EPA Seeking Public Nominations for Experts to Serve as Ad Hoc Reviewers for Analysis of Atrazine Ecological Risks
Released on March 24, 2023
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public nominations of scientific and technical experts for consideration to serve as ad hoc reviewers assisting the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) with the review of the Agency’s analysis and assessment of ecological risk from atrazine use. EPA is also announcing a three-day public virtual meeting on August 22-24, 2023, starting at 10:00 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. EDT on Examination of Microcosm/Mesocosm Studies for Evaluating the Effects of Atrazine on Aquatic Plant Communities.
Nominations must be submitted on or before April 24, 2023. These nominations will be used to assist the Agency in selecting approximately 8-12 ad hoc reviewers to assist the FIFRA SAP with their review. The review will take place during the August public meeting. Registration information for the meeting will be announced on the FIFRA SAP website in July.
Individuals nominated for this FIFRA SAP peer review should have expertise in one or more of the following areas: aquatic plant community ecology; aquatic community ecology; plant community ecology; algae community ecology; aquatic plant ecology; aquatic toxicity; ecotoxicity; plant toxicity; algae toxicity; and/or mesocosm experiments. Nominees should be scientists with sufficient professional qualifications, including training and experience, to provide expert comments on the scientific issues for this review.
Prospective candidates for service on the FIFRA SAP will be asked to submit confidential financial information which shall fully disclose, among other financial interests, the candidate's employment, stocks and bonds, testimonies, and where applicable, sources of research support. EPA will evaluate the candidates' financial disclosure information to assess whether there are financial conflicts of interest, appearance of a loss of impartiality, or any prior involvement with the development of the documents under consideration (including previous scientific peer review) before the candidate is considered further for selection and service on the FIFRA SAP.
Nominations must be submitted to the Designated Federal Official (DFO), Tamue Gibson, MS, via email at [email protected]. Do not email any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
For additional information, please contact the DFO or view the Federal Register Notice in docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0154.
The FIFRA SAP serves as one of the primary scientific peer review mechanisms of EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and is structured to provide independent scientific advice, information and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on pesticides and pesticide-related issues regarding the impact of regulatory actions on human health and the environment.