[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 107 (Monday, June 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32769-32771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11162]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7921-4]
[E-Docket ID No. Ord-2005-0021]
Workshop to Peer Review Proposed Indicators for the U.S. EPA's
2006 Report on the Environment
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
[[Page 32770]]
ACTION: Notice of peer-review workshop and public comment period.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing
that ERG, an EPA contractor for external scientific peer review, will
convene a panel of experts and organize and conduct an independent
external peer-review workshop to review the Proposed Indicators for the
U.S. EPA's 2006 Report on the Environment (hereafter, Proposed
Indicators--EPA ROE 2006). EPA is also announcing a 45-day public
review and comment period on the Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2006.
This public comment period and the public peer-review workshop are
separate processes and will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders
to weigh in on the primary contents of the draft 2006 Report on the
Environment (EPA ROE 2006) at an early stage. The selection of the
Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2006 was coordinated across EPA and with
other agencies. The draft text and accompanying information for each
indicator were prepared by EPA Program and Regional Offices, the Office
of Research and Development (ORD), the Office of Environmental
Information (OEI), and the Office of Policy Economics and Innovation
(OPEI). In preparing the EPA ROE 2006, EPA will consider ERG's report
of the comments and recommendations from the expert peer-review
workshop and any public comments EPA receives in accordance with
today's notice.
DATES: ERG will hold the three-day peer-review workshop from July 27-
29, 2005. The workshop will begin at 8 a.m. for registration and end at
approximately 5 p.m., eastern daylight time. Members of the public may
attend the peer-review workshop as observers. Interested parties will
also have an opportunity to make brief oral statements at the
commencement of the meeting each day.
The 45-day public comment period begins June 6, 2005, and ends July
21, 2005. Technical comments should be in writing and must be received
by EPA by July 21, 2005.
ADDRESSES: The external peer-review workshop will be held in the Sphinx
Room, Almas Temple, 1315 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005. To attend
the workshop, register by July 21, 2005 at the following Web site:
http://www2.ergweb.com/projects/conferences/roe/register-roe.htm.
Interested parties can also register for the workshop by contacting
ERG, 110 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421; telephone: 781-674-7374
or toll-free 800-803-2833 (between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EDT);
facsimile: 781-674-2906; or e-mail: meetings@erg.com. Please include
your full address and contact information. Space is limited, and
reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Workshop attendees who wish to make oral statements at the workshop
should notify ERG at the time of your initial contact that you would
like to register to make a public comment. The workshop agenda is also
available at the above-mentioned Web site.
The Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2006 are available primarily via
the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/ROEindicators. EPA's peer-review
charge is also available at this Web site. Each of the proposed
indicators can be downloaded separately from this Web site in the PDF
format. A limited number of electronic copies on compact disc (CD) are
available from the National Center for Environmental Assessment's
Technical Information Staff, NCEA-W; telephone: 202-564-3261;
facsimile: 202-565-0050. If you are requesting a CD, please provide
your name, your mailing address, and the document title, ``Proposed
Indicators--EPA ROE 2006.''
Public comments may be submitted electronically via EPA's E-Docket,
by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/courier. Please follow the
detailed instructions for submission of public comments as provided in
the section of this notice entitled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. ERG will
provide copies of the public comments received by July 15, 2005, to the
panel of experts prior to the peer-review workshop.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the peer review
workshop, contact: Conference Registration, ERG, 110 Hartwell Avenue,
Lexington, MA 02421; telephone: 781-674-7374 or toll-free at 800-803-
2833 between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EDT; facsimile: 781-674-2906; or e-
mail: meetings@erg.com. Questions regarding registration and logistics
should be directed to ERG.
For information on the public comment period, contact the OEI
Docket; telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-1753; or e-mail:
ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
If you have technical questions about the Proposed Indicators--EPA
ROE 2006, contact: Julie Damon, National Center for Environmental
Assessment (8601D), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 202-564-3404; facsimile: 202-565-0065;
or e-mail: damon.julie@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
About the Report on the Environment and the Proposed Indicators--EPA
ROE 2006
In June 2003, EPA published its first national Draft Report on the
Environment, using available indicators and data to answer questions
pertaining to national environmental and human health conditions. At
that time, EPA released two companion documents--one for readers with a
general interest in the environment (Draft Report on the Environment
Public Report) and another for more technical readers (Draft Report on
the Environment Technical Document). These draft documents utilized
indicators to describe the then current environmental conditions,
trends, and data gaps.
Shortly after the release of the 2003 draft documents, EPA
announced that it planned to release the next Report on the Environment
in 2006. Activities related to the development of EPA's 2006 ROE have
been ongoing since release of the 2003 draft documents. As in 2003, EPA
anticipates the 2006 ROE will include the release of two paper
documents--one for readers with a general interest in the environment
(a Public Report) and another for more technical readers (a Technical
Document). EPA also intends to make the information in the 2006 ROE
available as an interactive, searchable Web site--the ``e-ROE.'' The
Technical Document is expected to provide the scientific foundation for
the more general Public Report and the e-ROE. EPA plans to use the
Technical Document to present and discuss indicators and data that are
currently available to answer the questions posed in the ROE 2006.
