Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 1997 / Notices 8241

implementation of the Clean Air Act of

1990. The Committee advises on

economic, environmental, technical,

scientific, and enforcement policy

issues.

OPEN MEETING NOTICE: Pursuant to 5

U.S.C. App. 2 Section 10(a)(2), notice is

hereby given that the Clean Air Act

Advisory Committee will hold its next

open meeting on Thursday, April 10,

1997 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at

Fairview Park Marriott Hotel, 3111

Fairview Park Dr., Falls Church,

Virginia. Seating will be available on a

first come, first served basis. The

Permits/NSR/Toxics Integration

Subcommittee, the Economic Incentives

and Regulatory Innovations

Subcommittee, the Linking

Transportation and Air Quality

Concerns Subcommittee and the

Climate Change Subcommittee will

conduct meetings on Wednesday, April

9, 1997, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Subcommittee meeting times may

change at the discretion of the co-chairs.

INSPECTION OF COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS:

The committee agenda and any

documents prepared for the meeting

will be publicly available at the

meeting. Thereafter, these documents,

together with the CAAAC meeting

minutes, will be available by contacting

Committee DFO Paul Rasmussen at

(202) 260–6877.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Concerning this meeting of the CAAAC,

please contact Paul Rasmussen, Office

of Air and Radiation, US EPA (202)

260–6877, fax (202) 260–4185, or by

mail at US EPA, Office of Air and

Radiation (Mail Code 6102),

Washington, DC 20460. If you would

like to receive an agenda for the CAAAC

meeting, please leave your fax number

on Mr. Rasmussen’s voice mail and it

will be forwarded to you.

Dated: February 14, 1997.

Mary D. Nichols,

Assistant Administrator for Air and

Radiation.

[FR Doc. 97–4496 Filed 2–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–M

[FRL–5693–9]

Peer-Review Workshop for Draft DoseResponse Modeling Chapter for the

Reassessment of Dioxin

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of Peer-Review

Workshop for Draft Dose-Response

Modeling Chapter of EPA’s Health

Assessment Document for Dioxin.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) has scheduled

a peer-review workshop to be held on

March 5, 1997, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00

p.m. to review a revised draft of Chapter

8. Dose-Response Modeling, which is

part of the Health Assessment

Document for 2,3,7,8-

Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

and Related Compounds. The health

assessment document is one component

of the Agency’s reassessment of dioxin.

This revised chapter on dose-response

was one of two chapters referred back to

the EPA for substantial revision after the

Science Advisory Board (SAB) review in

May 1995. The public is invited to

attend the workshop, but seating will be

limited and advance reservations are

suggested. Because time is limited for

review of the draft chapter prior to the

peer-review workshop, written

comments must be provided to the

Agency for 60 days subsequent to this

notice. All comments submitted within

that time will be considered when the

chapter is revised for SAB review. At

the workshop, a panel of scientific

experts from outside the Agency will

review the draft dose-response modeling

chapter which, at this stage, is a work

in progress and does not represent

Agency policy. Since the chapter

evaluates only part of the evidence

supporting dioxin’s overall toxic

potential, no general conclusions

regarding the potential health effects or

classification of these compounds will

be presented. This broader

determination will be based on the full

weight-of-evidence and will be part of

the risk characterization component of

the reassessment.

DATES: The peer-review workshop to

review the draft dose-response modeling

chapter will be held March 5, 1997.

Comments on the draft chapter must be

submitted in writing and be postmarked

by April 25, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

The Channel Inn Hotel, 650 Water

Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024.

Members of the public wishing to

register to attend the meeting may

phone Ms. Linda Tuxen at 202–260–

5949 between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Eastern Standard Time. During the

meeting some time will be designated

for questions and comments from the

floor to encourage interactions among

authors, peer-panel members, and the

other meeting attendees.

Members of the public may also

submit written comments and other

materials relevant to the topic to: Ms.

