-
        1                UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                                      WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
                                       May 8, 2001

                                                                  OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR
                                                                   SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD
EPA-SAB-RSAC-CON-0 1-002

Honorable Christine Todd Whitman
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC  20460

              Subj ect:       Notification of a Consultation on Multi-year Planning and Performance
                           Metrics for Science at EPA

Dear Governor Whitman:

       The Research Strategies Advisory Committee (RSAC) of the EPA Science Advisory Board
(SAB), met on March 6, 2001 to conduct a consultation with staff from the Office of Research and
Development (ORD) and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OFCO) on multi-year planning and
performance metrics for science at EPA.

       The SAB has developed the consultation as a mechanism to advise the Agency on technical
issues that should be considered in the development of regulations, guidelines, or technical guidance
before the Agency has taken a position. A consultation is conducted under the normal requirements of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which include advance notice of the public meeting in the Federal
Register.

       As is our customary practice, there will be no formal report from the  SAB as a result of this
consultation, nor do we expect any formal response from the Agency.  However, RSAC believes that
EPA is on the right track with these efforts to ensure a well-planned and sound science program that
supports the Agency mission. We look forward to learning more about these  efforts in the future.

                                  Sincerely,

             /S/                                      /S/

       Dr. William H. Glaze, Chair                 Dr. Raymond Loehr, Chair
       EPA Science Advisory Board        Research Strategies Advisory Committee
                                               EPA Science Advisory Board

-------
                US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                       EPA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD
             RESEARCH STRATEGIES ADVISORY COMMITTEE

CHAIR
Dr. Raymond C. Loehr, Professor, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Civil Engineering,
       Austin, TX

PAST CHAIR
Dr. William Randall Seeker, Senior Vice President, General Electric Energy and Environmental
       Research Corp., Irvine, CA

MEMBERS
Dr. William Adams, Director, Environmental Science, Environmental Department, Kennecott Utah
       Copper Corp., Magna, UT

Dr. Richard J. Bull, President, MoBull Consulting, Kennewick, WA

Dr. Philip Hopke, Robert A. Plane Professor of Chemistry, Clarkson University, Department of
       Chemical Engineering, Potsdam, NY

Dr. Genevieve M. Matanoski, Professor of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, School of
       Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Baltimore, MD

Dr. Maria Morandi, Associate Professor of Environmental Science, University of Texas Health
       Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Houston, TX

Dr. Ishwar Murarka, Chief Scientist and President, Ish Inc., Sunnyvale, CA

Dr. William Smith, Professor of Forest Biology, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale
       University, New Haven, CT

Dr. James Watson, Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering Department, University of
       North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Dr. Lauren Zeise, Chief, Reproductive and Cancer Hazardous Assessment Section, California
       Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA

EPA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD STAFF
Dr. John R. Fowle, III, Designated Federal Officer, US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA
       Science Advisory Board (1400A), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460

Ms. Wanda R. Fields, Management Assistant, US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Science
       Advisory Board (1400A), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460

-------
                                         NOTICE
       This report has been written as part of the activities of the EPA Science Advisory Board, a
public advisory group providing extramural scientific information and advice to the Administrator and
other officials of the Environmental Protection Agency. The Board is structured to provide balanced,
expert assessment of scientific matters related to problems facing the Agency. This report has not been
reviewed for approval by the Agency and, hence, the contents of this report do not necessarily
represent the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor of other agencies in the
Executive Branch of the Federal government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products
constitute a recommendation for use.
Distribution and Availability: This EPA Science Advisory Board report is provided to the EPA
Administrator, senior Agency management, appropriate program staff, interested members of the
public, and is posted on the SAB website (www.epa.gov/sab).  Information on its availability is also
provided in the SAB's monthly newsletter {Happenings at the Science Advisory Board). Additional
copies and further information are available from the SAB Staff [US EPA Science Advisory Board
(1400A), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001; 202-564-4546].

-------