February 11, 2009 

BOSC Mid Term Review

Discussion Paper on 

Progress and Future Direction for the Science and Technology for
Sustainability (STS) Program

 

 

BOSC Mid term Review

Information provided herein will address the following goals and review
how the Office of Research and Development (ORD)’s sustainability
research program has impacted EPA.  

Evaluate progress made by ORD for the STS program since their initial
reviews in April 2007

Evaluate and obtain advice on key future directions that have been
developed by ORD and other potential areas that could be considered

Issues Identified During BOSC 2007 Review

While acknowledged the high quality of ORD research, the BOSC identified
seven critical issues areas for the STS program to consider.  In
response to the BOSC review, ORD made significant changes to the STS
program and is currently assessing futures goals and objectives.  During
our discussion with BOSC, we will review the context for the ORD
sustainability program in EPA and identify possible future program
directions based on ongoing discussions with ORD management, and clients
within and outside the Agency. 

ORD Sustainability Leadership in EPA 

ORD showed remarkable foresight and leadership in developing a
Sustainable Research Strategy (2007) (  HYPERLINK
"http://www.epa.gov/sustainability"  www.epa.gov/sustainability )
emphasizing a systems approach to deal with environmental issues. The
Strategy has influenced and affected the direction of a number of EPA
Programs:  OPEI’s Sector Reports on Energy and Manufacturing include
sustainability measures (  HYPERLINK
"http://www.epa.gov/sectors/index.html" 
http://www.epa.gov/sectors/index.html ); OPPTS Pollution Prevention
Program is reassessing its long term goals and is seriously considering
the goals of the ORD Sustainability Strategy; An interoffice Vision 2020
working group is revising OSWER’s RCRA 2020 report with major focus on
shifting from waste to materials management;  and the Office of Water
has developed a strategy for Sustainable Water Infrastructure ( 
HYPERLINK "http://www.epa.gov/waterinfrastructure/" 
http://www.epa.gov/waterinfrastructure/ .)   

In EPA and across government, ORD is recognized for its leadership on
sustainability. The Sustainability program coordinates with other
agencies on a number of activities, conducts training for EPA Program
and Regional offices; and maintains and continually upgrades an EPA
sustainability website that provides one stop access to all EPA
sustainability and ORD research programs. This website (  HYPERLINK
"http://www.epa.gov/sustainabiliyt"  www.epa.gov/sustainabiliyt ) was
significantly revised and updated on February 11, 2009 and new sections
on energy and biofuels were added.  While working closely with all
regions, Region 10 has taken the lead in promoting these training
workshops and in developing a regional sustainability website 

(  HYPERLINK
"http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/oi.nsf/sustainability/sustainability" 
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/oi.nsf/sustainability/sustainability ).

By virtue of the above, the ORD sustainability program has become the
recognized EPA point of contact for business and international
partnerships. The Sustainability program routinely receives and
distributes within EPA dozen of invitations to speak at national and
international sustainability meetings and conferences.  The
Sustainability program also coordinates (with OIA and OEI) the interface
between EPA and the EU 7th Research Framework. Such consultation and
coordination has impacted the priorities of EU solicitations in climate
change, and computation toxicology. 

Domestic and international focus on sustainability and sustainability
research has grown since publication of the ORD Research Strategy. A
review of external factors affecting business and government polices
strongly suggests that sustainability is likely to be the next level of
environmental protection (Hecht, 2007: attached.)  

 

STS Coordination with Other ORD Multi-Year Plans (MYPs)

ORD has MYPs that provide science to support key Agency policy and
regulatory objectives of the major EPA media-based programs (e.g., air,
water, land) and provide science to address broader cross-cutting needs.
The STS, Ecosystem and Global Change programs have broad policy
implications across all media.  The degree to which the sustainability
research interfaces and impacts these existing national programs depends
on the degree to which sustainability is specified as a priority within
the overall objectives of the program.  New EPA mandates related to
biofuels have recently been enacted. As a result, new efforts have been
initiated to understand the environmental implications and ultimate
sustainability of these fuels.  In other cases, such as safe drinking
water or clean water or land remediation, the goal of achieving
sustainable outcomes is less regulatory driven and more policy directed.
The development and use of sustainability metrics possible leading to
ISO standard is also being discussed internationally for nanotechnology.
A key objective of these metrics is to assess the degree to which the
environment remains on a sustainable trajectory in the face of global
change. The STS program is working closely with the following research
programs to ensure they consider sustainability concepts: 

Clean Air

Drinking Water

Human Health

Pesticide and Toxics 

Water Quality 

Land  

Nanotechnology

Ecosystem

Global Change

Recognizing the above, ORD management has promoted effective interaction
among all NPDs and the sustainability program is aiming to leverage
existing resources and impact program office priorities. One example of
effective inter-program coordination is in the area of biofuels
research.  ORD’s sustainability program has played a major role in
coordinating EPA biofuel activities (see section below.)  Consequently
the Ecosystem Research Program launched a significant research effort to
assess the impact of biofuel production in the Midwest (Future Midwest
Study) and the Global Change Program provided additional resources from
a new appropriation to the Sustainability Program to launch additional
research projects.

