[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 103 (Friday, May 27, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32161-32163]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11421]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2015-0765; FRL-9852-01-ORD]

Request for Public Nominations of Experts To Review the New
Chemicals Collaborative Research Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking
nominations for technical experts to serve as Special Government
Employees (SGEs) to participate in the review of the New Chemicals
Collaborative Research Program with the Board of Scientific Counselors
(BOSC), a federal advisory committee to the Office of Research and
Development (ORD). Submission of

nominations will be made via the BOSC website at: https://www.epa.gov/bosc.

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by June 30, 2022, per
instructions below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public needing
additional information regarding this Notice and Request for
Nominations may contact Mr. Tom Tracy, Office of Science Policy, Office
of Research and Development, Mail Code B343-01, 109 T.W. Alexander
Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; via phone/voice mail at: (919)
541-4334; or via email at: [email protected]. General information
concerning the BOSC can be found at the following website: https://www.epa.gov/bosc.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The BOSC is a chartered Federal Advisory Committee established by
the EPA to provide independent scientific and technical peer review,
advice, consultation, and recommendations about ORD. As a Federal
Advisory Committee, the BOSC conducts business in accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. app. 2) and related
regulations.
    The BOSC is comprised of an Executive Committee and two supporting
subcommittee(s): Social and Community Science, and Climate Change.
Please visit https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-research-and-development-ord to learn more about ORD's research programs.
    Members of the BOSC constitute a distinguished body of non-EPA
scientists, engineers, and economists who are experts in their
respective fields. We are seeking SGEs to serve as special experts to
assist the BOSC in the review of the New Chemicals Collaborative
Research Program in the Fall of 2022.
    The BOSC will be evaluating the Office of Research and Development
(ORD)'s draft Strategic Research Action Plans Fiscal Years 2023-2026 in
Fall 2022. The Fall 2022 meeting will provide a more in-depth
evaluation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) New Chemicals
Collaborative Research Program (See Output CSS.8.4: Innovative science
to support new chemicals evaluation in the draft StRAP for Chemical
Safety and Sustainability) and associated research plan (https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OPPT-2022-0218-0004). An additional
draft document will be provided that summarizes technical details of
the research plan. ORD in partnership with the Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) are proposing to develop and
implement a multi-year collaborative research program focused on
approaches for performing risk assessments on new chemical substances
under TSCA. The results of the effort are expected to bring innovative
science to new chemical reviews, modernize the approaches used, and
increase the transparency of the information underpinning the human
health and ecological risk assessment process. Key areas proposed in
the TSCA New Chemicals Collaborative Research Program include:
     Updating OCSPP's category and read-across approach which
uses data from structurally similar chemicals to determine potential
risks from new chemicals when data for those chemicals are lacking.
This research effort will increase the efficiency of new chemical
reviews by identifying appropriate analogues for read across and
promoting the use of the best available data to protect human health
and the environment. The existing category approach in use dates to
2010 and is available here: https://www.epa.gov/reviewing-new-chemicals-under-toxic-substances-control-act-tsca/chemical-categories-used-review-new.
     Digitizing and consolidating information on chemicals to
include data and studies that currently only exist in hard copy or in
disparate TSCA databases. The information will be combined with
publicly available sources to expand the amount of information
available, enhancing chemical reviews and enabling efficient sharing of
chemical information across EPA. Safeguards for TSCA confidential
business information will be maintained as appropriate in this process.
Data curation in public databases will proceed and where possible these
databases will be made interchangeable with International Uniform
Chemical Information Database (IUCLID) formats.
     Updating and augmenting the models used for predicting a
chemical's physical-chemical properties and environmental fate/
transport, hazard, exposure (including functional use predictions), and
toxicokinetics to provide a suite of models to be used for new
chemicals assessments. The goal of this effort is to update the models
to reflect the best available science, increase transparency, and
establish a process for updating these models as science evolves. The
predictive models currently in use by OCSPP for new chemical evaluation
are available here: https://www.epa.gov/tsca-screening-tools.
     Exploring ways to integrate and apply new approach methods
(NAMs) in new chemicals assessments, thereby reducing the use of animal
testing. As this effort evolves, the goal is to develop a suite of
accepted, fit-for-purpose NAMs that could be used by external
stakeholders for data submissions under TSCA as well as informing and
expanding new chemical categories.
     Developing a decision support tool that integrates the
various information streams specifically used for new chemical risk
assessments. The decision support tool will more efficiently integrate
all the data streams (e.g., chemistry, fate, exposures, hazards) into a
final risk assessment and transparently document the decisions and
assumptions made. Simply put, this will facilitate the tracking of the
new chemicals program decisions and provide consistency within and
across chemistries.
    EPA will consider nominees from industry, business, public and
private research institutes or organizations, academia, government
(federal, state, local, and tribal) and non-government organizations,
and other relevant interest areas. EPA values and welcomes diversity.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply regardless of gender,
race, disability, or ethnicity.

