Recent Additions

This page provides access to a listing of some of the recent additions and new materials available on the EPA Web site.

May 9, 2008

Notice of the release of Toxicological Review of Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds - EPA's IRIS Program is announcing a public comment period and an external peer review panel meeting to review the draft document titled, 'Toxicological Review of Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds (External Review Draft)' (Integrated Risk Information System Program).
NCEA Publication: Application of Watershed Ecological Risk Assessment Methods to Watershed Management (Final) - EPA annnounces the release of the Application of Watershed Ecological Risk Assessment Methods to Watershed Management final document which has been completed and posted on the NCEA Web site (National Center for Environmental Assessment).
Fosetyl-al (Aliette) - The Final Work Plan for the chemical Fosetyl-al (Aliette) is available (Office of Pesticide Programs).
Greenscapes Seasonal Planner - Seasonal tips for flower and vegetable gardens, tree and shrub beds, lawns, watering and composting for all four seasons. A 2pp., 1MB Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Solid Waste.

May 7, 2008

New from the National Exposure Research Laboratory:
- Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project Final Report. U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Program - The Gap Analysis Program is a national program with the mission of developing key datasets needed to assess biological diversity across the nation.
- W.G. Kepner and D.F. Bradford, Plant Communities, Land Ownership, and Topography in Nevada (PDF) (poster, 1 pp., 718KB), Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project.
- What’s Coming Out of the Tap? - EPA scientist Susan Richardson has received the "Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology" for her work exploring disinfection byproducts in the water supply.

May 6, 2008

Fiscal Year 2007 and 2006 Financial Statements for the Pesticide Registration Fund - The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) requires that we perform an annual audit of the Pesticide Registration Fund (known as the PRIA Fund) financial statements. A 34pp., 337KB Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.
Notice of the release of Toxicological Review of Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds - EPA's IRIS Program is announcing a public comment period and an external peer review panel meeting to review the draft document titled, 'Toxicological Review of Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds (External Review Draft)' (Integrated Risk Information System Program).
EPA Science Forum 2008 - EPA announces the 2008 Science Forum. This years theme is Innovative Technologies: Key to Environmental and Economic Progress (Office of Research & Development).

May 5, 2008

Notice: IRIS Toxicological Review of Propionaldehyde -- External Peer Review Panel Workshop Announcement - EPA's IRIS Program is announcing an external peer review panel meeting to review the draft document titled, 'Toxicological Review of Propionaldehyde (External Review Draft)' (Integrated Risk Information System Program).
Request for applications for the critical use exemption for 2010 and 2011 - Critical use exemptions (CUEs) are permitted under Section 604(d) of the Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Protocol). In May 2002, through a notice in the Federal Register, EPA solicited applications for CUEs from methyl bromide users. Since then, EPA has solicited critical use exemption applications on an annual basis (Stratospheric Protection Division).

May 2, 2008

Chlorantraniliprole Chemical Documents - A chlorantraniliprole fact sheet and docket information have been posted (Office of Pesticide Programs).

May 1, 2008

Agreed-Upon Procedures on EPA's Fiscal Year 2008 First Quarter Financial Statements - We performed agreed-upon procedures on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 first quarter Financial Statements. We did so to assist EPA in evaluating whether its quarterly Financial Statements were compiled consistent with the Treasury Standard General Ledger Crosswalk, and to identify significant fluctuations in financial line balances from the previous year. A 21pp., 585KB Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.
Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA): Final Probabilistic Risk Assessment for Children Who Contact CCA-Treated Playsets and Decks - The final probabilistic risk assessment on chromated copper arsenate (CCA) that evaluates potential exposure and risk to children from CCA-treated wood is complete (Office of Pesticide Programs).
May is American Wetlands Month - This May will mark the 18th anniversary of American Wetlands Month, a time when EPA and its partners in federal, state, tribal, local, non-profit, and private sector organizations celebrate the vital importance of wetlands to the Nation's ecological, economic, and social health. It is also a great opportunity to discover and teach others about the important role that wetlands play in our environment and the significant benefits they provide - improved water quality, increased water storage and supply, reduced flood and storm surge risk, and critical habitat for plants, fish, and wildlife (Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds).