Linda Tuxen, National Center for

Environmental Assessment (8601), U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 401

M Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20460,

Attention: Dioxin Reassessment.

The draft chapter will be available on

or about February 24, 1997. To obtain a

copy of the draft dose-response

modeling chapter, interested parties

should contact the ORD Publications

Center, U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King

Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268; telephone

(513) 569–7562; fax (513) 569–7566.

Please provide your name, mailing

address, and the chapter title and EPA

number as follows: Chapter 8. DoseResponse Modeling, EPA/600/P–92/

001C8.

The draft chapter also will be

provided for inspection at the ORD

Public Information Shelf, EPA

Headquarters Library, 401 M Street,

S.W., Washington, DC 20460, between

the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, except for

Federal holidays, and at all of the EPA

Regional and Laboratory libraries.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To

register for the workshop: Ms. Linda

Tuxen, National Center for

Environmental Assessment (8601), U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 401

M Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20460;

phone: 202–260–5949; fax: 202–401–

2492; e-mail:

tuxen.linda@epamail.epa.gov.

For copies of the document: ORD

Publications Center, CERI-FRN, Office

of Research and Development, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 26

W. Martin Luther King Drive,

Cincinnati, OH 45268; telephone (513)

569–7562; fax (513) 569–7566.

For questions on the overall

reassessment of dioxin: Dr. William

Farland, National Center for

Environmental Assessment (8601),

Office of Research and Development,

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

401 M Street, S.W., Washington, DC

20460; telephone (202) 260–7315; fax

(202) 401–2492; e-mail:

farland.william@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

History of the Scientific Reassessment

of Dioxin

As part of the SAB’s May 1995 review

of the draft Health Assessment

Document for 2,3,7,8-

Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

and Related Compounds, Chapter 8.

Dose-Response Relationships, was

identified as one that may need

substantial revision and further review.

The SAB commented that the chapter

should be revised to better integrate

human and laboratory animal data,

consider alternatives to the linear nonthreshold model, and clarify important
8242 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 1997 / Notices

points. The purpose of this peer-review

workshop is to review the comments

provided independently by the

reviewers and to receive further

comment based on their discussion.

The EPA has undertaken this task in

response to emerging scientific

knowledge of the biological, human

health, and environmental effects of

dioxin. Significant advances have

occurred in the scientific understanding

of mechanisms of dioxin toxicity, of the

carcinogenic and other adverse health

effects of dioxin in people, of the

pathways to human exposure, and of the

toxic effects of dioxin to the

environment.

In 1985 and 1988, the Agency

prepared assessments of the human

health risks from environmental

exposures to dioxin. These assessments

were reviewed by the Agency’s SAB. At

the time of the 1988 risk assessment,

there was general agreement within the

scientific community that there could be

a substantial improvement over the

existing response approach, but there

was no consensus as to a more

biologically defensible methodology.

The Agency was asked to explore the

development of such a method. The

current reassessment activities are in

part in response to this request.

The EPA is making each phase of the

current reassessment of dioxin an open

and participatory effort. It previously

has convened two public meetings (on

November 15, 1991, and April 28, 1992)

to inform the public of the Agency’s

plans and activities, to hear and receive

public comments and reviews of the

proposed plans for the reassessment,

and receive any current, scientifically

relevant information.

The Agency convened two peerreview workshops to review draft

documents related to EPA’s scientific

reassessment of the health effects of

dioxin. The first workshop was held

September 10 and 11, 1992, to review a

draft exposure assessment titled,

Estimating Exposures to Dioxin-Like

Compounds. The second workshop was

held September 22–25, 1992, to review

eight chapters of a draft health

assessment document. The

epidemiology chapter was also reviewed

in another workshop on September 8–9,

1993. It should be noted that outside

scientists have been heavily involved in

the writing and peer review of these

draft documents. Drafts of the health

and exposure documents were made

available for public review and

comment in the fall of 1994, both with

a formal public comment period and at

a number of public meetings that were

held around the country. The SAB

reviewed the documents in May 1995.

