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The preparation and publication of this document has been funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under contract number EP08C000294 and the American Water Works Association Water Industry Technical Action Fund Project #516. It has been subjected to the Agency's peer and administrative review and has been approved for publication as an EPA document. Note that approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views of the Agency. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

This publication provides technical supporting information for the 26 indicators that appear in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) report, Climate Change Indicators in the United States, 2012. EPA prepared this publication to ensure that each indicator is fully transparent-so readers can learn where the data come from, how each indicator was calculated, and how accurately each indicator represents the intended environmental condition. EPA developed a standard documentation form, then worked with data providers and reviewed the relevant literature to address the elements on the form as completely as possible.

This report reviews the current state of knowledge on the transport and fate of MTBE in ground water, with emphasis on the natural processes that can be used to manage the risk associated with MTBE in ground water or that contribute to natural attenuation of MTBE as a remedy. It provides recommendations on the site characterization data that are necessary to manage risk or to evaluate monitored natural attenuation (MNA) of MTBE, and it illustrates procedures that can be used to work up data to evaluate risk or assess MNA at a specific site. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is charged by Congress with protecting the Nation's land, air, and water resources. Under a mandate of national environmental laws, the Agency strives to formulate and implement actions leading to a compatible balance between human activities and the ability of natural systems to support and nurture life. To meet this mandate, EPA's research program is providing data and technical support for solving environmental problems today and building a science knowledge base necessary to manage our ecological resources wisely, understand how pollutants affect our health, and prevent or reduce environmental risks in the future. The National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) is the Agency's center for investigation of technological and management approaches for preventing and reducing risks from pollution that threatens human health and the environment. The focus of the Laboratory's research program is on methods and their cost-effectiveness for prevention and control of pollution to air, land, water, and subsurface resources; protection of water quality in public water systems; remediation of contaminated sites, sediments and ground water; prevention and control of indoor air pollution; and restoration of ecosystems. NRMRL collaborates with both public and private sector partners to foster technologies that reduce the cost of compliance and to anticipate emerging problems. NRMRL's research provides solutions to environmental problems by: developing and promoting technologies that protect and improve the environment; advancing scientific and engineering information to support regulatory and policy decisions; and providing the technical support and information transfer to ensure implementation of environmental regulations and strategies at the national, state, and community levels. In the United States of America, the responsibility for managing spills of gasoline from underground storage tanks falls to the individual states. Where it has been appropriate, many states have selected monitored natural attenuation as a remedy for organic contaminants in ground water. Many states also use a formal process of risk management to select the most appropriate remedy at gasoline spill sites. Both monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and risk management require an understanding of the environmental processes that control the behavior of a contaminant in ground water.

Across the country, state and local governments are searching for ways to create vibrant communities that attract jobs, foster economic development, and are attractive places for people to live, work, and play. Increasingly, these governments are seeking more cost-effective strategies to install or maintain infrastructure, protect natural resources and the environment, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. What many are discovering is that their own land development codes and ordinances are often getting in the way of achieving these goals. Fortunately, there is interest in tackling these challenges. As the nation's demographics change, markets shift, and interest in climate change, energy efficiency, public health, and natural resource protection expands, Americans have a real opportunity to create more environmentally sustainable communities. To address these issues, many local governments want to modify or replace their codes and ordinances so that future development and redevelopment will focus on creating complete neighborhoods-places where residents can walk to jobs and services, where choices exist for housing and transportation, where open space is preserved, and where climate change mitigation goals can be realized. Many local governments, however, lack the resources or expertise to make the specific regulatory changes that will create more sustainable communities. And for many, model codes or ordinances can be too general for practical use or are often designed to be adopted wholesale, which many communities are unprepared to do. The purpose of this document is to identify the most common code and ordinance barriers communities face and to suggest actions communities could take to improve their land development regulations.

This report is the second edition of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (US EPA's) 2005 report and provides a high level summary of information on the applicability of existing and emerging non-combustion technologies for the remediation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in soil. POPs are chemicals that are demonstrated to be toxic, persist in the environment for long periods of time, and bioaccumulate and biomagnify as they move through the food chain. POPs are linked to adverse effects on humans and animals, such as cancer, damage to the nervous system, reproductive disorders, and disruption of the immune system. In addition, restrictions and bans on the use of POPs have resulted in a significant number of unusable stockpiles of POP-containing materials, largely located outside the United States (US). Deterioration of storage facilities used for the stockpiles, improper storage practices, and past production and use of POPs also have resulted in contamination of soils around the world. Since the publication of this report in 2005, nine (9) additional chemicals have been listed in the Stockholm Convention; this brings the total number of chemicals currently listed as POPs under the Stockholm Convention to twenty-one (21). In addition, three (3) POPs are currently under consideration.

