risk information to the public, including edu-
cators, risk communications experts, opinion re-
search professionals, journalists, psychologists,
health educators and other specialists the Ad-
ministrator deems appropriate.
(C) CONSIDERATIONS
OF
THE
ADMINIS-
TRATOR.—In making the appointments, the Ad-
ministrator shall appoint members so as to rep-
resent a balanced spectrum of expertise and
ability. The Administrator shall take such ac-
tion as is necessary to ensure that the appoint-
ments are made only on the basis of the criteria
referred to in the previous sentence, and not on
other criteria, such as political affiliation.
(4) TERMS.—
(A) INITIAL
TERMS.—Members initially
appointed to the Committee shall serve for the
following terms:
(i) Five members shall serve for an
initial term of 2 years.
(ii) Five members shall serve for an
initial term of 4 years.
(iii) Five members shall serve for an
initial term of 6 years.
(B) SUBSEQUENT TERMS.—Upon comple-
tion of a term referred to under subparagraph
(A), each member of the Committee subse-
quently appointed or reappointed shall serve for
a term of 6 years. A vacancy on the Committee
shall be filled in the same manner as the ap-
pointment was made.
(5) CHAIRPERSON.—Members of the Committee
shall elect a Chairperson from among the members.
The Chairperson shall serve for a term of 2 years.
(6) CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES.—The Commit-
tee shall establish appropriate criteria and guidelines
to carry out the duties of the Committee under para-
graph (7).
(7) DUTIES.—The Committee shall—
(A) review the current procedures and pro-
grams of the Agency for providing information
to the public about public health and risks.
(B) Prepare guidelines for the Adminis-
trator on communicating risks to the public and
make recommendations on improvements to
specific Agency programs reviewed under sub-
paragraph (A) above.
(C) Through surveys or other methods
identify—
(i) areas of public concern about pub-
lic health and risk;
(ii) public misperceptions; and
(iii) generally what information the
public needs to know and wants to know to
make informed risk avoidance or other re-
sponsive decisions.
(D) Develop and implement strategies for
communicating to the public risk information
that will be developed by this Act, including but
not limited to—
(i) relative risk ranking information
and the list of greatest risks identified
under subsection (b)(7)(B);
(ii) the benefits valuation referred to
in subsection (c)(6); and
(iii) environmental monitoring data.
(8) PUBLIC MEETINGS.—The Committee shall
hold open public meetings to solicit input from the
general public and such other sources as the Com-
mittee determines to be appropriate.
(9) REPORTS.—
(A) REPORTS TO THE ADMINISTRATOR.—
In accordance with this subsection, the Chair-
person of the Committee shall report to the Ad-
ministrator the findings of the Committee based
on the duties of the Committee identified in
paragraph (7).
(B) 
FREQUENCY
OF
REPORTS.—The
Chairperson of the Committee shall report the
findings of the Committee with respect to the
duties identified in paragraphs (7)(A), (B), and
(C) of this subsection to the Administration on
or before August 1, 1995, and not less fre-
quently than every 2 years thereafter. Upon re-
ceipt of the report, the Administrator shall for-
ward a copy of the report to the Science Advi-
sory Board.
(C) REVIEW BY THE SCIENCE ADVISORY
BOARD.—The Science Advisory Board shall re-
view each report submitted to the Administrator
pursuant to this subsection by not later than 3
months after the date of issuance of the report,
and report the findings of each review to the
Committee and to the Administrator.
(D) REVIEW BY COMMITTEE.—The Com-
mittee shall review the findings of the Science
Advisory Board and shall, by not later than 3
months after the date of receipt of the findings,
revise the content of the report to take into
consideration the findings of the Science Advi-
sory Board and submit the revised report to the
Administrator.
(E) REVISED REPORT.—The Administrator
shall make available copies of the revised report
to the individuals and entities referred to in
subsection (f).
(10) Within 6 months after release of the final
reports prepared under subsections (b) and (c) of
this section for which the Committee is required to
develop and implement communication strategies,
the Committee shall have developed such strategies
and begin implementation.
(e) COMPENSATION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each member of a commit-
tee established under this section who is not an offi-
cer or employee of the Federal Government shall be
compensated at a rate not to exceed the daily equiv-
alent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for
level IV of the Executive Schedule under section
5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day
(including travel time) during which the member is
engaged in the performance of the duties of the com-
mittee. Each member of a committee established
under this section who is an officer or employee of
the United States shall serve without compensation
in addition to that received for service as an officer
or employee of the United States.
(2) TRAVEL.—The members of the committees
established under this section shall be allowed travel
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence,
at rates authorized for employees of agencies under
subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States
Code, while away from their homes or regular places
of business in the performance of services for the
Commission.
(f) FINDINGS.—To ensure extensive opportunities for
public participation and access, the Administrator shall
communicate the findings in the reports of the committees
and the Science Advisory Board reviews submitted to the
Administrator pursuant to this section to—
(1) Congress;
(2) such other Federal agencies as the Adminis-
trator determines to be appropriate;
(3) the governments of such States and political
subdivisions of States as the Administrator deter-
mines to be appropriate; and
(4) the general public.
