Science To Achieve Results Research Articles

Demanding Innovation: The Impact of Consumer Subsidies on Solar Panel Production Costs

Private sector innovation is critical to mitigating and adapting to climate change. This paper studies innovation in solar energy technology, a key source of clean energy that has experienced rapid price declines over the past decade. To understand the causes and effects of innovation, I estimate a dynamic structural model of competition among solar panel manufacturers. The model captures important features of the industry, including the role of government subsidies for solar adoption, and I employ a unique measure of technological progress that is observable and verifiable. The results produce two main insights. First, ignoring innovation by firms can generate biased estimates of the effects of government policy. Second, decentralized government intervention in a global market generates spillovers; a subsidy in one country causes international firms to innovate more, leading to lower prices and increased adoption elsewhere. This spillover underscores the need for international coordination by governments and the private sector to address climate change. This paper was accepted by Erica Plambeck, Special Section of Management Science on Business and Climate Change. Funding: The author acknowledges support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship Assistance Agreement FP-91769401-0] and Harvard [Joseph Crump Fellowship]. Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4662 .

Nutrient control in water bodies: A systems approach.

Nutrient pollution is considered a wicked problem because of its many significant economic, social, and environmental impacts that are caused by multiple pollutants originating from a variety of sources and pathways that exist across different temporal and spatial scales. Further adding to the difficulty in managing nutrient pollution is that it is a global, rural, and urban problem. A systems approach can improve nutrient management by incorporating technological, environmental, and societal considerations. This approach can consider valuation of monetized and nonmonetized co-benefits and the inherent consequences that make up a nutrient management program. In this introduction to a special collection of papers on nutrient pollution, we describe several systems frameworks that can be used to support nutrient management and evaluation of system performance as it relates to impacts, then highlight several attributes and barriers of nutrient management that point to the need for a systems framework, and conclude with thoughts on implementing systems approaches to nutrient management with effective community engagement and use of new technologies. This special collection presents results from a USEPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) initiative to advance solutions to nutrient pollution through innovative and sustainable research and demonstration projects for nutrient management based on a systems approach. These studies evaluate several promising nutrient control technologies for stormwater or domestic wastewater, investigate the effects of agricultural conservation practices and stream restoration strategies on nutrient loads, and discuss several challenges and opportunities-social, policy, institutional, and financial considerations-that can accelerate adoption of reliable technologies to achieve system-level outcomes.

Community-based research as a mechanism to reduce environmental health disparities in american Indian and alaska native communities.

Racial and ethnic minority communities, including American Indian and Alaska Natives, have been disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution and contamination. This includes siting and location of point sources of pollution, legacies of contamination of drinking and recreational water, and mining, military and agricultural impacts. As a result, both quantity and quality of culturally important subsistence resources are diminished, contributing to poor nutrition and obesity, and overall reductions in quality of life and life expectancy. Climate change is adding to these impacts on Native American communities, variably causing drought, increased flooding and forced relocation affecting tribal water resources, traditional foods, forests and forest resources, and tribal health. This article will highlight several extramural research projects supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) tribal environmental research grants as a mechanism to address the environmental health inequities and disparities faced by tribal communities. The tribal research portfolio has focused on addressing tribal environmental health risks through community based participatory research. Specifically, the STAR research program was developed under the premise that tribal populations may be at an increased risk for environmentally-induced diseases as a result of unique subsistence and traditional practices of the tribes and Alaska Native villages, community activities, occupations and customs, and/or environmental releases that significantly and disproportionately impact tribal lands. Through a series of case studies, this article will demonstrate how grantees—tribal community leaders and members and academic collaborators—have been addressing these complex environmental concerns by developing capacity, expertise and tools through community-engaged research.

A population-based case-control study of urinary bisphenol A concentrations and risk of endometriosis.

