The President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology met on January 6, 2012, to discuss a number of issues, including a report evaluating the effectiveness of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which coordinates nanotechnology programs across EPA and other agencies,” PCAST Vice Chair Maxine Savitz, of the National Academy of Engineering, said at the meeting that  “The key thing as we move into manufacturing is environmental impacts — and making sure we know ahead of time what they are.” The report is expected to be discussed further during PCAST’s March 9, 2012 meeting.  Savitz’s remarks follow an Office of Inspector General report that identified a number of flaws in EPA’s risk management and risk assessment process for nanomaterials, including: “EPA’s management of nanomaterials is limited by a lack of risk information and reliance on industry-submitted data.” A webcast of PCAST’s January 6th meeting is available at http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/pcast/120106/