April 29, 2008

Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters, 2008 Update - This handbook is intended to help communities, watershed organizations, and state, local, tribal and federal environmental agencies develop and implement watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources. It was designed to help any organization undertaking a watershed planning effort, and it should be particularly useful to persons working with impaired or threatened waters (Nonpoint Source Control Branch).
List Of Known Insurance Providers For Underground Storage Tank Owners And Operators - This booklet provides UST owners and operators with a list of insurance providers who may be able to help UST owners and operators comply with financial responsibility requirements by providing a suitable insurance mechanism (Underground Storage Tank Program).
New online training module on posted on Developing a Sustainable Finance Plan posted on EPA's Watershed Academy Web - Many watershed organizations could increase their impact through long-term financial planning. In order to most effectively protect America's waters, watershed organizations must develop and implement strategies to obtain, diversify, and leverage sustainable sources of funding. This training module is designed to help your watershed organization develop and implement a sustainable funding plan (Watershed Academy).

April 28, 2008

Notice: EPA Announces the IRIS 2008 Agenda (update) - EPA has added 3 new IRIS Assessments that may be started in 2008 as announced in the April 25, 2008 Federal Register Notice (National Center for Environmental Assessment).
Monitoring for StarLink™ Corn to End - TheWhite Paper for corn has been published (Office of Pesticide Programs).

April 25, 2008

SmartWay Transport Now Accepting Nominations for 2008 SmartWay Excellence Awards - Each year the SmartWay Transport program presents its SmartWay Excellence Awards to honor partners and affiliate organizations that have made outstanding contributions to reducing climate change emissions and other air pollutants. Selection as a SmartWay Excellence Award winner confers the status of being among a distinguished group of industry leaders dedicated to advancing environmental performance and efficiency (SmartWay Transport Partnership).
2007 Methyl Bromide Pre-phaseout Inventory Data - Methyl bromide is a powerful ozone-depleting substance. At the international level, the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Protocol) established a freeze in the level of methyl bromide production and consumption for industrialized countries at the 1992 Meeting in Copenhagen. As a result, in the U.S., the production and import of methyl bromide decreased gradually starting in 1999 and the phaseout took effect on January 1, 2005, except for allowable exemption programs for critical uses and quarantine and preshipment uses (Stratospheric Protection Division).
Study on Increasing the Usage of Recovered Mineral Components in Federally Funded Projects Involving Procurement of Cement or Concrete - Section 6017(a) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, P.L. 109-59, Aug. 10, 2005 (SAFETEA-LU), directs EPA to, “…conduct a study to determine the extent to which procurement requirements, when fully implemented…may realize energy savings and environmental benefits attainable with substitution of recovered mineral components in cement used in cement or concrete projects" (Office of Solid Waste).

April 24, 2008

Notice: IRIS Toxicological Review of 2-Hexanone -- External Peer Review Panel Workshop Announcement - EPA announces the notice of the External Peer Review Panel Workshop in the April 23, 2008 Federal Register notice. This draft assessment was previously provided for public viewing and comment in a Mar 3, 2008 Federal Register notice. The public comments received on the Toxicological Review within the external review period will be provided to the peer reviewers prior to the meeting for their consideration (Integrated Risk Information System Program).
Publication: Climate Change Effects on Stream and River Biological Indicators: A Preliminary Analysis (Final Report) - EPA is announcing the release of a final report titled, "Climate Change Effects on Stream and River Biological Indicators: A Preliminary Analysis." This report was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment's Global Climate Research Staff (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

April 22, 2008

The Ethylene Oxide Reregistration Status Web page has been updated with links to the Registration Eligibility Decision (RED) and the Federal Register notice (Office of Pesticide Programs).
Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters, 2008 Update - this handbook is intended to help communities, watershed organizations, and state, local, tribal and federal environmental agencies develop and implement watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources (Nonpoint Source Control Branch).
Supplementary information relevant to assessing data needed for inputs to the Biotic Ligand Model - EPA issued a revised national recommended freshwater aquatic life criterion for copper. As a companion to the criteria document, EPA has also released documents to supplement training materials and help states, tribes, permittees, and other interested stakeholders on implementing the nationally recommended criteria (Office of Science & Technology, Office of Water).