Is bisphenol A (BPA) exposure associated with the risk of endometriosis, an estrogen-driven disease of women of reproductive age? Our study suggests that increased urinary BPA is associated with an increased risk of non-ovarian pelvic endometriosis, but not ovarian endometriosis. BPA, a high-volume chemical used in the polymer industry, has been the focus of public and scientific concern given its demonstrated estrogenic effects in vivo and in vitro and widespread human exposure. Prior studies of BPA and endometriosis have yielded inconsistent results and were limited by the participant sampling framework, small sample size or use of serum (which has very low/transient concentrations) instead of urine to measure BPA concentrations. We used data from the Women's Risk of Endometriosis study, a population-based case-control study of endometriosis, conducted among female enrollees of a large healthcare system in the US Pacific Northwest. Cases were women with incident, surgically confirmed endometriosis diagnosed between 1996 and 2001 and controls were women randomly selected from the defined population that gave rise to the cases, without a current or prior diagnosis of endometriosis. Total urinary BPA concentrations were measured in 143 cases and 287 population-based controls using single, spot urine samples collected after disease diagnosis in cases. Total urinary BPA concentration (free and conjugated species) was quantified using a high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for urinary creatinine concentrations, age and reference year. We also evaluated the association by disease subtypes, ovarian and non-ovarian pelvic endometriosis, that may be etiologically distinct. We did not observe a statistically significant association between total urinary BPA concentrations and endometriosis overall. We did observe statistically significant positive associations when evaluating total urinary BPA concentrations in relation to non-ovarian pelvic endometriosis (second versus lowest quartile: OR 3.0; 95% CI: 1.2, 7.3; third versus lowest quartile: OR 3.0; 95% CI: 1.1, 7.6), but not in relation to ovarian endometriosis. Given the short elimination half-life of BPA, our study was limited by the timing of collection of the single urine sample, that occurred after case diagnosis. Thus, our BPA measurements may not accurately represent the participants' levels during the etiologically relevant time period for endometriosis development. In addition, since it was not feasible in this population-based study to surgically confirm the absence of disease, it is possible that some controls may have had undiagnosed endometriosis. By using population-based data, it is more likely that the controls represented the underlying frequency of BPA exposure in contrast to prior studies that used for comparison control women undergoing surgical evaluation, where the indication for surgery may be associated with BPA exposure. The significant associations observed in this study suggest that BPA may affect the normal dynamic structural changes of hormonally responsive endometrial tissue during the menstrual cycle, promoting the establishment and persistence of refluxed endometrial tissue in cases with non-ovarian pelvic endometriosis. Further research is warranted to confirm our novel findings in endometriosis subtypes that may be etiologically distinct. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (grant number R03 ES019976), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant number R01 HD033792); US Environmental Protection Agency, Science to Achieve Results (STAR) (grant number R82943-01-0) and National Institute of Nursing Research (grant number F31NR013092) to KU for training support. This work was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official view of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Nursing Research or the National Institutes of Health. The authors have no actual or potential competing financial interests. Not applicable.

Synthesizing scientific progress: outcomes from U.S. EPA's carbonaceous aerosols and source apportionment STAR grants.

In response to recommendations by the National Research Council in the late 1990 s and early 2000s for critical research into understanding sources and formation mechanisms of PM2.5, EPA created multiple funding opportunities through the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program: "Measurement, Modeling, and Analysis Methods for Airborne Carbonaceous Fine Particulate Matter" (2003) and "Source Apportionment of Particulate Matter" (2004). The carbonaceous fine PM solicitation resulted in 16 different projects focusing on the measurement methods, source identification, and exploration of the chemical and physical processes important for PM2.5 carbon in the atmosphere. The source apportionment funding opportunity led to 11 projects improving tools and characterization of source-receptor relationships of PM2.5. Many funding mechanisms include a final synopsis of funded research and published manuscripts. Here, this evaluation is extended to include citations of research published as part of these solicitations. These solicitations resulted in 275 publications that included more than 850 unique authors in 37 different journals with a weighted average 2011 impact factor of 4.21. At the time of this assessment, these publications have been cited by 13,612 peer review journal articles with 31 (11%) of the manuscripts being cited over 100 times.

