The VEQI also is a tool that complements the VEE s interest in environmental education and is one that teachers throughout Virginia can easily use, he added. VEQI findings are based on an analysis of more than 400,000 records compiled over the past 15 years, including records from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the University of Virginia. It is especially significant that such a wide variety of organizations has collaborated and contributed to this detailed report. Toxic releases were analyzed using the EPA s Chemical Indexing System, which quantifies the degree of harm caused by toxic releases based on toxicity and potency, providing a more accurate view of potential threat to human health. These statistics then were converted to the VEQI scale.
Higher scores indicate better environmental conditions.
The 2000 VEQI incorporates several new indicators, replacing others used last year. This year s index also is based on a larger set of data than the 1999 edition, providing a better representation of trends in environmental quality from 1985-1999. The VEQI research team also included Aaron Vaughan, a graduate research assistant with the VCU Center for Environmental Studies, and Steve Rein, Ph.D., a former VCU statistician who now is an assistant professor at California Polytechnic University.