SEPA
190B12001
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Cross-Cutting Fundamental Strategy
FY 2011 Action Plan Annual Progress Report
Strategy 3: Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation
Advance a rigorous basic and applied science research and development agenda that informs, empowers, and
delivers innovative and sustainable solutions to environmental problems. Provide relevant and robust
scientific data and findings to support the Agency's policy and decision-making needs.
Executive Summary
In FY 2011, EPA took important steps to: (1) plan and implement innovative and sustainable technologies and
methods for addressing environmental problems; (2) expand efforts to communicate research results; and, (3)
promote partnerships to leverage funding and foster research innovations. Some of the most significant
accomplishments and challenges are noted below.
Accomplishment Highlights:
• EPA's research scientists partnered with Agency program offices, Regions and external stakeholders to
address high priority cross-cutting issues such as: the impact of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water;
validation of air monitoring methods and new technologies; green and sustainable water infrastructure; and
next-generation tools for screening chemicals that disrupt the human endocrine system.
• Working collaboratively, EPA's research scientists, program offices, and Regions have developed four
integrated research frameworks for: (1) air, climate, and energy; (2) safe and sustainable water; (3)
chemical safety for sustainability; and, (4) sustainable and healthy communities.
• EPA has initiated an effort to evaluate technology opportunities and market assessments, which will
implement Executive Order (E.O.) 13563, "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review," for potential
inclusion into the Agency's Action Development Process.
• The Agency has initiated a series of efforts to support and promote technologies and methods that
scrutinize environmental and human health impacts from the beginning to the end of the technology life
cycle.
o EPA partnered with several other federal agencies on regional innovation initiatives that focus on
technology innovation with environmental relevance. As part of this effort, EPA leveraged its funding
with more than $6 million from the Department of Commerce and the Department of Energy for the i6
Green Challenge grants for 6 regional initiatives to bring green technologies to market.
o EPA collaborated with the Small Business Administration to support and help launch the Water
Technology Innovation Cluster, which is designed to spur innovation and research-to-market activities in
the Ohio River Valley.
• The Agency has launched the "Great Environmental Moments in Science" website and report to highlight
important advances in environmental science realized through EPA research.
FY 2011 Annual Progress Report: Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation
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Challenges:
• The collaboration between EPA scientists and state and local partners to identify research and technology
needs and solutions has been broadened. Therefore, the effort focused specifically at the Environmental
Council of the States (ECOS) has been postponed.
• The evaluations of water and air monitoring technologies planned for 2011 have not been completed since
they have been incorporated into broader efforts to evaluate and prioritize both technology innovation and
research needs during FY 2012.
• The Agency's efforts to support and promote technologies and methods that scrutinize environmental and
human health impacts throughout the technology life-cycle have extended into 2012 to ensure that
stakeholders are fully engaged.
• Efforts to establish an EPA Senior Environmental Technology Officer (SETO) are well underway but will not
be completed during FY 2011.
FY 2011 Annual Progress Report: Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation
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FY 2011 Performance Summary
Strategy 3: Advancing Science, Research, and Technological Innovation
FY 2011 Action Plan Activity
Status/Explanation
= Activity complete
1. Plan and implement research programs
through close partnerships among EPA
offices, partners, and external stakeholders
(Supports Principles 1 and 4).
EPA's research program has engaged internally with EPA
program and regional offices and externally with other
stakeholders. Together, EPA and its partners defined
research questions. These research questions informed the
development of problem oriented-research frameworks
and action plans. In June, the Science Advisory Board and
Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) reviewed the research
frameworks. These Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)
committees support EPA's approach to deliver and
communicate research outcomes.
According to feedback in the draft BOSC-SAB report:
• "Considerable synergies will be realized in integrating
[Office of Research and Development] ORD research
activities into the new programmatic areas."
• "The SAB is highly supportive of the realignment of ORD
research programs and of aligning the FY 2012 budget
with them."
Address the research needs identified by
EPA offices, partners, and external
stakeholders by: developing and
implementing a research plan on the
impact of hydraulic fracturing on drinking
water; issuing a competitive Request for
Applications (RFA) on validating air
monitoring methods and new
technologies; issuing an RFA on green
sustainable water infrastructure;
initiating new research efforts to develop
next-generation tools that support
implementation of the Agency's
Endocrine Disrupter Screening Program
(EDSP); and publishing findings on the
detection, measurement, exposure
effects, and environmental applications
of nano-sized particles in environmental
media.
• Fracking: Released Draft Hydraulic Fracturing Study for
public comment and peer review. Study examines the
impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water
resources. The study plan reflects extensive input from
the public, Science Advisory Board (SAB), EPA Regions,
EPA's water program, industry, and communities. First
report due end of 2012.