EPA Responses to Peer Reviewers' Comments based on specific questions and topics.

Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars are spend on project and programs that rely, to varying degrees, on radio analytical data decision making. These decisions have had a significant impact on the environment.

On June 30 2004, a new rule was establishing effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) for concentrated aquatic animal production (CAAP), or aquaculture, facilities was finalized. The regulation will apply to CAAP facilities that generate wastewater from their operations and discharge that wastewater directly into waters of the United States. The CAAP ELGs will help reduce discharges of conventional pollutants, primarily total suspended solids. The regulation will also help reduce non-conventional pollutants such as nutrients. To a lesser extent, the regulation will reduce the discharge of drugs that are used to manage fish health and chemicals, such as those used to clean fish tanks and nets. The final rule applies to existing and new CAAP facilities with the following characteristics: Use flow-through, recirculating, or net pen systems, Directly discharge wastewater, Produce at least 100,000 pounds of fish a year. When the rule is fully implemented, discharges of total suspended solids will be reduced by more than 500,000 pounds a year and biochemical oxygen demand and nutrients will be reduced by about 300,000 pounds per year. The Clean Water Act directs us to review effluent guidelines and to set schedules for new and revised effluent guidelines. This effects newly permitted facilities, and existing facilities upon renewal of their (CAAP) permits. In January 1992, we agreed to a settlement with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and others in a consent decree that established a schedule by which we would consider regulations for 19 industrial categories. We selected the (CAAP) industry for one of those rules. Issuance of this rule completes all regulations addressed under the settlement agreement.

This guidance is intended to assist state, regional, and local environmental professionals in tracking the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) used to control nonpoint source pollution generated by forestry practices. Information is provided on methods for sample site selection, sample size estimation, sampling, and result evaluation and presentation. The focus of the guidance is on the statistical approaches needed to properly collect and analyze data that are accurate and defensible. A properly designed BMP implementation monitoring program can save both time and money. This document provides guidance for sampling representative forestry operations to yield summary statistics at a fraction of the cost of a comprehensive inventory.

This technical resource document describes several methods for preparing a site-specific risk assessment for a source (i.e., a single emission point within one facility), a group of sources (i.e., multiple emission points within one facility), or a group of similar facilities (e.g., within the same source category) that emit(s) toxic air pollutants. Air toxics may be emitted from power plants, factories, cars and trucks, and common household products. Sources that stay in one place are referred to as stationary sources. Vehicles and other moving sources of air pollutants are called mobile sources. This technical resource document is intended for assessing risks associated with stationary sources of air toxics. While its primary focus is on Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), this resource document can be applied to all air pollutants (with the exception of criteria air pollutants, which are assessed using different tools and methods). This technical resource document is the second of a three-volume set. Volume 1: Technical Resource Manual discusses the overall air toxics risk assessment process and the basic technical tools needed to perform these analyses. The manual addresses both human health and ecological analyses. It also provides a basic overview of the process of managing and communicating risk assessment results. Other evaluations (such as the public health assessment process) are described to give assessors, risk managers, and other stakeholders a more holistic understanding of the many issues that may come into play when evaluating the potential impact of air toxics on human health and the environment. Readers with a limited understanding of risk assessment are encouraged to consult Volume 1. Volume 2: Facility-Specific Assessment (this volume) builds on the technical tools described in Volume 1 by providing an example set of tools and procedures that can be used for source-specific or facility-specific risk assessments. Information is also provided on tiered approaches to source- or facility-specific risk analysis. Volume 3: Community-Level Assessment builds on the information presented in Volume 1 to describe to communities how they can evaluate and reduce air toxics risks at the local level. The volume will include information on screening level and more detailed analytical approaches, how to balance the need for assessment versus the need for action, and how to identify and prioritize risk reduction options and measure success. Since community concerns and issues are often not related solely to air toxics, the document will also present readily available information on additional multimedia risk factors that may affect communities and strategies to reduce those risks. The document will provide additional, focused information on stakeholder involvement, communicating information in a community-based setting, and resources and methodologies that may play a role in the overall process. Note that EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics has also developed a Community Air Screening How To Manual that will be available in 2004 and will be discussed in Volume 3.

