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EPA’s 2008 Report on the Environment

Denice M. Shaw, PhDU.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development

National Center for Environmental Assessment

Shaw.denice@epa.gov

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EPA’s 2008 Report on the Environmentwww.epa.gov/roe

• Uses indicators to address 23 questions EPA considers most important and relevant to its mission in the areas of air, water, land, human health, and ecological condition.

• Currently supports over 30 strategic performance measures. –Example: ROE indicator of “Wetland Extent, Change, and Sources

of Change” measures EPA’s progress in meeting its objective of increasing wetland acreage.

• Informs the strategic planning process, particularly cross-program “targeted areas for improvement.”

• Identifies critical needs for future planning.

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What are the trends in…and their effects on HH and the Environment?

Air: Outdoor Air Quality, Greenhouse Gases, Indoor Air Quality

Water: Water and Watersheds, Ground Water, Wetlands, Coastal Waters, Drinking Water, Recreational Water, Consumable Fish and Shellfish

Land: Land Cover, Land Use, Wastes, Chemicals, Contaminated Land

Human Health: What are the trends in the…?

Human exposure to environmental contaminants

Health status in the United States

Human disease and conditions for which env. contaminants may be a risk factor

Ecological Condition: What are the trends in the…?

Extent and distribution of the Nation's ecological systems

Diversity and biological balance of the Nation's ecological systems

Ecological processes that sustain the Nation's ecological systems

Critical physical and chemical attributes of the Nation's ecological systems

Biomarkers of exposure to common env. contaminants in plants and animals

2008 ROE Focus:

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Interactive public website that is updated with the most recent environmental indicator data and enhancements.

Electronic Report on the Environment (eROE)www.epa.gov/roe

Provides access to the content of the ROE and companion Highlights Document, including the underlying methodology, references, and data, in one location and in a searchable format.

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Electronic Report on the Environment (eROE)

• eROE provides the public and EPA with the most current indicator data–Updated on a

quarterly basis with new data and supporting text and figures

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EPA’s Report on the Environment

•Current Projects:–Soliciting new and revised indicators for inclusion in

the eROE

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•Current Projects (con’t)– Quantifying uncertainty information for indicators

and developing presentation options for eROE

Streambed Stability in Wadeable Streams

EPA’s Report on the Environment

5.3%

24.9%

19.7%

50.1%

Percent of stream miles

Least Disturbed

Moderately Disturbed

Most Disturbed

Not Assessed/No Data

[a] Compared with minimally disturbed reference sites. See text for definitions of the categories shown in the figure.

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•Current Projects (con’t)Displaying

indicators in a geospatial format

EPA’s Report on the Environment

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EPA’s Report on the Environment

•Current Projects (con’t)Aligning the ROE structure more closely with the goals and objectives of EPA’s planning process

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EPA’s Report on the Environment

•External Review and Feedback–EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) panel established

to provide advice and counsel as the ROE program moves forward