• Air RFA: Awards in process. Grantees to receive
funding in FY 2012.
• Green Infrastructure RFA: Issued an RFA and identified
one candidate for a grant. Funding package has been
completed. ORD is issuing an additional RFA to use
remaining funds. Under the new RFA, three additional
applicants will be funded by October 2012.
• Supporting EDSP: EPA has started developing next-
generation screening tools for its Endocrine Disrupter
Screening Program. EPA has screened over 2,000
chemicals using ToxCast rapid endocrine testing
methods. (Initiated testing of 2,100 chemicals in
ToxCast and 10,000 in Tox21.)
FY 2011 Annual Progress Report: Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation
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FY 2011 Performance Summary
Strategy 3: Advancing Science, Research, and Technological Innovation
FY 2011 Action Plan Activity
Status/Explanation
= Activity complete
• Identify the barriers to developing
sustainable solutions to high priority
environmental problems in collaboration
with the Environmental Council of the
States (ECOS) and other State and local
partners. Recommend science and
technology solutions that can aid in
overcoming those barriers.
The collaboration between EPA scientists and state and
local partners has been broadened. Therefore, the effort
focused specifically at the Environmental Council of the
States (ECOS) has been postponed.
Conduct an inventory of water and air
monitoring technologies developed and
funded by other federal agencies that
may be appropriate for environmental
application.
The evaluations of water and air monitoring technologies
planned for FY 2011 were not completed. They have been
incorporated into broader efforts to evaluate and prioritize
both technology innovation and research needs in FY 2012.
Select two pending regulatory actions
and conduct a technology opportunity
and market assessment, to begin
developing a framework for such
assessments as part of the Action
Development Process (ADP).
Implementation is underway but is taking longer than
expected. The Agency developed a plan for implementing
E.O. 13563, "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review/'
and issued it in August 2011. Under the plan, EPA will
select two pending regulatory actions and conduct a
technology opportunity and market assessment. EPA will
then develop a framework for such assessments as part of
the Action Development Process. Technology opportunity
and market assessments will be tied to this plan. EPA
expects to complete pilot analyses in FY 2012, which will
inform future work in this area.
Conduct a retrospective analysis of the
technology cost of selected rulemakings
to estimate the actual costs of developing
and deploying new environmental
technologies.
The National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE)
is conducting a pilot project that evaluates the degree to
which ex-ante and ex-post cost estimates of regulations
differ, and possible reasons for the differences. For select
regulations, NCEE is attempting to determine what affected
entities did to comply with the new requirements and how
much it cost them to comply. Various methodologies are
being used to collect ex-post cost information, ranging from
using publicly available data sources to reaching out to
experts on industry compliance as well as associations and
trade groups. A draft report for the first round of pilot
projects is expected to be completed by December 2011.
FY 2011 Annual Progress Report: Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation
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FY 2011 Performance Summary
Strategy 3: Advancing Science, Research, and Technological Innovation
FY 2011 Action Plan Activity
Status/Explanation
= Activity complete
Identify which of the more than 50
regional innovation initiatives funded by
other federal agencies focus on
technology innovation with
environmental relevance, and develop
actions for EPA to support these to speed
the development and utilization of new
technologies that may significantly lower
environmental impacts by engaging a
wide range of stakeholders, including
technology developers, researchers,
entrepreneurs, and economic
development organizations.
EPA partnered with several federal agencies on regional
innovation initiatives which focus on technology
innovation with environmental relevance, as well as
shared funding and implementation of these
innovation drivers.
In FY 2011, EPA leveraged $280K of Agency funding
with more than $6 million from the Department of
Commerce and the Department of Energy for i6 Green
Challenge grants for 6 regional initiatives to bring green
technologies to market.
In FY 2011, EPA collaborated with the Small Business
Administration to support and help launch the Water
Technology Innovation Cluster, which is designed to
spur innovation and research-to-market activities in the
Ohio River Valley.
2. Support and promote technologies and
methods that scrutinize environmental and
human health impacts from the beginning to
the end of the technology life cycle
(Supports Principles 1, 2, and 4).
FY 2011 Annual Progress Report: Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation
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FY 2011 Performance Summary
Strategy 3: Advancing Science, Research, and Technological Innovation
FY 2011 Action Plan Activity
Status/Explanation
= Activity complete
• Implement a competitive program that
encourages EPA scientists and engineers
to develop integrated trans-disciplinary
research projects and partnerships with
entrepreneurs, universities, and other
research institutions.
