Regional Science Topic Workshops

The Regional Science Topic Workshop series is sponsored by the Office of Research and Development's (ORD's) Office of Science Policy (OSP). The objectives of the Regional Science Topic Workshops are to: (1) establish a better cross-Agency understanding of the science applicable to human health and/or ecological topics specific to a region(s), and (2) develop a network of EPA scientists who will continue to exchange information on these science topics as the Agency moves forward in planning education, research, and risk management programs.

Each year, the Regional Science Liasons (PDF, 2pp., 75KB, about PDF) (RSLs) and regional staff identify priority science topics on which to conduct workshops. Each workshop is planned and conducted by a team of regional, ORD, and interested program office scientists, led by a regional chairperson and facilitated by one or more Regional Science Liaisons or Superfund and Technology Liaisons. Participants maintain the cross-Agency science networks they establish at the workshops through post-workshop projects and activities. The goals of these projects are the identification of collaborative research opportunities, creation of information-sharing mechanisms such as interactive web sites, and development of science fact sheets for regional use.

2009 Regional Science Workshops

Cumulative Risk Assessment
Biofuels Workshop
Stormwater Management
Air Quality and Climate Change

2010 Regional Science Workshops

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment
Assessing the Health of Environmental Exposures to Children
Wastewater (Graywater) Reclamation, Recycling, and Reuse
Resilient Water Management Strategies for a Changing Climate

2009 Regional Science Workshops

Cumulative Risk Assessment

ORD and EPA's Regions are sponsoring a workshop to address the complexities of interacting exposures and health and environmental threats from chemical, physical, and biological stressors within defined geographic areas. The emphasis of the workshop will be on problem formulation and solving in the context of integrated risk management strategies. The workshop will start with a consideration of the Agency's current approaches to cumulative risk, then move forward to consider exposures and effects in the context of community risk, including sensitive species, population vulnerabilities, spatial and temporal consideration, environmental justice, and tribal issues. This Workshop will produce recommendations for incorporating chemical and non-chemical stressors into risk management decisions relevant to EPA's Regions; recommendations for ORD research targeted toward the production of needed data and tools for evaluation of cumulative risk; continued cross-Agency discussion on holistic approaches to managing cumulative risk, as needed to handle different aspects of this problem. These recommendations and records of the plenary presentations, breakout group discussions, and the seminar series will be included in a Proceedings Document.

A series of seminars was open to the public and provided background information prior to the workshop.

* For these archived conferences, click on "Login Again" and then click on "archive". Click on "Last three months" under Public Archived Conferences. Search for Conference Title "CRA Seminar #1" or "CRA Seminar #2" and then click on "PDF" under File Type

Cumulative Risk Assessment Seminar Series
Date	Vehicle	Presenters	Topics	Registration / Supporting Materials
# March 10	EPA Portal	Jamie Strong, NCEA	Recent NAS reports on Sci & Decisions and Phthalates & Cumulative Risk	* http://hawkeye.epa.gov/imtapp/app/arc_pub.uix
# March 24	EPA Portal	Linda Teuschler, NCEA	CRA: Integrating Established Approaches with New Concepts to Improve Population Health Protection	* http://hawkeye.epa.gov/imtapp/app/arc_pub.uix
# April 7	CLU-IN	Susan Cormier, NCEA	CADDIS – Risk-based Prioritization – Diagnosing the Risk Drivers	http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/cra1/
# April 21	CLU-IN	Glenn Suter, NCEA	Integrating Human Health & Ecological Risk Assessment	http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/cra2/
# May 5	CLU-IN	Gary Bangs, OSA	Risk Assessment Forum's Cumulative Risk Concept and Framework, Case Studies, and Research Needs	http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/cra3/
May 19	CLU-IN	Tim Barzyk & Davyda Hammond, NERL	Exposure-based Community Assessment Tools	http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/cra4/
June 2	CLU-IN	Greg Cajete, Univ of New Mexico; and Jamie Donatuto, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community	Comparing Native and Western Perspectives of Science: A Brief Overview; and Evaluating the Health Risks of Toxics in Shellfish from a Swinomish Perspective	http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/cra5/
June 16	CLU-IN	Hun Seak Park, State of Wash.; and Roger Brewer, State of Hawaii	Estimating Risks from Petroleum Hydrocarbons using Spreadsheets	http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/cra6/
June 30	CLU-IN	Mary White, R5	CrEAM – Critical Ecosystem Assessment Model	http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/cra7/
July 14	CLU-IN	Anna Lowit, OPP, and Ginger Moser, ORD	Approaches to Pesticide Cumulative Risk Assessment: Policy, Practice, Experimentation (12:00 noon – 1:30 PM Eastern time)	http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/cra8/

