EPA Scientists Fault Agency Plan For Cumulative Risk Policy Absent Guide

摘要

EPA scientists are faulting plans by Science Advisor Glenn Paulson to issue a policy statement reiterating officials' commitment to conduct cumulative risk assessments (CRAs), a key approach for assessing potential environmental justice impacts, saying the plan is premature because they still lack guidance for how to conduct such assessments. "The policy promised to do a lot of things we aren't able to do. We don't have a lot of methods, especially for [considering] non-chemical stressors" in risk assessments, says one agency source. The dispute over the draft policy statement - and the agency's continuing difficulties developing guidance for how to conduct the assessments - is raising doubts over whether EPA will be able to complete by the stated September deadline one of the last major items remaining in former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's environmental justice agenda, known as Plan EJ 2014.