[USCC] Fwd: Cost/Benefit Analysis of Environmental Regulatory Programs

[Jim McNelly]

>*   Cost/Benefit Analysis of Environmental Regulatory Programs - 
>Assessment of the Value of Reducing Mortality Risks - The EPA 
>Environmental Economics Advisory Committee (EEAC), a unit of the EPA 
>Science Advisory Board (SAB), will meet on September 14 and 15 in 
>Washington, DC " ... to discuss appropriate methods for valuing 
>mortality risks in the context of cost-benefit analysis. The EEAC 
>will be augmented by economists from the chartered Science Advisory 
>Board as well as the Advisory Council on Clean Air Compliance 
>Analysis ... [EPA] uses a value of statistical life (VSL) to express 
>the benefits of mortality risk reductions in monetary terms for use 
>in benefit cost analyses of its rules and regulations. EPA has used 
>the same central default value (adjusted for inflation) in its 
>primary analyses since 1999 when the Agency updated its Guidelines 
>for Preparing Economic Analyses (2000). Prior to the release of the 
>Guidelines, EPA sought advice from the Science Advisory Board's 
>Environmental Economics Advisory Committee (SAB-EEAC) on the 
>appropriateness of this estimate and its derivation. In 2000, EPA 
>also consulted with the SAB-EEAC on the appropriateness of making 
>adjustments to VSL estimates to capture risk and population 
>characteristics associated with fatal cancer risks. On May 12-13, 
>2004, the Environmental Economics Advisory Committee held a 
>consultation to discuss the robustness of estimates from the 
>mortality risk valuation literature. EPA is now in the process of 
>revising and updating its Guidelines and as such would like 
>additional guidance on its approach to valuing mortality risk 
>reductions. The EEAC has been asked to review two papers related to 
>this topic. The first paper (posted at 
><http://yosemite.epa.gov/EE/epa/eerm.nsf/vwRepNumLookup/EE-0494?OpenDocument>http://yosemite.epa.gov/EE/epa/eerm.nsf/vwRepNumLookup/EE-0494?OpenDocument 
>) addresses the application of meta analysis techniques to the 
>derivation of estimates for mortality risk reduction. A second paper 
>discusses appropriate and available methods for valuing mortality 
>risk reductions when affected populations have varying life 
>expectancies. This paper will be posted at 
><http://yosemite.epa.gov/EE/epa/eerm.nsf/vwRepNumLookup/EE-0495?OpenDocument>http://yosemite.epa.gov/EE/epa/eerm.nsf/vwRepNumLookup/EE-0495?OpenDocument 
>..." - Comments to be considered by the committee during its meeting 
>are due by August 31 - A list of members of the EEAC is posted at 
><http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/eeac_bios_2006.pdf>http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/eeac_bios_2006.pdf 
>- Questions about meeting arrangements may be made to Dr. Holly 
>Stallworth at 202 343 9867; e-mail: 
><mailto:Stallworth.Holly at EPA.gov>Stallworth.Holly at EPA.gov - 
>Questions about EPA work on valuing mortality risk reduction may be 
>directed Dr. Chris Dockins at 202 566 2286; e-mail: 
><mailto:Dockins.Chris at EPA.gov>Dockins.Chris at EPA.gov - EPA August 21 
>Federal Register: 
><http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-13744.htm>http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-13744.htm 
>
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>The above information was sent to you by:
>
>Jack Cooper
>
>Food Industry Environmental Network, LLC (FIEN, LLC) - see 
>http://www.fien.com - FIEN, LLC is a regulatory and policy e-mail 
>update service for the agriculture and food industry which is 
>operated as a partnership by:
>
>Jack L. Cooper
>Food Industry Environmental Network, LLC
>33 Falling Creek Court, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904
>Phone: 301 384 8287 --- E- Mail: JLC at fien.com
>and
>Cindy Roberts
>Food Industry Environmental Network, LLC
>1464 Harvard St. NW, Suite 14
>Washington, DC 20009-4610
>Phone: 202 669 6951 --- E-Mail: CAR at fien.com