Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals (1996) / Chapter Skim
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National Environmental Goals: Implementing the Laws, Visions of the Future, and Research
National Environmental Goals: Implementing the Laws, Visions of the Future, and Research
Pages 97-134
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From page 97... ...
101 EPA's Environmental Goals for the Year 2005, 101 EPA Goal: Clean Air, 102 EPA Goal: Climate Change Risk Reduction, 103 EPA Goal: Safe Waste Management, 103 PCSD's Ten National Goals to Put the U.S. on a Path Toward Sustainable Development, 104 PCSD Goal: Economic Prosperity, 104 PCSD Goal: A Healthy Environment, 105 PCSD Goal: Sustainable Communities, 106 CENR's Environmental and Natural Resource Goals for Research for Fiscal Year 1996, 107 CENR Goal: Air Quality, 108 CENR Goal: Global Change, 108 CENR Goal: Toxic Substances/ Hazardous and Solid Waste, 109 CONSISTENCY AMONG GOALS PROJECTS ...........................................
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From page 98... ...
115 Systematic measurement and monitoring, 115 Program evaluation, 115 Interdisciplinary social science research, 115 Regulatory reform, 115 Devolution to the States, 116 Preservation of nature for its own sake, 116 Public access to environmental information, 116 Acknowledgment of the trade-offs among goals, 116 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 116 APPENDIX A: Proposed EPA Goals and Milestones ....................................
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From page 99... ...
Specifically, many have questioned whether our statutes are driving us to commit our nation's resources to certain high-cost problems/strategies, while at the same time ignoring other important environmental concerns, including some with potentially low-cost solutions.3 • The second policy issue concerns the absence of a strong linkage between our nation's environmental resource decisions and our economic and social de 2Exceptions include provisions of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments for specified reductions in sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and stratospheric ozone depletors by various dates. For each of these pollutants, Congress reviewed analyses concerning the feasibility of attaining these goals prior to enactment of the statutes.
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From page 100... ...
2. The three goals projects have different technical approaches including different scopes, time frames, completeness of metrics, clarity of policy tools, and use of interim milestones.
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From page 101... ...
safe drinking water; 8. safe food; 9.
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From page 102... ...
The fourth milestone addresses toxic emissions, as opposed to "conventional" pollution. It is a combined emissions-technology goal, calling for 174 categories of major industrial facilities, such as large chemical plants, oil refineries, and municipal waste incinerators, to meet toxic air emission standards.
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From page 103... ...
EPA Goal: Safe Waste Management The wastes produced by every person and business will be stored, treated, and disposed of in ways that prevent harm to people and other living things. The first milestone for safe waste management involves an emissions goal for dioxin emissions from hazardous, medical, and municipal solid waste incinerators.
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From page 104... ...
Four of the six indicators of progress toward this goal (economic performance, savings rate, productivity, and environmental wealth) are designed to reflect the country's production and maintenance of wealth, and two indicators (income equity and poverty)
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From page 105... ...
• The third indicator, infant mortality, is based on measures of infant mortality rates developed for various economic and demographic groups. • The fourth indicator, safe drinking water, is based on measures of the percentage of the population whose safe drinking water does not meet safe drinking water standards.
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From page 106... ...
. • Finally, the sixth indicator, transportation patterns, is based on the average mass transit miles, vehicle miles traveled per person, and the number of trips made possible by alternatives to personal motor vehicles.
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From page 107... ...
water resources and coastal and marine environments. For each of the seven goal areas, CENR provides a description of the current state of understanding; a characterization of the themes of the current research; proposed areas of enhanced emphasis; selected milestones for 1995-1998; and a proposed budget for fiscal year 1996, reflecting the Administration's priorities.
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From page 108... ...
Such consultations emphasized the need for competitive awards, strengthened academic research, merit review, and international cooperation. For our purposes it is useful to examine several of the individual research areas: CENR Goal: Air Quality The goal of the federal air quality research program is to help protect human health and the environment from air pollution by providing the scientific and technical information needed to evaluate options for improving air quality in timely and cost-effective ways.
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From page 109... ...
Overall, CENR proposes that climate change research receive a slight increase in funding for FY 1996. CENR Goal: Toxic Substances, Hazardous and Solid Waste The goal of federal toxic substances and hazardous and solid waste research is to prevent or reduce human and ecological exposure to toxic materials, such as pesticide residues, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
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From page 110... ...
Overall, CENR proposes that research in this area increase in FY 1996. CONSISTENCY AMONG GOALS PROJECTS This paper cannot compare every aspect of each of the goals projects for technical consistency.
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From page 111... ...
-- Goal schemes with metrics for progress assessment may or may not specify interim milestones of success. Without such concrete milestones, it is generally difficult to evaluate strategies and make necessary midcourse corrections.
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From page 112... ...
THE THREE MAJOR GOALS PROJECTS: A COMPARISON Table 1 characterizes EPA, PCSD, and CENR goal schemes according to the eight comparison criteria introduced in the previous section. The following discussion highlights significant differences.
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From page 113... ...
