The U.S. Clean Water Act calls for the minimization of "adverse environmental impact" at cooling water intake structures. To facilitate an exchange of information among all stakeholders in the issue, the Electric Power Research Institute organised a national symposium in 2001 to discuss the meaning of adverse environmental impact and methods for its assessment. Technical experts in federal and state resource agencies, academia, industry and non-governmental organizations attended the symposium. This is a collection of peer-reviewed papers, intended both to inform and to encourage the development of rules regarding the minimization of adverse environmental impact at cooling water intake structures.

This report by the Nat. Science and Technology Council¿s U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) is part of a series of Synthesis and Assessment Products produced by the CCSP. This series of 21 reports is aimed at providing current evaluations of climate change science to inform public debate, policy, and operational decisions and is also intended to inform CCSP¿s consideration of future program priorities. CCSP¿s guiding vision is to provide the Nation and the global community with the science-based knowledge to manage the risk and opportunities of change in the climate and related environmental systems. This report will enhance understanding of the effects of climate change on energy systems in the U.S. Illustrations.