Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 40 / Friday, February 28, 1997 / Notices 9189

[FRL–5695–3]

Peer Review of CASTNet

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The United States

Environmental Protection Agency

announces the meeting of a peer review

panel which is constituted to review

and analyze the EPA draft report,

Examination of CASTNet: Data, Results,

Costs, and Implications and the

accompanying Recommendations on

Changes to Operational Monitoring in

CASTNet and Directions for Future

Atmospheric Deposition Monitoring

Research. The meeting will be held on

Wednesday, March 26, 1997, at the

Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston, 4610

N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and

adjourn by 5 p.m. The meeting is open

to the public. Any member of the public

who would like to comment on the draft

report should contact Dr. Robert E.

Menzer, Office of Research and

Development (8701), USEPA, 401 M

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460,

telephone 202–260–5779, Email:

menzer.robert@epamail.epa.gov, for a

copy of the report. Written comments

should be submitted to Dr. Menzer.

Members of the public who choose to

make brief comments on the report at

the meeting should also contact Dr.

Menzer.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1986,

EPA’s Office of Research and

Development began to operate the

National Dry Deposition Network,

consisting of 39 monitoring sites

designed to assess the status and trends

in dry deposition of sulfur and nitrogen

species, primarily in the highdeposition regions in the eastern U.S.

Following passage of the Clean Air Act

Amendments (CAAA) of 1990, the

NDDN was expanded and renamed the

Clean Air Status and Trends Network

(CASTNet). As of 1996, there are 51

operational sites in the network. Each

site collects weekly filter pack samples

which are analyzed for SOX, NOX, and

sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium ions, as

well as micrometeorological and other

data.

The first systematic analyses of the

resulting monitoring data were

conducted beginning in the fall of 1996

by scientists at ORD’s National

Exposure Research Laboratory. This

timing allowed the first access to

quality-assured data from 1995, during

which SOX emissions decreased by 13%

in response to Phase I reductions in

sulfur emissions called for in the CAAA.

The purpose of the analyses was to

examine the performance of the

monitors and to seek opportunities to

increase the cost-effectiveness of the

network. The analyses included reviews

of the quality of the database and the

costs of the individual data collection

components; comparisons between

deposition velocities derived from the

multi-layer model using meteorological

data collected on site with deposition

velocities measured using an eddy

correlation technique; evaluation of

alternative methods of calculating

deposition velocities that do not require

on-site data collection; analysis of

factors affecting variability in deposition

velocity at two different spatial scales;

exploration of the effect of reducing the

number of sites on apparent regional

patterns of ambient sulfur dioxide

concentrations; evaluation of the ability

to detect trends in ambient

concentrations and deposition velocities

at individual sites and groups of

geographically contiguous sites; and

comparisons of dry deposition estimates

with wet deposition estimates from

nearby wet deposition sites. The results

of the analyses are presented in a draft

report, Examination of CASTNet: Data,

Results, Costs, and Implications. The

purpose of this review is to examine the

soundness of the underlying science

and the appropriateness of the

analytical approaches described in this

document.

Beginning in FY 1998, EPA is

proposing to transfer operation of

CASTNet from the Office of Research

and Development (ORD) to the Office of

Air and Radiation (OAR). The transition

from a research-oriented effort to an

operational monitoring program

presents an opportunity to make

changes in current network operations

and to assess alternative directions for

future acid deposition research. The

Recommendations on Changes to

Operational Monitoring in CASTNet

and Directions for Future Atmospheric

Deposition Monitoring Research makes

such recommendations to OAR and

ORD, based on policy questions

provided by OAR and informed by the

analyses in the accompanying draft

report. The other purpose of the peer

review is to solicit the reviewers’’

advice on the reasonableness of the

various proposed modifications to the

CASTNet and future research directions,

given the current state of data analysis

and interpretation.

Dated: February 19, 1997.

Joseph K. Alexander,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Research

and Development.

[FR Doc. 97–4967 Filed 2–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE

CORPORATION

Sunshine Act Meeting

Pursuant to the provisions of the

‘‘Government in the Sunshine Act’’ (5

U.S.C. 552b), notice is hereby given that

at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, February 25,

1997, the Board of Directors of the

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

met in closed session to consider

matters relating to the Corporation’s

corporate, supervisory and

administrative enforcement activities.

In calling the meeting, the Board

determined, on motion of Vice

Chairman Andrew C. Hove, Jr.,

seconded by Director Joseph H. Neely

(Appointive), concurred in by Director

Nicolas P. Retsinas (Director, Office of

Thrift Supervision), Director Eugene A.

Ludwig (Comptroller of the Currency),

and Chairman Ricki Helfer, that

Corporation business required its

consideration of the matters on less than

seven days’ notice to the public; that no

earlier notice of the meeting was

practicable; that the public interest did

not require consideration of the matters

in a meeting open to public observation;

and that the matters could be

considered in a closed meeting by

authority of subsections (c)(2), (c)(2),

(c)(4), (c)(6), (c)(8) and (c)(9(A)(ii) of the

‘‘Government in the Sunshine Act’’ (5

U.S.C. 552b (c)(2), (c)(4), (c)(6), (c)(8)

and (c)(9)(A)(ii)).

The meeting was held in the Board

Room of the FDIC Building located at

550—17th Street, NW., Washington, DC.

Dated: February 25, 1997.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Valerie J. Best,

Assistant Executive Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–5146 Filed 2–26–97; 11:18 am]

BILLING CODE 6714–01–M

FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION

Notice of Agreement(s) Filed

The Commission hereby gives notice

of the filing of the following

agreement(s) under the Shipping Act of

1984.

Interested parties can review or obtain

copies of agreements at the Washington,

DC offices of the Commission, 800