EPA’s 2008 Report on the Environment
A Key Resource for the American People on the Environment
Contact: Suzanne Ackerman, 202-564-4355 / ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. – May 20, 2008) Founded in 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a young federal agency, compared to other agencies that date back to the 1800’s. Part of an agency’s growing process is finding the best ways to measure and report on its progress. Therefore, EPA today released its 2008 Report on the Environment (EPA 2008 ROE), an important resource that citizens can use to better understand trends in the condition of the air, water, and land and related changes in human health and the environment in the United States. The EPA 2008 ROE will also be a valuable resource that can inform and focus EPA activities to improve and protect America’s environment.
The EPA 2008 ROE uses scientifically sound indicators to measure and report on overall progress toward protecting the environment and human health. An environmental indicator must be quantifiable and provide valuable information on the condition of air, land, water, human health, or ecological condition. For example, one water ROE environmental indicator is the percentage each year of public or community water systems that have reported no violations of EPA health-based standards.
This report and the indicators it contains were created in an open and transparent manner. The agency took the extraordinary step of having the proposed indicators reviewed in a public forum to determine if citizens- -not just scientists- -believed the proposed indicators provided the kind of information that was useful, and were supported by technically sound data. From the ROE, EPA and the public will know better where the United States needs to focus future work and resources.
It is important to note that the EPA 2008 ROE is not intended as a “report card.” There are both positive and negative trends contained in the report. The purpose of the EPA 2008 ROE is to create a reliable set of information that can be used for year-to-year comparisons as well as planning. It is hoped that in the future, EPA will be able to look at the trends of ROE environmental indicators over a span of years, similar to the analysis done on the 20 years of data in the Toxics Release Inventory.
The EPA 2008 ROE could also lead to the development of new indicators, new monitoring strategies, and new programs and policies in areas EPA determines to be highly important based on measured environmental trends.
Later this year, EPA will also publish the 2008 Report on the Environment: Highlights of National Trends (2008 ROE Highlights), which summarizes highlights of the EPA 2008 ROE without all of the technical detail. EPA is committed to releasing periodic updates of the ROE and its indicators so that up-to-date information on environmental conditions and trends is available to the American public.
EPA’s 2008 Report on the Environment: http://www.epa.gov/roe
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
EPA Publishes Annual National Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Contact Information: Roxanne Smith, (202) 564-4355 / smith.roxanne@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - April 15, 2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that overall emissions during 2006 decreased by 1.1 percent from the previous year. The report, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2006, is the latest in an annual set of reports that the United States submits to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.
“Each year since 1993, EPA’s experts have built a comprehensive inventory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions,” said Robert Meyers principal deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office Air and Radiation. “Our understanding of emission sources is paramount to combating climate change.”
Total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases in 2006 were equivalent to 7,054.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. The report indicates that overall emissions have grown by 14.7 percent from 1990 to 2006, while the U.S. economy has grown by 59 percent over the same period.
The decrease in emissions in 2006 was due primarily to a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions associated with fuel and electricity consumption. The following factors were primary contributors to this decrease:
· compared to 2005, 2006 had warmer winter conditions, which decreased consumption of heating fuels, as well as cooler summer conditions, which reduced demand for electricity;
· restraint on fuel consumption caused by rising fuel prices, primarily in the transportation sector; and
· increased use of natural gas and renewables in the electric power sector.
EPA prepares the annual report in collaboration with experts from multiple federal agencies and after gathering comments from a broad range of stakeholders across the country.
The inventory tracks annual greenhouse gas emissions at the national level and presents historical emissions from 1990 to 2006. The inventory also calculates carbon dioxide emissions that are removed from the atmosphere by “sinks,” e.g., through the uptake of carbon by forests, vegetation and soils.
Information on the greenhouse gas inventory report: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html
EPA Launches Environmental Indicators Gateway
Contact: Suzanne Ackerman, (202) 564-4355 / ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov
EPA today launched the Environmental Indicators Gateway Web site to provide enhanced public access to environmental and health information generated by EPA. Information is presented in the context of "environmental indicators," numerical values that provide insights into the status and trends of environmental and public health conditions over time. The Gateway establishes a single catalog of EPA's indicator work that allows browsing and searching among existing EPA Web sites and indicator materials. The site allows users to browse EPA's environmental indicator reports by geography, topic area, or time period. For each report featured on the site, users can find information on key details of the project including geography, project purpose, contact information, and data quality considerations.