(g) DISCLOSURE.—Each member of a committee es-
tablished under this section shall, as a condition to serving
on the committee, agree to fully disclose financial inter-
ests. The Administrator shall ensure that appropriate
measures are carried out to avoid any conflict of interest
with respect to a member.
(h) STUDIES.—The Administrator may enter into a
contract, execute an agreement, or issue a grant for carry-
ing out studies to generate information to assist a commit-
tee established under this section in efforts to rank relative
risks and estimate environmental benefits.
(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated
to the Agency such sums as may be necessary for each
of fiscal years 1994 through 2000.
SEC. 6. RISK ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—
(1) RISK ASSESSMENTS.—To the extent prac-
ticable, the Administrator shall protect human
health and the environment by using careful risk as-
sessments and the evaluation of options for reducing
risks.
(2) PROHIBITION.—The Administrator may not
interpret or apply any provision of this Act in such
manner as to delay a pending regulatory decision
based on the outcome of research or analysis of the
Administrator.
(b) RISK ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES.—The Adminis-
trator shall develop, and revise as appropriate, guidelines
to ensure consistency and technical quality in risk assess-
ments by specifying such minimum standards for different
risk assessment approaches, as are appropriate for the
scale of the problem, the level of scientific understanding,
and the available data.
(c) INITIAL GUIDELINES.—The initial set of guide-
lines referred to in subsection (b) shall include risk assess-
ments involving—
(1) human mutagenicity;
(2) human carcinogenicity;
(3) human developmental toxicants;
(4) human reproductive effects;
(5) human systemic toxicants;
(6) ecological effects of sources of pollutants
from single sites;
(7) ecological effects of pollutants that originate
from many sites;
(8) ecological effects from physical alteration of
the environment;
(9) ecological effects of introducing nonnative
or genetically engineered organisms;
(10) pollutants affecting manmade materials;
and
(11) pollutants affecting the productivity of
soils.
(d) ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES.—The Administrator
shall develop such additional risk assessment guidelines as
the Administrator determines to be warranted—
(1) by the state of pertinent scientific under-
standing; and
(2) by the need for sound decisions to protect
human health, welfare, and the environment.
(e) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The risk assessment
guidelines developed under this section shall include how
to conduct the following:
(1) A hazard identification that demonstrates
whether exposure to a stressor is causally linked to
an effect.
(2) An assessment that measures or estimates
the exposure of well-defined individuals, habitats,
populations, ecosystems, or materials to a stressor.
(3) An assessment that determines or estimates
the magnitude of response of affected individuals,
habitats, populations, ecosystems, or materials asso-
ciated with different levels of exposure to a stressor
under representative or reasonably foreseeable envi-
ronmental conditions.
(4) A risk characterization that provides an
overall description of the nature and magnitude of
probable effects resulting from alternative risk man-
agement options (including no action), together with
a quantitative estimate of the accompanying uncer-
tainties.
(f) PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER AND
REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Administrator shall—
(1) publish all initial risk assessment guidelines
referred to in subsection (c) in the Federal Register
not later than 5 years after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and report annually to Congress
on progress toward this goal and thereafter publish
such additional guidelines as are required under sub-
section (d) in the Federal Register as appropriate;
(2) ensure that the guidelines are reviewed by
the Science Advisory Board; and
(3) after taking into account the findings of the
review of the Science Advisory Board and public
comments, modify the guidelines and publish such
revised guidelines in the Federal Register as appro-
priate.
SEC. 7. RISK ASSESSMENT RESEARCH.
(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to provide the most cost-
effective use of environmental resources and to ensure that
the risk assessment process of the Agency is based on sta-
tistically sound and adequate environmental data and sci-
entific understanding, the Administrator shall conduct a
long-term core research program concerning environ-
mental risk assessment research.
(b) ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING
AND ASSESS-
MENT PROGRAM.—As part of the program referred to in
subsection (a), the Administrator shall conduct a research
program to—
(1) design and evaluate methods and networks
to collect monitoring data on the current and chang-
ing condition of the environment (including human
health, ecological resources, materials, and exposure
to environmental stressors) that are relevant to mak-
ing decisions at the Federal level about alternative
risk assessment and risk reduction options;
(2) in cooperation with the heads of other Fed-
eral agencies with relevant programs, implement the
monitoring programs referred to in paragraph (1);
(3) manage data from the monitoring programs
in forms and formats that are technically accurate,
objective, and readily accessible to the scientific com-
munity and the general public (including providing
attention to unavoidable uncertainties with respect
to the data and the interpretation of the data); and
(4) provide annual statistical reports and peri-
odic interpretive reports of the results of the mon-
itoring programs to Congress and the general public.
(c) ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT RESEARCH
PROGRAM.—As part of the program referred to in sub-
section (a), the Administrator shall conduct a long-term
core program to establish a firm scientific basis for initial
and subsequent risk assessment guidelines, including
methods for—
(1) assessing the exposure of humans, ecological
resources, and materials to stressors and combina-
tions of stressors, including methods for determining
the relation between an environmental exposure and
the probability, scope, and seriousness of the effect;
(2) accurately predicting the effects of exposure
to stressors on human health, ecological resources,
and materials;
(3) quantifying statistical uncertainty in expo-
sure and stress-response estimates;
(4) quantifying the social and economic values
of effects on human health, welfare, and ecological
resources;
(5) evaluating and developing measurements to
aid in understanding and defining public awareness
of the likelihood, seriousness, magnitude, and
irreversibility of each risk examined in a risk assess-
ment; and
(6) developing methods for the effective commu-
nication of the degree of risk.
