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               UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                                   WASHINGTON D.C. 20460
                                                       OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR
                                                         SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD
                               November 7, 2005
EPA-SAB-LTR-06-001
The Honorable Stephen L. Johnson
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460

       Subject:  Science Advisory Board (SAB) Rapid Consultative Advice Related to
               Hurricane Katrina

Dear Administrator Johnson:

       In the past  six weeks, the SAB has responded to the Agency's request for rapid
consultative advice on five sampling plans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  In each
case, the SAB Staff Office followed expedited procedures described in the Federal
Register, 70 Fed. Reg. 54,046 (September 13, 2005), to convene SAB consultative
workgroups and to manage the advisory process.

       The SAB workgroups' advice has been made available to the Agency managers
requesting it, and the general public,  on the SAB website (http://www.epa.gov/sab) through a
link for "Hurricane Katrina Workgroup Advisory Activities."  There will be no formal
reports from the SAB since these were consultations. Individual workgroup member
comments and the summary of recommendations have been included as  a part of the
workgroups' teleconference meeting minutes. By this note, I am informing you of the
completion of the consultative activities listed in Attachment A, enclosed.

       On behalf of the SAB, I thank you for the opportunity to support EPA in fulfilling
its mission during  this national crisis.
                                 Sincerely,

                                       /signed/

                                 Dr. Granger Morgan, Chair
                                 Science Advisory Board
Enclosure

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                                 Attachment A
    SAB Hurricane Katrina Workgroup                EPA Requestor
           Advisory Activities
Air Monitoring Plan                        Office of Air and Radiation
Coastal Mississippi Water Quality Assurance   Region 4
Plan
Demolition and Disposal of Hurricane Debris   Office of Enforcement and Compliance
                                          Assurance
Soil and Sediment Sampling Plan             Region 4
Residue Sampling Plan                      Region 6

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