Natural gas plays a key role in our nation's clean energy future. Recent advances in drilling technologies-including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing-have made vast reserves of natural gas economically recoverable in the US. Responsible development of America's oil and gas resources offers important economic, energy security, and environmental benefits. Hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation technique used to maximize production of oil and natural gas in unconventional reservoirs, such as shale, coalbeds, and tight sands. During hydraulic fracturing, specially engineered fluids containing chemical additives and proppant are pumped under high pressure into the well to create and hold open fractures in the formation. These fractures increase the exposed surface area of the rock in the formation and, in turn, stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil to the wellbore. As the use of hydraulic fracturing has increased, so have concerns about its potential environmental and human health impacts. Many concerns about hydraulic fracturing center on potential risks to drinking water resources, although other issues have been raised. In response to public concern, the US Congress directed the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct scientific research to examine the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources. This study plan represents an important milestone in responding to the direction from Congress. EPA is committed to conducting a study that uses the best available science, independent sources of information, and a transparent, peer-reviewed process that will ensure the validity and accuracy of the results. The Agency will work in consultation with other federal agencies, state and interstate regulatory agencies, industry, non-governmental organizations, and others in the private and public sector in carrying out this study. Stakeholder outreach as the study is being conducted will continue to be a hallmark of our efforts, just as it was during the development of this study plan. The overall purpose of this study is to elucidate the relationship, if any, between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources. More specifically, the study has been designed to assess the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources and to identify the driving factors that affect the severity and frequency of any impacts. Based on the increasing development of shale gas resources in the US, and the comments EPA received from stakeholders, this study emphasizes hydraulic fracturing in shale formations. Portions of the research, however, are also intended to provide information on hydraulic fracturing in coalbed methane and tight sand reservoirs. The scope of the research includes the hydraulic fracturing water use lifecycle, which is a subset of the greater hydrologic cycle. For the purposes of this study, the hydraulic fracturing water lifecycle begins with water acquisition from surface or ground water and ends with discharge into surface waters or injection into deep wells. Specifically, the water lifecycle for hydraulic fracturing consists of water acquisition, chemical mixing, well injection, flowback and produced water (collectively referred to as "hydraulic fracturing wastewater"), and wastewater treatment and waste disposal.

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to increase oil and gas production from underground oil- or gas-bearing rock formations. Since the mid-2000s, the combination of hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling has become widespread, raising concerns about the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. This concern is the focus of this report. In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing activities on drinking water resources. The EPA defined the scope of its study to focus on the acquisition, use, disposal, and reuse of water used for hydraulic fracturing-what we call the hydraulic fracturing water cycle. This was done in recognition that concerns raised about potential impacts were not limited to the relatively short-term act of fracturing rock, but can include impacts related to other activities associated with hydraulic fracturing. The EPA's study included the development of multiple research projects using the following research approaches: the analysis of existing data, scenario and modeling evaluations, laboratory studies, toxicological assessments, and five case studies. Throughout the study, the EPA engaged with stakeholders, including industry, the states, tribal nations, academia, and others, for input on the scope, approach, and initial results. To date, the study has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed scientific products, including 13 EPA technical reports and 14 journal articles. This report represents the capstone product of the EPA's hydraulic fracturing drinking water study. It captures the state-of-the-science concerning drinking water impacts from activities in the hydraulic fracturing activities water cycle and integrates the results of the EPA's study of the subject with approximately 1,200 other publications and sources of information. The goals of this report were to assess the potential for activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle to impact the quality or quantity of drinking water resources and to identify factors that affect the frequency or severity of those impacts. See also "Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States" main report.

Under the Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act, the President delegated to the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the task of assessing the incentives for reduction in accidental chemical releases created by public disclosure of off-site consequence analysis information. This document reports the results of EPA's assessment. In the wake of the chemical tragedy in Bhopal, India, and a series of large chemical accidents in the U.S. in the late 1980s, Congress added new provisions to the Clean Air Act for the prevention of accidental chemical releases. In particular, Congress directed EPA to require facilities that pose the greatest risk of harm to the public and the environment as a result of an accidental chemical release prepare and submit risk management plans (RMPs). An RMP must describe the facility's chemical accident prevention program, emergency response program, and off-site consequence analysis (OCA). The OCA must evaluate the potential for hypothetical worst-case and alternative accidental release scenarios to harm the public and environment around the facility. Congress mandated that RMPs be available to state and local governments and the public.

