Congress established the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) in 1978 and gave it a broad mandate to advise the Agency on technical matters. The SAB's principal mission includes:
- reviewing the quality and relevance of the scientific and technical information being used or proposed as the basis for Agency regulations
- reviewing research programs and the technical basis of applied programs
- reviewing generic approaches to regulatory science, including guidelines governing the use of scientific and technical information in regulatory decisions, and critiquing such analytic methods as mathematical modelling
- advising the Agency on broad scientific matters in science, technology, social and economic issues, and
- advising the Agency on emergency and other short-notice programs
Most (though not all) preliminary
work of the SAB is done by subcommittees or panels focused on various environmental science topics. These groups are chaired by SAB members. Recommendations of subcommittees and panels are transmitted to the SAB for discussion and deliberation. Recommendations are forwarded to EPA only if the SAB determines that it is appropriate.
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