Contact Charles Maurice (Maurice.charles@epa.gov), the ORD Science and Technology Liaison to Region 5, for information about this webinar series or the workshop.

Biofuels Workshop

This workshop will focus on the emerging biofuels industry which is an issue in all of EPA's regions. RSLs from Regions 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10, ORD, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS), Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Office of Compliance and Enforcement Assurance (OECA), and Office of Environmental Information (OEI) are involved in planning the event, which is tentatively scheduled for early spring 2010 in Seattle, Washington.

Biofuels Webinar series

In partnership with EPA's Office of Science Policy, Region 10 is hosting a webinar series to educate policy makers, regulators, industry (growers, producers, distributors and retailers), organizations, consumers, and academia about operational issues related to biofuels and the Renewable Fuel Standard 2 (RFS2), including the Life Cycle Analysis. Reminder! Comments on the RFS2 are due September 25, 2009. The primary focus will be on issues important to stakeholders and policy makers in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska). These webinars will be available to everyone.

The webinar on the Biofuel Infrastructure is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, 2009, from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDT (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT). This webinar will provide stakeholders with information surrounding the storage, dispensing and marketing of biofuels. It will address the current issues facing transportation fuel marketers, technicians, regulators, and policy makers. Webinar presenters are Andrea Barbary, EPA Office of Underground Storage Tanks, Ben Thomas, Petroleum Training Solutions, and Tyson Keever, Sequential Biodiesel. Space is limited, so reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/910493872 . If more than one person in your organization/office is planning on viewing the webinar, please help us conserve portals by viewing together!

Subsequent webinars will include topics related to facts, myths and perspectives on regional biofuels, the economics behind regional biofuels, and operational infrastructure issues, such as underground storage tank compatibility. Contact Roseanne Lorenzana (lorenzana.roseanne@epa.gov), the Region 10 RSL, for information about this webinar series or the workshop.

Biofuels Webinar Series
Date	Presenters	Topics	Registration / Supporting Materials
August 5 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDT (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT)	David Korotney, Fuel Programs Expert, U.S. EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality Vincent Camobreco, Environmental Protection Specialist, U.S. EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality	Renewable Fuel Standard 2 GHG Lifecycle Analysis	Presentation: Proposed Changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard Program (PDF, 37pp., 197KB, about PDF)
September 8 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDT (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT)	Andrea Barbary, EPA Office of Underground Storage Tanks Ben Thomas, Petroleum Training Solutions Tyson Keever, Sequential Biodiesel	Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) Field UST Compliance with Biodiesel Owner / Operator of UST System with Biofuel	https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/910493872 Presentations: Barbery (PDF, 19pp., 842KB, about PDF) Thomas (PDF, 42pp., 932KB, about PDF) Keever (PDF, 7pp., 1.7MB, about PDF)

Stormwater Management

This workshop will bring together science experts from within and outside the agency to identify ongoing research and research needs relevant to stormwater management across Regions 1, 2, and 3. The meeting will be a chance to begin the development of a stormwater Regional Science Integration Team (RSIT). The RSIT concept is a mechanism that applies a multidisciplinary approach to Regional issues. The goal of RSIT is to develop a research strategy, utilizing the broad portfolio of ORD research programs (such as Science to Achieve Results or STAR, Regional Applied Research Effort or RARE, Environmental Technology Verification or ETV) and external resources to form a program for addressing high priority regional research needs. The workshop is scheduled for October 20-22, 2009 near the ORD laboratory in Edison, New Jersey. Contact Marie O'Shea (oshea.marie@epa.gov), the Region 2 RSL, for information about this workshop.