Natural gas plays a key role in our nation's clean energy future. The United States has vast reserves of natural gas that are commercially viable as a result of advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies, which enable greater access to gas in rock formations deep underground. These advances have spurred a significant increase in the production of both natural gas and oil across the country. Responsible development of America's oil and gas resources offers important economic, energy security, and environmental benefits. However, as the use of hydraulic fracturing has increased, so have concerns about its potential human health and environmental impacts, especially for drinking water. In response to public concern, the US House of Representatives requested that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conduct scientific research to examine the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water resources. In 2011, the EPA began research under its Plan to Study the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources. The purpose of the study is to assess the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, if any, and to identify the driving factors that may affect the severity and frequency of such impacts. Scientists are focusing primarily on hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas, with some study of other oil-and gas-producing formations, including tight sands, and coalbeds. The EPA has designed the scope of the research around five stages of the hydraulic fracturing water cycle. Each stage of the cycle is associated with a primary research question: Water acquisition: What are the possible impacts of large volume water withdrawals from ground and surface waters on drinking water resources? Chemical mixing: What are the possible impacts of hydraulic fracturing fluid surface spills on or near well pads on drinking water resources? Well injection: What are the possible impacts of the injection and fracturing process on drinking water resources? Flowback and produced water: What are the possible impacts of flowback and produced water (collectively referred to as "hydraulic fracturing wastewater") surface spills on or near well pads on drinking water resources? Wastewater treatment and waste disposal: What are the possible impacts of inadequate treatment of hydraulic fracturing wastewater on drinking water resources? This report describes 18 research projects underway to answer these research questions and presents the progress made as of September 2012 for each of the projects. Information presented as part of this report cannot be used to draw conclusions about potential impacts to drinking water resources from hydraulic fracturing. The research projects are organized according to five different types of research activities: analysis of existing data, scenario evaluations, laboratory studies, toxicity assessments, and case studies.

The "Guidebook of Financial Tools: Paying for Environmental Systems" is a reference work examining a wide range of different tools for financing sustainable environmental systems. The term "sustainable environmental systems" refers to virtually any successful or potentially successful environmental protection initiative, including public and private environmental protection programs. Environmental protection initiatives that were not previously sustainable can be made productive and sustainable with the proper financing. The ten sections of the Guidebook present outline information on over three hundred financial tools that can help make environmental protection initiatives more sustainable. This intensive revision includes the addition of a new section titled "Tools for Accessing State and Local Financing" which includes many state grant programs. The Guidebook is designed to assist all interested parties in the public and private sectors with finding the means of financing environmental protection initiatives that are appropriate for them.

Most rural communities want to maintain their rural character while also strengthening their economies. Many fast-growing rural areas are now at the edge of major metropolitan regions and face metropolitan-style development pressures. They seek to manage new growth in a way that promotes prosperity yet is sustainable over the long run. But even slow-growing or shrinking rural areas, which often suffer from faltering economies and population decline, might find that their growth management policies are not resulting in the prosperity they seek. Fortunately, a variety of proven tools and strategies can help rural communities thoughtfully consider how and where to grow. For example, communities that want to maintain their rural character and economic vitality could decide to adopt mixed-use zoning for their Main Street buildings and commercial areas, policies to better manage stormwater runoff, and design requirements for complete, connected streets. Strategies like these are used in communities of all sizes around the country. Small towns and rural areas generally have fewer financial, technical, and staff resources to draw on in responding to development proposals and growth pressures than their urban and suburban counterparts. As a result, rural communities need to identify strategies that they are able to implement with their resources. This publication provides a range of strategies that focus on key issues that rural communities face. It is intended to provide smart growth policy options that communities can implement. These policies can help small towns and rural areas ensure that their development is fiscally sound, environmentally responsible, and socially equitable. This publication is a companion to "Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Urban and Suburban Zoning Codes."

