Transcript Decision-Making Under Uncertainty Conference on Real World

Environmental Monitoring
and It’s Role in
Emergency Response Situations
Lara P. Phelps, Senior Advisor
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
BOSICON 2012 – Rome, Italy
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Office of the Science Advisor
Overview
• Background
–U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
–Office of the Science Advisor
–Forum on Environmental Measurements
• Environmental Monitoring Assessment
• Emergency Response Situation
• Collaborative Opportunities
• Summary
• Contact Us
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U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (US EPA)
• Our Mission:
–The mission of US EPA is to protect human
health and the environment.
• What We Do (to accomplish this mission):
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–Develop and Enforce Regulations
–Give Grants
–Study Environmental Issues
–Sponsor Partnerships
–Teach People About the Environment
–Publish Information
Office of the Science Advisor
(OSA)
• OSA Purpose – To support the Science Advisor’s key
responsibilities:
–Advise EPA Administrator on science and
technology (S&T) issues;
–Hold a corporate view and coordinate cross-agency
S&T policy issues;
–Resolve conflicts on science and science policy;
–Provide a vision on S&T and advance emerging
issues; and
–Serve as face and spokesperson for agency science
overall.
• OSA Initiatives – Science and Technology,
Measurement, Monitoring, Modeling, Risk, Human
Health, Information Management
Forum on Environmental
Measurements (FEM)
• FEM Purpose – To promote consistency and consensus
on measurement methodology, monitoring, technology,
and laboratory science issues with multi-program impact.
• FEM Initiatives:
–Validate and disseminate methods for sample collection
and analysis.
–Ensure monitoring studies are scientifically rigorous and
statistically sound to yield representative
measurements.
–Employ a quality systems approach to ensure data
gathered and used by the Agency is of known and
documented quality.
Monitoring Assessment
• Purpose – The Agency needed to synthesize
monitoring programs to expand our scientific
capabilities, information, and knowledge to meet the
Agency’s mission of protecting human health and
the environment.
• Charge – Conducted a stepwise process
and produced:
–an inventory of routine monitoring programs;
–a list of needs and data gaps; and
–a list of collaborative and/or leveraging
opportunities.
Definition of Monitoring
Monitoring is the measurement or assessment of
environmental stressors and related parameters in
various media, humans, plants, or animals to:
–Determine status and trends of core physical,
chemical, and biological indicators of ambient
conditions in the nations air, land, and water resources;
–Inform rule-making and to measure compliance with
statutory and regulatory requirements;
–Inform risk and exposure assessments;
–Develop public and ecosystem health advisories; or
–Support research investigations including new method
development or evaluation.
Assessment Results
• Produced Databases:
–an inventory of routine
monitoring programs;
–a list of needs and data gaps; and
–a list of collaborative and/or leveraging
opportunities.
• Indentified Common Themes:
–Measurement and Method Development
–Data Management
–Data Analysis or Assessment
–Emergency Response
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Common Theme – Measurement
and Method Development
• Lack of environmental measurement techniques and
analytical methods for routine monitoring.
• State of the art monitoring technology needs to be
developed and utilized.
• Applicable FEM Efforts:
–Flexible Approaches to Environmental Measurement
–Method Validation and Peer Review Policies with
Accompanying Guidelines
–Environmental Technology Advancement
Common Theme – Data
Management
• Multiple databases, processes, procedures, and
methods for the same information.
• Consistent and stable business driven framework
needs to be prescribed with all data generated
registered into an Agency catalogue.
• Applicable FEM Efforts:
–Discussions with External Organizations
–Data Management Action Team
Common Theme – Data Analysis
or Assessment
• Confidence in the reliability of data and ability to use
appropriately are important.
• Consistent application of the data life-cycle and
enforce data quality policies for greater confidence.
• Applicable FEM Efforts:
–Glossary for Consistent Use of Method Detection
Limit and Calibration Terms
–General Laboratory Competency Policies for Internal
EPA Laboratories and External Organizations
Engaging in Environmental Data Operations for the
Agency
Common Theme – Emergency
Response
• Preparedness for responding to emergency
situations.