Expertise Sought

    The EPA invites nominations of individuals to serve as SGEs with
expertise or extensive experience in the following scientific
disciplines and topic areas as they relate to human health and the
environment:

 Using data to develop predictive models and use of predictive
models in data poor environment
[cir] Read across and analogue selection
[cir] Chemical structures and cheminformatics
[cir] Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR)
 Development, implementation, and validation of new approach
methods (NAMs). Relevant expertise may include:
[cir] Veterinary pathology or comparative physiology for perspective on
relevance of laboratory animals for predicting human outcomes
[cir] Reference data curation to support validation
 Computational modeling, bioinformatics, and/or statistics
 Toxicokinetics, Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic models
(PBPK), and in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE)
 Systems biology
 Human health and ecological risk assessment

    Exposure modeling and/or assessment, including near-field and far-
field sources
 Knowledge of TSCA
 Environmental fate of chemicals

Selection Criteria

    Nominations will be evaluated on the basis of several criteria
including: (a) Demonstrated scientific and/or technical credentials and
disciplinary expertise, knowledge, and experience in relevant fields;
(b) availability to serve and willingness to commit time to the
committee (approximately one to three meetings per year both by
teleconferences and possibly face-to-face meetings); (c) absence of
financial conflicts of interest; (d) absence of an appearance of a lack
of impartiality; (e) demonstrated ability to work constructively and
effectively on committees; and (f) background and experiences that
would contribute to the diversity of viewpoints including workforce
sector, geographical location, social, cultural, and educational
backgrounds, and professional affiliations.

Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations

    Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified
persons to be considered for appointment. Nominations should be
submitted via the BOSC website at: https://www.epa.gov/bosc.
Nominations should be submitted no later than June 30, 2022. To receive
full consideration, nominations should include all the information
requested. EPA's nomination form requests: Contact information about
the person making the nomination; contact information about the
nominee; the disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the
nominee; the nominee's curriculum vita and/or resume; and additional
information that would be useful for considering the nomination such as
background and qualifications (e.g., current position, educational
background, expertise, research areas), experience relevant to the
areas mentioned above, service on other advisory committees and
professional societies, and availability to participate as an SGE.
Persons having questions about the nomination procedures, or who are
unable to submit nominations through the BOSC website, should contact
Mr. Tom Tracy, as indicated above under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section of this notice.

Mary Ross,
Director, Office of Science Advisor, Policy and Engagement.
[FR Doc. 2022-11421 Filed 5-26-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40274-40275]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17439]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OARM-2018-0065; FRL-9981-87-OEI]

Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and
Approval; Comment Request; Drug Testing for Contractor Employees
(Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an
information collection request (ICR), Drug Testing for Contractor
Employees (EPA ICR No. 2183.07, OMB Control No. 2030-0044), to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed
extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through August 31,
2018. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal
Register on May 11, 2018, during a 60-day comment period. This notice
allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller
description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden
and cost to the public. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor and a
person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless
it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before September 13,
2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OARM-2018-0065, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method), by email to