(Appendices) This resource document is the first in the Air Toxics Risk Assessment (ATRA) Library series. It presents an overview of the overall process and tools for evaluating cumulative risk from multiple air toxics emitted from sources at the community level and developing and implementing risk reduction activities to bring about meaningful environmental change. Volume 1: Technical Resource Manual discusses the overall air toxics risk assessment process and the basic technical tools needed to perform these analyses. The manual addresses both human health and ecological analyses. It also provides a basic overview of the process of managing and communicating risk assessment results. Other evaluations (such as the public health assessment process) are described to give assessors, risk managers, and other stakeholders a more holistic understanding of the many issues that may come into play when evaluating the potential impact of air toxics on human health and the environment. Readers with a limited understanding of risk assessment are encouraged to consult Volume 1. Volume 2: Facility-Specific Assessment (this volume) builds on the technical tools described in Volume 1 by providing an example set of tools and procedures that can be used for source-specific or facility-specific risk assessments. Information is also provided on tiered approaches to source- or facility-specific risk analysis. Volume 3: Community-Level Assessment builds on the information presented in Volume 1 to describe to communities how they can evaluate and reduce air toxics risks at the local level. The volume will include information on screening level and more detailed analytical approaches, how to balance the need for assessment versus the need for action, and how to identify and prioritize risk reduction options and measure success. Since community concerns and issues are often not related solely to air toxics, the document will also present readily available information on additional multimedia risk factors that may affect communities and strategies to reduce those risks. The document will provide additional, focused information on stakeholder involvement, communicating information in a community-based setting, and resources and methodologies that may play a role in the overall process. Note that EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics has also developed a Community Air Screening How To Manual that will be available in 2004 and will be discussed in Volume 3.

This Health Assessment Document for Diesel Engine Exhaust (DE) represents EPA's first comprehensive review of the potential health effects from ambient exposure to exhaust from diesel engines. The assessment was developed to provide information about the potential for DE to pose environmental health hazards, information that would be useful in evaluating regulatory needs under provisions of the Clean Air Act. The assessment identifies and characterizes the potential human health hazards of DE (i.e, hazard assessment) and seeks to estimate the relationship between exposure and disease response for the key health effects (i.e., dose-response assessment). The diesel engine has been a vital workhorse in the United States, powering many of its large trucks, buses, and farm, railroad, marine, and construction equipment. Expectations are that diesel engine use in these areas will increase due to the superior performance characteristics of the engine. Diesel engine exhaust (DE), however, contains harmful pollutants in a complex mixture of gases and particulates. Human exposure to this exhaust comes from both highway uses (on-road) as well as non-road uses of the diesel engine. EPA started evaluating and regulating the gaseous emissions from the heavy-duty highway use of diesel engines in the 1970s and particle emissions in the 1980s. The reduction of harmful exhaust emissions has taken a large step forward because of standards issued in 2000 which will bring about very large reductions in exhaust emissions for model year 2007 heavy-duty engines used in trucks, buses, and other on-road uses. A draft of this assessment, along with the peer review comments of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, was part of the scientific basis for EPA's regulation of heavy-duty highway engines completed in December 2000. The information provided by this assessment was useful in developing EPA's understanding of the public health implications of exposure to DE and the public health benefits of taking regulatory action to control exhaust emissions. EPA anticipates developing similarly stringent regulations for other diesel engine uses, including those used in non-road applications.

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique used to increase oil and gas production from underground oil- or gas-bearing rock formations. Since the mid-2000s, the combination of hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling has become widespread, raising concerns about the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. This concern is the focus of this report. In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a study of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing activities on drinking water resources. The EPA defined the scope of its study to focus on the acquisition, use, disposal, and reuse of water used for hydraulic fracturing-what we call the hydraulic fracturing water cycle. This was done in recognition that concerns raised about potential impacts were not limited to the relatively short-term act of fracturing rock, but can include impacts related to other activities associated with hydraulic fracturing. The EPA's study included the development of multiple research projects using the following research approaches: the analysis of existing data, scenario and modeling evaluations, laboratory studies, toxicological assessments, and five case studies. Throughout the study, the EPA engaged with stakeholders, including industry, the states, tribal nations, academia, and others, for input on the scope, approach, and initial results. To date, the study has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed scientific products, including 13 EPA technical reports and 14 journal articles. This report represents the capstone product of the EPA's hydraulic fracturing drinking water study. It captures the state-of-the-science concerning drinking water impacts from activities in the hydraulic fracturing activities water cycle and integrates the results of the EPA's study of the subject with approximately 1,200 other publications and sources of information. The goals of this report were to assess the potential for activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle to impact the quality or quantity of drinking water resources and to identify factors that affect the frequency or severity of those impacts. See also "Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States" Appendices.