In addition to enhancing public access, the Gateway provides a resource for EPA and other federal agencies and partners to better coordinate their own environmental indicator work. By sharing key information and best practices among existing projects, EPA can improve its ability to generate environmental indicator information in the future. To better accomplish the goals of EPA's Environmental Indicators Initiative, EPA plans further enhancements to the site, which will improve coordination among existing indicator work and provide additional tools for accessing environmental indicators and information across EPA.
New Environmental Indicators Gateway: http://www.epa.gov/indicators
EPA Knows More About Children's Health Today Than Ever
New Report Highlights 10 Years of Comprehensive Research
Contact: Melissa Anley-Mills, (202) 564-4355 / anley-mills.melissa@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - March 4, 2008) EPA knows more now than ever about children's environmental health and how to create a healthier environment for children. This is the result of a 10-year research effort on children's environmental health highlighted in a new report issued today.
"Understanding potential environmental health risks to children is important to EPA," said George Gray, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Research and Development. "This research will help us assess and address environmental factors that may affect some of the most vulnerable members of our society."
The report, "A Decade of Children's Environmental Health: Highlights from EPA's Science to Achieve Results Program" focuses on 10 years of research funded or performed by EPA's National Center for Environmental Research's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grants program.
The 1997 Federal Executive Order, "Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks," mandated all federal agencies to place a high priority on identifying and assessing risks to children. In 1998, the STAR program, which funds and supports human health, economics, ecology and engineering sciences, launched its own children's health initiative. To date, the program has awarded more than 60 grants and issued more than 10 research solicitations.
The report summarizes research from the STAR children's health program over the past 10 years, highlighting scientific findings in epidemiology, exposure science, genetics, community-based participatory research, interventions, statistics and methods. This body of work has impacted policy in the United States and influenced scientific directions internationally.
For more information: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/decade_childrens_research
EPA Releases the Draft of 2007 Report on the Environment: Highlights of National Trends
Contact: Suzanne Ackerman, (202) 564-4355 / ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov
The draft 2007 Report on the Environment (ROE): Highlights of National Trends (2007 ROE HD) was released today for public comment and independent review. First issued in 2003, the ROE is a plain, easy-to-understand guide that provides the average citizen a resource to follow national trends in the condition of the air, water, and land in the United States.
The ROE is also part of EPA's commitment to be transparent to citizens, and to encourage citizen participation. Through the ROE, the public will have a complete picture of where the most environmental progress has been made, and where America needs to do better.
Written for a general audience, the ROE HD features a subset of the findings from the more comprehensive report, EPA's 2007 Report on the Environment: Science Report which was released in draft for public comment and review in May 2007. The final 2007 ROE report will consist of both the science and highlights documents. The information will also be available on an interactive, searchable Web site called the "e-ROE."
Read the draft and submit comments: http://www.epa.gov/roe/
New EPA Tool Helps Answer Air Quality
Questions
Contact: John Millett, (202) 564-4355 / millett.john@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - May 3, 2007) AirCompare, a new
EPA-developed air quality tool, provides local air quality
information to help people make informed decisions about
moving, vacationing or living in different areas of the
country.
"From people getting ready to retire to vacationers or those
changing jobs, Americans are increasingly considering air
quality as they make their plans," said Bill Wehrum, EPA's
acting assistant administrator for Air and Radiation. "AirCompare
helps answer those questions in a way that's simple to
understand."
AirCompare uses EPA's popular Air Quality Index (AQI) to
explain air quality from a health perspective. A person with
asthma, for example, can use AirCompare to select up to 10
counties across the country -- and with the click of a
button, find out how many days the air was unhealthy for
asthmatics last year. Or someone planning a trip can find
out the best time of year to visit a particular area, based
on concerns about asthma, heart disease, outdoor activity,
or just general interest.
