Under the Clean Water Act (CWA), the EPA is responsible for protecting the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters. Toxic contaminants in bottom sediments of the nation’s lakes, rivers, wetlands and coastal water create the potential for continued environmental degradation, even where water column contaminant levels comply with established water quality criteria. In response, EPA has developed an Agency-wide Contaminated Sediment Strategy to address the problem of contaminated sediments. One key feature of this strategy is the development of Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs). SQGs would be used to assess the extent of sediment contamination, or to implement measures designed to limit or prevent additional contamination. A number of specific technical approaches for the development of SQGs that are based on theoretical and empirical foundations have been proposed, including effects-based correlative approaches, equilibrium partitioning, and consensus using a combination of approaches. While each have their own advantages and limitations, any SQG must consider the bio-availability of contaminants in the sediment and the ecological realism associated with the implementation. Therefore, it is clear that the implementation of any SQG will incorporate biological testing. Based on the current state of the science, EPA will likely proceed with the establishment of formal SQGs which will rely heavily on the equilibrium partitioning (EqP) approach. There are a number of significant research needs that will need to be addressed as the EqP approach is implemented, including sediment quality modeling, sediment toxicity identification evaluations, studies that address bio-availability, studies that address the relative importance of exposure via sediment ingestion or ingestion of contaminated benthos, toxicological demonstrations of applicability of any SQGs, field verification, extension of the non-ionic mixture models to non-PAH compounds, and the establishment of toxicological databases (with benthic organisms) for standard toxicity endpoints.