Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Public
Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Hypoxia Advisory Panel
[Federal Register: November 14, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 219)]
[Notices]
[Page 66329-66330]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14no06-37]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8241-7]
Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Public
Meeting of the Science Advisory Board Hypoxia Advisory Panel
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is
announcing a public meeting of the SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel.
DATES: The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. (EST) December 6, 2006 to 1
p.m. December 8, 2006.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Doubletree Hotel located at
1515 Rhode Island Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing
further information regarding the public meeting may contact Dr. Holly
Stallworth, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), U.S. EPA Science Advisory
Board Staff Office by telephone/voice mail at (202) 343-9867, or via e-
mail at stallworth.holly@epa.gov. The SAB mailing address is: US EPA,
Science Advisory Board (1400F), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460. General information about the SAB, as well as any
updates concerning the meeting announced in this notice, may be found
in the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee
Act, Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby
[[Page 66330]]
given that the SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting to
develop a report that details advancements in the state of the science
regarding hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. The SAB was
established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent scientific and
technical advice to the Administrator on the technical basis for Agency
positions and regulations. The SAB is a Federal Advisory Committee
chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended,
5 U.S.C., App. The SAB will comply with the provisions of FACA and all
appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural policies.
Background: EPA participates with other Federal agencies, states
and tribes in the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient
Task Force. In 2001, the Task Force released the Action Plan for
Reducing, Mitigating and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of
Mexico (or Action Plan available at http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/taskforce/
actionplan.htm). The Action Plan was informed by the science
described in An Integrated Assessment of Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf
of Mexico (or Integrated Assessment available at
http://www.noaa.gov/products/hypox_finalfront.pdf")
developed by the National Science and Technology Council, Committee on
Environment and Natural Resources. Six technical reports provided the
scientific foundation for the Integrated Assessment and are available at
http://www.nos.noaa.gov/products/pub_hypox.html.
The aforementioned documents provide a comprehensive summary of the
state-of-the-science for the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone through about
the year 2000.
EPA's Office of Water has requested that the SAB develop a report
that evaluates the state-of-the-science regarding the causes and extent
of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the scientific basis of
possible management options in the Mississippi River Basin. The SAB is
asked to focus on scientific advances since 2000 that may have increased
scientific understanding and control options in three general areas.
1. Characterization of the Cause(s) of Hypoxia. The physical,
biological and chemical processes that affect the development,
persistence and extent of hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
2. Characterization of Nutrient Fate, Transport and Sources.
Nutrient loadings, fate, transport and sources in the Mississippi River
that impact Gulf Hypoxia.
3. Scientific Basis for Goals and Management Options. The
scientific basis for, and recommended revisions to, the goals proposed
in the Action Plan; and the scientific basis for the efficacy of
recommended management actions to reduce nutrient flux from point and
nonpoint sources.
In response to EPA's request, the SAB Staff Office formed the SAB
Hypoxia Advisory Panel. Background on the Panel formation process was
provided in a Federal Register notice published on February 17, 2006
(71 FR 8578-8580). The SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel met on September 6-7,
2006 to plan its work and organized itself into three subgroups
corresponding to the three general areas described above. Background
for the first meeting of the Hypoxia Advisory Panel was provided in a
Federal Register published on August 9, 2006 (71 FR 45543-45544). The
three subgroups of the Panel have held multiple public teleconferences
to begin developing the Panel's report. Background information for the
subgroup teleconferences was provided in Federal Register notices
published on September 25, 2006 (71 FR 55786-55787) and October 6, 2006
(71 FR 59107). Information about the SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel is
available on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
Availability of Meeting Materials: Materials in support of this
meeting will be placed on the SAB Web site http://www.epa.gov/sab/ in
advance of the meeting.
Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the
public may submit relevant written or oral information for the SAB to
consider during the advisory process. Oral Statements: In general,
individuals or groups requesting an oral presentation at a public
meeting will be limited to five minutes per speaker, with no more than
a total of one hour for all speakers. Interested parties should contact
Dr. Stallworth, DFO, at the contact information noted above, no later
than November 28, 2006, to be placed on the public speaker list for the
December 6-8, 2006 meeting. Written Statements: Written statements
should be received in the SAB Staff Office no later than November 28,
2006 so that the information may be made available to the SAB for their
consideration prior to this meeting. Written statements should be
supplied to the DFO in the following formats: One hard copy with
original signature, and one electronic copy via e-mail to
stallworth.holly@epa.gov (acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat PDF,
WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/
Windows 98/2000/XP format).
Meeting Access: For information on access or services for
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Stallworth at (202)
343-9867 or stallworth.holly@epa.gov. To request accommodation of a
disability, please contact Dr. Stallworth, preferably at least 10 days
prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time as possible to process
your request.
Dated: November 7, 2006.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Associate Director for Science, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E6-19171 Filed 11-13-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P