Our Locations
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Environmental Science Center, Fort Meade. Maryland - Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary!
- Freshwater Biology Lab, Wheeling, West Virginia
Get News
The Mid-Atlantic Environmental Assessment and Innovation Division (EAID) is responsible for a variety of programs. These include innovative, multi-media (such as combined air, water, soil, etc.) approaches to solving environmental problems.
Subjects we cover: an A to Z list with links
How we're organized: our offices, what they do and contact information
Our programs:
- Analytical Services
- Business Assistance Center
- Children's Health
- Coastal Environment
- Data
- Environmental Management Systems
- Environmental Science Center
- Going Green
- Green Landscaping
- Innovation
- Mountaintop Mining
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- Quality Assurance
- Wetlands
- Can You Identify That Stream Creature? -- The Wheeling Freshwater Biology Lab held a workshop on April 28 – 29 for field staff of the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on identifying microorganisms in streams. This type of training is crucial since Corps staff are tasked with visiting project streams and making jurisdictional determinations. A field trip to area streams yielded close to 30 different taxa that were preserved as reference specimens for the Corps office.
- GIS Team Prepares for Upgrades to Regional NEPAssist Application -- The national NEPAssist application is being upgraded to allow for cross regional analyses and to provide access to metadata and online Help documentation. Sometime over the next several weeks the regional version of the application will also be upgraded. These upgrades will enhance the usefulness of these GIS applications especially where more then one EPA Region may be affected by a project.
- Toxicity Tests Downstream of Valley Fills -- During the week of April 13, 2009 the Freshwater Biology Team collected samples from sites located downstream of valley fills associated with mountaintop coal mining. Habitat, macroinvertebrates, and water quality samples were taken at all locations. Team members tested the water samples using Ceriodaphnia dubia chronic toxicity testing methods. Preliminary results indicate that the samples were toxic to C. dubia. The Team will analyze the macroinvertebrate/habitat data and the Environmental Science Center will provide the water quality data. Results of these tests will be used with other data to explore thresholds of total dissolved solids, conductivity, and/or component ions that will protect resident aquatic life.
- May is American Wetlands Month -- Region 3’s Wetlands Program has planned a number of events in celebration of American Wetlands Month, including partnering with the Federal Career Interns for a Fairmount Park Clean-Up Day on May 7, 2009. In addition to clean-up and removal of invasive species, volunteers will have the opportunity to learn about wetlands and EPA's role in wetland protection and restoration. And, will have an opportunity to plant a wetland with native wetland plant species! In addition, there will be a display featuring wetlands posters and educational material in our lobby.
- Supporting the Review/Challenge of Mining Permits using MIRA -- The Army Corps of Engineers is currently in the process of determining which mining permits are to be approved or challenged. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson asked Region 3 to provide information on the permits. Using the Multi-criteria Integrated Resource Assessment (MIRA) approach developed in Region 3, Randy Pomponio, Director of the Environmental Assessment and Innovation Division, explained the methodical analysis used to support permit challenges. Decision criteria included 303d impaired stream listings, condition of the watershed, percent forests, types of streams affected, percent mining, as well as economic criteria such as mining revenue and potential jobs offered by the proposed mines.
- Environmental Achievement Awards -- This awards program recognizes individuals and organizations outside of the EPA who are making significant contributions to improving the environment in the mid-Atlantic region. The due date for nominations is May 29, 2009.