Hello friends – and Happy New Year!

 

As you may be aware, the Society has been actively working to place appropriate experts on the new EPA Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals established under the Lautenberg Safe Chemicals Act (LSCA).  ACS nominated eight members including Concepcion (Conchita) Jimenez-Gonzalez, who has been identified by the agency as a potential committee member.  In the Federal Register announcement included below, EPA is seeking comments on their potential selections:

 

EPA Invites Public Comments on Candidates for Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals

 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/09/2016-29579/nominations-to-the-science-advisory-committee-on-chemicals-request-for-comments

 

As directed by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the Agency is establishing the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC). The purpose of the SACC is to provide independent advice and expert consultation on the scientific and technical aspects of risk assessments, methodologies, and pollution prevention measures or approaches. Members of the SACC will have expertise in scientific and technical fields relevant to chemical risk assessment and pollution prevention. Members will also have diverse background and experiences, including professional experiences in government, labor, public health, public interest, animal protection, industry, and other groups.

 

EPA has completed its initial screening of nominees for the SACC and is inviting public comments on 29 candidates who are identified in a Federal Register notice published on December 9, 2016.  The biographical sketches for these 29 candidates will be available on the SACC website at https://www.epa.gov/TSCA-Peer-Review. Public comments will be accepted through public docket number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0713until January 8, 2017.  EPA anticipates making final selection decisions and completing the appointment of the SACC members by January 20, 2017.

 

To assure that the best science advice is provided to the agency under LSCA, ACS is asking members and leaders to comment in support of Dr. Jimenez-Gonzalez's candidacy as well as those of other EPA-identified candidates who they may know.

 

Dr. Jimenez-Gonzalez was chosen based on her service to ACS and a recommendation from the ACS Green Chemistry Institute Governing Board on which she has served.  She is also a member of the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division (I&EC) as well as the Division of Inorganic Chemistry (INOR). 

 

Both OPA and CEI will be sending letters of support for Dr. Jimenez-Gonzalez, and I trust that GCI will be doing so as well.  I am encouraging members of the Division of Chemical Health and Safety and others to do the same.  Instructions on how to submit letters are included in the weblinks contained in the notice above.

 

Other finalists who are ACS members and their Division affiliations are as follows:

 

·                    William J. Doucette, Utah State University –Environmental Chemistry (ENVR)

·                    John C. Kissel, University of Washington – ENVR, Agrochemicals (AGRO)

·                    Christopher L. Waller, Pfizer – Computers in Chemistry (COMP), Medicinal Chemistry (MEDI)

 

Thank you for helping the Society fulfill its charter responsibility to assure the best possible science advice to the government.  As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like any additional information.

 

Best regards,

Tony

 

Anthony (Tony) Noce

Chair, ACS Committee on Environmental Improvement

 

 

Anthony M. Noce, ACSF

Principal Consultant

Operations Risk & Compliance

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