Request for Nominations of Candidates to the EPA Science Advisory Board DEADLINE June 2, 2025

(Environmental Protection Agency/Federal Register) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites nominations of scientific experts from a wide range of disciplines to be considered for appointment to the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) described in this document. Appointments will be announced by the Administrator.

DATES:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information about the chartered SAB membership, appointment process, and schedule, please contact Dr. Shaunta Hill-Hammond, DFO, by telephone at (202) 564-3343 or by email at hill-hammond.shaunta@epa.gov or Dr. Suhair Shallal, DFO, by telephone at (202) 564-2057 or by email at shallal.suhair@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background: The SAB is a chartered Federal Advisory Committee, established in 1978 under the authority of the Environmental Research, Development and Demonstration Authorization Act (ERDDAA), codified at 42 U.S.C. 4365, to provide independent scientific and technical peer review, consultation, advice, and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on the scientific bases for EPA's actions and programs. Members of the SAB constitute distinguished bodies of non-EPA scientists, engineers, economists, and behavioral scientists who are nationally and internationally recognized experts in their respective fields. Members are appointed by the EPA Administrator for a two or three-year term and serve as Special Government Employees who provide independent expert advice to the agency. All the work of SAB committees and ad-hoc panels is conducted under the auspices of the chartered SAB. Additional information about the SAB is available at https://sab.epa.gov.

Expertise Sought for the SAB: The chartered SAB provides scientific advice to the EPA Administrator on a variety of EPA science and research topics. All the work of SAB standing committees and ad-hoc panels is conducted under the auspices of the chartered SAB. The chartered SAB reviews all SAB standing committee and ad-hoc panel draft reports and determines whether each exhibits the high quality and meets the SAB's criteria to deliver to the EPA Administrator. The SAB Staff Office invites nominations of individuals to serve on the chartered SAB with expertise or extensive experience in the following scientific disciplines and topics as they relate to human health and the environment: air quality; agricultural sciences and economics; analytical chemistry; atmospheric sciences; benefit-cost analysis; biostatistics; citizen science; community environmental health; dose-response assessment; drinking water; drinking water engineering; ecological sciences; ecological risk assessment; ecosystem services; economics; energy and the environment; engineering; epidemiology; exposure assessment; forestry; geochemistry; health sciences; human health risk assessment; hydrology; hydrogeology; medicine; microbiology; modeling; pediatrics; chemical risk assessment, public health; physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling; risk assessment; social, behavioral and decision sciences; statistics; sustainability; radiological risk assessment; toxicology; uncertainty analysis; water quality; water quantity and reuse; and waste management.

Members selected to the chartered SAB may also participate on standing committees of the SAB. Board members with demonstrated scientific credentials, disciplinary expertise in relevant fields, and experience may be asked to participate on the following SAB Standing Committees:

(1) The Agricultural Science Committee, which provides advice to the chartered SAB on matters that have been determined to have a significant direct impact on farming and agriculture-related industries.

(2) The Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee, which provides advice to the chartered SAB regarding selected toxicological reviews of environmental chemicals.

(3) The Drinking Water Committee, which provides advice to the chartered SAB on the scientific and technical aspects of EPA's national drinking water program.

(4) The Economic Analysis Committee, which provides advice to the chartered SAB on the economic analysis of EPA programs.

(5) The Radiation Advisory Committee, which provides advice to the chartered SAB on radiation protection, radiation science, and radiation risk assessment. Selection Criteria for the SAB and the SAB Committees include:

—Demonstrated scientific credentials and disciplinary expertise in relevant fields;

—Willingness to commit time to the Board and/or committees and demonstrated ability to work constructively and effectively;

—Background and experiences that would contribute to a wide range of perspectives on the Board and/or committees, e.g., geographical, social, cultural, educational backgrounds, professional affiliations; and other considerations; and

—The collective breadth and depth of scientific expertise of the entire Board and committees holistically.

As the SAB and its standing committees undertake specific advisory activities, the SAB Staff Office will consider two additional criteria for each new activity: absence of financial conflicts of interest and absence of an appearance of a loss of impartiality.

How To Submit Nominations: Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified persons to be considered for appointment to these advisory committees. Individuals may self-nominate. Nominations should be submitted in electronic format (preferred) using the online nomination form on the SAB home page at https://sab.epa.gov. To be considered, all nominations should include the information requested below.

Nominators are asked to identify the specific committee for which nominees are to be considered. The following information should be provided on the nomination form: contact information for the person making the nomination; contact information for the nominee; the disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the nominee; the nominee's curriculum vitae; and a biographical sketch (if available) of the nominee indicating current position, educational background; research activities; sources of research funding for the last two years; and recent service on other national advisory committees or national professional organizations.

To help the agency evaluate the effectiveness of its outreach efforts, please indicate how you learned of this nomination opportunity. Persons having questions about the nomination process, or the public comment process described below, or those who are unable to submit nominations through the SAB website, should contact a DFO as identified above. The SAB Staff Office will acknowledge receipt of nominations and will invite the nominee to provide any additional information that the nominee feels would be useful in considering the nomination, such as interest to participate as a member of a committee; and address any questions the nominee has regarding membership. The names and biosketches of qualified nominees identified by respondents to this Federal Register notice, and any additional experts identified by the SAB Staff Office, will be posted in a List of Candidates on the SAB website at https://sab.epa.gov. Public comments on each List of Candidates will be accepted for 21 days from the date the list is posted. The public will be requested to provide relevant information or other documentation on nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in evaluating candidates.

Candidates invited to serve will be asked to submit the “Confidential Financial Disclosure Form for Special Government Employees Serving on Federal Advisory Committees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency” (EPA Form 3110-48). This confidential form allows EPA to determine whether there is a statutory conflict between that person's public responsibilities as a Special Government Employee and private interests and activities, or the appearance of a loss of impartiality, as defined by Federal regulation. The form may be viewed and downloaded through the “Ethics Requirements for Advisors” link on the SAB home page at https://sab.epa.gov. This form should not be submitted as part of a nomination. READ MORE