Notice2023-24749
Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals; Request for Nominations
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 9, 2023
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites the public to nominate scientific experts from a diverse range of disciplines to be considered for appointment to the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC), established pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA anticipates appointing new SACC members by mid-2024 due to expiring membership terms. Sources in addition to this Federal Register Notice will be utilized to solicit nominations and identify candidates. Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified individuals to be considered prospective candidates for the committee by following the instructions provided in this document. Individuals may also self-nominate.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 216 (Thursday, November 9, 2023)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 216 (Thursday, November 9, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77308-77309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24749]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0521; FRL-11522-01-OCSPP]
Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals; Request for Nominations
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites the public
to nominate scientific experts from a diverse range of disciplines to
be considered for appointment to the Science Advisory Committee on
Chemicals (SACC), established pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA). EPA anticipates appointing new SACC members by mid-2024 due
to expiring membership terms. Sources in addition to this Federal
Register Notice will be utilized to solicit nominations and identify
candidates. Any interested person or organization may nominate
qualified individuals to be considered prospective candidates for the
committee by following the instructions provided in this document.
Individuals may also self-nominate.
DATES: Nominations of candidates to be considered for appointment to
the SACC must be received on or before December 11, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Submit your nominations identified by the docket
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0521, to the Designated
Federal Officer (DFO) listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Do
not electronically submit (e.g., via email) any information you
consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tamue L. Gibson, MS, Designated
Federal Officer (DFO) and Executive Secretary, telephone number: (202)
564-7642; email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#16717f746579783862777b63735673667738717960"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f6919f94859998d882979b8393b6938697d8919980">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this action apply to me?
This action is directed to the public in general. This action may,
however, be of interest to those involved in the manufacture,
processing, distribution, disposal, and/or those interested in the
assessment of risks involving chemical substances and mixtures. Since
other entities may also be interested, the Agency has not attempted to
describe all the specific entities that may be affected by this action.
If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this
action to a particular entity, consult the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. What should I consider as I prepare my nominations for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit CBI information to EPA through
[[Page 77309]]
<a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> or email. If your nomination contains any information
that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected, please contact the
DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT to obtain special
instructions before submitting your nomination. Information properly
marked as CBI will not be disclosed except in accordance with the
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
2. Request for nominations. As part of a broader process for
developing a pool of candidates for membership on the SACC, the EPA
Peer Review and Ethics Branch (PREB) staff solicits the public and
stakeholder communities for nominations of prospective candidates. Any
interested person or organization may nominate qualified individuals to
be considered as prospective candidates. Individuals also may self-
nominate.
II. Background
The SACC is a federal advisory committee, established in December
2016 pursuant to TSCA section 2625(o), and chartered under the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. 1001-1014. EPA established the
SACC to provide independent advice and recommendations to the EPA
Administrator on the scientific basis for risk assessments,
methodologies, and approaches relating to implementation of TSCA. The
SACC members serve as Special Government Employees (SGEs) or Regular
Government Employees (RGEs). The SACC expects to meet approximately 4
to 6 times per year, or as needed and approved by the DFO.
Currently, there are 18 SACC members, with eight membership terms
that will expire over the next year. The expiring membership terms are
eligible for reappointments. Therefore, up to eight new appointments or
a mix of reappointments and new appointments are possible by mid-2024.
III. Nominations
In accordance with Executive Order 14035 (June 25, 2021), EPA
values and welcomes opportunities to increase diversity, equity,
inclusion, and accessibility on its federal advisory committees. In an
effort to obtain nominations of diverse candidates, EPA encourages
nominations of women and men of all racial and ethnic groups that draw
from the full diversity of the Nation. Any interested person or
organization may nominate qualified persons to be considered for
appointment to this advisory committee. Individuals also may self-
nominate. Nominations may be submitted in electronic format in
accordance with the instructions under ADDRESSES.
Nominations should include candidates who have demonstrated high
levels of competence, knowledge, and expertise in scientific/technical
fields relevant to chemical safety and risk assessment. In particular,
the nominees should include representation of the following
disciplines, including, but not limited to: Human health and ecological
risk assessment, biostatistics, epidemiology, pediatrics,
physiologically-based pharmacokinetics (PBPK), toxicology and pathology
(including neurotoxicology, developmental/reproductive toxicology,
environmental toxicology, computational toxicology and carcinogenesis),
cancer hazard and risk assessment, aggregate exposure, exposure
assessment, bioinformatics/statistics, inhalation exposure, inhalation
toxicology, occupational exposure/industrial hygiene, and the
relationship of chemical exposures to women, children, and other
potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations.
Nominations should include the following information: Current
business contact information for the nominee (including the nominee's
name, organization, current business address, email address, and
daytime telephone number); the disciplinary and specific areas of
expertise of the nominee; and any additional information indicating
current position, educational background; research activities; and
recent service on other federal advisory committees and national or
international professional organizations. Persons having questions
about the nomination process should contact the DFO listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
The DFO will acknowledge receipt of nominations. The names and
biographical sketches of all interested and available nominees
identified by respondents to this Federal Register notice, other
sources for nominations, and any additional candidates identified by
EPA Staff, will be posted in a List of Candidates in the docket at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and will be available through the SACC
website at <a href="https://www.epa.gov/tsca-peer-review">https://www.epa.gov/tsca-peer-review</a>. The availability of
the list also will be announced through the Office of Chemical Safety
and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP)'s listservs. You may subscribe to
these listservs at the following website: <a href="https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USAEPAOPPT/subscriber/new?topic_id=USAEPAOPPT_101">https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USAEPAOPPT/subscriber/new?topic_id=USAEPAOPPT_101</a>. Public comments on the List of Candidates
will be requested to provide relevant information or other
documentation on nominees that the EPA should consider in evaluating
candidates. The final list of selected candidates to the SACC (names,
professional affiliations) will be posted on the SACC website and
announced through the OCSPP's listservs.
IV. Selection Criteria
In addition to scientific expertise, in selecting members, EPA will
consider the breadth and balance of different perspectives and the
collective experience needed to address EPA's prospective charges to
the SACC, including the following:
<bullet> Background and experiences that would contribute to the
diversity of scientific viewpoints on the committee, including
professional experiences in government, labor, public health, public
interest, animal protection, industry, and other groups, as the EPA
Administrator determines to be advisable (e.g., geographical location,
social and cultural backgrounds, and professional affiliations).
<bullet> Skills and experience working on committees and advisory
panels including demonstrated ability to work constructively and
effectively in a committee setting.
<bullet> Information on financial conflicts of interest or the
appearance of a loss of impartiality. Prospective candidates will be
asked to submit confidential financial information which shall fully
disclose, among other financial interests, the candidate's employment,
stocks, and bonds, and where applicable, sources of research support.
EPA will evaluate the candidate's financial disclosure forms to assess
the possibility of financial conflicts of interest, appearance of a
loss of impartially, or any prior involvement with the development of
documents likely to be under consideration by the SACC (including
previous scientific peer reviews) before the candidate is considered
further.
<bullet> Willingness to commit adequate time for the thorough
review of materials provided to the committee.
<bullet> Availability to participate in committee meetings.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2625 et seq.; 5 U.S.C. 1001-1014.
Dated: November 3, 2023.
Michal Freedhoff,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemicals Safety and Pollution
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2023-24749 Filed 11-8-23; 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>Indexed from Federal Register on November 9, 2023.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.