This Handbook provides descriptive background information and general guidance on how to access and use data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). This is an enormous human database that can be used to develop information suitable for use in risk assessments, and to support regulatory and policy needs of EPA. For more than 30 years, EPA has been one of many collaborating agencies that help plan and support funding of data collection through NHANES. Because only a limited number of Agency managers and staff are aware of the content and availability of this rich database, this Handbook was developed to familiarize staffs with NHANES and foster increased use of the data to support EPA needs. Despite the limitations and complex design of this survey, it is clear that NHANES is a unique, rich database that offers a tremendous amount of human health, nutrition, and exposure information, and will continue to do so into the future. It is hoped that by informing staff about NHANES, this Handbook will encourage efforts to "mine" the data to support Agency needs across the program offices. It is also hoped that innovative approaches (e.g., using geographic information systems; linking NHANES to available databases such as the National Death Index), will be developed to analyze the data in new ways that produce information that is useful to the mission of the Agency. Now that the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has established their Research Data Center, it should be possible to conduct studies that were impossible in the past because of lack of access to sensitive data. Finally, more thought should be given to designing and conducting studies that make use of subjects' biological samples (blood, urine, saliva) stored by NCHS. These samples offer a rare opportunity to study potential biomarkers of exposure and/or effects on a national sample of the U.S. population and link the data to health, nutrition, exposure and socioeconomic data collected in the baseline surveys.

This guidance is intended to assist federal, state, regional, and local environmental professionals in tracking the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) used to control urban nonpoint source pollution. Information is provided on methods for inventorying BMPs, the design and execution of sampling programs, and the evaluation and presentation of results. The more regulated and stable nature of urban areas present opportunities for inventorying all BMPs versus the statistical sampling required to assess BMP implementation for agriculture or forestry. Inventorying BMP implementation requires establishing a program that tracks the implementation or operation and maintenance of all BMPs of certain types (e.g., septic tanks and erosion and sediment control practices). The guidance can help state and local governments by providing a subset of controls, both structural and nonstructural, that can be sampled for: inspection programs, maintenance oversight, and implementation confirmation.

Ports are a vital part of the United States economy, with seaports, Great Lakes ports, and inland river ports serving as gateways for moving freight and passengers across the country and around the world. As our nation adapts to meet economic and infrastructure demands, it is critical to understand the potential impacts on air pollution, greenhouse gases (GHGs), and the people living, working, and recreating near ports. EPA developed this national scale assessment to examine current and future emissions from a variety of diesel sources operating in port areas, and to explore the potential of a range of available strategies to reduce emissions from port-related trucks, locomotives, cargo handling equipment, harbor craft, and ocean-going vessels. Diesel engines are the modern-day workhorse of the American economy, and although they can be reliable and efficient, older diesel engines can emit significant amounts of air pollution, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), air toxics, and carbon dioxide (CO2), which impact human health and the planet. State and local governments, ports and port operators, Tribes, communities, and other stakeholders can use this assessment as a tool to inform their priorities and decisions for port areas and achieve more emission reductions across the United States. See also: "National Port Strategy Assessment: Reducing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases at U.S. Ports: Appendices".

This Policy Assessment (PA) has been prepared by staff in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) as part of the Agency's ongoing review of the primary (health-based) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for oxides of nitrogen (referred to herein as the N02 NAAQS). It presents analyses and staff conclusions regarding the policy implications of the key scientific and technical information that informs this review. The PA is intended to "bridge the gap" between the relevant scientific evidence and technical information and the judgments required of the EPA Administrator in determining whether to retain or revise the current standards. Development of the PA is also intended to facilitate advice and recommendations on the standards to the Administrator from an independent scientific review committee, the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), as provided for in the Clean Air Act (CAA). Staff's conclusions in this PA are informed by consideration of the scientific evidence summarized and assessed in the Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen-Health Criteria (ISA) and updated analyses comparing ambient nitrogen dioxide (N02) concentrations to health-based benchmarks, included herein. Emphasis is given to considering the extent to which the evidence newly available since the last review alters conclusions drawn in the last review with regard to health effects related to N02 exposures, the exposure concentrations at which those effects occur, and populations that may be at increased risk for effects.