Toward a General Theory for How Climate Change Will Affect Infectious Disease

Toward a General Theory for How Climate Change Will Affect Infectious Disease

Using Groundwater Models to Evaluate Strategies for Drinking-Water Protection in Rural Subdivisions

Problem: Groundwater contamination is a concern in rural residential subdivisions where numerous septic systems and private wells are sited in close proximity. Although most state codes regulate the construction and location of private wells, these regulations do not usually account for site-specific conditions that may impact drinking-water quality. Purpose: Groundwater models provide a technical basis for delineating groundwater flow to domestic wells. Despite their widespread use in the hydrologic sciences, planners and developers rarely have access to such models. We aimed to assess existing regulations for domestic wells and septic systems and illustrate how groundwater models can be used to evaluate strategies for additional drinking-water protection in unsewered residential subdivisions. Methods: We developed groundwater flow models for two subdivisions in southern Wisconsin, analyzed the results, and disseminated them to local officials, developers, and residents. Results and conclusions: Models of both subdivisions indicate that deeper individual wells or a single community well within a protected source area would improve the likelihood of obtaining high-quality drinking water. In response, several homeowners in one subdivision chose to pay for deeper wells and well casings or individual home water-treatment systems. The developer of the second site incorporated an unenforceable recommendation for deeper well casings into subdivision covenants, but none of the wells drilled so far have followed the recommendation. Implementing and enforcing well construction or setback criteria based on model results may require changing Wisconsin state codes to explicitly define what can and cannot be regulated at the local level. Takeaway for practice: Hydrogeologists can use standard groundwater modeling methods and information about local hydrologic conditions to inform planners as they develop guidelines to improve drinking-water quality. Partnerships between local hydrogeologists and planners are essential because differences in hydrogeologic setting, groundwater quality concerns, and regulatory structure will cause model results and proposed guidelines to vary on a case-by-case basis. Research support: Funding for this research was provided by the EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) graduate fellowship program, the University of Wisconsin Groundwater Resources Advisory Council (administered by the Wisconsin Water Resources Institute), and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Computational Toxicology as Implemented by the U.S. EPA: Providing High Throughput Decision Support Tools for Screening and Assessing Chemical Exposure, Hazard and Risk

Computational toxicology is the application of mathematical and computer models to help assess chemical hazards and risks to human health and the environment. Supported by advances in informatics, high-throughput screening (HTS) technologies, and systems biology, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA is developing robust and flexible computational tools that can be applied to the thousands of chemicals in commerce, and contaminant mixtures found in air, water, and hazardous-waste sites. The Office of Research and Development (ORD) Computational Toxicology Research Program (CTRP) is composed of three main elements. The largest component is the National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT), which was established in 2005 to coordinate research on chemical screening and prioritization, informatics, and systems modeling. The second element consists of related activities in the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) and the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL). The third and final component consists of academic centers working on various aspects of computational toxicology and funded by the U.S. EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program. Together these elements form the key components in the implementation of both the initial strategy, A Framework for a Computational Toxicology Research Program (U.S. EPA, 2003), and the newly released The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Strategic Plan for Evaluating the Toxicity of Chemicals (U.S. EPA, 2009a). Key intramural projects of the CTRP include digitizing legacy toxicity testing information toxicity reference database (ToxRefDB), predicting toxicity (ToxCast) and exposure (ExpoCast), and creating virtual liver (v-Liver) and virtual embryo (v-Embryo) systems models. U.S. EPA-funded STAR centers are also providing bioinformatics, computational toxicology data and models, and developmental toxicity data and models. The models and underlying data are being made publicly available through the Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource (ACToR), the Distributed Structure-Searchable Toxicity (DSSTox) Database Network, and other U.S. EPA websites. While initially focused on improving the hazard identification process, the CTRP is placing increasing emphasis on using high-throughput bioactivity profiling data in systems modeling to support quantitative risk assessments, and in developing complementary higher throughput exposure models. This integrated approach will enable analysis of life-stage susceptibility, and understanding of the exposures, pathways, and key events by which chemicals exert their toxicity in developing systems (e.g., endocrine-related pathways). The CTRP will be a critical component in next-generation risk assessments utilizing quantitative high-throughput data and providing a much higher capacity for assessing chemical toxicity than is currently available.

