Ord Response to Bosc Report 4-18
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May 8, 2017 Robert Kavlock, Ph.D. Acting Assistant Administrator Office of Research and Development U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Dear Dr. Kavlock: On behalf of the Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC), I am pleased to provide you a collection of reports addressing Charge Questions posed by five of the National Research Program areas and the four cross- cutting Roadmap programs. In general, we have found these programs to be on track to meet the objectives in their current Strategic Research Action Plans (StRAPs) and Roadmaps. We provide a series of recommendations to continue to strengthen the excellent research being done in ORD, and look forward to working with you in the future on these programs. Sincerely, Deborah L. Swackhamer, Ph.D. Chair, BOSC Cc: Bruce Rodan, Associate Director of Science REVIEW OF U.S. EPA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT’S RESEARCH PROGRAMS BOSC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair Deborah L. Swackhamer, Ph.D. James N. Galloway, Ph.D. I. Leslie Rubin, M.D. University of Minnesota University of Virginia Developmental Pediatric Specialists Viney Aneja, Ph.D. Earthea A. Nance, Ph.D., P.E. Sandra Smith, M.S. North Carolina State University Texas Southern University AECOM Shahid Chaudhry Paula Olsiewski, Ph.D., P.E. Gina Solomon, M.D., M.P.H. California Energy Commission Alfred P. Sloan Foundation California EPA Elizabeth Corley, Ph.D. Diane E. Pataki, Ph.D. Ponisseril Somasundaran, Ph.D. Arizona State University The University of Utah Columbia University Susan E. Cozzens, Ph.D. Robert Richardson, Ph.D. Tammy P. Taylor, Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology Michigan State University Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Courtney Flint, Ph.D. Joseph Rodricks, Ph.D. John P. Tharakan, Ph.D. Utah State University ENVIRON Howard University EPA Contact Tom Tracy, Designated Federal Officer May 8, 2017 A Federal Advisory Committee for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development BOSC REVIEW OF U.S. EPA ORD RESEARCH PROGRAMS | MAY 8, 2017 Disclaimer Text. This report was written by the Executive Committee of the Board of Scientific Counselors, a public advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) that provides external advice, information, and recommendations to the Office of Research and Development (ORD). This report has not been reviewed for approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and therefore, the report’s contents and recommendations do not necessarily represent the views and policies of EPA, or other agencies of the federal government. Further, the content of this report does not represent information approved or disseminated by EPA, and, consequently, it is not subject to EPA’s Data Quality Guidelines. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute a recommendation for use. Reports of the Board of Scientific Counselors are posted on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/bosc. ii BOSC REVIEW OF U.S. EPA ORD RESEARCH PROGRAMS | MAY 8, 2017 CONTENTS REVIEW OF NATIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAM AREAS A. BOSC AIR, CLIMATE, AND ENERGY SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT ......................................................... A-1 B. BOSC CHEMICAL SAFETY FOR SUSTAINABILITY SUBCOMMITTEE ..................................................... B-1 C. BOSC HOMELAND SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE ........................................................................... C-1 D. BOSC SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES SUBCOMMITTEE ................................................ D-1 E. BOSC SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE ............................................... E-1 REVIEW OF CROSS-CUTTING ROADMAP PROGRAMS F. BOSC REVIEW OF CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH ROADMAP FY16 ANNUAL REPORT ............................ F-1 G. BOSC REVIEW OF CHILDREN’S HEALTH ROADMAP ANNUAL REPORT ................................................ L-5 H. BOSC REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ROADMAP FY16 ANNUAL REPORT ............................... M-1 I. BOSC REVIEW OF NITROGEN ROADMAP FY16 ANNUAL REPORT ................................................... N-1 iii REVIEW OF U.S. EPA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT’S RESEARCH PROGRAMS A. BOSC AIR, CLIMATE, AND ENERGY SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT Viney Aneja, Ph.D. (Chair) Charlette A. Geffen Ph.D. Louie Rivers III, Ph.D. North Carolina State University Pacific Northwest National Laboratory North Carolina State University Sandra Smith, MS (Vice Chair) Donna M. Kenski, Ph.D. Constance L. Senior, Ph.D. AECOM Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium ADA-ES, Inc. Jeffrey Richard Arnold, Ph.D. Patrick Kinney, Ph.D. Art Werner, Ph.D. University of Washington Columbia University AMEC Environmental & Infrastructure Elena S. Craft, Ph.D. Myron J. Mitchell, Ph.D. Jinhua Zhao, Ph.D. Environmental Defense Fund State University of New York Michigan State University EPA Contact Tim Benner, Designated Federal Officer May 8, 2017 A Federal Advisory Committee for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development A-1 BOSC REVIEW OF U.S. EPA ORD RESEARCH PROGRAMS | MAY 8, 2017 Disclaimer Text. This report was written by the Air, Climate, and Energy (ACE) Subcommittee of the Board of Scientific Counselors, a public advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) that provides external advice, information, and recommendations to the Office of Research and Development (ORD). This report has not been reviewed for approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and therefore, the report’s contents and recommendations do not necessarily represent the views and policies of EPA, or other agencies of the federal government. Further, the content of this report does not represent information approved or disseminated by EPA, and, consequently, it is not subject to EPA’s Data Quality Guidelines. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute a recommendation for use. Reports of the Board of Scientific Counselors are posted on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/bosc. A-2 BOSC REVIEW OF U.S. EPA ORD RESEARCH PROGRAMS | MAY 8, 2017 CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................. A-4 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... A-5 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................ A-6 STRAP RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................... A-7 CHARGE QUESTIONS AND CONTEXT .............................................................................................. A-8 Charge Questions ................................................................................................................................ A-8 CHARGE QUESTION 1 ..................................................................................................................................... A-8 CHARGE QUESTION 2 ..................................................................................................................................... A-8 CHARGE QUESTION 3 ..................................................................................................................................... A-8 SUBCOMMITTEE RESPONSES TO CHARGE QUESTIONS ........................................................................ A-8 Subcommittee Feedback on Charge Questions .................................................................................. A-8 Charge Question 1 ............................................................................................................................... A-9 STRENGTHS .................................................................................................................................................. A-9 WEAKNESSES/SUGGESTIONS ......................................................................................................................... A-10 Charge Question 2 ............................................................................................................................. A-13 Charge Question 3 ............................................................................................................................. A-17 Summary List of Recommendations .................................................................................................. A-20 CHARGE QUESTION 1 ................................................................................................................................... A-20 CHARGE QUESTION 2 ................................................................................................................................... A-20 CHARGE QUESTION 3 ................................................................................................................................... A-21 CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................... A-21 APPENDIX A: MEETING AGENDA ............................................................................................... A-23 APPENDIX B: MATERIALS ........................................................................................................ A-24 A-3 BOSC REVIEW OF U.S. EPA ORD RESEARCH PROGRAMS | MAY 8, 2017 LIST OF ACRONYMS ACE Air, Climate, and Energy BOSC Board of Scientific Counselors CSS Chemical Safety for Sustainability EM Environmental