News

STAR Grants. EPA/ORD's National Center for Environmental Research is now accepting applications for three grant competitions: Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers: Formative Centers (with NIEHS) (Letters of Intent receipt due: March 30, 2009; Application receipt due: April 30, 2009); and Novel Approaches to Improving Air Pollution Emissions Information (Closing: April 21, 2009, 4 pm).

Increasing Feedstock Production for Biofuels: Economic Drivers, Environmental Implications, and the Role of Research (PDF) (167 pp, 2.4 MB, About PDF). The Biomass Research and Development Board commissioned this economic analysis of feedstocks to produce biofuels. The Board seeks to inform investments in research and development needed to expand biofuel production. December 2008.

Environmental Laws Applicable to Construction and Operation of Biodiesel Production Facilities (PDF) (144 pp, 6.3MB, About PDF). A manual produced by U.S. EPA Region 7 (November 2008).

2008 Sector Strategies Performance Report (PDF) (138 pp, 11.6MB, About PDF) This EPA document provides information on the environmental performance of some of the leading U.S. manufacturing and nonmanufacturing sectors (October 2008).

National Biofuels Action Plan (PDF) (24 pp, 4.9MB, About PDF). In this report the Interagency Biomass Research and Development Board outlines research needed to advance sustainable biofuel production (October 2008).

The Economics of Biomass Feedstocks in the United States: A Review of the Literature. (PDF). (122 pp, 495 KB, , About PDF). The Biomass Research and Development Board commissioned this literature review of feedstock cost and availability covering economic studies available through the end of 2007. It is intended to support further economic research on expanding the production of renewable fuels (October 2008).

Federal R&D Agenda for Net-Zero Energy, High-Performance Green Buildings (PDF) (76 pp, 2.8 MB, About PDF) The National Science and Technology Council report describes necessary research and development activities in order to reduce negative impacts on natural resources and improve indoor environments while reducing greenhouse gas emissions (October 2008).

Coming Events

2005–2015. UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. An educational effort that aims to encourage changes in behavior that will create a more sustainable future.

May 2009 is Sustainability Month! Come celebrate Sustainability and the Environment and other Year of Science activities.

June 23–25. Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference. 13th Annual Conference sponsored by the American Chemical Society. Moving towards Sustainability within the Chemical Enterprise and Innovating For the Future: Progress on the Grand Challenges in the Chemical Enterprise. College Park, MD.