Advisory Committee Meetings
and Report Development:
Process for Public Involvement
A Report of the Science Advisory Board Staff Office
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) relies on the independent expert advice and counsel from its
federal advisory committees to strengthen the scientific and technical bases for Agency actions in the pursuit
of protecting human health and the environment. Advisory committee meetings and the preparation of a
final report are among the key steps in the process of developing advice. The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB)
Staff Office manages three federal advisory committees that report directly to the EPA Administrator — the
Science Advisory Board (SAB), the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CAS AC), and the Advisory Council
on Clean Air Compliance Analysis (Council). This pamphlet has been developed by the SAB Staff Office to
provide information about how these committees work and how the public can participate in advisory meet-
ings and report development.
Agency policy and the laws directing the establishment of these committees not only allow but also encour-
age public involvement. The Staff Office hopes that this pamphlet helps members of the public provide
effective input into the activities of these EPA advisory bodies.
Vanessa T. Vu, Ph.D.
Director, SAB Staff Office
the Air (CASAC),
the on Air
As the SAB Staff Office explains in detail in this pamphlet, to participate in activities you can do one or
more of the following:
• Contact the appropriate Designated Federal Officer (DFO) or the SAB Staff Office to obtain information
on or provide comments about committee activities.
• Attend and observe public meetings and teleconferences.
• Review materials iised by committee members in their deliberations.
• Provide written comments for consideration by committee members.
• Present oral statements for consideration by committee members at public meetings during time periods
set aside for that purpose.
• Review minutes of committee meetings and teleconferences.
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Introduction
The federal advisory committees
administered by the SAB Staff
Office provide important scientif-
ic advice to help EPA meet its mis-
sion. Public involvement assists
the committees in their work by
improving the clarity of commit-
tee decisions and pointing out
possible factual errors and alter-
native scientific interpretations
that might have been overlooked.
Public involvement also ensures
confidence that the advisory com-
mittee decisions are objective and
comprehensive. The current
practices of the advisory commit-
tees and their subcommittees and
panels described here are
designed to enable the public to
contribute to this process.
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The Science Advisory Board (SAB)
Staff Office performs manage-
ment and administrative func-
tions and provides technical
assistance to three EPA federal
advisory committees — the
Science Advisory Board (SAB), the
Clean Air Scientific Advisory
Committee (CASAC), and the
Advisory Council on Clean Air
Compliance Analysis (Council).
The SAB was established in 1978
under the Environmental
Research, Development, and
Demonstration Authorization Act
(ERDDAA) [42 U.S.C. § 4365] to
provide independent advice and
peer review on the scientific and
technical aspects of environmen-
tal problems and issues as request-
ed by the EPA Administrator, or by
the Congress through the
Administrator. Most (though not
all) preliminary work of the SAB is
done by subcommittees or panels
focused on various environ-
mental science topics and chaired
by Board members.
Recommendations of subcommit-
tees and panels are transmitted to
the Board for discussion and delib-
eration. Recommendations are
forwarded to EPA only if the Board
determines that it is appropriate.
The CASAC was established in
1977 under the Clean Air Act
(CAA) Amendments of 1977 (see
42 U.S.C. § 7409(d)(2)) to provide
advice, information, and recom-
mendations to the Administrator
on the scientific and technical
aspects of issues related to the cri-
teria for air quality standards,
research related to air quality,
sources of air pollution, and the
strategies to attain and maintain
air quality standards and to pre-
vent significant deterioration of
air quality.
The Council was established in
1990 pursuant to the CAA
Amendments of 1990 (see 42
U.S.C. § 7612) to provide advice,
information, and recommenda-
tions on technical and economic
aspects of analyses and reports
EPA prepares concerning the
impacts of the CAA on the public
health, economy, and environ-
ment of the United States.
These committees exist primarily
to provide expert outside advice
to the Administrator and they are
subject to the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA). This
statute provides for public
involvement in committee activi-
ties, primarily by means of open
access to meetings and records
and by providing the public the
opportunity to submit comments
to the committee.
