166 



STRhSCTHtNINC THE RAD INTRASTHUCTURK 69 



work to advance the development of innovative environmental technologies 

 and should forge rel:;iionships with industry in advancing toward common 

 goals The laborator)- should work in conjunction with other federal depart- 

 ments and agencies to promote the development and diffusion of environ- 

 mental technoK gies through a federal interagency Environmental Technol- 

 ogies Program discussed later in this repon (sec page 78). 



A National Health Effects Research Laboratory 



We recommend raising the EPA Health Effects Research Laboratory in Research 

 Triangle Park, North Carolina, to the same status as the other three pro- 

 posed EPA national laboratories. This would involve no significant change 

 in the mission or staffing of this laboratory. The National Health Effects 

 Research Laboratory should work closely with the National Institute of 

 Environmental Health Sciences in planning and implementing research efforts. 



Leadership and Cooperation 



Each of the four proposed EPA national laboratories should be dircaed by 

 an outstanding scientist or engineer of national stature who has the admin- 

 istrative skills necessary to direa programs of this scope. Every effort should 

 be made to attraa outstanding scientists, engineers, and other personnel 

 to these organizations. Federal personnel should interact with individuals 

 in the proposed Environmental Research Institutes (discussed in the next 

 section) and in academia, nongovernmental organizations, and industry. 

 In addition, it is essential that all four laboratories work closely with the 

 proposed Institute for Environmental Assessment (see page 59) in evaluating 

 environmental problems and alternative approaches to addressing them. 



Environmental Research Instttutes 



■ EPA should establish and support up to six major Environmental Re- 

 search Institutes (ERIs) associated with academic institutions and nongov- 

 ernmental organizations across the country. 



Ibday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agenq' provides support 

 to a set of four university-based Environmental Research Centers, or "centers 

 of excellence." Each center specializes in a panicular research topic of in- 

 terest to the agenq', receiving about $1 million per year from EPA. The work 

 of the centers is severely limited by inadequate funding. Furthermore, they 