2010 Regional Science Workshops

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are increasingly being detected at low levels in surface water, and there is concern that these chemicals may have an impact on aquatic life and human health. There is increasing concern that the potential exists for these low-level, chronic, exposures to have adverse environmental or human health effects. EPA has several activities underway to strengthen the science for understanding the behavior of PPCPs in water including biological effects, analytical methods development, and occurrence studies. However, there is a growing body of research that needs to be synthesized and integrated to determine a process to monitor and assess risk from PPCPs in the environment. This workshop will bring EPA's Regions, ORD and Program Offices together to develop a framework for conducting assessment studies, analyzing data, information needs, assumptions, and uncertainties is needed to evaluate the likelihood that PPCPS are causing or will cause adverse effects.

A compendium of chemical analysis methods, biological indicators, and informatic databases will be synthesized and key information gaps will be identified. A course of action for incorporation of PPCP analyses in existing and future monitoring activities will be determined. The workshop is tentatively planned for the summer of 2010 in Colorado. The Region 8 RSL will coordinate planning for this workshop.

Assessing the Health of Environmental Exposures to Children

Scientists have become increasingly aware that children may be more vulnerable to environmental exposures than adults because their bodily systems are developing; they eat more, drink more, and breathe more in proportion to their body size; and their behavior, such as crawling and hand-to-mouth activity, can expose them more to chemicals and microorganisms. This workshop will unite scientists from within and outside of ORD to discuss the existing and missing information regarding children's health risk assessment. During the three day event, many important questions will be addressed:

What guidance, guidelines and policy papers has EPA developed for assessing the health risk of environmental exposures to children?
Which risk assessments have considered the health risk of environmental exposures to children and what have been the limitations of these risk assessments?
What are the remaining critical research needs, and what resources will be needed to address them?

This workshop will be held in Denver, Colorado, and the date is to be determined. The Region 8 RSL will work with the Region 8 Children's Health Coordinator and others to coordinate planning for this workshop.

Wastewater (Graywater) Reclamation, Recycling, and Reuse

Growth in the population of southern and coastal states, and erratic precipitation patterns have resulted in shortages of potable water in these areas. Several states and communities are turning to graywater to alleviate the shortfall. This workshop will convene a group of experts from EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD), Region 4 and other regional offices, EPA's Office of Water, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and various state and local governments to discuss scientific and regulatory issues and uncertainties of wastewater (graywater) reuse for domestic purposes (such as landscape watering and toilet flushing). Region 4 is currently working with ORD to produce guidelines for using graywater. This workshop will provide an opportunity to educate, debate and share the science surrounding graywater management issues, and seek input regarding how ORD and Region 4 are approaching this issue. The Region 4 RSL will work with others in the Region and ORD to coordinate planning for this workshop.

Resilient Water Management Strategies for a Changing Climate

This workshop will bring together science experts from ORD, Regions and other agencies to identify ongoing research on climate change and its effects on U.S. water resource quality and quantity. The workshop will also determine how ongoing research in risk management and other innovative fields can support protection and management of national water resources. High priority topics to be included are:

Climate Change Science - an overview of the current state of the science, including the development and modification of environmental and economic predictive tools
Water Management Issues - national, regional and local issues related to water quality and quantity
Risk Assessments and Management - an overview of risk management and its application to guide decisions related to highly variable phenomena such as climate change
Pilot Projects - programs and case studies that use climate change predictive tools and/or risk assessment such as Climate Ready Estuaries.

A series of national webinar meetings, featuring experts and presentations on topics of national relevance, will prepare participants for subsequent regionally focused workshops. The workshops will be held in the Northeast and West, utilizing collaborative meeting technology, such as webinars, to foster participation across a large geographic area. The Regional Science Liaisons of regions 9, 2, and 3 will work with others in ORD and the regions to coordinate planning for these workshops.