scientific or technical information

• Clarification on issues

Committees provide to

EPA Administrator:

• Scientific and technical peer reviews

• Independent advice

• Credible scientific information

• Scientific and technical advice

on agency-related policy decisions

Science Advisory Board

Staff Office

EPA Administrator

SAB

Science Advisory Board

CASAC

Clean Air

Scientific

Advisory

Committee

COUNCIL

Advisory

Council on

Clean Air

Compliance

Analysis
Advisory

Committee

Meetings and

Report

Development

6

vide advice. Members have the

shared responsibility of writing

the report that summarizes the

results of their deliberations.

Representatives of EPA offices

provide briefings on scientific

issues and how these issues affect

Agency decisions. They are a

resource for the panel members

and answer questions about relevant Agency programs and policy.

Members of the public attend the

meeting both as presenters of

statements they wish to be considered by the committee, subcommittee, or panel and as members

of the audience to observe the proceedings. All questions, comments, requests, and other interactions between the members of the

public and members of the committee, subcommittee, or panel are

made through the DFO.

Deliberations and

report development

Ideally, the deliberative process

should converge on some sort of

consensus conclusion. Consensus

can be described as a decision

that all of the members of the

committee, subcommittee, or

panel can accept. At times it may

not be possible to form a consensus, and discussion will reveal the

range of views held by members.

Where consensus is not reached,

the major substantive areas of

agreement and disagreement are

captured in the final report.

Report preparation is a collaborative process. Individual members

of a committee, subcommittee, or

panel may write chapters or sections, which will then be integrated into a cohesive report by the

chair with the assistance of the

DFO. The details of the process

may vary among the committees,

but the author of record is the

entire committee, subcommittee,

or panel, not any particular individual member. 

As the report is being developed,

the members who are writing sections may communicate with

each other through the DFO.

Copies of this correspondence are

retained by the DFO in the official

file. In addition, at every major

stage of report development, a

public draft copy of the report is

posted on the SAB website. Public

comments on the draft report are

welcome at all stages during the

preparation and approval of the

report. A chartered committee

reviews and approves reports prepared by its subcommittees or

panels. Reports are reviewed and

approved in a public forum. After

the authors address suggestions

raised by this review, the report is

finalized. After approval, the SAB

Staff Office will transmit the report

to the EPA Administrator and

make it available to the public on

the SAB website.

Questions and answers about

public involvement in SAB,

CASAC, and Council advisory

meetings and report

development

Why should I be interested in

the activities of the SAB,

CASAC, and Council?

If you are concerned with the

actions of EPA, you will be interested in the advice and recommendations of these EPA advisory

committees. From the highest

level down, EPA is committed to

relying on credible scientific information as a basis for its actions.

The advice and recommendations

of these EPA scientific advisory

committees are an important factor the Agency considers when

making policy decisions. 

How can I enable the

advisory committees to

consider my views?

You are entitled, by law, to

observe advisory activities of the

SAB, CASAC, and Council—

including their face-to-face meetings and teleconferences. In

addition, by EPA policy you may

observe activities of subcommittees and panels. As required

under FACA, meetings of chartered committees are open to the

public unless the Administrator

(in the case of EPA) determines

that a meeting or portion of a

meeting may be closed to the

public for the reasons enumerated in the Government in the

Sunshine Act (5 United States
Process

for

Public

Involvement

7

Code § 552b). You are also entitled to submit comments for consideration by these committees.

EPA’s Public Involvement Policy,

which can be found at

www.epa.gov/publicinvolvement,

is designed to provide guidance to

EPA staff and program managers

on methods that ensure effective

and useful public involvement.

The SAB Staff Office works to meet

EPA’s public involvement goals in

the management of its advisory

committees by providing timely,

accessible, and accurate information about meetings and including consideration of public comments in the advisory process.

Public involvement in the advisory committees managed by the

SAB Staff Office has a slightly different emphasis than involvement

for EPA program offices. Program

managers consider scientific, technical, economic, policy, and political issues when making decisions

and appreciate public comments

that address these issues. Advice

and recommendations by members of the SAB, CASAC, and

Council, on the other hand, are

focused on scientific and technical

issues related to the charge questions. Thus, input from the public

to these advisory committees and

their subcommittees and panels

will have the most impact if it consists of comments that provide specific scientific or technical information or analysis for the committee,

subcommittee, or panel to consider, or if it relates to the clarity or

accuracy of the recommendations

being considered.

If, after considering the subject of

the meeting, you wish to raise a

scientific issue to the attention of

members of a committee, subcommittee, or panel, you may

prepare a public comment. It is

best to submit written comments

in advance of the meeting

because those comments will be

available to the members before

and during deliberations. The

earlier comments are received,

the more opportunity the members will have to consider them

prior to the meeting. You may

wish to provide a short oral statement summarizing your written

comments or an oral presentation of comments that you have

not submitted in written form. It

is also a good idea to bring extra

copies of your written comments

or a written summary of your

oral comments to pass out at the

meeting.

How do I find out how to participate in upcoming advisory

activities?

The first place to look is at the

SAB website (www.epa.gov/sab).

The website includes descriptions

of each advisory activity, information about the formation of

the panels and subcommittees

providing advice, links to the

Federal Register notice for public

meetings or teleconferences conducted for advisory activities, the

names and contact information

for the responsible DFOs, and

links to relevant background

materials. It may also include

links to other committee documents. Documents, whether or

not posted on the website, can be

requested (subject to the limitations of the Freedom of

Information Act) from the DFO.

The Federal Register notices generally provide a description of the

issue being considered by committees, subcommittees, or panels, a listing of the charge questions, and ground rules and

detailed instructions on how to

submit public comments. In

some cases, references to background material are also provided in the notice.

All public involvement related to

the work of committees, subcommittees, or panels is arranged

through the DFO, and individual

advisory members should not be

contacted directly. For more general information, the SAB Staff

Office can be contacted directly

by telephone at 202-343-9999.
United States

Environmental

Protection Agency

EPA Science Advisory

Board (1400F)

Washington DC

EPA-SABSO-04-001

September 2004

www.epa.gov/sab

Recycled/Recyclable - Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Ink on 100%

Postconsumer, Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper

For more information, please contact the SAB Staff Office

directly at 202-343-9999 or visit www.epa.gov/sab.