[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 242 (Monday, December 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 75752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21543]


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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: [email protected] or Dr. Sabrina Lovell, U.S. 
EPA/OPEI National Center for Environmental Economics, telephone: 202-
566-2272; facsimile: 202-566-2339; or e-mail: [email protected].

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]
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