The Staff Office manages EPA
requests for advice and peer
review and provides technical
assistance to these advisory com-
mittees in conducting meetings
and preparing reports. Under the
terms of FACA, the Staff Office is
responsible for ensuring that the
membership of these committees
is balanced in the points of view
represented for the function the
committee is to perform.
For the advisory committees sup-
ported by the SAB Staff Office, a
balanced committee, subcom-
mittee, or panel is characterized
by inclusion of the necessary
domains of knowledge, the rele-
vant scientific perspectives (which,
among other factors can be influ-
enced by work history and affilia-
tion), and the collective breadth
Invi
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of experience to address the
charge adequately. These com-
mittees are technical advisory
bodies, not committees designed to
reflect stakeholder views.
In addition, the Staff Office is
responsible for keeping the public
informed of the advisory activities
of these committees, for ensuring
that the committees conduct advi-
sory activities in public, and for
providing the public an opportu-
nity to provide input during the
advisory process.
SAB, CASAC, and Council
provide advice to the Agency by
means of:
Consultation—A public session
in which a panel of knowledge-
able experts discusses a technical
topic before the Agency begins
substantive work on that particu-
lar subject.
Advisory—A report summarizing
the deliberations of one or more
public sessions in which panel
members provide advice on tech-
nical issues during the period in
which the Agency is developing
its position on a topic.
Peer review—A report summariz-
ing the deliberations of one or
more public sessions in which
panel members review a complet-
ed Agency product.
Commentary—A short commu-
nication issued primarily by the
SAB that provides unsolicited
advice about an important tech-
nical issue.
Other activities—The SAB,
CASAC, and Council, and their
subcommittees often receive
information briefings from the
Agency. Periodically, the SAB
conducts scientific workshops and
performs original studies as
deemed appropriate or requested
by the Agency. The SAB, CASAC,
and Council conduct reviews of
and approve final reports of their
subcommittees or panels prior to
transmittal to the Administrator.
of at
a
or
The SAB, CASAC, and Council and
their subcommittees and panels
generally discuss their advice and
recommendations in response to
charge questions from the Agency
at a face-to-face meeting. They
may conduct teleconferences as
they prepare and plan for the face-
to-face meeting or conduct follow-
up discussions and review of draft
reports. Except for relatively sim-
ple issues, it is likely that delibera-
tions on the charge questions may
require more than one meeting or
public teleconference. The agenda
of each public session is available
on the SAB website
(www.epa.gov/sab) before the
meeting or teleconference.
Minutes of each meeting, ap-
proved by the committee chair as
required by FACA, are placed on
the SAB website and made publicly
available within ninety calendar
days after the meeting takes place.
All meetings subject to FACA are
formally convened by the
Designated Federal Officer (DFO)
who is a member of the SAB Staff
Office with technical expertise
related to the area of the commit-
tee or subcommittee's responsibili-
ty. The DFO makes a statement
certifying that the membership is
in compliance with federal ethics
and conflict-of-interest laws, and
introduces the chair and members
of the committee, subcommittee,
or panel. The chair makes some
introductory remarks, reviews the
meeting agenda, and commences
with the business of the meeting.
At initial meetings of a particular
advisory activity, EPA representa-
tives may make a brief presenta-
tion on the subject matter of the
meeting and the charge ques-
tions. Oral statements from mem-
bers of the public usually will be
heard during a specific public
comment portion of the meeting,
and there may be an opportunity
for a brief interchange of ques-
tions between public presenters
and the members of the commit-
tee, subcommittee, or panel. The
committee, subcommittee, or
panel then conducts its delibera-
tions on the charge questions.