Looking ahead, the degree to which sustainability becomes a key EPA
objective depends on the degree to which ORD—in partnership with the
program offices—can provide the information and tools that allow for
sustainability principles to be incorporated into future policies and
regulations.  

Focusing on National Issues

Both the BOSC and the Science Advisory Board (SAB) urged ORD to apply
the tools and methodologies being developed in the STS research program
to issues of national significance.  The first key issue of significance
the program decided to address is the expanded use of biofuels to
address both energy security and environmental needs.  The following
events put ORD and the STS program in a leadership role on biofuels: 

Worked with OAR, Region 7, and the EPA Agricultural Counselor to develop
an overall EPA Biofuel Strategy. The Strategy was reviewed by external
advisory committees and recast as an EPA Coordinating Framework (CF.)
The CF is being finalized into an EPA transition paper.

Coordinated all EPA input into the interagency Congressionally-mandated
Biomass R&D Board, ORD (and EPA) were instrumental in making sustainable
biofuel production the overarching goal of the National Biofuel Action
Plan (October 2008.) 

ORD in cooperation with USDA and DOE led development of science-based
criteria and indicators for measuring sustainable biofuel production.
This interagency work has identified 31 indicators organized into 4
groups of 14 proposed environmental, economic, social, and energy
diversification and security criteria. A paper outlining research
limitations and needs for use of indicators has been published Hecht et
al 2009 (attached.)  

ORD and EPA program offices and Region 7 have prepared transition paper
requesting that a leadership team be organized to conduct the
environmental assessment of the increased use of biofuels, as required
by Section 204 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA
2007).  The first assessment is due by December 2010.

STS prepared an inventory of all ORD (lab, center and NPD) ongoing
biofuel research and is now prepared if requested by ORD to organize and
led efforts to develop an overall ORD research strategy. 

STS and ORD Transformation

The BOSC should be aware of an important context for their review of the
future of the STS program.   To best fulfill its mission ORD must fully
employ it unique integrated multidisciplinary capability to solve
increasingly complex environmental issues.  Two important concepts are
under discussion: First what is integrated multidisciplinary research
(IMD). Second what are issues of national significance?

These concepts are important to the STS and were broadly recognized in
the ORD Sustainability Research Strategy:

“The increasing stresses require new approaches to environmental
protection that go beyond end-of-pipe control strategies concerned
principally with pollutant emissions. Based on our understanding that
environmental problems are rarely contained within a single resource or
geographic area, we must develop and implement integrated and
systems-based approaches to meet society’s needs today and ensure a
more sustainable future.” 

In further development of these concepts of IMD and focusing on national
issues, BOSC might consider the role the STS and sustainability plays in
promoting cradle to grave analysis (Systems Approach), explicit
consideration of all risks (Risk Analysis) and trade off s between costs
/benefits.  

Revisions to STS and Future Directions

The STS Research Program is designed to ultimately position ORD to
provide technical support to regional and national sustainability
policies and initiatives.  Toward this end, the STS Research Program has
established 3 long-term goals (LTGS):  

LTG 1: acknowledges the important role that metrics and indicators must
play as the sustainability work evolves.  It starts with a formal
research effort to critically examine those metrics currently in use.  
It also calls for the establishment of collaborative projects to develop
and test new metrics with the goal of maintaining a sustainable
trajectory in the face of global change.

LTG 2: seeks to influence decision makers through the development of
decision support tools that promote environmental stewardship and
sustainable management practices.  Based in large measure on the
adoption of the life cycle perspective and sustainability metrics, this
work encompasses both core research (in furthering methods and
techniques) and applied research (with tools for specific clients).  

LTG 3: emphasizes the role that technologies have in creating
sustainable outcomes.  Through the P3 competition and the ETV program
efforts will be placed on finding solutions to client driven problems
while promoting sustainable design and implementation practices.      

Responding to BOSC recommendation, the following changes have been made:

Redirection of Resources. Funding for the intramural Green Chemistry
Program has been shifted to nanotechnology related activities. This
redirection reflects the guidance that the STS Research Program received
during its 2007 BOSC Review. The BOSC suggested that the Green Chemistry
Program be assessed internally to determine whether some of its
functions are already being met by the private sector or academia.

Collaborative Network for Sustainability. While funding for this
extramural grant program has been eliminated, ongoing work will be
completed and disseminated.   Disseminating research results through web
broadcast was started last year and will continue.  A report on the
program will be released.

Sustainable Tools and Metrics for Biofuels. Responding to SAB and BOSC
recommendation to identify a specific national issue for applying
sustainable tools and metrics, the STS Research Program has identified
sustainable biofuel production as that issue. Working with other federal
agencies under the Biomass R&D Board a set of biofuel criteria and
indicators has been proposed for policy level review. At the same time
collaborative work has been launched external stakeholder groups.   

