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For Immediate Release
March 22, 2006
News Release
Peer Review Plans for EPA Science Available for Public Comment
Contact: Ann Brown, 919-541-7818, or brown.ann@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - March 22, 2006) EPA has posted its plans for conducting scientific peer reviews of its most influential science activities on its Web site as part of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines for federal agencies. This Web site provides access to all the peer review plans and offers opportunity for public comment on them.
EPA protects human health and the environment by basing its policies on the best available science. Peer review is a standard process in the scientific community to have new research evaluated by experts in that field from other institutions. EPA encourages further review as a way to achieve the highest quality science to support important environmental policy decisions.
In keeping with OMB guidelines for federal agencies, EPA is seeking public comment on peer review plans of "influential" and "highly influential" scientific information. "Influential scientific information" denotes science that will have a substantial impact on important public policies. "Highly influential" means the impact could also have a great economic impact on either the public or private sector. An example of a "highly influential" scientific assessment is the annual National-Scale Assessment of Air Toxics Risks, which looks at environmental and health impacts of more than 130 air toxics.
EPA's influential and highly influential activities are available for review at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_pr_agenda.cfm. On this web site, stakeholders may review documentation, submit comments on the peer review process, and be kept informed of progress through a list serve function. This information will be used to prepare an annual report summarizing the reviews conducted during the previous year.
EPA relies on quality science as the basis for sound policy and decision-making. EPA's laboratories and research centers, and EPA's research grantees, are building the scientific foundation needed to support the Agency's mission to safeguard human health and the environment. For more information about EPA's Office of Research and Development, visit the Web at www.epa.gov/ord.