Completed Pathfinder Projects: Pathfinder Projects are
part of EPA's research program's approach to promote
innovation among scientists. Over 110 applications were
received and reviewed by a panel of nearly 30 external
experts in innovation and sustainability. In this competitive
process, 12 project awards were made on January 31, 2011
covering "high risk/high reward" research. Examples of
projects include:
• EPA scientists are collaborating with the Naval Research
Lab to make water quality data as accessible to the
"person on the street" as weather data by using remote
sensing technology on the International Space Station.
• EPA scientists are using smart phones, social
networking sites ("Facebook"), and life-simulation
virtual environments ("The Sims" or "Second Life") to
develop realistic simulations of human activities and
chemical exposures. This project will use smart phones
to scan bar-codes on products in homes to determine
potential exposure sources.
Convene a meeting to engage external
stakeholders and private markets and to
communicate emerging opportunities for
environmental technology and product
innovation that support EPA's regulatory
agenda.
An EPA cross-office working group is organizing a Spring
2012 symposium. Symposium themes have been
developed in partnership with EPA program offices and
Regions, and session planning is underway (see below). The
working group has identified venue options and is analyzing
which option will minimize costs to EPA and maximize
participation by co-conveners.
Utilize the EPA Futures Community of
Practice to evaluate emerging issues and
technology innovations to inform Agency
planning and achieve the Administrator's
priorities.
• EPA's Futures Community of Practice is identifying,
developing, and organizing technical sessions for a
Market Opportunities Symposium in Spring 2012 (see
above). Sessions will bring together EPA experts,
partners in other federal agencies, private industry, and
the private finance sector to explore how innovative
technologies and market opportunities can be used to
improve environmental outcomes.
• EPA developed a new crowd-sourcing website
(http://futures.ideascale.com/) that serves as the EPA
Futures Community of Practice online collaboration
tool. The site promotes information sharing, best
practices, collaboration, and the generation of ideas on
technology innovation and emerging environmental
issues.
FY 2011 Annual Progress Report: Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation
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FY 2011 Performance Summary
Strategy 3: Advancing Science, Research, and Technological Innovation
FY 2011 Action Plan Activity
Status/Explanation
= Activity complete
Launch a challenge prize for technology
innovation and work with key partners to
catalyze international innovation
adoption of key environmental
technologies.
EPA is serving as a technical consultant supporting the
World Bank and US Agency for International Development
(USAID) on a proposal for a challenge competition with the
X-Prize Foundation on financing innovative water
technologies. USAID is currently working on alternative
ways to fund the project after procedural issues arose over
funding and forced a delay in project development.
Leverage the technology and innovation
insights of the Environmental Financial
Advisory Board, which provides advice to
the Agency on "how to pay" questions for
environmental protection. Seek advice to
advance the most promising technology
and financing innovations.
In response to an Agency request, the Environmental
Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) identified creative options
to provide incentives to boiler facility owners to comply
with the new Maximum Available Control Technology
standards for air.
• EFAB's Clean Air Technology Project Workgroup has
been collecting and analyzing information on the
financial condition of the corporations and industries
that must comply with the new standards, and
examining the costs of obtaining and operating both
new and traditional control technologies.
• Ongoing developments in finalizing and promulgating
the standards have impacted completion of this effort.
• The EFAB Clean Air Technology Workgroup is
developing an interim report delineating its preliminary
findings, observations, and recommendations.
• The EFAB plans to continue its analysis of the various
corporations, industries, and technologies using the
information that becomes available as the final
standards are developed and implemented.
• Establish an EPA Senior Environmental
Technology Officer (SETO) to coordinate
environmental technology-related issues
across the Agency.
Two top candidates will be selected by the end of FY 2011.
Conduct an independent external review process of the top
candidates before making a final selection decision.
Communicate the design, definition,
conduct, transfer, and implementation of
research and technological innovation so
that it can be understood readily and used
by stakeholders (Supports Principle 3).
FY 2011 Annual Progress Report: Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation
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FY 2011 Performance Summary
Strategy 3: Advancing Science, Research, and Technological Innovation
FY 2011 Action Plan Activity
Status/Explanation
= Activity complete
Launch the "Impact Initiative/' which
gathers and communicates information
on the results of EPA's research, to better
inform the public on the impact of EPA's
research on public policy, human health,
and the environment. Fully implement
GEMS (Great Environmental Moments in
Science) to highlight important advances
in environmental science realized through
EPA research.
A GEMS website and report were launched that highlights
advances in science that are attributed to EPA.
FY 2011 Annual Progress Report: Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation
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