Cross-EPA Panel Convenes for Discussion on Cumulative Impacts Research and Regulatory Activities
Published April 11, 2023
EPA defines cumulative impacts as the totality of exposures of chemical and non-chemical stressors and their effects on health, well-being, and quality of life outcomes. Cumulative impacts and environmental injustices disproportionately impact underserved and overburdened communities. EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) is conducting research in support of the initiatives within Executive Orders 13985 and 14008 to deploy evidence-based approaches that account for cumulative impacts to inform decisions that improve community health, well-being, and quality of life.
In March 2023, five panelists from across EPA gathered for a public discussion moderated by ORD Assistant Administration Chris Frey to talk about the Agency’s research and regulatory activities on cumulative impacts. The panel demonstrated a whole-of-EPA approach to working as a team across programs and regions to address cumulative impacts.
Frey emphasized that EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment according to four foundational principles: follow the science; follow the law; be transparent; and advance equity and environmental justice.
Charles Lee, senior policy advisor for environmental justice in EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, and Sarah Mazur, principal associate national program director for ORD’s Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program, introduced the audience to cumulative impacts concepts, such as examples of chemical and non-chemical stressors, cumulative impact assessment, and community-engaged research. Lee affirmed the critical importance and urgency of taking action to address the lived reality of communities facing cumulative impacts.
When discussing EPA’s community-engaged research, Mazur mentioned the Community-Engaged Research Collaborative for Learning and Excellence (CERCLE) program. CERCLE is a center based in Edison, New Jersey that will work closely with local communities to co-develop science to inform solutions to environmental problems by providing analytical laboratory capacity, field support, translational communications, and more.
Ann Wolverton, senior research economist in EPA’s Office of Policy, National Center for Environmental Economics, and Helen Serassio, associate general counsel for EPA’s Office of General Counsel’s Cross-Cutting Issues Law Office, offered a law- and regulation-based perspective. Wolverton touched on environmental justice analysis and risk assessments, emphasizing that EPA can account for cumulative impacts now using available information and methods, while Serassio shared information about the Agency’s newly released EJ Legal Tools and the legal authorities that enable EPA to account for cumulative impacts in decision making.
Before the audience Q&A, Alan Walts, the director of the Multi-media and Tribal Relations Programs Office for EPA Region 5, discussed regional examples of using a cumulative impacts framework, such as the Agency’s engagement with Illinois EPA and the Chicago Department of Health to consider cumulative impacts in the permitting decision for a scrap metal recycling facility on Chicago’s Southeast Side.
“If we can organize to take collective action, thinking about the outputs and actions that are important at each phase, while applying ongoing advances in science and our increasing understanding of our legal authorities, I truly believe, together, we can achieve progress in communities and reduce disproportionate cumulative impacts and we can set the stage for the next 50 years of our nation’s progress in protecting human health and the environment,” Walts said.
The panel drew over 1,400 attendees from 49 states and 27 countries. You can watch the recording of this webinar to listen to the panel’s full remarks and Q&A. This was the inaugural webinar for EPA’s new Healthy and Resilient Communities research webinar series. Future webinars may focus on research and tools to protect communities’ assets and reduce vulnerabilities. Topics may include cumulative impacts research, site remediation and restoration, community health and well-being and community resilience.
If you are interested in attending future Healthy and Resilient Communities Research Webinars, please use this sign-up form to join our mailing list.
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