The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) is hosting a Risk e-Learning webinar series focused on scientific research and tools that can be used to promote health and resilience to climate change.

The series will feature SRP-funded researchers, collaborators, and other subject-matter experts who aim to better understand and address how climate change affects human exposures to hazardous substances and the public health consequences of a changing climate and identify ways to build health resilience.

Building resilience to climate change includes removing hazardous substances from the environment that could be redistributed through climate events, such as flooding and hurricanes. The first session will feature SRP-funded researchers who are developing new strategies to clean-up contaminated water, using plants to mitigate drought, and designing more climate resilient communities. Presenters will discuss approaches to make ecosystems and communities more resilient to changing climatic conditions, such as drought, flooding, and pollution.

SRP Director William Suk, Ph.D., M.P.H., will provide an overview of the series and briefly discuss the rationale and goals of SRP's climate change research activities.

Raina Maier, Ph.D., of the University of Arizona SRP Center, will talk about soil health and the arid microbiome in dryland ecosystems as the climate continues to change. This talk will present results from studies in the Atacama and Sonoran Deserts showing the impact of aridity on the soil microbiome. These results will be put into the context of the role of the microbiome in reclamation of mine wastes generated by hardrock mining in arid regions. Research findings point to the need for nuanced approaches to management and regulation of mine waste reclamation efforts in a warming climate.

Galen Newman, Ph.D., of Texas A&M University SRP Center, will discuss an engagement-based, adaptive and flexible green infrastructure toolkit developed by his team to address the needs of the City of Galena Park, Texas, which has experienced severe flood damage and hazardous substance transferal during flood events. The toolkit, which can be applied based on both on-ground spatial size and underground depth to existing infrastructure, can lessen both flooding and contamination issues to improve public health outcomes.

David Sedlak, Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley SRP Center, will provide an overview of new water filtration techniques to ensure that the quality of urban runoff improves during the filtration process. His team developed robust systems that employ inexpensive geomedia that removes contaminants without impeding water flow. They also developed approaches for amending the geomedia with woodchips and other forms of organic carbon to enhance the removal of trace organics, nitrate, and metals through microbial processes. Sedlak will also discuss other approaches that can be used to enhance contaminant removal during the infiltration process.

This webinar is the first in a three-part series, please visit the pages for Session II and Session III to register and learn more. To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/SRPCCH1_100722/

Understanding and addressing climate change is critical to EPA's mission of protecting human health and the environment. This webinar will discuss how EPA is addressing the vulnerabilities of Superfund site cleanups and reuse to climate change and extreme weather events. Participants will learn about EPA tools and resources available to help communities adapt to climate change. This event will also feature the Student Conservation Association, an organization with local programs to protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks and community green spaces in all 50 states, to highlight opportunities to build ecological, social, and economic resilience. To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/superfund-redevelopment_092122/

Community Involvement at Federal Facilities is a two-hour webinar course that focuses on community involvement requirements, resources, and techniques available for Federal Facilities being cleaned up at National Priorities List (NPL) sites under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). By taking the course, participants will achieve the following objectives:Learn about community involvement requirements under CERCLA;Understand the roles of the lead federal agency and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in public involvement at Federal Facilities;Discover resources and tools available for community involvement activities;Explore community involvement techniques and approaches that can be used at Superfund sites; and,Identify community involvement opportunities throughout the Superfund process at Federal Facilities.The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture, case studies, and group discussions. The target audience for this course is federal, state, and tribal representatives who work on Federal Facility cleanups. Ideally, students should have a basic understanding of the CERCLA process. This course is part of the Federal Facilities Academy training program. Please consider registering for other Federal Facility Academy courses and obtain a certificate upon completion of the entire Federal Facility Academy series (12 courses total). To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/FFAcademy8_091422/

This webinar will offer small businesses and academic researchers an opportunity to hear from some of the Federal agencies that fund water technologies, with a special focus on investments in nanotechnology-enabled solutions. Webinar speakers will describe the fundamental goals of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs at various agencies and share details of current and upcoming solicitations.

The SBIR and STTR programs fund a diverse portfolio of startups and small businesses across technology areas and markets to stimulate technological innovation, meet Federal research and development (R&D) needs, and increase commercialization to transition R&D into impact.