In November 2003, Acting Deputy Administrator Stephen L. Johnson requested an internal review of the Superfund program (the "120-Day Study") to identify opportunities to achieve program efficiencies that would enable EPA to begin and complete more long-term cleanups with existing program resources. One of the recommendations resulting from that review was to evaluate regional PRP search programs to identify practices indicative of enforcement success and barriers to achieving it. In response to this recommendation, the Office of Site Remediation Enforcement (OSRE) undertook a PRP search evaluation in consultation with the National PRP Search Enhancement Team. Four main data points were used for benchmarking analyses: PRP determinations, PRP search costs, EPA response costs, and PRP response costs. OSRE relied primarily on IFMS data to determine total EPA response costs and PRP search costs and primarily on CERCLIS data for PRP determinations and PRP response costs. PRP search costs and EPA response costs include direct and estimated indirect costs. Each data point was updated during the study. Preliminary analysis indicated that site groups with the greatest variability in total search costs and CPD were owner/operator sites, waste contributor sites, and sites with de minimis parties. Data analysis therefore focused on these groups. In addition, OSRE surveyed EPA's regions to identify PRP search practices and barriers to effective and efficient PRP searches and to identify additional variables that might explain regional CPD differences. Results of the data analysis and survey demonstrate that the uniqueness of each PRP search is the major challenge to evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of search activities and to identifying PRP search practices and barriers to success. Even among sites categorized by type, each has unique characteristics that affect the conduct of the PRP search. Each PRP search presents its own obstacles and each regional program adapts its own unique practices and procedures to overcome them as they arise. In this study, EPA collected information on regional PRP search organizational and operational characteristics to determine if there was any correlation between the outcomes of the site-specific analyses and regional program characteristics. Responses to the survey were not sufficiently consistent to compare to site-specific data, but they provided certain insights into the operation of regional PRP search programs: Whether regions use separate organizational units for PRP search functions depends on the size of the region; Whether regions dedicate specific job classifications to PRP search functions depends on the size of the region; Regions organize site-specific case teams to perform PRP search functions. Most regions have contract vehicles in place to obtain extramural support in performing PRP search functions; Regions tend to use contractor support either for skilled research and technical tasks generally required on an ad hoc basis or on routine and less skilled clerical and data management tasks; Regions charge outlays for contractor support site-specifically and concentrate them on case development and legal and financial analysis; Regions charge FTEs allocated for PRP search-related tasks site-specifically and use them primarily for case development and legal analysis and documentation tasks; Regions allocate funds available for PRP search-related activities on the basis of site-specific factors; Regions develop site-specific plans for conducting PRP searches. Regions initiate PRP search activity, e.g., a deed search for the current owner, during the preliminary assessment/site investigation (PA/SI) stage or at the earliest appropriate time before the site is proposed for the NPL.

"America's Children and the Environment (ACE)" is EPA's report presenting data on children's environmental health. ACE brings together information from a variety of sources to provide national indicators in the following areas: Environments and Contaminants, Biomonitoring, and Health. Environments and Contaminants indicators describe conditions in the environment, such as levels of air pollution. Biomonitoring indicators include contaminants measured in the bodies of children and women of child-bearing age, such as children's blood lead levels. Health indicators report the rates at which selected health outcomes occur among U.S. children, such as the annual percentage of children who currently have asthma. Accompanying each indicator is text discussing the relevance of the issue to children's environmental health and describing the data used in preparing the indicator. Wherever possible, the indicators are based on data sources that are updated in a consistent manner, so that indicator values may be compared over time.

Climate change presents several challenges to drinking water and wastewater utilities, including increased frequency and duration of droughts, floods associated with intense precipitation events and coastal storms, degraded water quality, wildfires and coastal erosion and subsequent changes in demand for services. While these impacts have been documented in numerous publications, finding the right information for your type of utility or geographic region can be difficult and sometimes overwhelming. Therefore, the goals of the Adaptation Strategies Guide are (1) to provide drinking water and wastewater utilities with a basic understanding of how climate change can impact utility operations and missions, and (2) to provide examples of different actions utilities can take (i.e., adaptation options) to prepare for these impacts.