The purpose of the March 1997 peerreview workshop is to review the draft

of a revised and expanded doseresponse modeling chapter. The revised

chapter evaluates the scientific quality

and strength of the dose-response

modeling in the evaluation of toxic

health effects, both cancer and

noncancer, from exposure to dioxin,

with an emphasis on the specific

congener, 2,3,7,8-TCDD. A critical

analysis of all available data has been

performed. It is hoped that the peerreview workshop will provide a

thoughtful and critical review of the

dose-response portion of the dioxin

reassessment.

Dated: February 20, 1997.

William H. Farland,

Director, National Center for Environmental

Assessment.

[FR Doc. 97–4618 Filed 2–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

[OPP–00470; FRL–5591–6]

Plant Pesticides Resistance

Management; Notice of Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Meeting.

SUMMARY: EPA will hold a public

meeting on March 21, 1997, to solicit

public comment on resistance

management plans for plant pesticides,

including the necessity for such plans,

critical elements of resistance

management plans and requirements for

successful implementation.

DATES: The meeting will be held on

March 21, 1997, from 8:30 am until 5

pm. Written comments from interested

parties not able to attend the meeting

must be received on or before March 21,

1997. Persons who wish to speak at the

public meeting are encouraged to

register in advance by submitting a brief

written request and abstract to EPA on

or before March 14, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The meeting is open to the

public and will be held in the EPA

Auditorium at EPA Headquarters, 401 M

St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.

Interested parties who cannot attend the

public meeting but who wish to

comment may do so by submitting

written comments. Comments should be

identified by the docket control number

OPP-00470, and be submitted to: Public

Response and Program Resources

Branch, Field Operations Division

(7506C), Office of Pesticide Programs,

Environmental Protection Agency, 401

M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.

Comments and data may also be

submitted electronically by sending

electronic mail (e-mail) to: oppdocket@epamail.epa.gov. Electronic

comments must be submitted as an

ASCII file avoiding the use of special

characters and any form of encryption.

Comments and data will also be

accepted on disks in WordPerfect 5.1

file format or ASCII file format. All

comments and data in electronic form

must be identified by the docket control

number OPP–00470. No Confidential

Business Information (CBI) should be

submitted through e-mail. Electronic

comments may be filed online at many

Federal Depository Libraries. Additional

information on electronic submissions

can be found in Unit IV of this

document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By

mail: Willie H. Nelson, Biopesticides

and Pollution Prevention Division

(7501W), Office of Pesticide Programs,

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency,

401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.

Office location, telephone number and

e-mail address: 5th Floor CS, 2800

Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202,

Telephone No: 703–308–8682, email:nelson.willie@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

Resistance management has been a

consideration for the registration of

plant pesticides for some time. This is

because plant pesticides tend to

produce the pesticidal active ingredient

throughout a growing season, increasing

the selection pressure upon both the

target pests and any other susceptible

insects feeding on the transformed crop.

Resistance management has become

an issue particularly in relation to plantpesticides based on the insecticidal

proteins from the bacterium Bacillus

thuringiensis (Bt). EPA recognizes the

value of Bt as a safer pesticide and has

determined that it is necessary to

conserve this resource as appropriate by

requiring resistance management plans.

The Agency has reviewed initial

strategies from registrants for managing

resistance to Bt delta endotoxins

produced in potato, corn, and cotton.

EPA has worked with stakeholders

(industry, public sector research and

extension, growers, user groups, and

government agencies) to address

resistance management for primarily Btbased plant pesticides.

In March of 1995, EPA held a

Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) meeting

as part of the review for the first

registered plant pesticides. This meeting

primarily addressed issues related to the

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) tenebrionis

CryIII delta endotoxin in potato,

although some issues related to Bt corn

and Bt cotton were also discussed. The