AirCompare searches EPA air quality databases to pull
information about pollutants reported under the AQI – and to
translate it into charts that show simply whether the
previous year's air quality was healthy, unhealthy or
unhealthy for specific groups more susceptible to pollution.
The tool also can provide a multi-year snapshot of a
county's air quality, based on a particular health issue.
U.S. air quality has improved dramatically since EPA first
began addressing air pollution. Emissions of six key
pollutants have dropped by more than half since 1970, and
the national average concentration for each of those
pollutants is now below the level of its air quality
standard.
April 30-May 4 is Air Quality Awareness Week. This year's
theme is "Keep an Eye on the AQI," to remind Americans to
check daily air quality forecasts to help plan their outdoor
activities.
View AirCompare:
http://www.epa.gov/aircompare/
New EPA Web Site Makes It Easier To Be Good Environmental
Stewards
Contact: Dave Ryan, (202) 564-4355 /
ryan.dave@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - May 2, 2007) The new EPA Web site on
stewardship programs, launched today, can help business,
government and private citizens make intelligent choices on
sustainable environmental benefits. Simple everyday
decisions by organizations and individuals on such issues as
recycling, reuse or choice of fuel support pollution
prevention and environmental stewardship.
The Web site will enable users to find EPA partnership
programs, such as the Energy Star energy saving program,
which best align with their needs and interests. Businesses
can search for EPA programs based on their industrial
category, environmental issue of interest, and geographic
area. One specific Web site, for example, shows businesses
how they can help employees reduce the environmental impacts
of commuting.
The Web site also provides information links individuals can
use to protect the environment in different settings, such
as home, work, school and shopping. One Web site shows
citizens how they can use pesticides safely.
This tool is the latest in a series of steps EPA has taken
to support environmental stewardship. In 2005, EPA
Administrator Stephen L. Johnson endorsed a framework for
EPA that recognizes environmental stewardship as the next
phase in an ongoing evolution of environmental policy – from
pollution control to pollution prevention and
sustainability.
EPA is now promoting environmental stewardship in a variety
of ways. For example, the agency has challenged individuals
to become more energy efficient at home through the "Change
a Light, Change the World" campaign, and challenged Fortune
500 companies to double their purchases of green power.
Examples at the local level include EPA offering communities
technical assistance in applying smart growth principles, as
well as providing funding to retrofit older diesel school
buses with pollution control equipment. At colleges and
universities, EPA is sponsoring research to help students
develop and design innovative solutions to sustainability
challenges in agriculture, water and energy use. EPA's
commitment to environmental stewardship is also evident at
the agency's facilities: In 2006, EPA's new Potomac Yard
office in Arlington, Va., earned a gold rating under the
internationally recognized green building standard known as
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
Environmental Stewardship Web Site:
http://www.epa.gov/stewardship
College Students Lead the U.S. towards
a Greener Future
EPA P3 Awards Winners
Contact: Suzanne Ackerman, (202) 564-4355 / ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - April 26, 2007) Students from Western
Washington University drove from Washington State to
Washington, D.C., in a car entirely powered by biodiesel
fuel made from recovered landfill methane. Northwestern
students built a solar powered system that provides
electricity to a rural town in Panama, miles away from any
electric power grid. The University of Virginia team
designed and built a floating "learning barge," that teaches
about cleaning up and restoring plant to a river area by
doing it! These were just a few of the winning projects at
EPA's People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) awards ceremony
last night.
This national competition, sponsored by EPA's Office of
Research and Development, enables college students create
sustainable solutions to environmental problems through
technology innovation. These sustainable solutions must be
environmentally friendly, efficiently use natural resources
and be economically competitive. Each P3 award includes
funding up to $75,000 that gives the students an opportunity
to further develop their designs and move them to the
marketplace.
"The Bush Administration believes that American innovation
is the key to solving our nation's – and our world's –
environmental challenges," said EPA Administrator Stephen L.
Johnson. "Not only are these students unleashing the power
of the possible to meet tomorrow's challenges, they are
proving that doing what's good for our planet can also be
good for the bottom line."
