Independent, Expert Advice for State Decision Makers

Warren Muir, Ph.D.Executive Director, Division on Earth and Life StudiesNovember 7, 2007

“…The Academy shall, whenever called upon by any department of the Government, investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science…”

1863 Charter of the National Academy of Sciences

Established to advise the nation

3 Honorary Societies:National Academy of SciencesNational Academy of EngineeringInstitute of Medicine

And an operating arm:National Research Council

The National Academies ARE…• Advisers to the nation on science,

engineering, and medicine• Independent and objective• Nonprofit• Able to draw on leading experts

from scientific and technical disciplines

The National Academies ARE NOT…• Part of the government• An advocacy organization• Consultants to for-profit entities• Laboratories

200-300 Expert Reports Each Year

• All projects independently funded• Experts volunteer their services

– Committees chosen for the study• Peer Reviewed• All reports are available to the

public

Reports have significant impacts• Arsenic in Drinking Water: 2001 Update

provided the basis for EPA decision to reduce the maximum allowable level of arsenic in drinking water from 50 to 10 parts per billion.

• The U.S. Congress appropriated an additional $21,000,000 to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to conduct assessments at nuclear reactor sites consistent with the recommendations in Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage.

Reports cover many topics of interest to states

• Climate change• Air and water quality• Invasive species• Environmental health• Disaster preparedness• Transport of radioactive materials• Flood control• Natural Resource Management• Energy

States also commission studies directly for a number of reasons• To address highly controversial or contentious

topics.• To secure advice from a source that is not a

stakeholder.• To get independent peer reviews of research

and the science underlying potential policy decisions.

• To deal with issues at the federal/state interface.

Advice on contentious issues• Endangered and Threatened

Fishes in the Klamath River Basin identified dams as a more significant issue in the decline of fish populations than water diverted to irrigate farms.

• Non-native Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay identified the potential ecological implications of alternative approaches to introducing or not introducing Asian oysters into the Chesapeake Bay.

Advice from a non-stakeholder• In 2006, the Washington state senate

passed a new water policy for the Columbia River to protect endangered salmon based upon the advice in Managing the Columbia River.

• Based on recommendations in Watershed Management of Potable Water Supply, the state of New York decided against building a $6 billion water filtration system and instead put $1.5 billion into protecting the Catskills watershed, which is the source of 90% of New York City’s drinking water.

Independent peer review• Requested by the Texas Parks and Wildlife

Department, The Science of Instream Flows reviews Texas’ proposed instream flow program, which aims to balance ecosystem requirements and human uses of water and determine how much water should be in rivers.

• Since 2003, the National Academies have reviewed proposals submitted to two of Ohio’s major awards programs—the Wright Centers of Innovation and the Biomedical Research and Technology Transfer Awards, selecting those with the greatest merit.

Issues at the intersection of federal and state issues:

• State and Federal Standards for Mobile Source Emissions supported the scientific validity of California’s emissions standards and other states’ adoption of those standards.

• States are using Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research to guide privately funded stem cell research.

Informative studies• Water Implication of Biofuel Production

in the US identified the range of water quality and quantity issues associated with biofuels and the differences between alternative biofuel feed stocks.

• Animal Biotechnology: Science-Based Concerns what we know and fear about technologies such as cloning and their possible effects—the inadvertent release of dangerous microorganisms, the safety of products derived from biotechnology, the impact of genetically engineered animals on their environment.

Some new studies in progress:• Phthalates: potential health risks individually and

collectively of phthalate esters used in plastics. • FEMA Flood Maps: accuracy assessment and cost-

effectiveness of improvements. • Ecological Impacts of Climate Change: a brief

summary of the range of effects.• Biofuels: technical feasibility to fulfill needs for

transportation fuel and the potential associated impacts.• Review of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and

Restoration Program

Advantages of Academy Studies• Unique credibility• Unparalleled ability to draw in the best

experts from around the country and the world

• The Academy is very experienced in assessing scientific and technological issues for policy makers

• The Academy is not an advocate or stakeholder

Disadvantages of Academy Studies• The Academy is not an advocate• The Academy is not local• Typical studies cost a few hundred

thousands of dollars• Typical studies take 12-15 months to

complete from time of funding• Sponsors don’t get to review or see

Academy reports in draft

Ways to Fund a Study:• Directly by individual states or

combination of states.• By federal agencies or at the request

of Congress• Via a permit requirement

How to access our resources:• Reports available in searchable format

at www.nap.edu• www.nas.edu• Subscribe to the DELS Gateway at

http://dels.nas.edu– Immediate notification of reports,

events, new projects, and committees posted for public comment