Comparison of Speciation Sampler and PC-BOSS Fine Particulate Matter Organic Material Results Obtained in Lindon, Utah, during Winter 2001–2002

The Particle Concentrator-Brigham Young University Organic Sampling System (PC-BOSS) has been previously verified as being capable of measuring total fine particulate matter (PM2.5), including semi-volatile species. The present study was conducted to determine if the simple modification of a commercial speciation sampler with a charcoal denuder followed by a filter pack containing a quartz filter and a charcoal-impregnated glass (CIG) fiber filter would allow for the measurement of total PM2.5, including semi-volatile organic material. Data were collected using an R&P (Rupprecht and Pastasnik Co., Inc.) Partisol Model 2300 speciation sampler; an R&P Partisol speciation sampler modified with a BOSS denuder, followed by a filter pack with a quartz and a CIG filter; a Met One spiral aerosol speciation sampler (SASS); and the PC-BOSS from November 2001 to March 2002 at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) sampling site in Lindon, UT. Total PM2.5 mass, ammonium nitrate (both nonvolatile and semi-volatile), ammonium sulfate, organic carbon (both non-volatile and semi-volatile), and elemental carbon were determined on a 24-hr basis. Results obtained with the individual samplers were compared to determine the capability of the modified R&P speciation sampler for measuring total PM2.5, including semi-volatile components. Data obtained with the modified speciation sampler agreed with the PC-BOSS results. Data obtained with the two unmodified speciation samplers were low by an average of 26% because of the loss of semi-volatile organic material from the quartz filter during sample collection.

Nanotechnology applications and implications research supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency STAR grants program

Since 2002, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been funding research on the environmental aspects of nanotechnology through its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grants program. In total, more than $25 million has been awarded for 86 research projects on the environmental applications and implications of nanotechnology. In the applications area, grantees have produced promising results in green manufacturing, remediation, sensors, and treatment using nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Although there are many potential benefits of nanotechnology, there has also been increasing concern about the environmental and health effects of nanomaterials, and there are significant gaps in the data needed to address these concerns. Research performed by STAR grantees is beginning to address these needs.

Monitoring and Source Apportionment of Fine Particulate Matter at Lindon, Utah

Under the EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) and the Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) programs an intensive sampling campaign was performed during the month of August 2002 at the state of Utah Air Quality monitoring site in Lindon, Utah. The concentrations and composition of PM2.5 were measured using a variety of continuous samplers including a TEOM monitor to measure non-volatile PM2.5, a RAMS monitor to measure total PM2.5 including semi-volatile species, an ion-chromatographic based instrument to measure sulfate and nitrate, and an Anderson Aethalometer to measure elemental carbon and UV adsorption. Integrated PM2.5 data were collected using a PC-BOSS sampler, for the determination of detailed particle composition. Continuous gas phase concentrations of NO, NO2, NOx, H2O2, and O3 were also monitored. One-hour average PM2.5 data have been combined with continuous gas phase data to perform source apportionment using the EPA UNMIX program. Sources of fine parti...

Development and Applications of Microbial Ecogenomic Indicators for Monitoring Water Quality: Report of a Workshop Assessing the State of the Science, Research Needs and Future Directions

This article brings forth recommendations from a workshop sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) and Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (EMAP) Programs and by the Council of State Governments, held during May 2002 in Kansas City, Kansas. The workshop assembled microbial ecologists and environmental scientists to determine what research and science is needed to bring existing molecular biological approaches and newer technologies arising from microbial genomic research into environmental monitoring and water quality assessments. Development of genomics and proteomics technologies for environmental science is a very new area having potential to improve environmental water quality assessments. The workshop participants noted that microbial ecologists are already using molecular biological methods well suited for monitoring and water quality assessments and anticipate that genomics-enabled technologies could be made available for monitoring within a decade. Recommendations arising from the workshop include needs for (i) identification of informative microbial gene sequences, (ii) improved understandings of linkages between indicator taxa, gene expression and environmental condition, (iii) technological advancements towards field application, and (iv) development of the appropriate databases.

The Presence of Dialkylphosphates in Fresh Fruit Juices: Implication For Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure and Risk Assessments

