Meridian is assisting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) in planning, convening, and facilitating a chartered Federal Advisory Committee to provide high-level policy advice to OPPT on its diverse programs. The 15-member, multi-stakeholder Committee has been meeting three or four times per year since its first meeting in the fall of 2003.

During the summer of 2005, Meridian assisted in the formation of and facilitated the Interim Ad Hoc Work Group on Nanoscale Materials. The Work Group discussed, and generated public input on, potential elements for an OPPT voluntary program regarding engineered nanoscale materials, began consideration of regulatory actions OPPT could undertake regarding such materials, and identified issues for further consideration.

The ten Work Group members represented small and large companies, environmental NGOs and an animal welfare organization. The Work Group reported their progress to the full NPPTAC during the October 2005 public meeting in Arlington, VA. The NPPTAC finalized their report, and submitted it for EPA's consideration in November 2005.

More information, including meeting announcements and materials from past meetings, is available at: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/npptac/. Information regarding the Work Group's meetings, including public comments, are available from the EPA Docket; use Advanced Search; select EPA; enter Docket number OPPT-2002-0001).