EPA Research Partner Support Story: Collaborative projects with state environmental health experts
Partners: Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
Challenge: Protecting the public's health from environmental threats and hazards and to advance environmental health for all
Resource: Tools, reports, workshops, and risk communication resources
Project Period: 2016 ‒ Present
EPA entered into a formal Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with ECOS (the national association of state environmental agency leaders) and ASTHO (the national association of state and territorial chief health officials) in 2016. The purpose of the MOA is to advance our shared mission to protect the protect the public's health from environmental threats and hazards and to advance environmental health for all. At the ECOS Spring Meeting in March 2021, EPA Administrator Michael Regan reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working collaboratively and cooperatively with the states to protect public health and the environment. He announced the extension of this MOA in his keynote address, reaffirming a partnership between EPA, ECOS and ASTHO to advance cooperative initiatives in pursuit of environmental health.
"ECOS values the relationships that we have built over the past [several] years with ASTHO and EPA as we have worked to address issues such as PFAS, lead, COVID-19, and wildfire smoke. With this amendment, we look forward to another five years of working towards our shared interests in advancing environmental and health equity for all citizens." – Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Patrick McDonnell (former Secretary and past ECOS President)
"ASTHO is pleased to continue this important partnership, recognizing that our nation’s environmental policies have a direct impact on public health and equity. The collaboration supports ASTHO’s challenge to build healthy and resilient communities through a multiyear, national effort to promote community-led, place-based, cross-sector approaches to achieve better health. Working closely with our state and federal environmental allies is paramount to helping meet this challenge.” – ASTHO Health Security Vice President Meredith Allen, DrPH
Under the MOA, EPA works with the coalitions to help develop tools, reports, workshops, meeting communications and other initiatives that will help protect public health from environmental threats.
During the past eight years, the MOA has served as a catalyst for EPA to work directly with environmental health experts in the states to identify emerging environmental health challenges, strategically design projects aimed directly at those challenges, and deliver the tools, models, and other research results that EPA and states need to reduce risks and improve public health. Example projects have targeted a wide range of environmental health challenges, including COVID-19, PFAS, harmful algal blooms (HABs), wildfire smoke, resiliency and complex disasters, and One Health.
See the below links to read the MOA and for more details on completed projects: