To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]; Brown, Byron[brown.byron@epa.gov]
From: Stephen Aaron
Sent: Fri 9/1/2017 8:04:42 PM
Subject: FYI
EPA-SAB-17-008 Letter of Support for IRIS.PDF
The SAB is sending this letter to Pruitt today, in case yall haven't received it yet I wanted to you have a heads up. It says it was unanimous but my understanding is that's not entirely true. There were some folks who weren't supportive but didn't feel the freedom to dissent.
Thanks
Stephen
...................................
Stephen Aaron Senior Vice President 300 Tingey Street SE Suite 202 Washington, DC | 20003 www.mercuryllc.com
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON D.C. 20460
OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD
September 1, 2017
EPA-SAB-17-008
The Honorable E. Scott Pruitt Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20460
Subject: Science Advisory Board comments on EPA's response to recommendations on the Integrated Risk Information System
Dear Administrator Pruitt:
The EPA Chartered Science Advisory Board (SAB) met on August 29-30, 2017 and, as part of the meeting's agenda, received an update on the restructuring of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). The Board was particularly impressed and pleased with the rapid progress that the Agency has made in responding to recommendations from the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) and the SAB, with particularly notable improvements in the program over the past year. The SAB members in attendance voted unanimously that I communicate to you their enthusiasm for the IRIS program's progress.
As you may know, the NAS criticized several aspects of the IRIS program in their 2011 review of the formaldehyde assessment, recommending significant changes designed to make IRIS assessments more systematic and transparent.1 The NAS recommended that the program establish clearer guidelines for study selection, standardize the presentation of studies, use clear weight-of-evidence guidelines, better describe and justify assumptions to determine points of departure, explain modeling processes used to develop risk estimates, and better document the conclusions and estimation of toxicity values. In its 2014 report, the NAS commended EPA for significant progress toward implementing the recommendations of the 2011 report, although there remained additional room for improvement.2
1 National Research Council. 2011. Review of the Environmental Protection Agency's Draft IRIS Assessment of Formaldehyde. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, https://doi.org/10.17226/13142. 2 National Research Council. 2014. Review of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Process. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, https://doi.org/10.17226/18764.
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The SAB has observed significant enhancements in the IRIS program over the past few years, with impactful changes over the past year, and marked progress over the past six months. The changes are so extensive and positive that they constitute a virtual reinvention of IRIS. For example, it is now standard practice for the program to engage stakeholders in an early scoping and problem formulation phase, thereby allowing stakeholders to provide important input at the very beginning of the process. The program has folly adopted the principles of systematic review, and incorporated automation and publicly available software platforms to modernize the process. Finally, the IRIS documents are now more modular and structured to enhance transparency and readability.
The SAB notes that no other federal entity performs the IRIS functions, and that IRIS helps ensure consistency in chemical assessments within the Agency and across the federal government. IRIS serves the needs of regions, states and tribes, who often lack the ability to perform their own chemical risk assessments. IRIS is also well-positioned to incorporate new evidence streams such as cell-based screening and computational methods into risk assessment, which will be a major advancement over the coming years. The Board commends the Agency for making such significant improvements over a short period of time. We are optimistic that the restructured IRIS program will strengthen the scientific foundations of risk assessment and protect the health and safety of the American public.
