55620 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 183 / Thursday, September 22, 2005 / Notices 

continuing basis to the Director, Office 

of Science of the Department of Energy, 

on the many complex scientific and 

technical issues that arise in the 

development and implementation of the 

Biological and Environmental Research 

Program. 

Tentative Agenda: 

• Discussion of BERAC subcommittee 

report on the review of the 

Environmental Molecular Sciences 

Laboratory. See complete BERAC 

Charge dated November 18, 2004. 

• Discussion of BERAC subcommittee 

report on the value of the Genomics: 

GTL Facility for the Production of 

Proteins and Molecular Tags. See 

complete BERAC Charge dated August 

15, 2005. 

• Discussion of BERAC subcommittee 

report on the advantages and 

disadvantages of establishing more than 

one program in a particular technology 

at one of the Department’s light sources 

and in particular the potential rationale 

for supporting the further development 

of the X4A and X4C beam lines at the 

National Synchrotron Light Source. See 

complete BERAC Charge dated January 

14, 2005. 

• New business 

• Public Comment 

Copies of the Charge letters may be 

found at http://www.sc.doe.gov/ober/ 

berac/charges.html. All BERAC reports, 

once approved, are posted on the 

BERAC Web site at http:// 

www.science.doe.gov/ober/berac/ 

Reports.html. 

Public Participation: The 

teleconference meeting is open to the 

public. If you would like to file a 

written statement with the Committee, 

you may do so either before or after the 

meeting. If you would like to make oral 

statements regarding any of the items on 

the agenda, you should contact David 

Thomassen at the address or telephone 

number listed above. You must make 

your request for an oral statement at 

least five business days before the 

meeting. Reasonable provision will be 

made to include the scheduled oral 

statements on the agenda. The 

Chairperson of the Committee will 

conduct the meeting to facilitate the 

orderly conduct of business. Public 

comment will follow the 10-minute 

rule. 

Minutes: The minutes of this meeting 

will be available for public review and 

copying within 30 days at the Freedom 

of Information Public Reading Room, 

IE–190, Forrestal Building, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 4 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

Issued in Washington, DC on September 

16, 2005. 

Rachel M. Samuel, 

Deputy Advisory Committee, Management 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 05–18942 Filed 9–21–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–7973–6] 

Science Advisory Board Staff Office; 

Notification of Upcoming SAB Meeting 

To Review the EPA Region 6 

Geographic Information System 

Screening Tool (GISST) 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory 

Board (SAB) Staff Office is announcing 

a public meeting of the SAB Ecological 

Processes and Effects Committee to 

review the EPA Region 6 Geographic 

Information System Screening Tool 

(GISST). 

DATES: December 7–8, 2005. The SAB 

meeting will convene Wednesday, 

December 7 at 8:30 a.m., adjourning at 

approximately 4 p.m. (central time) 

Thursday, December 8. 

ADDRESSES: The public meeting of the 

Panel will be held at the U.S. EPA 

Region 6 Headquarters Office, 1445 Ross 

Avenue, Dallas TX 75202. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any 

member of the public wishing further 

information regarding the public 

meeting may contact Dr. Thomas 

Armitage, Designated Federal Officer 

(DFO), via telephone/voice mail at (202) 

343–9995; via e-mail at 

armitage.thomas@epa.gov; or at the U.S. 

EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), 

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 

Washington, DC 20460. General 

information about the SAB can be found 

in the SAB Web site at http:// 

www.epa.gov/sab. 

For technical inquiries concerning the 

EPA Region 6 Geographic Information 

System Screening Tool, please contact 

Dr. Sharon Osowski by telephone/voice 

mail at 214–665–7506; via e-mail at 

osowski.sharon@epa.gov; or by mail at 

U.S. EPA Region 6 (mail code 6EN–XP), 

1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200, Dallas, 

TX 75272–2733. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

EPA Region 6 has requested that the 

SAB conduct a review of the Geographic 

Information System Screening Tool 

(GISST). The GISST is an environmental 

assessment tool developed to provide a 

systematic approach to considering 

single media and cumulative impacts in 

making decisions concerning complex 

projects, such as those subject to the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA). The GISST uses geographic 

information system coverages and 

environmental and socioeconomic data 

to provide screening level assessments 

of the potential environmental 

vulnerabilities of project locations or the 

impacts of specified activities. Decision 

criteria are used in the GISST to score 

available data on a scale of one to five, 

where one equals lower potential 

environmental vulnerability or concern 

and five equals a higher level of 

vulnerability or concern. Scores are 

used by decision-makers to help 

prioritize potential project locations and 

alternatives and to help identify levels 

of environmental concern. EPA Region 

6 is seeking comment from the SAB on 

the validity of the GISST methodology, 

the defensibility of the GISST results, 

and the usefulness of the GISST, 

particularly within the NEPA process. 

EPA Region 6 is also interested in 

making the GISST more user-friendly, 

and is seeking comments on further 

enhancements to the GISST. 

Panel Formation 

The Science Advisory Board is a 

chartered Federal advisory committee 

established under 42 U.S.C. 4365 to 

provide independent scientific and 

technical advice, consultation, and 

recommendations to the EPA 

Administrator on the technical basis for 

Agency positions and regulations. The 

SAB Staff Office is augmenting the 

expertise on the SAB Ecological 

Processes and Effects Committee to 

conduct the review of the GISST. The 

panel being formed will provide advice 

to the EPA through the Chartered SAB. 

The Panel will comply with the 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act and all appropriate SAB 

procedural policies, including the SAB 

process for panel formation described in 

the Overview of the Panel Formation 

Process at the Environmental Protection 

Agency Science Advisory Board, which 

can be found on the SAB’s Web site at: 

http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec0210.pdf. 

