[Federal Register: December 18, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 242)]
[Notices]
[Page 75752]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18de06-43]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8252-7]
Ecological Benefits Assessment Strategic Plan
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the availability of a document titled,
``Ecological Benefits Assessment Strategic Plan'' (EPA-240-R-06-001),
which was prepared by several Offices within the Agency. The Ecological
Benefits Assessment Strategic Plan identifies and communicates key
research and institutional actions that will improve EPA's ability to
perform assessments of the ecological benefits of its environmental
policies and decisions.
DATES: This document will be available on or about December 18, 2006.
ADDRESSES: The Ecological Benefits Assessment Strategic Plan is
available for downloading via the Internet on EPA's National Center for
Environmental Economics home page at http://www.epa.gov/economics.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information, contact Dr.
Wayne R. Munns, Jr., U.S. EPA/ORD National Health and Environmental
Effects Research Laboratory, telephone: 401-782-3017; facsimile: 401-
782-9683; or e-mail: munns.wayne@epa.gov or Dr. Sabrina Lovell, U.S.
EPA/OPEI National Center for Environmental Economics, telephone: 202-
566-2272; facsimile: 202-566-2339; or e-mail:
ise-lovell.sabrina@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Ecological Benefits Assessment Strategic
Plan was developed to guide future research and institutional actions
for improving ecological benefits assessments conducted by the Agency.
The goal of an ecological benefits assessment is to estimate the
benefits of an environmental policy, and when appropriate, estimate the
value to society in monetary terms. This facilitates comparisons among
policy alternatives to support decision-making. In practice however,
ecological benefits are difficult to evaluate. Several factors
contribute to this challenge, including limited understanding of: (1)
The linkages among policies, stressors, and ecosystem services; (2) the
linkages within and between ecosystems; and (3) the linkages between
ecological and economic systems. EPA developed the Ecological Benefits
Assessment Strategic Plan to improve our understanding of these
linkages.
The Ecological Benefits Assessment Strategic Plan was authored by a
cross-Agency workgroup under the general direction of a steering
committee representing offices involved with ecological benefits
assessment. The plan describes the challenges currently faced by EPA in
conducting comprehensive and rigorous ecological benefits assessments.
It encourages a model of interdisciplinary participation in benefits
assessments and research, and it promotes collaboration among
economists, ecologists, and other natural and social scientists to
facilitate identification and characterization of the important
ecological benefits of Agency actions. The Plan also identifies
strategic actions focusing on: institutional arrangements that foster
interdisciplinary analyses and provide analysts with appropriate
guidance and tools; interdisciplinary research that directly supports
ecological benefits assessments, including broad methodological
development and specific studies about resources, stressors,
localities, and policies; and coordination of efforts with external
partners. The Ecological Benefits Assessment Strategic Plan also
describes mechanisms to facilitate adaptive implementation of the
strategic actions, including periodic adjustments to reflect advances
in knowledge. A primary audience for the Ecological Benefits Assessment
Strategic Plan is the managers and analysts in EPA Program Offices, and
natural and social scientists across the Agency.
The Ecological Benefits Assessment Strategic Plan was subjected to
broad Agency review and external peer review by the Committee on
Valuing the Protection of Ecological Systems and Services of EPA's
Science Advisory Board. The final plan reflects the comments of both
internal and external review.
Dated: December 12, 2006.
Nathalie B. Simon,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Economics.
[FR Doc. E6-21543 Filed 12-15-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P