Posts Tagged ‘environment’

The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new online resource intended to promote knowledge sharing and collaboration among the scientific community on environmental modeling. The Integrated Environmental Modeling Hub (iemHUB) website is designed to “facilitate knowledge sharing, discussion and collaboration on models and tools that support multimedia and multidisciplinary analysis.” The agency uses integrated environmental modeling to simulate environmental processes and interactions between ecological and human-influenced systems and to inform its decision making process.

The Environmental Protection Agency has published a draft report on its National Lakes Assessment, a survey of the condition of U.S. lakes conducted by the agency and its state and tribal partners in 2007. The study examined lakes, ponds, and reservoirs for indicators of water quality, biological health, recreational condition, and physical habitat. The assessment finds that 56 percent of U.S. lakes are in “good” condition, but rates the remaining lakes as being in “fair” or “poor” condition. The assessment is intended to help states and tribes implement lake monitoring and assessment programs and to provide a baseline for the condition of lakes and other water resources that can be used for assessment of future trends.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works to develop and enforce regulations that implement environmental laws enacted by Congress. The agency is responsible for researching and setting national standards for a variety of environmental programs, and delegates to states and tribes the responsibility for issuing permits and for monitoring and enforcement. Where national standards are not met, EPA can issue sanctions and take other steps to assist the states and tribes in reaching the desired levels of environmental quality.

Other agency priorities include the following:

Financial assistance:  In recent years, between 40 and 50 percent of EPA’s enacted budgets have provided direct support through grants to State environmental programs. EPA grants to States, non-profits and educational institutions support high-quality research that will improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and help EPA achieve its goals.

Environmental research: At laboratories located throughout the nation, the Agency works to assess environmental conditions and to identify, understand, and solve current and future environmental problems; integrate the work of scientific partners such as nations, private sector organizations, academia and other agencies; and provide leadership in addressing emerging environmental issues and in advancing the science and technology of risk assessment and risk management.

Voluntary partnerships and programs: The Agency works through its headquarters and regional offices with over 10,000 industries, businesses, non-profit organizations, and state and local governments, on over 40 voluntary pollution prevention programs and energy conservation efforts. Partners set voluntary pollution-management goals; examples include conserving water and energy, minimizing greenhouse gases, slashing toxic emissions, re-using solid waste, controlling indoor air pollution, and getting a handle on pesticide risks. In return, EPA provides incentives like vital public recognition and access to emerging information.

Environmental education: EPA advances educational efforts to develop an environmentally conscious and responsible public, and to inspire personal responsibility in caring for the environment.