[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 187 (Thursday, September 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 78868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-22032]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-12233-01-OA]


Science Advisory Board Scientific and Technological Achievement 
Awards Panel; Closed Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory 
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a meeting of the Scientific and 
Technological Achievement Awards (STAA) Panel. The purpose of the 
meeting is to review nominations and make recommendations for the Early 
Career Science and Technology Award. The meeting is closed to the 
public.

DATES: The SAB STAA Panel will meet on the following dates. All times 
listed are in eastern time.

1. November 4, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2. November 6, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
3. November 13, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The SAB STAA Panel meeting will be conducted virtually.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to 
obtain further information concerning this notice may contact Dr. 
Shaunta Hill-Hammond, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), via telephone 
(202) 564-3343, or via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5830313434753039353537363c762b30392d362c39183d2839763f372e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e38b8a8f8fce8b828e8e8c8d87cd908b82968d9782a3869382cd848c95">[email protected]</span></a>. General 
information about the SAB as well as any updates concerning the meeting 
announced in this notice can be found on the SAB website at https://sab.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: The SAB was established pursuant to the Environmental 
Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDDAA), 
codified at 42 U.S.C. 4365, to provide independent scientific and 
technical advice to the EPA Administrator on the scientific and 
technical basis for agency positions and regulations. The SAB is a 
Federal Advisory Committee chartered under the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. 10. The SAB will comply with the 
provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural 
policies. Pursuant to FACA and EPA policy, notice is hereby given that 
the SAB STAA Panel, will hold a closed meeting to review nominations 
for the Early Career Science and Technology Award and make 
recommendations for award recipients.
    The Early Career Science and Technology Award at EPA, established 
in 2024, recognizes early-career professionals who have made 
distinguished contributions to scientific research or technology 
development to EPA and show exceptional promise of continued 
achievements throughout their EPA career. All technical staff (e.g., 
mathematicians, engineers, social/physical/biological/computational 
scientists, physicians, and others) are eligible for this annual award. 
Recipient(s) receive a one-time monetary stipend of $10,000 and a 
commemorative plaque.
    The SAB reviews the STAA nomination packages according to the 
following three evaluation factors:
    <bullet> Scientific achievements: How has the nominee led, 
conducted, or influenced scientific research that significantly 
advanced a field of research (to include the integration and synthesis 
of data) or developed technology within the employee's scientific or 
technical area of expertise, such that the product of their work had a 
substantial impact on the mission of ORD and EPA.
    <bullet> Impact: How have the efforts of the nominee resulted in 
improved customer, partner, or stakeholder satisfaction through 
documented accolades, recognition, or direct influence on decisions or 
actions and consistently demonstrated the highest level of 
accountability in achieving the organization's, ORD's and the Agency's 
goals and mission.
    <bullet> Partnership: How have efforts of the nominee led or 
initiated significant collaborations successfully influencing the 
organization, workgroup, or teams in activities or projects that result 
in improvements in program policies, processes, or other key activities 
(commensurate with career stage).
    I have determined that the meetings of the STAA Panel and Chartered 
SAB will be closed to the public because they are concerned with 
selecting employees deserving of awards. In making these 
recommendations, the Agency requires full and frank advice from the 
SAB. This advice will involve professional judgments on the relative 
merits of various employees and their respective work. Such matters 
relate solely to EPA's internal personnel rules and practices and 
involve the discussion of information that is of a personal nature and 
the disclosure of which would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of 
personal privacy and, therefore, are protected from disclosure by 
section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S. Code 
10, and subsections (c)(2) and (c)(6) of the Government in the Sunshine 
Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b. Minutes of the meetings of the STAA Panel and the 
Chartered SAB will be kept and certified by the chair of those 
meetings.
    Meeting cancellation: The November 6, 2024 and November 13, 2024 
meeting dates may be cancelled if the STAA Panel concludes its 
deliberative discussions early.

Michael S. Regan,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2024-22032 Filed 9-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>