How have public comments been considered throughout the review processes?
The Blue Ribbon Panel values public comments and has taken them under careful consideration from the start of its deliberations in Spring 2008. The Panel began its work with a thorough analysis of comments from the public regarding drafts of the Environmental Impact Statement for the NEIDL and scheduled public meetings in Boston to hear from the community directly. The Panel also considered comments from the courts, as well as input from the National Research Council on the NIH’s Draft Supplementary Risk Assessments and Site Suitability Analyses. In response to all of these comments, the Panel recommended that the current supplementary risk assessment process take into account scenarios and specific infectious disease agents that were of concern to these groups. These scenarios and agents have since been incorporated into the supplementary risk assessment now under way. The National Research Council will be reviewing and providing input on drafts of the supplementary risk assessment. T
How have public comments been considered throughout the review processes?