Review of EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program Overall Evaluation (1995) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix B: May 4, 1994 letter from Gary J. Foley, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Research and Development
Appendix B: May 4, 1994 letter from Gary J. Foley, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Research and Development
Pages 119-142
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From page 119... ...
Appendix B May 4, ~ 994 leper from Gary J Foley, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Research and Development
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From page 120... ...
EPA also was advised by in Science Advisory Board, in in report, Reducing Risk, to focus Its limited resources on opportunities that offered the greatest potential for risk reduction. Ashen In the past EPA has attempted to determine the quantitative extent of any particular environments problem so as to assess relative risk, or to track progress resulting from regulatory programs, data from individual intensive
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From page 121... ...
I would be glad to help facilitate such a dialogue if the Committee would find it useful The committee continue to express mncern over the wav EMAP treats cause and effect Early on, it was deaded to focus owl indicators of biological condition, rather than indicators of exposure to pollutants or habitat modification because of the uncertainty surrounding the cumulative impact of aggravating or mitigating effects of multiple stresses on ecosystems. It has been a "null hypothesis" in EMAP that collecting exposure and habitat indicator data to be used In an "epidemiological" search for statistical associations between indicators of poor condition and exposure to pollutants or altered habitat would be cost~effe~ve, given the high forced costs of visiting an EMAP sampling site.
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From page 122... ...
It is here that cause effect research will be catered, and we also? expect to test the EMAP design for establishing baseline conditions and trends in ecological indicators at less than national Arabic Many EPA Regional Offices are finding Eh5AP~eveloped technology useful at finer 'scales in Me REMAP program Lois government-wide Mutative is coordinated through Me White House Committee on Environment and Natural Resourc - .
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From page 123... ...
EPA Administrator Browner is comsrutted to insuring that EPA's science is of the highest quality and ~edibility, and the Committee's careful evaluation of EMAP is paramount to athie~nng this end. Sincerely , \ 1 cow Gary J:~dle~i, ~5 Acting Assistant Administrator for Research and Development cc H
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From page 124... ...
EMAP has sponsored statistical research on the properties of statistical sampling designs and their ability to detect trends and estimate status. These studies clearly show that detection of trends under EIV AP sampling design allematives is technically feasible.
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From page 125... ...
While the design phase is pr~ed ing on the basis of the standard federal regions, EJ0AP hily anticipates that additional regional definitions based on geographic, climatological and ecological regimes and processes will be used in the analysis and assesstnent phases. The EMAP design is being develop to accommodate such analyses md provide infold ation about ttlC associ ated uncertainty.
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From page 126... ...
NRC ~ Can EPA achieve overall purpose and basic goals in a timely and cost-sffective manned EMAP Response: The Offs of Research and Development has been established with a mission to conduct research Including that necessary to implement a comprehensive monitoring and assessment program like EMAF'. As stated by the Science Advisory Board, EPA should be conducting a program like E MAP that requires a commitment by EPA and all other federal partner agencies in order to be successful.
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From page 127... ...
Our preliminary feedback leads us to conclude that the EMAP Information will significantly increase U,e scientific foundation and data available to administrators and policy makers. The SAB guidance, the degree of interagency activities, Me reactions by EPA Program Off ces, EPA Regions and several States, all point out that EMAP is prodding useful information, that is not available eisawhere.
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From page 128... ...
With the possible except bon of some data sets from Chesapeake Bay (which comprises 60% of the Virginian Province) , no available historic data can be used to quantitatively estimate the expected long-ter~r trends for biogeographical provinces.
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From page 129... ...
documented trends of nutnents, chlorophyll, and bottom dissolved oxygen u, the Pamlico River Estuary for 12-24 years at 3 sites (upper, middle, and lower ever)
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From page 130... ...
the best possible set of indicators of Our present £MAP-Estuanes strategy calls for the ecological condition. collect on of 4 years of data from the Virginian and Louisianian Provinces flhe two largest In teens of estuanns resources)
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From page 131... ...
While there was no direct adjustment of body burdens for the size (age) of the fish ana lyzed, there was care taken in both the Virginian and Louisianian Provinces to composite fish of the same size ranges at each station and across stations.
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From page 132... ...
~ EMAP agrees with the NRC and has been utilizing remote sensing (aorial photogra phy) to assess the extent of submerged aquatic beds through an interagency project with Fish and Wlidlife Service (now National Biological Survey, NBS)
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From page 133... ...
EhtAP Response: EMAP agrees andwill establish indicator workshops, including distinguished members of the estuanne research community, to accomplish precisely this goal. These workshops Ail establish through the results of the pilots, demonstrations, and indicator testing studies a suite of core indicators that will be used In developing a national implementation plan for coastal monitoring.
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From page 134... ...
EhIAP Response: VVe concur. The datonT ination of the power of the presently used indicators to detect trends is a priority issue associated with me four-year assessments of data in the Virginian and Louisianian Provinces.
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From page 135... ...
the basis of these analyses that EMAP-Estuanes ~11 propose a national implementation design plan and indicator suite. EMAP Estuancs did stop collecting data in the Virginian Province in 1993 after a full 4 year cycle of data was collected to permit complete analysis of the Information.
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From page 136... ...
In addition, EMAP-Estuanes instituted ~ 1991, provinc~specific review panels comprised of state and regional environmental managers "d academic estuarine researchers to provide a provinc~level review of demonstration plane. This combined national review and province resow adds depth to the review process and we believe makes EMAP-Estuanes a better program.
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From page 137... ...
However, the objective of ENIAP is to how nuinent cycles, n~nent losses, describe the ecological condition, detect changes, or biodiversity of ecosystems change and draw associations between condition known in response to stress It was stressors. EIUAP will rely on research from EPA recommended that EMAP-Forests ORD, the Forest Service, other federal agencies develop a Theoretical basis from and the academic community to develop models to which predictions can be made of Predict response to stress Consequently, Forest general types of forest response to Health Monitoring looks at a wide range of param different types of stress eters in assessing forest health status and trends.
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From page 138... ...
EMAP has sponsored statistical research at Oregon State University to Investigate the properties of statistical sampling designs and their ability to detect trends Ad estimate status. The research shows that the FHM tour panel sample approach would have increased power with an additional panel of sites with annual revisits, especially In He early years of the program.
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From page 139... ...
Mine Forest Health Monitoring database development effort ~ now bemg led by a professional database manager. We are also In the process of ~e transitioning from SAS data management software to an Oracle/ARC INFO Stem which # ~s EPA agency standard.
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From page 140... ...
E5~: The original purpose of He USES FHM program was to determine He status and condition of the forest ecosystem of which Ink and diseases play significant rolled No. To date, ~e indicators proposed by EMAPFore~s clear y address product only.
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From page 141... ...
Appendix B 141 Habib pho~r~etc acre rad~on and of bi~ndlcator plant measurements to Me Demon Mon toners Demon~a~don being conducted in 16 1~.
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