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Public input can provide:
• Short oral statements
• Specific written comments
1 Scientific or technical information
• Clarification on issues
Science Advisory Board
Staff Office
CASAC
Clean Air
Scientific
Advisory
Committee
COUNCIL
Advisory
Council on
Clean Air
Compliance
Analysis •
Committees provide to
EPA Administrator:
1 Scientific and technical peer reviews
• Independent advice
• Credible scientific information
• Scientific and technical advice
on agency-related policy decisions
EPA Administrator
of
The Designated Federal Ofli< ,
(DFO) is responsible for ensuring
that the legal requirements of
FACA are met. The DFO, in con-
sultation with the chair of the
committee, subcommittee, or
panel, develops the agenda for
the meeting. The DFO's responsi-
bilities also include:
• Arranging for meetings to be
open to the public at reason-
ably accessible and convenient
locations and convenient times;
• Ensuring that advance notice of
the meeting is published in the
Federal Register;
• Making available for public
inspection and copying (subject
to the Freedom of Information
Act) documents and other
materials prepared by or for the
committee, subcommittee, or
panel or presented to it (includ-
ing minutes of the meeting);
• Convening each meeting and
adjourning the meeting after
completion of the agenda or
when it is determined to be in
the public interest to do so;
• Serving as the point of contact
between members of the public
and members of the commit-
tee, subcommittee, or panel.
It should be noted that although
the DFO assists the committee in
the preparation of documents and
reports, the advice and recommen-
dations contained in those materi-
als are solely the responsibility of
the committee, subcommittee, or
panel.
The chair of the committee, sub-
committee, or panel presides after
the DFO convenes the meeting and
informs the public of key depar-
tures from the agenda if there are
any. The chair sets the ground
rules for public participation at the
meeting in accordance with EPA
FACA policy, the agenda, and the
nature of the advisory meeting.
The chair assigns members of the
committee, subcommittee, or
panel as discussion leaders for spe-
cific charge questions. The chair
concludes the meeting with a sum-
mary of its major outcomes — the
areas of consensus, the areas
where there are different views
among the members, the major
views expressed, and key follow-up
steps. After the meeting, the chair
certifies that meeting minutes are
complete and accurate and is
responsible for coordinating the
writing of the report (or delegating
the task to another member). The
chair acts as a spokesperson for the
entire committee, subcommittee,
or panel.
Members of the committee, sub-
committee, or panel (including
the chair) consider Agency pre-
sentations, public comments, and
background material on the sub-
ject and then deliberate and pro-
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vide advice. Members have the
shared responsibility of writing
the report that summarizes the
results of their deliberations.
Representatives of EPA offices
provide briefings on scientific
issues and how these issues affect
Agency decisions. They are a
resource for the panel members
and answer questions about rele-
vant Agency programs and policy.
Members of the public attend the
meeting both as presenters of
statements they wish to be consid-
ered by the committee, subcom-
mittee, or panel and as members
of the audience to observe the pro-
ceedings. All questions, com-
ments, requests, and other interac-
tions between the members of the
public and members of the com-
mittee, subcommittee, or panel are
made through the DFO.
Ideally, the deliberative process
should converge on some sort of
consensus conclusion. Consensus
can be described as a decision
that all of the members of the
committee, subcommittee, or
panel can accept. At times it may
not be possible to form a consen-
sus, and discussion will reveal the
range of views held by members.
Where consensus is not reached,
the major substantive areas of
agreement and disagreement are
captured in the final report.
Report preparation is a collabora-
tive process. Individual members
of a committee, subcommittee, or
panel may write chapters or sec-
tions, which will then be integrat-
ed into a cohesive report by the
chair with the assistance of the
DFO. The details of the process
may vary among the committees,
but the author of record is the
entire committee, subcommittee,
or panel, not any particular indi-
vidual member.
As the report is being developed,
the members who are writing sec-
tions may communicate with
each other through the DFO.
Copies of this correspondence are
retained by the DFO in the official
file. In addition, at every major
stage of report development, a
public draft copy of the report is
posted on the SAB website. Public
comments on the draft report are
welcome at all stages during the
preparation and approval of the
report. A chartered committee
reviews and approves reports pre-
pared by its subcommittees or
panels. Reports are reviewed and
approved in a public forum. After
the authors address suggestions
raised by this review, the report is
finalized. After approval, the SAB
Staff Office will transmit the report
to the EPA Administrator and
make it available to the public on
the SAB website.
in
CASAC,
Why should I be interested in
the activities of the SAB,
CASAC, and Council?