Radon has been classified as a known human carcinogen and has been recognized as a significant health problem by groups such as the Centers for Disease Control, the American Lung Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Public Health Association. As such, risks from in-home radon exposure have been a major concern for the EPA. In 1992, EPA published its "Technical Support Document for the 1992 Citizen's Guide to Radon," which included a description of its methodology for estimating lung cancer risks in the U.S. associated with exposure to radon in homes. That methodology was primarily based on reports published by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). In one of those reports, known as "BEIR IV" (NAS 1988), a model was derived for estimating the risks from inhaled radon progeny, based on an analysis of epidemiologic results on 4 cohorts of occupationally exposed underground miners. In 1994, the EPA sponsored another study, "BEIR VI", to incorporate additional information that had become available from miner cohort and residential studies. In early 1999, the NAS published its "BEIR VI" report (NAS 1999), which presented new risk models based on information from 11 miner cohorts. A major conclusion of the BEIR VI report was that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. In light of findings and recommendations in BEIR VI, this report presents a revised risk assessment by EPA's Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA) for exposure to radon in homes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (the EPA) Office of Site Remediation Enforcement (OSRE) manages the enforcement of the nation's hazardous waste cleanup laws, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund), the corrective action and underground storage tank cleanup provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Oil Pollution Act (OPA). The main objective of the cleanup enforcement program is to ensure prompt site cleanup and the participation of liable parties in performing and paying for cleanups in a manner that ensures protection of human health and the environment. Both CERCLA and RCRA are designed to protect human health and the environment from the dangers of improperly disposed hazardous substances. The RCRA programs focus on how wastes should be managed to avoid potential threats to human health and the environment. CERCLA, on the other hand, applies primarily when contamination has already occurred, resulting in releases of hazardous substances to the environment. Both programs, however, have cleanup authorities that address contaminated sites. This handbook summarizes the statutory, policy and guidance, and regulatory provisions that may be helpful to parties looking to manage environmental cleanup liability risks associated with the revitalization of contaminated sites. It is designed for use by parties involved in the assessment, cleanup, and revitalization of sites, and provides a basic description of the tools that may be available to address liability concerns.

On June 30 2004, a new rule was establishing effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) for concentrated aquatic animal production (CAAP), or aquaculture, facilities was finalized. The regulation will apply to CAAP facilities that generate wastewater from their operations and discharge that wastewater directly into waters of the United States. The CAAP ELGs will help reduce discharges of conventional pollutants, primarily total suspended solids. The regulation will also help reduce non-conventional pollutants such as nutrients. To a lesser extent, the regulation will reduce the discharge of drugs that are used to manage fish health and chemicals, such as those used to clean fish tanks and nets. The final rule applies to existing and new CAAP facilities with the following characteristics: Use flow-through, recirculating, or net pen systems, Directly discharge wastewater, Produce at least 100,000 pounds of fish a year. When the rule is fully implemented, discharges of total suspended solids will be reduced by more than 500,000 pounds a year and biochemical oxygen demand and nutrients will be reduced by about 300,000 pounds per year. The Clean Water Act directs us to review effluent guidelines and to set schedules for new and revised effluent guidelines. This effects newly permitted facilities, and existing facilities upon renewal of their (CAAP) permits. In January 1992, we agreed to a settlement with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and others in a consent decree that established a schedule by which we would consider regulations for 19 industrial categories. We selected the (CAAP) industry for one of those rules. Issuance of this rule completes all regulations addressed under the settlement agreement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2004 "Homeland Security Strategy" will guide the Agency's homeland security efforts over the next two years. It described our goals, initiatives, and key activities for protecting our country from the consequences of terrorist attacks. Many of the homeland security challenges that we face transcend political boundaries. The "Strategy" explains how we will transcend these boundaries to network and collaborate with our federal, state, local, and tribal government partners and the private sector to achieve our goals. The Agency's initial "Strategy," which was undertaken immediately following the September 11, 2001, disasters, represented EPA's vision prevention of, preparation for, and response to another catastrophic terrorist attack. The 2004 "Strategy" takes this initial effort one step further by addressing the Agency's available resources, recent Presidential Directives and expectations, and the evolving role of the Department of Homeland Security. EPA continues to evaluate its roles and responsibilities and to apply lessons learned. The challenges ahead are far different from those that existed prior to September 11, 2001, and they continue to evolve.