Laws, Regulations, Guidance and Dockets

We depend upon sound science to do our work. Scientific information is especially important in the development of regulations. Whether we are developing a standard to protect the public from a newly recognized risk or defining monitoring requirements to gauge how well an environmental control is working, we incorporate the most current and credible scientific information into our regulation development process. Research conducted in EPA's own facilities is integrated with analyses of scientific literature to help inform our decisions -- decisions on, for example, how highway air pollution might affect nearby residents or how microbial organisms could help clean up abandoned mines in the American West.

EPA relies, to the extent possible, on information that has undergone thorough peer review. During peer review, qualified, independent experts provide critical assessments to ensure that activities are technically supportable, competently performed, properly documented, and consistent with established quality criteria. In certain instances the need for immediate action compels us to rely on data that are preliminary or that present conflicting results. In these instances, we use our expertise to draw reasonable conclusions based on what is already known.

We use a number of Federal Advisory Committees to provide expert advice on issues before the Agency. Among theses committees is EPA's Science Advisory Board, which is composed of non-EPA experts in academia, industry, and environmental organizations spanning a range of scientific disciplines. This distinguished group serves as a technical review panel, providing us with sound advice on important science issues. We also regularly solicit outside expertise from the National Research Council, other federal agencies with related responsibilities, and other scientific organizations.

Because sound scientific data are so critical to support our actions, we conduct our own research and provide support to researchers outside the Agency. Many studies examine the effects of pollutants and other environmental stressors on human health and the natural environment, how harmful effects occur in the body, and the health risks they represent. Some of the issues currently under investigation at EPA include the impacts of global climate change on ecosystems, the potential uses of nanotechnology in cleaning up the nation's hazardous waste sites, and how to detect the potential endocrine disrupting activity of pesticides and industrial chemicals. These studies are part of a broader research agenda that provides critical support for EPA's regulatory work. In addition, EPA has an Office of the Science Advisor (OSA) to provide leadership in cross-Agency science and science policy issues.

 

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