[email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB via email to
[email protected]. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for
EPA.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the
public docket without change including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Valentino, Policy, Training and
Oversight Division, Office of Acquisition Management (3802R),
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 20460; telephone number:<PHONE_NUMBER>; email address:
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents, which explain in
detail the information that the EPA will be collecting, are available
in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West,
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The telephone
number for the Docket Center is<PHONE_NUMBER>. For additional
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: This ICR applies to a contractor who performs response
services at sensitive sites with serious security concerns where the
Agency and public interest would best be protected through drug testing
of contractor employees. The contractor will test employees for the use
of marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, phencyclidine (PCP), and
any other controlled substances. Only contractor employees who have
been tested within the previous 90 calendar days and have passing drug
test results may be directly engaged in on-site response work and/or
on-site related activities at designated sites with significant
security concerns. The Agency may request contractors responding to any
of these types of incidents to conduct drug testing and apply
Government-established suitability criteria in Title 5 CFR
Administrative Personnel 731.104 Appointments Subject to Investigation,
732.201 Sensitivity Level Designations and Investigative Requirements,
and 736.102 Notice to Investigative Sources, when determining whether
employees are acceptable to perform on given sites or on specific
projects.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Private Contractors.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Required to obtain a benefit
per Title 5 CFR Administrative Personnel 731.104 Appointments Subject
to Investigation, 732.201 Sensitivity Level Designations and
Investigative Requirements, and 736.102 Notice to Investigative
Sources.
    Estimated number of respondents: 500 (total).
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Total estimated burden: 1,125 hours (per year). Burden is defined
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $129,100 (per year), includes $0 annualized
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 112 hours in the
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently
approved by OMB. This increase is an adjustment due to more awarded
contracts/orders performed on sensitive sites that require this drug
testing for contractor employees.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2018-17439 Filed 8-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 111 (Friday, June 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31303-31304]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12253]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15148-000]

North Loup River Public Power & Irrigation District; Notice of
Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Soliciting
Additional Study Requests

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed

with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Exemption From Licensing.
    b. Project No.: P-15148-000.
    c. Date filed: May 21, 2021.
    d. Applicant: North Loup River Public Power & Irrigation District
(North Loup District).
    e. Name of Project: Ord Diversion Dam Hydroelectric Project
(project).
    f. Location: On the North Loup River, in the Town of Ord, Valley
County, Nebraska. No federal or tribal lands would be occupied by
project works or located within the project boundary.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of
1978, 16 U.S.C. 2705, 2708.
    h. Applicant Contact: Amos Lange, General Manager of North Loup
River Public Power & Irrigation District, 128 North 16th Street, Ord,
NE 68862, and<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    i. FERC Contact: Shana Wiseman,<PHONE_NUMBER>, and
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>    j. Cooperating Agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to
environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the
environmental document should follow the instructions for filing such
requests described in item l below. Cooperating agencies should note
the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation
of the environmental document cannot also intervene. See, 94 FERC ]
61,076 (2001).
    k. Pursuant to section 4.32(b)(7) of 18 CFR of the Commission's
regulations, if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes
that an additional scientific study should be conducted in order to
form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the
application on its merit, the resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person
must file a request for a study with the Commission not later than 60
days from the date of filing of the application, and serve a copy of
the request on the applicant.
    l. Deadline for filing additional study requests and requests for
cooperating agency status: August 2, 2021.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
additional study requests and requests for cooperating agency status
using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support
at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>(866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202)
502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper
copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed
to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent
via any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include
docket number P-15148-000.
    m. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this
time.
    n. The proposed project would consist of: (1) Five new concrete
flumes placed directly at the base of the existing Ord Diversion dam
(also known as the Hardenbrook Diversion Structure); (2) each flume
would contain two vertical axis hydrokinetic turbines directly
connected to a 480-volt, 3-phase generator for a 12 kilowatt (kW)
capacity per flume, or 60 kW capacity for the project; (3) an existing
irrigation canal; (4) a new turbine control and power conditioning
cabinet; (5) an new array control cabinet; (6) a new 0.5-mile-long
transmission line; and (7) appurtenant facilities. The project is
estimated to generate an average of 394 megawatt-hours annually. North
Loup District proposes to operate the project in a run-of-river mode.
    o. A copy of the application may be viewed and/or printed on the
Commission's website (http://www.ferc.gov), using the ``eLibrary''
link. Enter the docket number, excluding the last three digits in the
docket number field to access the document. At this time, the
Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public Reference
Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency concerning
the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued on March 13, 2020. For
assistance, contact FERC Online Support at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
(866) 208-3676 (toll free), or<PHONE_NUMBER> (TTY).
    You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC
Online Support.
    p. With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the
Nebraska State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), as required by
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the
regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 36 CFR
800.4.
    q. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according
to the following preliminary schedule. Revisions to the schedule will
be made as appropriate (e.g., if there are no deficiencies and/or
scoping is waived, the schedule would be shortened).

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Milestone                           Target date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue Deficiency/Additional             July 2021.
 Information Request (if necessary).
Issue Acceptance Letter/Ready for       November 2021.
 Environmental Analysis.
Commission issues EA..................  February 2022.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Dated: June 3, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-12253 Filed 6-10-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P