This study was designed to determine whether dialkylphosphates (DAPs) are present in fresh fruit juices, as a result of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides degradation. Fresh conventional and organic fruit (apple and orange) juices were purchased from local grocery stores. DAPs were found in both conventional and organic juices, and the original levels were higher, for both apple and orange juices, in conventional than in organic juices. Additional DAPs were found in OP pesticide fortified juices after 72 h of storage at 4°C, suggesting a degradation of OP pesticides in juices. Overall, 12% and 36.2% of fortified azinphosmethyl, a dimethyl OP pesticide, and the combination of fortified diazinon and chlorpyrifos, both diethyl OP pesticides, were degraded to dimethyl and diethyl DAPs, respectively. Although the exact mechanism of the degradation is unknown, hydrolysis is likely the cause of OP pesticide degradation in juice. The presence of DAPs in fresh fruit juices clouds the validity of using urinary DAP measurements for estimating OP pesticide exposures in humans, particularly in children. The overestimated OP pesticide exposures based on urinary DAPs reported in other studies is likely due to the coexistence of preformed DAPs and DAPs resulting from OP pesticide exposures. Thus, before urinary DAP concentrations can be reliably used in exposure and risk assessment, the proportion of the concentration attributable to environmental DAP exposure, particularly through the diet, must be ascertained. In conclusion, urinary DAPs have many limitations when being used as biomarkers for OP pesticides in exposure and risk assessment, and caution should be exercised when interpreting DAPs results.This work was supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program (grant R829364). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Auction Design for Voluntary Conservation Programs

American Journal of Agricultural EconomicsVolume 86, Issue 5 p. 1211-1217 Principal Paper Session Auction Design for Voluntary Conservation Programs Timothy N. Cason, Timothy N. Cason Professor Department of Economics, Purdue UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorLata Gangadharan, Lata Gangadharan Senior lecturer Department of Economics, University of MelbourneSearch for more papers by this author Timothy N. Cason, Timothy N. Cason Professor Department of Economics, Purdue UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorLata Gangadharan, Lata Gangadharan Senior lecturer Department of Economics, University of MelbourneSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 December 2004 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0002-9092.2004.00666.xCitations: 76 Financial support was provided by the US EPA National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Grant R829609. Although the research described in the article has been funded in part by the EPA, it has not been subjected to any EPA review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred. This article was presented in a principal paper session at the AAEA annual meeting (Denver, Colorado, August 2004). The articles in these sessions are not subjected to the journal's standard refereeing process. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume86, Issue5December 2004Pages 1211-1217 RelatedInformation

Corporate environmental behavior research: informing environmental policy

Federal and state environmental agencies are naturally interested in understanding both motivations for corporate environmental behavior (CEB) and likely business responses to available policy interventions. Consequently, the legal and social science research communities’ recent interest in corporate environmental responsibility is welcome, and in fact, is increasingly supported by EPA through science to achieve results (STAR) grants. It is imperative that this type of research shapes the direction of environmental policy for the future. However, to do so, it needs to be well focused and understandable to policy makers. The principal purpose of this paper is to help scholars focus their research to make their results more useful to decision makers.

EPA External Research Grants Program faces steep budget cuts

The Bush administration—s proposed budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency's research grants program, Science to Achieve Results (STAR),came under criticism at a hearing of the Science Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards of the U.S. House of Representatives. The hearing was held 11 March.Subcommittee members and several witnesses said that a proposed $36 million cut to the STAR'S fiscal year 2005 budget—compared to the FY2004 proposed budget—is too steep. They said the proposed $65‐million budget—which would be a cut of more than 30% from the previous fiscal year—would harm the program, as well as the agency's ability to receive outside research advice on a range of cutting‐edge environmental issues. Funding for STAR graduate fellowships also would be cut by $3.1 million, compared to the enacted level for FY2004.

Sources of Fine Particulate Material along the Wasatch Front

The concentration and composition of PM2.5 has been measured with a variety of continuous and integrated samplers at the Hawthorne EPA Environmental Monitoring for Public Awareness and Community Tracking (EMPACT) sampling site in Salt Lake City, UT, and at an EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) sampling site in Bountiful, UT. Data are considered at both sites during a 10-day winter period with high PM2.5 concentrations due to winter inversions, and at the Hawthorne site only during a fourteen day summer period when the site was impacted by smoke from wildfires in the Wasatch Mountains. The PM2.5 was dominated by organic material and ammonium nitrate in the winter and by organic material in the summer. In both cases, substantial amounts of sem-volatile material, SVM, was present which was not measured by a Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM) monitor but was detected by a Real-Time Ambient Mass Sampler (RAMS). The PM2.5 data have been combined with concentrations of particulate soot and soil c...

News Briefs: More than 15% of the projects funded by EPA's Science To Achieve Results (STAR) program covered research that was not expected to be used,

News Briefs: More than 15% of the projects funded by EPA's Science To Achieve Results (STAR) program covered research that was not expected to be used,