The Science Advisory Board (SAB) is an EPA committee that provides independent scientific advice on environmental issues. It has 7 subcommittees and 50 members from academia, government, and industry. In FY2013, the SAB approved 6 reports on topics like hydraulic fracturing and asbestos. It held 4 teleconference meetings and follows procedures to ensure compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

1. FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ASSIST &
OVERSIGHT VISIT:
SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD (SAB)
OFFICE OF DIVERSITY, ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MANAGEMENT AND OUTREACH (ODACMO)
PREPARED BY: NADEEM BOHSALI
REVIEWED BY: JAMES MCCLEARY
DATE OF VISIT: 4/24/2014

2. Committee Management Oversight Report
Science Advisory Board (SAB)
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Science
Advisory Board (SAB) in 1978 as a scientific/technical advisory committee. Its purpose is
to provide independent advice and peer review to EPA's Administrator on the scientific
and technical aspects of environmental issues. While the SAB reports to the EPA, it also
works to provide advice when requested from specific Congressional Committees,
enumerated in the Environmental Research, Development and Demonstration
Authorization Act (ERDDAA) of 1976. The SAB reviews scientific issues, provides
independent scientific and technical advice on EPA's major programs, and performs
special assignments as requested by Agency officials.
The SAB’s major objectives are to review and provide EPA advice and
recommendations on the following:
1. The adequacy and scientific basis of any proposed criteria document, standard,
limitation, or regulation under the Clean Air Act, the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act,
the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or
any other authority of the Administrator;
2. The scientific and technical adequacy of Agency programs, guidelines,
documents, methodologies, protocols and tests;
3. New or revised scientific criteria or standards for protection of human health and
the environment;
4. New information needs and the quality of Agency plans and programs for
research, development and demonstration; and
5. The relative importance of various natural and anthropogenic pollution sources.
The committee is a balanced panel of members of academia, Regular Government
Employees (RGEs), Special Government Employees (SGEs), and representatives of
private chemical organizations.
On April 24, 2014, the Office of Diversity, Advisory committee Management and Outreach
(ODACMO), Committee Policy and Oversight (CPO) staff visited Angela Nugent, Designated
Federal Officer (DFO), for the Science Advisory Board. The SAB is a committee that currently
holds seven (7) subcommittees, commonly referred to as SAB’s ‘standing committees’. These
committees are: (1) the Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee (CAAC), (2) the Drinking
Water Committee (DWAC), (3) the Ecological Processes and Effects Committee (EPEC) (4) the

3. Environmental Economics Advisory Committee (EEAC), (5) the Environmental Engineering
Committee (EEC), (6) the Exposure and Human Health Committee (EHHC), and (7) the
Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC).
James McCleary conducted the assist visit of the committee’s fiscal year 2013 operations on
April 24, 2014 in room 31162 William Jefferson Clinton (WJC) North Building. The meeting
began at 10:30 AM. Mr. McCleary was assisted by Geraldine Brown.
The meeting began with a review of the reasons for the oversight visit. Oversight visits are
conducted 1) To ensure that the agency is in compliance with FACA, General Services
Administration (GSA) requirements, and EPA policy; 2) ODACMO would like to offer their
services to assist the DFO in managing the Federal Advisory Committee (FAC), and 3) finally, to
share the best practices of the committee with the DFO community.
Internal Operations - The managerial structure of the SAB consists of Angela Nugent, who
serves as the DFO. The chartered SAB conducts most of its operations through the work of its
standing committees, subcommittees within SAB which are tasked with specific categories of
work pertaining to their specialties. The SAB contains seven (7) of these ‘standing committees’:
(1) the Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee (CAAC), (2) the Drinking Water Committee
(DWC), (3) the Ecological Processes and Effects Committee (EPEC) (4) the Environmental
Economics Advisory Committee (EEAC), (5) the Environmental Engineering Committee (EEC),
(6) the Exposure and Human Health Committee (EHHC), and (7) the Radiation Advisory
Committee (RAC).
The Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee (CAAC)’s mission is to provide advice
through the chartered SAB regarding selected Toxicological Reviews of environmental
chemicals available on EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).
The SAB Drinking Water Committee provides advice to the EPA Administrator, through the
chartered SAB, on the technical aspects of EPA’s national drinking water standards program.
The SAB Ecological Processes and Effects Committee provides independent advice to the EPA
Administrator, through the chartered SAB, on technical issues related to EPA environmental
programs and the supporting science and research to protect, sustain and restore the health of
ecosystems.
The SAB Environmental Economics Advisory Committee provides independent advice to the
EPA Administrator, through the chartered SAB, regarding the science and research to assess
public benefits and costs of EPA’s environmental programs.
The SAB Environmental Engineering Committee provides independent advice to the EPA
Administrator, through the chartered SAB, on risk management technologies to control and
prevent pollution.