Discussion of Issues and Future Direction

Expanding ORD Biofuel Research

One key objective of the EPA Coordinating Framework for Biofuels is to
support research and assessment activities that will be essential for
implementing traditional statutes and new EISA mandates. As such the CF
proposes that EPA develop a prioritized research strategy aimed at
enhancing in-house and extramural research to support continued
improvement for LCA methodology; enhance scientific research to support
ongoing RFS-2 regulatory development efforts; and initiate new efforts
to characterize fate and transport of biofuel blends, and identify the
need for modified or new remediation technologies, methods, and models. 

EPA research is needed to assess impacts of current and new practices
and technologies to produce EISA mandated volumes of corn and cellulosic
ethanol and other alternative fuels on water quantity, air quality, GHG
emissions, and ecological services, such as water quality, soil quality,
and biodiversity.  While EPA programs and regions have identified
current research needs across the biofuel supply chain, additional work
is needed to prioritize these research needs.

How ORD organizes itself and defines it role in an overall EPA research
strategy is yet to be determined.

Defining a Strategy for Technology 

EPA’s role in the area of development and evaluation of technologies
includes activities ranging from providing funding for new innovative
ideas through the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program to
verifying the performance of technologies using standard protocols.  To
date, these programs have only tangentially addressed the issue of how
to ensure the development and adoption of technologies that will be
sustainable over the long-term.  EPA needs to have a role in the
technology area in order to ensure the next generation of regulations
and guidance are based on and encourage the use of the must sustainable
approaches.  However, EPA technology research is undergoing a major
reassessment. At the current time, Except for the P3 Student Design
Competition, the STS program does not have sufficient resources to
invest in research on specific sustainable technologies.  While there is
annual funding for the SBIR program, it is not specific to the STS
because funds are drawn from across the ORD budget and proposals
requested to support technology needs identified by all the programs. 
Therefore, while the resources may be officially placed under the STS
program, the program should not be considered part of the STS program
due to its broad objectives. The role of the ETV program in STS is under
reevaluation.  While the program will continue to fund the development
of new innovative technologies through P3 programs and as funds are
available from external sources and will also continue to verify
innovative technologies through the ETV program, a clearer strategy on
how to advance EPA and ORD in promoting sustainable technology
development is need.   Any perspectives of the BOSC on this issue will
be welcomed and can directly impact the redesign of the area. 
Understanding the environmental implications of technologies, providing
tools to assist users evaluate the ultimate sustainable of a technology
are areas under consideration, and partnerships with other federal
agencies to support cutting edge academic engineering and physical
science research in rapidly growing (or changing) sectors (including
energy, green building, and nanotechnology) are areas under
consideration.

Creating EPA Sustainability Metrics  

The STS program has established several Annual Performance measures
(APGS) aimed at developing sustainability metrics in key areas and is
leading a research effort on regional sustainability metrics (San Luis
Basin Research Project.)   What is missing is an EPA wide effort for
science-based measures of sustainability comparable to the EPA Report on
the Environment (RoE).  The STS program has begun to inventory all
proposed sustainability metrics and will propose to the ORD Executive
Council that ORD lead EPA in developing such a national report on
sustainability by 2012.

Managing Materials

 

Significant EPA program office efforts are underway to shift EPA focus
from managing waste to managing materials. The impetus for this shift in
strategy reflects growing worldwide pressures to reduce energy and
commodity costs, avoid regulatory issues, and adapt green technologies
and green processing methods.  Ongoing analyses have identified several
high priority economic sectors where materials management is critical
form an environmental, energy, water, and economics perspective.  STS
can play a critical role in supporting these efforts through development
of a methodology for sustainable supply chain design, decision support
tools, more effective processing and production methods and technology
development especially related to use of nano-material in key sectors. 
A recent OSTP report on manufacturing supports this overall effort.   

Energy Efficiency and Green Building Research

Supportive of the managing materials thrust, the STS program is engaged
with an Office of Science and Technology Policy effort to develop an
interagency research agenda for High Performance Green Buildings.  For
this effort, EPA is in the lead for the water and materials sections. 
The materials research needs include targeted Life Cycle Assessment,
enhanced Life Cycle Inventory data collection, development of enhanced
materials management analytical methodologies, and research and
development of building materials and products with minimal
environmental and public health impacts over their extended life cycle.

Research to be highlighted in the March 12 Mid Term Review

LTG 1

San Luis Basin 

Biofuel Research and Criteria and Indicators

 

LTG 2

Waste Reduction  (WAR) algorithm,

LCA methodology

LTG 3

P3

ETV/ESTE

  Criteria being defined as categories of factors, capacities, or
processes that are used to evaluate the environmental, economic, or
social elements of a sustainable biofuel system; Indicators being
measurable outcomes of a criterion, a means for measuring or describing
various aspects of the criterion.  

Better define, communicate, and coordinate metrics research and its
outputs and better explain their relationship with other components of
the STS

A broader focus may be required to leverage and inform what others are
doing in Green Chemistry and Green Engineering

Use sustainability criteria to evaluate proposals (SBIR and P3)

 Better program integration is needed as the P2NT transitions to the STS

ORD STS Program should be more strategic and focus on limited number of
areas where it can make unique contributions and impacts

ORD needs to collaborate more extensively with outside partners to avoid
duplication and enhance research impact

Develop annual goals that are better defined and quantifiable so that
impact can be determined