Winners of this year's awards and their projects are:
· Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C., The Affordable
Bioshelters Project: Testing Technologies for Affordable
Bioshelters
· Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa., Containment of Highly
Concentrated Arsenic-laden Spent Regenerant on the Indian
Subcontinent
· Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., Solar
Photovoltaic System Design for a Remote Community in Panama
· University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, Ill., An
Innovative System for Bioremediation of Agricultural
Chemicals for Environmental Sustainability
· University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va., The Learning
Barge: Environmental + Cultural Ecologies on the Elizabeth
River
· Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash.,
Bio-Methane for Transportation
The P3 Award competition was held at EPA's 3rd National
Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington,
D.C., on April 24 and 25. The Expo showcases innovative,
cutting-edge technologies designed by the P3 teams along
with sustainable policies and technologies developed and
implemented by government and state agencies and nonprofit
organizations. Support for the competition includes more
than 40 partners in the federal government, industry and
scientific and professional societies.
More information about the P3 Award competition:
http://www.epa.gov/p3
P3 award winners and their projects:
http://www.epa.gov/p3/07winners
EPA's sustainability research program:
http://www.epa.gov/sustainability
Ivy League Takes Top Spot in Green
Power Purchasing
Contact: Dave Ryan, (202) 564-4355 / ryan.dave@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - April 18, 2007) The U.S Environmental
Protection Agency has crowned the Ivy League as the overall
champion conference of EPA's College & University Green
Power Challenge for 2006-2007. The Ivy League beat out 15
other collegiate athletic conferences and New York
University won individual school honors for purchasing more
green power, 118 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), than any
other school in the competition.
"EPA applauds this year's College & University Green Power
Conference Champions for their leadership in green power
purchasing," said Bill Wehrum, EPA's acting assistant
administrator for Air and Radiation. "EPA hopes this year's
competition inspires schools around the nation to
participate in the 2007-2008 EPA College & University Green
Power Challenge. Buying green power is a great way to
demonstrate that what's good for the environment is also
good for higher education."
Since April 2006, EPA's Green Power Partnership has ranked
conferences by the quantity of green power purchased by
their respective colleges and universities. These
conferences must have schools that qualify as EPA Green
Power Partners and make a collective green power purchase of
at least 10 million kWh conference-wide in order to be
eligible for the challenge. The 33 schools and 16
conferences taking part in this year's challenge are buying
more than 750 million kWh of green power. EPA estimates that
this amount of green power is equal to the electricity
needed to power more than 60,000 average American homes each
year.
Leading the Ivy League was the University of Pennsylvania
followed by Harvard and Yale. The collective total purchase
of these three schools ranked the Ivy League first among all
conferences, with a total of more than 140 million kWh of
green power purchased.
EPA also recognized 16 individual conference champions with
the largest green power purchases within their respective
conferences. The conference champions are: University of
Pennsylvania, New York University, Pennsylvania State
University, Duke University, University of California at
Santa Cruz, Connecticut College, Western Washington
University, University of Utah, University of Central
Oklahoma, Syracuse University, University of Washington, The
Evergreen State College, Oberlin College, University at
Buffalo, University of Colorado, Boulder, and Rowan
University.
Green power is produced from eligible renewable resources
such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and
low-impact hydro. Green power is considered cleaner than
conventional sources of electricity, has a superior
environmental profile to conventional power, and does not
contribute additional carbon dioxide emissions to the
atmosphere. Buying green power has proven to be an excellent
strategy for colleges and universities across the country to
reduce the environmental impact of their purchased
electricity, while allowing them to tie environmental action
to the educational mission of the school.
EPA's Green Power Partnership encourages organizations to
buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts
associated with fossil fuel-based electricity use. The
partnership comprises of a diverse set of organizations
including Fortune 500 companies, small and medium
businesses, government institutions as well as colleges and
universities.
The champions were announced today at the 2nd Annual Smart
and Sustainable Campus Conference in College Park, Md.,
which EPA co-sponsors. This annual event is designed to
encourage smart growth and sustainability among colleges and
universities nationwide.
For the 16 school champions and their conferences, as well
as information on EPA's College & University Green Power
Challenge:
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/hi_ed_challenge.htm
EPA Sets New Early Record for Releasing Data to Communities
Nationally
Contact: Suzanne Ackerman, (202)
564-4355 / ackerman.suzanne@epa.gov
Jessica Emond, (202) 564-4355 / emond.jessica@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - March 22, 2007) EPA's Toxic Release
Inventory (TRI) data is available this year earlier than
ever before for local communities and national analysis.
