The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to revise new source performance standards (NSPS) for residential wood stoves, and to issue NSPS for pellet stoves, furnaces, hydronic heaters, and masonry heaters. The EPA is proposing this revision under the authority of section 111 of the Clean Air Act (CAA), "Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources," under which the EPA establishes federal standards of performance for new sources within source categories which cause or contribute significantly to air pollution, which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public...

Communities across the country are integrating smart growth, environmental justice, and equitable development approaches to design and build healthy, sustainable, and inclusive neighborhoods. Overburdened communities are using smart growth strategies to address longstanding environmental and health challenges and create new opportunities where they live. Regional and local planners are engaging low-income, minority, and tribal residents in decision-making and producing more enduring development that is better for people and the environment. Community groups, government agencies, and private...

Decisions about how and where we build our communities have significant impacts on the natural environment and on human health. Cities, regions, states, and the private sector need information about the environmental effects of their land use and transportation decisions to mitigate growth-related environmental impacts and to improve community quality of life and human health. This report: Discusses the status of and trends in land use, development, and transportation and their environmental implications; Articulates the current understanding of the relationship between the built environment...

Invasive species are a major issue ecologically and economically. Invasive species threaten native species, sometimes to the point of extinction. The economic damages and losses attributed to invasive species in the United States are sizable. In response to these issues, the federal government coordinates research and other activities concerning invasive species through the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) and the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANSTF). NISC has written and revised a national management plan that describes strategies for prevention, early detection/rapid...

This "Literature Review of Contaminants in Livestock and Poultry Manure and Implications for Water Quality" was prepared as part of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) ongoing efforts to better understand the environmental occurrence and potential effects related to contaminants of emerging concern. The report makes no policy or regulatory recommendations; it does identify information gaps that may help define research needs for USEPA and its federal, state and local partners to better understand these issues. Over the past 60 years the structure of American...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held its First National Expert and Stakeholder Workshop on Water Infrastructure Sustainability and Adaptation to Climate Change in 2009. Sponsored by the EPA Office of Water and Office of Research and Development, the workshop was attended by experts and stakeholders from the federal, research, utility, engineering, academic, and NGO sectors. The workshop included several plenary sessions, as well as two concurrent tracks: Climate Change Impacts on Hydrology and Water Resource Management; Adaptive Management and Engineering: Information and...

Currently, the most common form of drinking water treatment for surface water sources involves the chemical/physical removal of particulate matter by coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration processes, along with disinfection to inactivate any remaining pathogenic microorganisms. Filtration remains the cornerstone of drinking water treatment, conventionally in the form of granular media depth filters. Although granular media filters can produce high quality water, they represent a probabilistic rather than an absolute barrier; consequently, pathogens can still pass through the...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is committed to identifying and responding to the challenges that a changing climate poses to human health and the environment. Scientific evidence demonstrates that the climate is changing at an increasingly rapid rate, outside the range to which society has adapted in the past. These changes can pose significant challenges to the EPA's ability to fulfill its mission. The EPA must adapt to climate change if it is to continue fulfilling its statutory, regulatory and programmatic requirements. The Agency is therefore anticipating and planning for...

The Earth's climate is changing. Scientists are confident that many of the observed changes in the climate can be linked to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, caused largely by people burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, heat and cool buildings, and power vehicles. Current and future emissions will continue to increase the levels of these gases in our atmosphere for the foreseeable future. One way to track and communicate the causes and effects of climate change is through the use of indica-tors. An indicator, such as a record of Arctic sea ice extent, represents the...

The Earth's climate is changing. Temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events-like heavy rain-storms and record high temperatures-are already taking place. Scientists are highly confident that many of these observed changes can be linked to the climbing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, which are caused by human activities. The climate change indicators in this report look at the composition of the atmosphere, fundamental measures of climate, and the extent to which several climate-sensitive aspects of...