Developments in Scientific Peer Review at EPA Glenn Paulsen and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Developments in Scientific Peer Review at EPA

Glenn Paulsen and Tom Brennan

Topics Areas Covered Today

• History and practice of peer review at EPA;
• New directions for the EPA;
• Role of the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB)

in Peer Review at EPA; and,

• SAB commitment to Transparency and

Openness.

2

Scientific Peer Review at the EPA - history

The agency has a long history of scientific peer review:

• EPA first released a Peer Review Handbook in
• 1998. This was years before the OMB Bulletin on

Peer Review laid out minimum standards for peer review at the federal agencies;

• The EPA Peer Review Handbook is now heading

into its 4th Edition, expected to go final in 2014;

• www.epa.gov/peereview

3

History continued

• The EPA Deputy Administrator and Agency’s

Science Advisor provide high-level leadership and oversight of peer review at the agency;

• EPA achieves peer review of scientific and

technical work products using a range of mechanisms, as appropriate for the complexity

• f the product and its intended use:

– Publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals; – Letter review; – Panel reviews; and, – NAS reviews.

History - continued

• EPA’s Peer Review Agenda, including completed

and planned peer review activities, is available on the EPA website: http://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_pr_agenda.cfm

• Currently, there are 29 High Influential Scientific

Assessments (HISA) and 50 Influential Scientific Information (ISI) products in the cue for Peer Review.

• Typically, EPA does 20-30 HISAs and ISIs per

year.

New Directions in Peer Review

• In 2013, the EPA implemented a new

process for peer reviews managed by contractors – to increase the transparency and rigor of reviewer selection - new:

– Process includes public nomination and comment on expert candidates. – Additional consultations between the agency and the managing contractor regarding potential conflicts of interest of candidate experts.

6

New Directions - Continued Important themes in the new edition of the EPA Peer Review Handbook:

• Strengthening the integrity of contractor-

managed peer reviews;

• Enhanced opportunities for public input to

peer reviews;

• Clarifying the role of EPA decision-makers in

decisions on the type and timing of peer review of influential products.

7

Role of the SAB in Peer Review

• EPA has a handful of scientific technical

advisory committees that provide expert peer review advice.

• The SAB has the broadest mandate to

provide advice on scientific and environmental issues supporting EPA actions.

• SAB is a statutory federal advisory

committee, established in 1978.

8

Role of the SAB – Continued

• The chartered SAB has approximately 50

members, including experts on a wide range of

expertise;

• The SAB reports directly to the Administrator;
• Much of the peer review done by the SAB is

conducted by specialized panels of experts formed to address an specific Agency charge; and,

• All members serve as Special Governmental

Employees, and are subject to ethics laws and regulations applicable to the Executive Branch.

9

Role of the SAB – Continued SAB operates under the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) as such:

• The SAB charter is filed with Congress every

two years.

• SAB panels and committees are balanced in

terms of scientific points of view for the work to be performed:

10

Role of the SAB – Continued SAB operates under the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) as such:

• SAB panels deliberate in public;
• Meetings are announced and open to the

public; and,

• All materials prepared by and for the SAB are

available to the public.

11

Role of the SAB – Continued The SAB Staff Office provides technical and administrative support to the SAB:

• Establishment of balanced panels of experts

who have been carefully vetted for financial conflict of interest;

• Liaison between the EPA and the SAB, and

between the public and the SAB to guard against undue influence by the agency or

• utside interests on the deliberations of the

SAB.

12

SAB Commitment to Transparency and Openness The SAB Staff Office goes beyond the legal requirements for and public input:

• FR notices of opportunities to nominate

experts to serve on the SAB and/or specialized panels and committees.

• Opportunities to submit written comments and

to provide oral comments at the meetings (both near the beginning and after deliberations).

13

SAB Commitment to Transparency and Openness – continued. The SAB Staff Office goes beyond the legal requirements for and public input:

• As a matter of policy EPA and the SAB Staff

Office apply FACA openness standards to all panel and committee meetings (not just the chartered SAB);

• The SAB Staff Office posts all committee

materials (including charge, public comments, agency briefings, draft advisory reports, and meeting minutes) to the SAB website.

14

SAB Commitment to Transparency and Openness – continued. The SAB Staff Office goes beyond the legal requirements for and public input:

• New efforts to webcast SAB meetings,

providing teleconference access, use of public dockets for materials and public comments.

• www.epa.gov/sab

15

SAB Commitment to Transparency and Openness – continued. SAB reviews often focus on high-profile topics

• f interest to stakeholders, public, and

Congress:

• Hydraulic fracturing;
• Economy-wide impacts of regulations;
• Connectivity of wetlands and waters;
• Environmental justice;
• IRIS chemical toxicology assessments; and
• More

16

Thank you for your Attention Brennan.thomas @epa.gov Questions?

17