REVIEW OF THE EPA’S ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF FINAL WATER QUALITY STANDARDS FOR NUTRIENTS FOR LAKES AND FLOWING WATERS IN FLORIDA
Committee to Review EPA’s Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality
Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida
Water Science and Technology Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
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Support for this study was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under grant EP-C-09-003, task order 15. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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COMMITTEE TO REVIEW EPA’S ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF FINAL WATER QUALITY STANDARDS FOR NUTRIENTS FOR LAKES AND FLOWING WATERS IN FLORIDA
GLEN T. DAIGGER, Chair, CH2M Hill, Englewood, Colorado
OTTO C. DOERING, Vice Chair, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
LEONARD A. SHABMAN, Vice Chair, Resources for the Future, Arlington, Virginia
WALTER L. BAKER, Utah Division of Water Quality, Salt Lake City
ALLEN P. DAVIS, University of Maryland, College Park
K. WILLIAM EASTER, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
WENDY D. GRAHAM, University of Florida, Gainesville
ARTURO A. KELLER, University of California, Santa Barbara
DAVID J. MULLA, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
KEVIN M. SHERMAN, Quanics, Inc., Crestwood, Kentucky
KURT STEPHENSON, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
MICHAEL B. TATE, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Topeka
ALAN H. VICORY, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, Cincinnati, Ohio
LAJUANA S. WILCHER, English, Lucas, Priest, & Owsley, L.L.P., Bowling Green, Kentucky
NRC Staff
LAURA J. EHLERS, Study Director
JEFFREY JACOBS, Scholar
MICHAEL J. STOEVER, Research Associate
ANITA A. HALL, Senior Program Associate
WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD
DONALD I SIEGEL, Chair, Syracuse University, New York
LISA ALVAREZ-COHEN, University of California, Berkeley
EDWARD J. BOUWER, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
YU-PING CHIN, Ohio State University, Columbus
OTTO C. DOERING, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
M. SIOBHAN FENNESSY, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio
BEN GRUMBLES, Clean Water America Alliance, Washington, D.C.
GEORGE R. HALLBERG, The Cadmus Group, Watertown, Massachusetts
KENNETH R. HERD, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Brooksville, Florida
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
KIMBERLY L. JONES, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
LARRY LARSON, Association of State Floodplain Managers, Madison, Wisconsin
DAVID H. MOREAU, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
DENNIS D. MURPHY, University of Nevada, Reno
MARYLYNN V. YATES, University of California, Riverside
Staff
JEFFREY JACOBS, Director
LAURA J. EHLERS, Senior Program Officer
LAURA E. HELSABECK, Senior Program Officer
STEPHANIE E. JOHNSON, Senior Program Officer
M. JEANNE AQUILINO, Financial and Administrative Associate
ANITA A. HALL, Senior Program Associate
MICHAEL J. STOEVER, Research Associate
SARAH E. BRENNAN, Senior Program Assistant
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
ROBERT K. DAVIS, University of Colorado, Boulder (emeritus)
PATRICK L. BREZONIK, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (emeritus)
ROBIN K. CRAIG, Florida State University, Tallahassee
ANDREW FISK, Connecticut River Watershed Council, Greenfield, Massachusetts
J. WALTER MILON, University of Central Florida, Orlando
PATRICIA E. NORRIS, Michigan State University, East Lansing
DAVID E. RADCLIFFE, University of Georgia, Athens
DAVID STENSEL, University of Washington, Seattle
ROBERT G. TRAVER, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania
MYRON F. UMAN, Science and Technology for Public Policy LLC, West Palm Beach, Florida
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions
or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Robert A. Frosch, Harvard University and John J. Boland, Johns Hopkins University. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Contents
Technical Challenges of Nutrient Management in Florida
Impairment of Florida’s Inland Streams, Lakes, and Springs
Water Quality Standards and the TMDL Process
Numeric Nutrient Criteria in Florida
Request for National Research Council Study
2 ASSESSMENT AND COMMENTARY ON EPA’S ANALYSIS
EPA Cost Analysis Methods: Overview
3 A FRAMEWORK FOR INCREMENTAL COST ANALYSIS OF A RULE CHANGE
Comparing the Narrative and Numeric Nutrient Criteria Rules
Transparency and Dispute Resolution Under the Proposed Framework