The peer-review workshop on the proposed indicators we are
announcing today precedes the production of the draft EPA ROE 2006
Technical Document. EPA has asked for this peer review to obtain expert
opinion on whether the indicators proposed to be included in the EPA
ROE 2006 Technical Document are supported by data that are technically
sound, meet the established indicator definition and criteria, and help
answer the questions posed in the ROE 2006. As noted above, EPA has
issued a peer-review charge, which describes the areas of inquiry on
which we have asked comment from external experts. EPA encourages the
public to submit comments on the same areas of inquiry. In addition,
EPA welcomes comments on any other aspect of the proposed indicators
that the public would like to share with the Agency. After ERG provides
EPA with a report of the peer-review workshop,
[[Page 32771]]
EPA will consider ERG's report and the public comments. Any resulting
revisions to the proposed indicators or any changes to the list of
proposed indicators will be discussed within EPA and with our federal
agency partners. The external review draft of the EPA ROE 2006
Technical Document is expected in spring/summer 2006.
How to Submit Comments to EPA's E-Docket
EPA has established an official public docket for information
pertaining to the Proposed Indicators--EPA ROE 2006, Docket ID No. ORD-
2005-0021. The official public docket is the collection of materials,
excluding Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information
for which disclosure is restricted by statute, that is available for
public viewing at the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket
in the Headquarters EPA Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room B102,
1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center
Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public
Reading Room is 202-566-1744, and the telephone number for the OEI
Docket is 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-1753; or e-mail:
ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
An electronic version of the official public docket is available
through EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, E-Docket.
You may use E-Docket at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view
public comments, to access the index of the contents of the official
public docket, and to view those documents in the public docket that
are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,''
then key in the appropriate docket identification number.
Certain types of information will not be placed in E-Docket.
Information claimed as CBI and other information for which disclosure
is restricted by statute are not included in the official public docket
and also will not be available for public viewing in E-Docket.
Copyrighted material will not be placed in E-Docket, but will be
referenced there and available as printed material in the official
public docket.
If you intend to submit comments to EPA, please note that it is EPA
policy to make comments available for public viewing just as they are
received at the EPA Docket Center or in E-Docket. This policy applies
to information submitted electronically or in paper form, except where
restricted by copyright, CBI, or statute. When EPA identifies a comment
containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that
material in the version of the comment placed in EPA's electronic
public docket; the entire printed comment, including the copyrighted
material, will be available in the official public docket.
Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or
delivered to the docket will be transferred to E-Docket. Physical
objects will be photographed, where practical, and the photograph will
be placed in E-Docket along with a brief description written by the
docket staff.
You may submit comments electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or
by hand delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, include the
appropriate docket identification number with your submission. Please
adhere to the specified submitting period; public comments received
past the closing date will be marked ``late'' and may only be
considered if time permits.
If you submit public comments electronically, EPA recommends that
you include your name, mailing address, and an e-mail address or other
contact information in the body of your comment. Also include these
contact details on the outside of any submitted disk or CD-ROM, and in
any cover letter accompanying the disk or CD-ROM. This ensures that you
can be identified as the person submitting the comment and allows EPA
to contact you in case the Agency cannot read your submission due to
technical difficulties, or needs further information on the substance
of your comment. EPA will not edit your comment, and any identifying or
contact information provided in the body of the comment will be
included as part of the comment placed in the official public docket
and made available in E-Docket. If EPA cannot read what you submit due
to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, it
may delay or preclude EPA's consideration of your comments.
Electronic submission of comments via E-Docket is the preferred
method for receiving comments. To access EPA's electronic public docket
from the EPA Internet Home Page, select ``Information Sources,''
``Dockets,'' and ``EPA Dockets.'' Once in the system, select
``search,'' and key in Docket ID No. ORD-2005-0021. The system is an
``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your
identity, e-mail address, or other contact details unless you provide
it in the body of your comment.
Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to
ORD.Docket@epa.gov, Attention Docket ID No. ORD-2005-0021. In contrast
to EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an
``anonymous access'' system. If you send an e-mail directly to the
docket without going through EPA's E-Docket, EPA's e-mail system
automatically captures your e-mail address, and it becomes part of the
information in the official public docket and is made available in E-
Docket.
You may submit comments on a disk or CD-ROM mailed to the OEI
Docket mailing address. Files will be accepted in WordPerfect, Word, or
PDF file format. Avoid the use of special characters and any form of
encryption. If you provide comments in writing, please submit one
unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies.
For attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively with the
main text, and submit an unbound original and three copies.
Dated: May 31, 2005.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 05-11162 Filed 6-3-05; 8:45 am]
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