Recently, the European Commission released a report titled, Inspection Requirements for REACH and CLP. The 97-page document available here, which was delayed in its publication discusses the following:
The study provides input to secure and strengthen proper implementation and
enforcement of the REACH and CLP Regulations.
The objective of the study was:
- Building on work already performed by the FORUM and in close cooperation
with it, to identify criteria and enforcement strategy for MS on how to most
effectively conduct REACH and CLP controls and inspections.
- To assess the potential benefits of possible further legislation and options
for the COM in this field.
- Finally to asses whether the current requirements of the REACH and CLP
Regulations could potentially be reinforced and how.
Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report produced by the Committee on the Review of the National Ocean Acidification Research and
Monitoring Plan; Ocean Studies Board; Division on Earth and Life Sciences;
and the National Research Council titled, Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan (2013). The 80-page pre-publication report available free with a one-time registration discusses how,
[t]he world's ocean has already experienced a 30% rise in acidity
since the industrial revolution, with acidity expected to rise 100 to 150% over
preindustrial levels by the end of this century. Potential consequences to
marine life and also to economic activities that depend on a healthy marine
ecosystem are difficult to assess and predict, but potentially devastating. To
address this knowledge gap, Congress passed the Federal Ocean Acidification
Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act in 2009, which, among other things,
required that an interagency working group create a "Strategic Plan for Federal
Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification."
Review of the Federal
Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan reviews the strategic plan
on the basis of how well it fulfills program elements laid out in the FOARAM Act
and follows the advice provided to the working group in the NRC's 2010 report,
Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to
Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean. This report concludes that,
overall, the plan is strong and provides a comprehensive framework for improving
our understanding of ocean acidification. Potential improvements include a
better defined strategy for implementing program goals, stronger integration of
the seven broad scientific themes laid out in the FOARAM Act, and better
mechanisms for coordination among federal agencies and with other U.S. and
international efforts to address ocean acidification.
Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report by Dominic A. Brose, Rapporteur and produced by the Committee on Pathways to Urban Sustainability: A Focus on the Houston
Metropolitan Region; Science and Technology for Sustainability Program; Policy
and Global Affairs; and the National Research Council titled, Pathways to Urban Sustainability: A Focus on the Houston Metropolitan Region: Summary of a Workshop (201). The 80-page workshop report (available free with a one-time registration) discusses how
[t]he workshop was convened to explore the region's approach to urban
sustainability, with an emphasis on building the evidence base upon which new
policies and programs might be developed. Participants examined how the
interaction of various systems (natural and human systems; energy, water, and
transportation systems) affected the region's social, economic, and
environmental conditions. The objectives of the workshop were as follows:
- Discuss ways that regional actors are approaching sustainability—
specifically, how they are attempting to merge environmental, social, and
economic objectives.
- Share information about ongoing activities and
strategic planning efforts, including lessons learned.
- Examine the role
that science, technology, and research can play in supporting efforts to make
the region more sustainable.
- Explore how federal agency efforts,
particularly interagency partnerships, can complement or leverage the efforts of
other key stakeholders.
Pathways to Urban Sustainability: A Focus on the Houston Metropolitan
Region: Summary of a Workshop was designed to explore the complex
challenges facing sustainability efforts in the Houston metropolitan region and
innovative approaches to addressing them, as well as performance measures to
gauge success and opportunities to link knowledge with action. In developing the
agenda, the planning committee chose topics that were timely and cut across the
concerns of individual institutions, reflecting the interests of a variety of
stakeholders. Panelists were encouraged to share their perspectives on a given
topic; however, each panel was designed to provoke discussion that took
advantage of the broad experience of the participants.
Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report edited by Steven H. Woolf and Laudan Aron and produced by the Panel on Understanding Cross-National
Health Differences Among High-Income Countries; Committee on Population;
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research
Council; Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice; and the Institute of
Medicine titled, U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health (2013). The 424-page pre-publication report available free for download (with registration) discusses how,
The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far
from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United
States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter
lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other
high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely
to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even
highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in
other, "peer" countries.
In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage,
the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the
issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among
High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists
across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger
implications of the findings.
U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence
on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less
healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and
recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and
organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.
Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report produced by the Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress;
Water Science and Technology Board; Board on Environmental Studies and
Toxicology; and the National Research Council titled, Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Fourth Biennial Review, 2012. The 244-page report available free for download (with registration) discusses how,
[t]welve years into the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project, little
progress has been made in restoring the core of the remaining Everglades
ecosystem; instead, most project construction so far has occurred along its
periphery. To reverse ongoing ecosystem declines, it will be necessary to
expedite restoration projects that target the central Everglades, and to improve
both the quality and quantity of the water in the ecosystem.
The new Central Everglades Planning Project offers an innovative approach to
this challenge, although additional analyses are needed at the interface of
water quality and water quantity to maximize restoration benefits within
existing legal constraints. Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The
Fourth Biennial Review, 2012 explains the innovative approach to expedite
restoration progress and additional rigorous analyses at the interface of water
quality and quantity will be essential to maximize restoration benefits.
Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources Progress Report (Dec. 2012). The 278-page report available here, according to the agency press release provides an update on the EPA's,
ongoing national study currently underway to better understand any potential
impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Results of the
study, which Congress requested EPA to complete, are expected to be released in
a draft for public and peer review in 2014. The update provided today outlines
work currently underway, including the status of research projects that will
inform the final study. It is important to note that while this progress report
outlines the framework for the final study, it does not draw conclusions about
the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, which
will be made in the final study.
Previous EPA reports related to drinking water and hydrofracking are available here under the "EPA publications" header.