• More flexible array of methods and monitoring
technology to potentially identify unknown
compounds at low concentrations in a time-sensitive
manner.
• Applicable Agency Efforts:
–Laboratory Networks
–Standardized Methods
–Multi-Agency Guidelines
–Method Validation and Peer Review Policy
Unexpected Challenges
• EPA has programs to help …
– prevent oil spills, chemical accidents, and other
emergencies;
–implement planning and preparedness requirements; and
–respond to environmental emergencies.
• Science and technology solutions for measurement and
monitoring, however, must
often play a significant role in
tackling these events.
• Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill 2010
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Collecting the Possibilities
• Technology Solutions Website was launched on April
30, 2010 with significant improvements made for a relaunch on May 17, 2010.
–A LOT of suggestions were submitted.
–Everyone (e.g., public sector, private sector) made
suggestions.
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Technology Idea Categories
• Surface Water Cleanup (e.g., booms, skimmers,
vacuums)
• Surface Water Monitoring and Detection
• Air Monitoring and Detection
• Landfall Cleanup (e.g., soil remediation, waste
disposal, oil containment)
• Wildlife Protection and Cleanup
• Other (e.g., data collection and management,
service providers, volunteers)
• Wellhead/Leak Related
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Cross-Government Effort
• Interagency Alternative Technology Assessment Program included:
–US Environmental Protection Agency
–US Coast Guard
–Minerals Management Services
–National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
–Maritime Administration
–US Army Corps of Engineers
–US Fish and Wildlife Services
• Solicited in Five Technology Gap Areas:
–Oil Sensing Improvements to Response and Detection
–Oil Wellhead Control and Submerged Oil Response
–Traditional Oil Spill Response Technologies
–Alternative Oil Spill Response Technologies
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–Oil Spill Damage Assessment and Restoration
Methods of Analysis
• All methods of analysis developed for emergency response
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situations must have documentation to support their utilization.
• Validation is the confirmation by examination and provision of
objective evidence that the particular requirements for a specific
intended use are fulfilled.
–EPA Science Policy Council, Peer Review Handbook, 3rd ed.;
EPA/100/B-06/002; December 2006.
–In 40 CFR Part 68, “response” has the same meaning as
OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency
Response (HAZWOPER) Standard (29 CRF 1910.120).
OSHA defines emergency response as “a response effort by
employees from outside the immediate release area or by
other designated responders … to an occurrence which
results, or is likely to result, in an uncontrolled release of a
hazardous substance.”
Commitment
• Transparency in the Agency’s work for the problems
being faced and proposed solutions.
• Initiatives to identify the true cross-agency needs and
gaps that are faced to meet the unique challenges,
like emergency response situations, within our
mission.
• Partnerships internally and externally to protect our
environment and strengthen our communities for the
environmental challenges that are faced.
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Monitoring Challenges
• Methods development research needs exceed
available resources.
• New monitoring requirements and emergency
situations continually strain existing resources.
• Ability to investigate new complex environmental
issues are constrained by resources.
Collaborative Opportunity
• Monitoring Needs to be …
–Real-time (Continuous, Automated)
–Low-cost
–Multi-pollutant
–Portable
–Innovative
• Wish List Slogan ….
Summary
• The issues we face are more complex and subtle than in
the past; so, the need for the best science is greater than
ever now.
• There is a need for more flexible, innovative methods
and monitoring technology to identify potentially
unknown compounds at low concentrations in a timesensitive manner.
• Much has been accomplished, but there are always new
challenges and, unfortunately, emergency response
situations that arise with more work to be done.
• Collaboration with partners within and outside of the
Agency provides leveraging opportunities for greater
success in cleaning-up our world’s environment.
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Contact Us
Lara P. Phelps
Phone: 919-541-5544
E-mail: [email protected]
• US Environmental Protection Agency
–http://www.epa.gov
• Office of the Science Advisor
–http://www.epa.gov/osa
• Forum on Environmental Measurements:
–http://www.epa.gov/fem
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