(d) LONG-TERM RESEARCH PLANNING.—At least
one-half of the research activities conducted under this Act
shall be under contracts or assistance agreements with
universities and other nonprofit or not-for-profit organiza-
tions (as defined by the Administrator). The assistance
and contracts shall be—
(1) awarded under full and open competition;
and
(2) for a period of at least 3 years, under which
full funding shall be obligated at the beginning of
the contract or agreement.
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Agency to carry
out this section such sums as may be necessary for each
of fiscal years 1994 through 2000.
SEC. 8. INVOLVEMENT OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECH-
NICAL COMMUNITY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—In developing the risk assessment
guidelines under section 6 and in developing and imple-
menting the core research program concerning environ-
mental risk assessment research under section 7, the Ad-
ministrator shall, to the maximum extent practicable, use
the resources and personnel of the Agency.
(b) INTENT OF CONGRESS.—It is the intent of Con-
gress that the Administrator, in addition to using the re-
sources and personnel of the Agency pursuant to sub-
section (a), should aggressively solicit the advice of the
Science Advisory Board and such other specialists in sci-
entific fields as the Administrator determines to be appro-
priate to develop, evaluate, and interpret technical and sci-
entific information.
SEC. 9. INTERAGENCY PANEL ON RISK ASSESSMENT AND
REDUCTION.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an Inter-
agency Panel on Risk Assessment and Reduction (here-
after in this section referred to as the ‘‘Interagency
Panel’’) for the purpose of coordinating Federal research,
data gathering, and implementation of environmental risk
assessment and risk reduction activities.
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Panel shall con-
sist of one representative from each of the following Fed-
eral agencies, nominated by the head of the agency (or
with respect to an individual described in paragraph (9),
nominated by the President Chairperson of the Commit-
tee, as appropriate) and appointed by the President:
(1) The Environmental Protection Agency.
(2) The Department of the Interior.
(3) The Department of Health and Human
Services.
(4) The Department of Energy.
(5) The Department of Commerce.
(6) The Department of Agriculture.
(7) The Department of Labor.
(8) The Corps of Engineers.
(9) The Public Health Service.
(10) Any other Federal department or agency
that the President, or the Chairperson of the Inter-
agency Panel, considers appropriate.
(c) CHAIRPERSON.—The member of the Interagency
Panel representing the Environmental Protection Agency
shall serve as the Chairperson of the Interagency Panel.
(d) COORDINATION.—The Interagency Panel shall
ensure that individual risk assessments and generic risk
assessment practices carried out by agencies of the Fed-
eral Government are coordinated and made consistent to
the greatest extent practicable.
(e) IDENTIFICATION
OF
INCONSISTENCIES.—The
Interagency Panel shall—
(1) identify any inconsistencies between the risk
assessments and practices carried out by Federal
agencies, and document the reasons for the incon-
sistencies; and
(2) make recommendations concerning whether
changes should be made in Federal laws or regula-
tions or in the practices of the Federal agencies to
minimize the inconsistencies, or whether the incon-
sistencies should be encouraged.
(f) REPORTS.—Not later than August 31, 1996, and
every 2 years thereafter, the Chairperson of the Inter-
agency Panel shall submit a report to the appropriate
committees of Congress that summarizes the findings and
recommendations of the Interagency Panel under this sec-
tion.
SEC. 10. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.
(a) ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL RISK REDUC-
TION OPTIONS.—Not later than 12 months after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall prepare
and submit a report to Congress that includes—
(1) a prioritized list of the human health, wel-
fare, and ecological resource risks considered by the
Committee on Relative Risks established under sec-
tion 5(b);
(2) an identification of public awareness of the
likelihood, seriousness, magnitude, and irreversibility
of each risk referred to in paragraph (1);
(3) alternative options for reducing the risks re-
ferred to in paragraph (1) and corresponding esti-
mated costs and benefits to society, including costs
to Federal agencies and the private sector, and any
adverse effects that cannot (as of the date of the re-
port) be quantified in monetary terms;
(4) the period of time required for reducing the
risks through each option referred to in paragraph
(3);
(5) an evaluation of the uncertainty associated
with relevant aspects of the assessment process;
(6) an identification of research or data collec-
tion that would significantly reduce the uncertainty
in any assessment in the 2-year period following the
date of submission of the report to Congress; and
(7) such other recommendations as the Admin-
istrator determines to be appropriate.
(b) INTENT OF CONGRESS.—It is the intent of Con-
gress that the information contained in the annual report
under this section be used to assist in directing the activi-
ties of the Agency so as to result in reducing the most
serious and probable risks to the greatest number of indi-
viduals and reducing the most serious and probable risks
to the sustainability of ecological resources.