Enclosure (1) Roster of SAB Members
Sincerely,
/s/
Dr. Peter S. Thome, Chair Science Advisory Board
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NOTICE
This report has been written as part of the activities of the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB), a public advisory group providing extramural scientific information and advice to the Administrator and other officials of the Environmental Protection Agency. The SAB 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 of commercial products constitute a recommendation for use. Reports of the SAB are posted on the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board BOARD
CHAIR
Dr. Peter S. Thorne, Professor and Head, Department of Occupational & Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
MEMBERS Dr. Joseph Arvai, Max McGraw Professor of Sustainable Enterprise and Director, Erb Institute, School
of Natural Resources & Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Dr. Deborah Hall Bennett, Professor and Interim Chief, Environmental and Occupational Health Division, Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
Dr. Kiros T. Berhane, Professor, Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Sylvie M. Bronder, Professor and Wickersham Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Research, Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Dr. Joel G. Burken, Curator's Professor and Chair, Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, United States
Dr. Janice E. Chambers, William L. Giles Distinguished Professor and Director, Center for Environmental Health and Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starksville, MS
Dr. Alison C. Cullen, Professor, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Dr. Ana V. Diez Roux, Dean, School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA Also Member: CASAC
Dr. Otto C. Doering HI, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN
Dr. Joel J. Ducoste, Professor, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Dr. Susan P. Felter, Research Fellow, Global Product Stewardship, Procter & Gamble, Mason, OH
4
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Dr. R. William Field, Professor, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Dr. H. Christopher Frey, Glenn E. Futrell Distinguished University Professor, Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Dr. Joseph A. Gardella, SUNY Distinguished Professor and John and Frances Larkin Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Dr. Steven P. Hamburg, Chief Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund, Boston, MA
Dr. Cynthia M. Harris, Director and Professor, Institute of Public Health, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL
Dr. Robert J. Johnston, Director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute and Professor, Department of Economics, Clark University, Worcester, MA
Dr. Kimberly L. Jones, Professor and Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Howard University, Washington, DC
Dr. Catherine J. Karr, Associate Professor - Pediatrics and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Director - NW Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Dr. Madhu Khanna, ACES Distinguished Professor in Environmental Economics, Director of Graduate Admissions and Associate Director, Institute of Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
Dr. Francine Laden, Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, Associate Chair Environmental Health and Director of Exposure, Departments of Environmental Health and Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Dr. Robert E. Mace, Deputy Executive Administrator, Water Science & Conservation, Texas Water Development Board, Austin, TX
Dr. Clyde F. Martin, Hom Professor of Mathematics, Emeritus, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Texas Tech University, Crofton, MD
Dr. Sue Marty, Senior Toxicology Leader, Toxicology & Environmental Research, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI
Dr. Denise Mauzerall, Professor, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Dr. Kristina D. Mena, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, El Paso, TX
5
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Dr. Surabi Menon, Director of Research, ClimateWorks Foundation, San Francisco, CA
Dr. Kari Nadeau, Naddisy Family Foundation Professor of Medicine, Director, FARE Center of Excellence at Stanford University, and Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
Dr. James Opaluch, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
Dr. Thomas F. Parkerton, Senior Environmental Associate, Toxicology & Environmental Science Division, ExxonMobil Biomedical Science, Houston, TX
Mr. Richard L. Poirot, Independent Consultant, Burlington, VT
Dr. Kenneth M. Portier, Independent Consultant, Athens, GA
Dr. Kenneth Ramos, Associate Vice-President of Precision Health Sciences and Professor of Medicine, Arizona Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Dr. David B. Richardson, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Dr. Tara L. Sabo-Attwood, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professionals, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Dr. William Schlesinger, President Emeritus, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Dr. Gina Solomon, Deputy Secretary for Science and Health, Office of the Secretary, California Environmental Protection Agency, Sacramento, CA
Dr. Daniel O. Stram, Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, Division of Biostatistics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Jay Turner, Associate Professor and Vice Dean for Education, Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering & Applied Science, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Dr. Edwin van Wijngaarden, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Dr. Jeanne M. VanBriesen, Duquesne Light Company Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Director, Center for Water Quality in Urban Environmental Systems (Water-QUEST), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
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Dr. Elke Weber, Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Dr. Charles Werth, Professor and Bettie Margaret Smith Chair in Environmental Health Engineering, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Dr. Peter J. Wilcoxen, Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence, Director, Center for Environmental Policy and Administration, The Maxwell School, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Dr. Robyn S. Wilson, Associate Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD STAFF Mr. Thomas Carpenter, Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
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Ce:
Ford, Hayleyfford.hayley@epa.gov]; Munoz, Charles[munoz.charles@epa.gov]; Liz
Bowman] x. 6 - Personal Privacy i Troy Lyonsf x76"R7rsni^
]; Jackson,
Ryanacksh?iy'n@e'p7gov]';''Shimmin, Kaitlyn"[shimmin.kaitiyn@epa.gov']; Graham,
Amy[graham.amy@epa.gov]; Hewitt, James[hewitt.james@epa.gov]; Abboud,
Michael[abboud.michael@epa.gov]; Wilcox, Jahan[wilcox.jahan@epa.gov]
To:
Wagner, Kenneth[wagner.kenneth@epa.gov]
From: Jahan Wilcox
Sent: Thur 9/14/2017 10:41:53 PM
Subject: Re: Regional Administrators Approved
Please take my personal email off this. Adding my EPA address. Thank you.