The webinar will be co-hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). Representatives from the EPA, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) will provide an overview of their current and upcoming SBIR/STTR funding opportunities for water nanotechnologies. The agencies' presentations will be followed by a Q&A session. To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/SBIR-STTR_082522/

This webinar will describe the process and results from a research project concerning an issue that arises when assessing the risks, doses, or working levels of indoor radon from radioactive contamination at Superfund sites. Radon and its daughter products are the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. The radon indoor Inhalation fractional Equilibrium Factor (Feq) is a unitless disequilibrium ratio of measured radon gas progeny alpha emissions to total progeny alpha emissions at equilibrium in a specified volume. The Superfund program developed radon vapor intrusion screening level (RVISL) calculator to assist with risk assessment and decision-making at Superfund sites where indoor Rn-222, Rn-220, and Rn-219 is a contaminant. The focus of this project was to take a closer look at the impact of factors such as exhalation, solid-particle concentration, surface deposition, and air quality. In this review, studies regarding the influence of these factors were summarized to provide a more comprehensive approach in establishing risk assessment for public health. To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/radon_082422/

Groundwater Policy and Federal Facilities Overview is a two-hour webinar course that provides an overview of U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) groundwater policies and guidance with emphasis on cleanups at federal facilities. By taking this course, participants will achieve the following objectives:Identify EPA groundwater policies;Understand groundwater classification and beneficial use in restoration objectives;Understand nature and extent considerations from groundwater contaminant plumes;Explore applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs) commonly associated with groundwater remedies;Identify groundwater considerations for monitored natural attenuation (MNA), institutional controls, and technical impracticability waivers; and,Discover information on major groundwater policies from other federal agencies, such as Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Energy (DoE).The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture and quizzes. The target audience for this course is federal, state, and tribal representatives who work on Federal Facility cleanups. Ideally, students should have a basic understanding the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). This course is part of the Federal Facilities Academy training program. Please consider registering for other Federal Facility Academy courses and obtain a certificate upon completion of the entire Federal Facility Academy series (12 courses total). To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/FFAcademy7_081022/

RE-Powering America's Land Initiative invites federal and state colleagues to join us for a special webinar demonstration of the updated EPA RE-Powering Mapper. You will learn why your data is important to putting idle and underutilized land back to productive reuse. The mapper demonstration will show you how to identify contaminated lands that might be suitable for renewable energy development in your state. Many states collaborated with RE-Powering America's Land Initiative to provide state level data and assisted in updating the RE-Powering Mapper. RE-Powering would like to extend a thank you to these states and their representatives! EPA's RE-Powering Mapper is an interactive web application, allows users to identify contaminated lands, landfills and mine sites for renewable energy development. Using renewable energy criteria developed in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), EPA has pre-screened over 190,000 sites for their renewable energy potential. As part of this effort, EPA collaborated with state agencies from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Site screening was performed in August 2021.

This webinar is open to the public. To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/RE-Powering-Mapper_080822/

This webinar will look at various steps of the remedy selection process, from the baseline MEC risk assessment that is conducted at the end of the Remedial Investigation (RI) through to describing the Selected Remedy in in the Record of Decision (ROD). The topics presented will address creating risk scenarios for the Risk Management Methodology (RMM), and show how these can be used to support the development of Remedial Action Objectives (RAOs) during the Feasibility Study (FS). Additional topics will cover the development and evaluation of remedial alternatives in the FS that achieve the RAO, and outline some best practices for describing the Selected Remedy and cleanup goals in the ROD. To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/m2s2fy22-3_072022/

Consideration of future use is an integral part of the EPA's cleanup programs. Superfund site restoration and reuse can revitalize local economies and communities with recreational opportunities. This webinar will showcase the benefits of recreational reuses at Superfund sites across the country. To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/superfund-redevelopment_071922/

RCRA and CERCLA Integration at Federal Facilities is a two-hour webinar course that will provide an overview of how the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) can be integrated at Federal Facilities through use of Federal Facility Agreements, regulator coordination, and lead regulator approach. By taking this course, participants will achieve the following objectives:Learn about Federal Facility Agreements and how they identify RCRA and CERCLA roles and responsibilities;Explore relevant memos and policies addressing RCRA and CERCLA coordination; and,Become familiar with some RCRA policies that apply to CERCLA wastes.The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture, case studies, and quizzes. The target audience for this course is federal, state, and tribal representatives who work on Federal Facility cleanups. Ideally, students should have a basic understanding of RCRA and CERCLA. This course is part of the Federal Facilities Academy training program. Please consider registering for other Federal Facility Academy courses and obtain a certificate upon completion of the entire Federal Facility Academy series (12 courses total). To view this archive online or download the slides associated with this seminar, please visit http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/FFAcademy6_071322/