Facility-specific data was released last September and the
full national data released today.
"EPA is getting quality data out to the public faster
through electronic reporting which is good for the
environment, good for states and good for our partners in
industry," said EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office
of Environmental Information Molly O'Neill.
This year's data shows that progress is being made in
reducing releases of several chemicals of special concern.
For example, between 2004 and 2005 dioxin releases decreased
by 23 percent and mercury releases fell by nine percent. In
addition, several individual industries have made
significant progress in reducing releases. Petroleum
refining releases dropped 10 percent transportation
equipment registered a six percent decrease and chemical
manufacturing cut releases by four percent.
Review of the last five years of data shows chemical
releases reported to TRI have decreased by 22 percent
nationally. The 2005 data shows a three percent increase
overall in total disposal and other releases. Annual changes
are not unusual. A number of possible reasons for the
increase include: production increases, fluctuations in the
content of raw materials used in particular industries or
changes in releases at large facilities that impacts the
national data.
Some 95 percent of the 23,000 facilities used electronic
reporting which was instrumental in making the information
available to the public quicker and more efficiently than in
previous years.
TRI tracks the chemicals and industrial sectors specified by
the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of
1986 and its amendments. The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA)
of 1990 also mandates that TRI reports must include data on
toxic chemicals treated on-site, recycled, and burned for
energy recovery. Together, these laws require facilities in
certain industries to report annually on releases, disposal
and other waste management activities related to these
chemicals.
TRI Data for 2005:
http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri05/index.htm
More information about TRI:
http://www.epa.gov/tri/
EPA Supports Electronics Recycling
Contact: Roxanne Smith, (202)
564-4355 / smith.roxanne@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - Jan. 10, 2007) Retailers and electronics
manufacturers voluntarily recycled more than 34 million
pounds of electronics in 2006 as part of their commitment to
the Environmental Protection Agency's Plug-In To eCycling
program. The program is a voluntary partnership between EPA
and electronics manufacturers and retailers to offer
consumers more opportunities to donate or recycle their used
electronics. Since 2003, Plug-In partners have recycled more
than 95 million pounds of electronics.
"Our Plug-in partners have energized the industry to give
consumers practical alternatives for recycling their used
electronics," said Scott Sherman, EPA's associate assistant
administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response. "When these materials are reused and recycled it
is a win-win for both the community and the environment."
Electronics are made with valuable resources such as
precious metals, engineered plastics, glass, and other
materials, all of which require energy to manufacture.
Conserving resources helps reduce emissions and pollution
otherwise generated by extracting virgin materials. As a
result, Plug-In partner recycling efforts last year
generated energy savings equal to the energy needed to power
over 7,000 U.S. homes and prevented greenhouse gas emissions
equivalent to annual emissions from 12,000 cars.
Plug-In partners have taken various approaches—either
national or regional—to give individuals ecycling options.
Partners may offer online take back or trade-in programs,
create partnerships with local organizations to facilitate
collections or host collection events at retail locations,
and support local recycling events with cities and
municipalities. Plug-In partner initiatives are successful
because they share responsibility for recycling among
manufacturers, retailers, governments, and consumers. These
efforts often complement local recycling efforts.
EPA's Plug-In to eCycling Partners include: Apple, Best Buy,
Cingular, Dell, eBay's Rethink initiative, HP, Intel, JVC,
Lexmark, NEC Display, Office Depot, Panasonic, Philips,
Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Staples and Toshiba.
More information about the Plug-In program and its partners:
http://www.epa.gov/plugin/
More information about electronics recycling:
http://www.epa.gov/ecycling/
C2E2 Releases EMS Benchmark Survey
The Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence (C2E2) recently completed the 2006 Benchmark Survey of the State of Environmental Management Systems at Colleges and Universities. An online survey was used to collect information from more than 250 individuals at 206 colleges and universities. The information was compiled to produce a current assessment of environmental management system activity
Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: Facts and Figures from 2005