On Sep 14, 2017, at 6:35 PM, Wagner, Kenneth <wagner.kenneth@epa.gov> wrote:
All: the process will be to set up personal calls with the new RA's prior to the press announcement to have quotes like we did with Trey Glenn. I can work with Liz to get what she needs.
With Cosmo, I was able to already personally meet with all the R3 States' Directors (Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, WV and Maryland), so they know and are ready to have a call.
As soon as we have proposed start dates, please let me know. | Ex. 5 - Deliberative Process j
Ex. 5 - Deliberative Process I
Thanks for helping in this endeavor. It will be great to have leadership in the Regions to set a course consistent with the Administrator's vision.
Ken Kenneth E. Wagner Senior Advisor to the Administrator
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For Regional and State Affairs US Environmental Protection Agency 202-564-1988 office 202-309-2418 cell wagner.kenneth@epa.gov
From: Ford, Hayley Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2017 4:46 PM To: Munoz, Charles <munoz.charles@e_pa._gov>; Liz Bowman { x. 6 - Personal Privacy j>; Troy Lyons [ x. 6 - Personal Privacy i; Wagner, Kenneth <wagner,kenneth@epa. gov> Cc: Jackson, Ryan <jackson.ryan@epa.gov>; Shimmin, Kaitlyn <shimmin.kaitlyn@epa.gov>; Graham, Amy <graham.amy@epa.gov>; Jahan Wilcox 1 Ex. 6 - Personal Privacy 1 Hewitt, James <hewitt.james@epa.gov>; Abboud, Michael <abboud.michael@epa.gov> Subject: RE: Regional Administrators Approved
I know you'll be reaching out to the candidates to gather surrogates, but to help get you started, below are those who were vocal in getting these people appointed.
| Ex. 6 - Personal Privacy !--
i____________ :
PCTICC
Lopez - Former Congressman John Sweeney, NY Assembly
Servidio - Lewis Eisenberg (US Ambassador to Italy)
Gulliford - Senator Grassley
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Hayley Ford Deputy White House Liaison Office of the Administrator Environmental Protection Agency Room: 3309C William Jefferson Clinton North ford.hayley@epa.gov Phone: 202-564-2022 Cell: 202-306-1296
From: Munoz, Charles Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2017 4:22 PM To: Liz Bowman <; Ex. 6 - Personal Privacy L Troy Lyons <1 Ex. -Personal Privacy I Wagner, Kenneth <wagner,kenneth@epa. gov> Cc: Ford, Hayley <ford.hayley@epa.gov>; Jackson, Ryan <jackson.ryan@epa.gov>; Shimmin, Kaitlyn <shimmin.kaitlyn@epa.gov>; Graham, Amy <graham.amy@epa.gov>; Jahan Wilcox | x. 6 - Personal Privacy I; Hewitt, James <hewitt.j ames@epa.gov>; Abboud, Michael <abboud.michael@epa.gov> Subject: Regional Administrators Approved
All,
Attached are the resume's for 5 Regional Administrator's that have been approved by PPO and the administrator. We have not confirmed when any of the approved RA's will be able to start but we're hoping to have nearly all of them in by mid-October, if not sooner. Once I get a confirmed start date, I'll update the group again. Let me know of any questions.
Peter Lopez - Region 2 Cosmo Servidio - Region 3
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Region 5 Ex. 6 - Personal Privacy Jim Gulliford - Region 7 Chris Paul - Region 9
Charles Munoz White House Liaison Environmental Protection Agency 202-380-7967
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