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The Office of Research and Development supports research and development to determine the environmental effects of air quality, drinking water, water quality, hazardous waste, toxic substances, and pesticides; (2) identify, develop, and demonstrate effective pollution control techniques; and (3) perform risk assessments to characterize the potential adverse health effects of human exposures to environmental hazards, and (4) the facilitation of training and fellowships in these areas. Investigator initiated grants/cooperative agreements may be funded in broad areas such as environmental chemistry and physics, environmental engineering; and health and ecological effects of pollution. The Office of Research and Development (ORD) conducts leading-edge research to provide a solid underpinning of science and technology for the Agency. Applied research builds our understanding of how to protect and enhance the relationship between humans and the ecosystems of earth. ORD conducts a comprehensive research program to protect air, water, land, and human health and ecosystems, to improve environmental compliance and stewardship, and to conduct and promote coordination and acceleration of training for individuals relating the protection and enhancement of the relationship between humans and the ecosystems of earth as well as to improve environmental compliance and stewardship. Funding Priority - Fiscal Year 2006 1. Clean air research investigates risks associated with exposure to hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and criteria pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM) and tropospheric ozone. Our goal is to work with other Federal and state agencies, major universities and institutions, and the private sector to develop a better understanding of the causes and effects of air pollution, and provide the scientific underpinnings to improve air quality in the United States. 2. ORD provides the science needed to ensure drinking water is safe and to restore and maintain oceans, watersheds, and aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitats for fish, plants, and wildlife. Our water research program provides the science needed for effectively implementing the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and Amendments and the Clean Water Act (CWA). 3. Preserving land quality and remediating contaminated land is another of ORD's major goals. Left uncontrolled, hazardous and non-hazardous wastes on land can migrate to the air, ground water, and surface water, contaminating drinking water supplies, and threatening healthy ecosystems in urban, rural, and suburban areas. Efforts to preserve and restore land are supported through contaminated sediments research and through the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program. 4. ORD also continues to better understand environmental risks and develop tools and management options for improving environmental conditions. To promote healthy communities and ecosystems, EPA brings together a variety of programs, including human health research, endocrine disruptors research, computational toxicology research, global change research, pesticides and toxic substances research, and research on homeland security, as well as promoting and facilitating training in these areas to stimulate interest among students in careers involving environmental research and to provide hands-on experience. 5. Finally, ORD accelerates the use of pollution prevention and sustainability strategies and the commercial adoption of promising and innovative environmental technologies through sustainability research and through verifying promising new environmental technologies. ORD also supports environmental economics and decision sciences research. |
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