Appendix B
The Committee's Statement of Task
The committee will assess research priorities, develop a conceptual research plan, and monitor research progress toward improved understanding of the relationships between airborne particulate matter (PM), its various sources, and its effects on public health. The study will focus on PM-related research being conducted, funded, or planned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the context of PM-related research being conducted, funded, or planned by other agencies and organizations in the United States and abroad.
Four reports will be prepared. The first report, required by Congress within four months of project initiation, will identify the most important short-term and longer-term research priorities relevant to evaluating, setting, and implementing primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM). The second report will expand upon the assessment of research priorities and present conceptual plans for the monitoring and evaluation of research. Subsequent reports at the end of the third and fifth years will evaluate research progress and update the research priorities and plans as warranted.