The SAB Staff Office has previously 

formed panels that provided advice on 

EPA’s Critical Ecosystem Assessment 

Model (CrEAM) and Regional 

Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) 

methods for multi-scale decisionmaking. The expertise needed on the 

GISST Review Panel is similar to the 

expertise that was required for review of 

the CrEAM and the ReVA methods. 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 183 / Thursday, September 22, 2005 / Notices 55621 

Therefore, the SAB Staff Office will 

select a set of nominees for 

consideration to serve on the GISST 

Review Panel (known as the ‘‘Short 

List’’) from the rosters of SAB panels 

that reviewed the CrEAM and ReVA 

methods, and from previously 

published Short Lists of candidates for 

those panels. The rosters of the SAB 

Critical Ecosystem Assessment Model 

Review Panel and the SAB Regional 

Vulnerability Assessment Advisory 

Panel, as well as the Short Lists of 

candidates for these panels, are 

available on the SAB Web site http:// 

www.epa.gov/sab. The Short List will be 

posted on the SAB Web site at: http:// 

www.epa.gov/sab, and will include, for 

each candidate, the nominee’s name and 

biosketch. Public comments on the 

Short List will be accepted for 14 

calendar days. During this comment 

period, the public will be requested to 

provide information, analysis or other 

documentation on nominees that the 

SAB Staff should consider in evaluating 

candidates for the Panel. 

For the SAB, a balanced review panel 

(i.e., committee, subcommittee, or 

panel) is characterized by inclusion of 

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. Public 

responses to the Short List candidates 

will be considered in the selection of 

the panel, along with information 

provided by candidates and information 

gathered by SAB Staff independently of 

the background of each candidate (e.g., 

financial disclosure information and 

computer searches to evaluate a 

nominee’s prior involvement with the 

topic under review). Specific criteria to 

be used in evaluation of an individual 

subcommittee member include: (a) 

Scientific and/or technical expertise, 

knowledge, and experience (primary 

factors); (b) absence of financial 

conflicts of interest; (c) scientific 

credibility and impartiality; (d) 

availability and willingness to serve; 

and (e) ability to work constructively 

and effectively in committees. 

Prospective panelists will also be 

required to fill-out 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 that 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. 

Availability of Meeting Materials 

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, Public Law 92–463, 

notice is hereby given that the Panel 

will hold a public meeting to conduct 

this review. The dates and times for the 

meeting are provided above. A roster of 

panel members, their biosketches, the 

meeting agenda, and the charge to the 

SAB panel will be posted on the SAB 

Web site prior to the meeting. Meeting 

materials also include the EPA Region 6 

GIS Screening Tool (GISST) User’s 

Manual available at the following URL 

address: http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/ 

6en/xp/enxp2a3.htm. 

Procedures for Providing Public 

Comments 

The SAB Staff Office accepts written 

public comments, and will 

accommodate oral public comments 

when possible. Written Comments: 

Written comments are preferred and 

should be submitted by e-mail to Dr. 

Thomas Armitage at 

armitage.thomas@epa.gov in Adobe 

Acrobat, WordPerfect, Word, or Rich 

Text files in IBM–PC/Windows 98/ 

2000/XP format) by November 30, 2005. 

Those without access to e-mail may 

submit one signed hard copy of the 

comments to Dr. Armitage by mail or 

courier. Commenters planning to attend 

the meeting in person are asked to bring 

35 copies of their comments for public 

distribution. Oral Comments: Requests 

to provide oral comments must be in 

writing (e-mail or fax) and received by 

Dr. Armitage no later than November 30, 

2005 to reserve time on the meeting 

agenda. Presentation time for oral 

comment will typically be about five 

minutes per speaker, but may be 

reduced depending on time availability 

and the number of requests. 

Meeting Accommodations 

Individuals requiring special 

accommodation to access the public 

meetings listed above should contact the 

DFO at least five business days prior to 

the meeting so that appropriate 

arrangements can be made. 

Dated: September 16, 2005. 

Anthony F. Maciorowski, 

Associate Director for Science, EPA Science 

Advisory Board Staff Office. 

[FR Doc. 05–18954 Filed 9–21–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

EXPORT-IMPORT BANK 

Sunshine Act Meeting 

ACTION: Notice of an open meeting of the 

Board of Directors of the Export-Import 

Bank of the United States. 

TIME AND PLACE: Wednesday, September 

28, 2005 at 10:30 a.m. The meeting will 

held at Ex-Im Bank in Room 1143, 811 

Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 

20571. 

OPEN AGENDA ITEM: PEFCO Secured 

Note Issues (Resolution). 

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: The portion of 

the meeting, which relates to the above 

item, will be open to public 

participation. Attendees that are not 

employees of the Executive Branch will 

be required to sign in prior to the 

meeting. 

FURTHER INFORMATION: For further 

information, contact: Office of the 

Secretary, 811 Vermont Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20571 (Telephone No. 

(202) 565–3957). 

Howard A. Schweitzer, 

General Counsel (Acting). 

[FR Doc. 05–19076 Filed 9–20–05; 2:53 am] 

BILLING CODE 6690–01–M 

FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION 

Privacy Act of 1974; Altering a System 

of Records 

AGENCY: Farm Credit Administration. 

ACTION: Notice of altering a system of 

records maintained on individuals; 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of 

the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 

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

the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) is 

publishing an amended system notice 

pertaining to personnel security files. 

The system notice provides information 

on the existence and character of the 

system of records. This amended system 

notice reflects minor changes in the 

Agency’s organization and filing, and 

clearly identifies the record sources for 

this system of records. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received by October 24, 2005. This 

notice will become effective without 

further publication on November 7,