If you are concerned with the
actions of EPA, you will be inter-
ested in the advice and recom-
mendations of these EPA advisory
committees. From the highest
level down, EPA is committed to
relying on credible scientific infor-
mation as a basis for its actions.
The advice and recommendations
of these EPA scientific advisory
committees are an important fac-
tor the Agency considers when
making policy decisions.
How can I enable the
advisory committee's to
consider my views?
You are entitled, by law, to
observe advisory activities of the
SAB, CASAC, and Council—
including their face-to-face meet-
ings and teleconferences. In
addition, by EPA policy you may
observe activities of subcommit-
tees and panels. As required
under FACA, meetings of char-
tered committees are open to the
public unless the Administrator
(in the case of EPA) determines
that a meeting or portion of a
meeting may be closed to the
public for the reasons enumerat-
ed in the Government in the
Sunshine Act (5 United States
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Code § 552b). You ore also enti-
tled to submit comments for con-
sideration by these committees.
EPA's Public Involvement Policy,
which con be found at
www.epa.gov/publicinvolvement,
is designed to provide guidance to
EPA staff and program managers
on methods that ensure effective
and useful public involvement.
The SAB Staff Office works to meet
EPA's public involvement goals in
the management of its advisory
committees by providing timely,
accessible, and accurate informa-
tion about meetings and includ-
ing consideration of public com-
ments in the advisory process.
Public involvement in the adviso-
ry committees managed by the
SAB Staff Office has a slightly dif-
ferent emphasis than involvement
for EPA program offices. Program
managers consider scientific, tech-
nical, economic, policy, and politi-
cal issues when making decisions
and appreciate public comments
that address these issues. Advice
and recommendations by mem-
bers of the SAB, CASAC, and
Council, on the other hand, are
focused on scientific and technical
issues related to the charge ques-
tions. Thus, input from the public
to these advisory committees and
their subcommittees and panels
will have the most impact if it con-
sists of comments that provide spe-
cific scientific or technical informa-
tion or analysis for the committee,
subcommittee, or panel to consid-
er, or if it relates to the clarity or
accuracy of the recommendations
being considered.
If, after considering the subject of
the meeting, you wish to raise a
scientific issue to the attention of
members of a committee, sub-
committee, or panel, you may
prepare a public comment. It is
best to submit written comments
in advance of the meeting
because those comments will be
available to the members before
and during deliberations. The
earlier comments are received,
the more opportunity the mem-
bers will have to consider them
prior to the meeting. You may
wish to provide a short oral state-
ment summarizing your written
comments or an oral presenta-
tion of comments that you have
not submitted in written form. It
is also a good idea to bring extra
copies of your written comments
or a written summary of your
oral comments to pass out at the
meeting.
How do 1 find out how to partic-
ipate in upcoming advisory
activities?
The first place to look is at the
SAB website (www.epa.gov/sab).
The website includes descriptions
of each advisory activity, infor-
mation about the formation of
the panels and subcommittees
providing advice, links to the
Federal Register notice for public
meetings or teleconferences con-
ducted for advisory activities, the
names and contact information
for the responsible DFOs, and
links to relevant background
materials. It may also include
links to other committee docu-
ments. Documents, whether or
not posted on the website, can be
requested (subject to the limita-
tions of the Freedom of
Information Act) from the DFO.
The Federal Register notices gen-
erally provide a description of the
issue being considered by com-
mittees, subcommittees, or pan-
els, a listing of the charge ques-
tions, and ground rules and
detailed instructions on how to
submit public comments. In
some cases, references to back-
ground material are also provid-
ed in the notice.
All public involvement related to
the work of committees, subcom-
mittees, or panels is arranged
through the DFO, and individual
advisory members should not be
contacted directly. For more gen-
eral information, the SAB Staff
Office can be contacted directly
by telephone at 202-343-9999.
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