Wednesday, January 23, 2013

European Commission Study Released: Inspection Requirements for REACH and CLP

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.

National Academies Report Released: Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan

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.

National Academies Report Released: Pathways to Urban Sustainability: A Focus on the Houston Metropolitan Region: Summary of a Workshop

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.

National Academies Report Released: U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health

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.

National Academies Report Released: Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Fourth Biennial Review, 2012

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.

EPA Releases Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources Progress Report

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.