PCSD goals are longest in time frame and the least complete in metrics; CENR goals are the shortest in time frame and the most complete in metrics; and EPA lies somewhere in between: • PCSD provides multiple indicators for single goals, but does not explain how to combine them; numerous PCSD indicators are not clearly measurable; and some indicators only partially assess progress toward desired goals. • Progress toward EPA's milestones is measurable, but when all milestones are met, it is not clear how much further effort is required to achieve the overall goals of "clean air," "safe drinking water," etc.
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From page 114... ...
, business, and nonprofit sectors is a key element of the strategy to establish broad "ownership" of the PCSD conclusions. Other Observations Viewed through one set of lenses, clear and explicable differences among the three goals projects are apparent.
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From page 115... ...
KEY ISSUES NOT EMPHASIZED BY THE THREE GOALS PROJECTS While the scope of the three goals projects is certainly broad, there are, nonetheless, some issues not emphasized. Eight such issues are as follows: 1.
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From page 116... ...
Various economic studies have demonstrated through both survey techniques and the presence of citizen-supported environmental groups, that there is some "willingness to pay" for such efforts. None of the goals projects emphasizes this issue, although the PCSD emphasizes ecosystem protection with a nonanthropocentric orientation.
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From page 117... ...
2. The three goals projects have different technical approaches including different scopes, time frames, completeness of metrics, clarity of policy tools, and use of interim milestones.
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From page 118... ...
Clearly, strong, organized follow-through is critical to the realization of the PCSD goals.
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From page 119... ...
• Vehicle miles traveled milestone being developed. • By 2005, all 174 categories of major indus trial facilities, such as large chemical plants, oil refineries, and municipal waste incinerators, will meet toxic air emission standards.
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From page 120... ...
• By 2005, 93 to 95 percent of the nation's surface waters will be safe for recreation. • By 2005, 50 percent of the wells monitored for ground water quality will fully support each state's intended uses of the water, such as for drinking water, agricultural irrigation, or indus trial processing.
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From page 121... ...
Safe Drinking Water: Every public water • By 2005, 95 percent of people served by system will consistently provide water that is drinking water systems will be provided water safe to drink. that meets health requirements throughout the year.
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From page 122... ...
facilities in high-risk areas that have reduced hazardous substance inventories to minimum levels or eliminated them altogether. Toxic-Free Communities Through Pollution • By 2005, pollution prevention practices will Prevention: Our communities will grow in- contribute to a 25 percent reduction from 1992 creasingly clean as people learn how to effi- levels of toxic wastes reported by industrial ciently produce, use, and recycle materials in facilities to the Toxic Chemicals Release ways that do not damage the environment.
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From page 123... ...
• By 2005, 100 percent of municipal solid waste management facilities will have approved controls in place to prevent releases of harmful pollutants to soil and ground water. • By 2005, 100 percent of hazardous waste facilities will have approved controls in place to prevent releases of harmful pollutants to soil and ground water.
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Reducing Global Environmental Risks: Global and transboundary environmental threats to U.S. interests will be eliminated.
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From page 125... ...
comprehensive, integrated environmental information on individual facilities. • By 2005, information on environmental programs will be available through electronic means that citizens and local organizations can access in homes, schools, and libraries.
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From page 126... ...
• Infant Mortality: Measures of infant mortality rates, developed for various economic and demographic groups. • Safe Drinking Water: Measures of the percent age of the U.S.
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From page 127... ...
• Transportation Patterns: Average mass transit miles, vehicle miles traveled per person, and the number of trips made possible by alternatives to personal motor vehicles. Cooperative Democracy: Change the process • Social Capital: Measures of social capital, of government to involve more fully citizens, such as investment in education, and civic businesses, and communities in collaborative awareness.
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From page 128... ...
contribution to the Global Environmental Facility and other environmentally targeted development aid.
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From page 129... ...
from transpor tation. • Transportation Patterns: Average mass transit and personal vehicle miles traveled per capita per year.
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From page 130... ...
• Quantitatively compare the effects of anthro pogenic fine particles to those of coarse, wind blown dust particles on human health. • Conduct a National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP)
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From page 131... ...
• Calculate the social and economic impacts (local, regional, and national) of alternative management scenarios; track cumulative social and economic effects of various ecosystem management regimes, such as impacts on fishery management and agricultural programs.
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From page 132... ...
• Observe and document changes in the earth's stratospheric ozone layer through both space- and surface-based observation systems, and observe and document corresponding changes in UV radiation at the earth's surface through development of an intercalibrated network for monitoring radiation. Observe changes in human and ecosystem health related to changes in surface UV radiation and evaluate processes leading to health and environmental changes from UV radiation.
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From page 133... ...
• Develop and distribute improved hazard warnings, and increase the effectiveness of hazard warnings in ensuring human safety through mechanisms for stakeholder feedback (including policymakers, community planners, emergency response personnel, the general populace, and special populations)
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From page 134... ...
• Implement a national program to verify performance of innovative environmental technologies. Water Resources and Coastal and Marine • Complete mapping and change detection of Environments: The goal of research on water coastal land cover for all major coastal areas of resources and coastal and marine environments the United States, including the coordinated is to provide the scientific basis for managing management and dissemination of the changewater resources and aquatic environments to detection data sets and management applicaensure adequate, quality water resources for tions derived from them.
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