4. The SAB Exposure and Human Health Committee provides advice on the development and use
of guidelines for human health effects, exposure assessment, and risk assessment.
The SAB Radiation Advisory Committee provides advice to the Agency through the chartered
SAB on radiation protection, radiation science, and radiation science applications.
Membership - In 2014, the Chartered SAB consisted fifty (50) members. These members
include representatives of the following stakeholder categories: academia, industry, federal,
state, and tribal governments, research institutes and non-governmental organizations
throughout the United States. Chartered SAB members chair the seven subcommittees of the
SAB.
Members are selected based on their ability to examine and analyze environmental issues with
objectivity and integrity and for their interpersonal, oral and written communication, and
consensus-building skills.
Performance Measurements - The SAB approved and published six (6) reports to EPA during
FY 2013. These letters made assessments and recommendations on a number of critical issues
including hydraulic fracturing and drinking water, asbestos, perchlorate levels, emissions
estimating methodologies for dairy feeding operations, a report on EPA’s costs of regulations,
and a report on EPA’s planned actions for the Fall of 2012.
Titles of the reports are as follows:
Consultation on the EPA’s Progress Report: Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on
Drinking Water Resources – December 2012
Review of EPA's Draft Assessment entitled Toxicological Review of Libby Amphibole Asbestos
SAB Advice on Approaches to Derive a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal for Perchlorate
SAB Review of Emissions-Estimating Methodologies for Broiler Animal Feeding Operations
and for Lagoons and Basins at Swine and Dairy Animal Feeding Operations.
SAB Review of EPA’s Retrospective Cost Study of the Costs of EPA Regulations: An
Interim Report of Five Case Studies (March 2012)
Science Advisory Board (SAB) Discussions about EPA Planned Actions in the Fall 2012
Unified (Regulatory) Agenda and their Supporting Science

5. Consultation on the EPA’s Progress Report: Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on
Drinking Water Resources
New Member Orientation - New members of the SAB receive a New Member Orientation
including detailed information on the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the EPA’s
current Strategic Plan, expectations of membership, the SAB’s committee structure, ethics
requirements, guidelines and contact information, staff support, arrangements for travel
expenditures, prohibitions on lobbying Capitol Hill, and administrative procedures.
New Members are usually contacted to arrange a first time in-person orientation meeting where
the DFO explains the advisory process, emphasizing ethics rules, and answers to any
procedural questions the new member may have. Chartered committees also may discuss
organizational issues such as operating budgets and committee structure. These meetings do
not involve deliberation on technical advice and are not subject to FACA.
Committee’s Charge – The Science Advisory Board is set to focus on the following topics
during FY 2012 – 2016, pursuant to the report, Science for a Sustainable Future: EPA Research
Program Overview 2012 – 2016.
 Air, Climate, and Energy
 Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
 Sustainable and Healthy Communities
 Chemical Safety for Sustainability
 Human Health Risk Assessment
 Homeland Security
 The Path Forward to Sustainability
Details regarding each of these initiatives may be found at the following link on the EPA intranet
website: http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-06/documents/strap-overview.pdf
Federal Register Notices - The Federal Register Notices for both committee meetings that
took place during the period met the fifteen day requirement of timely notice to the public, and
the required statement for services offered to persons with disabilities were included.
Meetings - The SAB held four (4) teleconference style committee meetings during FY2013, all
held in Washington D.C. The dates for the meetings were March 7 - 8, 2013, March 29, 2013,
June 5, 2013, and July 17, 2013. Summaries of meetings were certified by the committee chair
within ninety (90) days of the meetings. Meeting minutes were also kept as transcripts, and
meeting materials are maintained online by SAB staff.
Library of Congress Submissions – At the time of the oversight visit, the DFO had not
forwarded the committee’s reports to the Library of Congress. However, on May 28 2014, eight
(8) copies of all ten reports written in FY 2013 were forwarded to LOC.

6. Record Keeping - LGAC meeting agendas, presentations, and other materials are kept using a
Lotus Notes based online system, maintained by the SAB staff. The system is efficient and
user-friendly.
Financial Records – Tom Brennan, EPA SAB office staff manages the financial records for the
SAB.
GSA Annual comprehensive Review - The LGAC was “on-time” for the FY2013 submission of
the GSA Annual Comprehensive Review.
A discussion was had with the DFO on the (1) Annual Plan; (2) New Membership Orientation;
(3) Committee Charges; and (4) Committee Diversity.
Best Practices – Ms. Nugent shared the following best practices with the committee
management and oversight team:
 SAB engages in one-on-one meetings with their new members in order to ensure a
smooth transition.
 Members present a monthly meeting update in order to keep other committee members
updated on their progress.
Prepared By:
Nadeem Bohsali
Student Intern, ODACMO
Reviewed By:
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