April 21, 2008

New from the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water:
- Check Up Program for Small Systems (CUPSS) Web site posted - CUPSS is a free, easy-to-use, asset management tool for small drinking water and wastewater utilities. CUPSS provides a simple, comprehensive approach based on EPA's highly successful Simple Tools for Effective Performance (STEP) Guide series.
- New Small Systems Web site posted - This Web site is designed to help small system owners and operators, state and tribal agencies, technical assistance providers, and consumers learn more about helping small water systems provide safe drinking water and protect public health.
- New Operator Certification Web site posted - Operator certification helps protect human health and the environment by establishing minimum professional standards for the operation and maintenance of public water systems. In 1999, EPA issued operator certification program guidelines specifying minimum standards for certification and recertification of the operators of community and nontransient noncommunity public water systems. These guidelines are currently being implemented through state operator certification programs. While the specific requirements vary from state to state, the goal of all operator certification programs is to ensure that skilled professionals are overseeing the treatment and distribution of safe drinking water. Operator certification is an important step in promoting compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Publication: Final Report on the Development of an Analytic Approach to Determine How Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Is Used By Non EPA Decision Makers - EPA is announcing the release of a final contractor report titled, Development of an Analytic Approach to Determine How Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Is Used By Non EPA Decision Makers. This contractor report analyzed how IRIS is used outside of the EPA, who these IRIS users are, and how well their needs are being met (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

April 16, 2008

New from the National Exposure Research Laboratory:
- Andrew H. Grange and G. Wayne Sovocool. Identification of Compounds in Water above a Pollutant Plume by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry. Environmental Forensics, 2007, 8, 391-404. A 37pp., 783KB Adobe Acrobat PDF document.
- Andrew H. Grange, Rapid Spatial Mapping of Chemicals Dispersed Across Surfaces using an Autosampler /DART/TOFMS, 55th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Indianapolis, IN, June 3-7, 2007. A 4pp., 642KB Adobe Acrobat PDF document.
- Interim Guidance for Developing GPS Data Collection Standard Operating Procedures and Quality Assurance Project Plans - a Geospatial Quality Council Product.
External Peer Review Panel Meeting Comments posted on the IRIS Toxicological Review Document of 1,2,3-Trichloropropane - On February 20, 2008, an external peer review panel workshop was hosted by an independent contractor on the Toxicological Review of 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (External Review Draft). Completing this review, a final report of the comments from the workshop were collected and are now available (National Center for Environmental Assessment).

April 1, 2008

Improvements Needed to Ensure Grant Funds for U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program Are Spent More Timely - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of the Chief Financial Officer and some members of Congress expressed concerns related to unliquidated balances in the U.S.-Mexico Border Program (Border Program). Our audit objective was to answer the question: Does EPA’s U.S.-Mexico Border Program have adequate controls for obligating and using water infrastructure grant funds? A 34 pp., 449KB Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.
New requirements to protect children from lead-based paint hazards - Under the new regulations, workers must follow lead-safe work practices during renovation and repair of structures built before 1978 (Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics).

March 28, 2008

Report - EPA Can Recover More Federal Superfund Money - We evaluated the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Superfund cost recovery and billing practices at a sample of National Priority List (NPL) sites. The objectives were to determine: (1) What were the total Superfund expenditures at NPL sites where a viable business is the primary responsible party, and have those expenditures been recovered? (2) Are EPA regional offices effectively billing site costs? (3) Were incorrect costs corrected and billed to the appropriate site? A 28pp, 256KB Adobe Acrobat PDF document from the Office of Inspector General.
A Pre-publication Version of the Proposed Aircraft Drinking Water Rule has been posted - EPA accelerated the development of regulations for water that is served onboard aircraft. Proposed Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR) tailors drinking water rule requirements to the unique characteristics of aircraft (Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water).
Publication: Causal Analysis of Biological Impairment in Long Creek: A Sandy-Bottomed Stream in Coastal Southern Maine (Final) - EPA annnounces that the Causal Analysis of Biological Impairment in Long Creek: A Sandy-Bottomed Stream in Coastal Southern Maine final document has been completed and released (National Center for Environmental Assessment).
Allethrins Pesticide Reregistration chemical Web page updated - A link to the final RED with appendices has been added (Office of Pesticide Programs).

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