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David BloomActing Chief Financial OfficerOffice of the Chief Financial Officer
FY 14-15: Agency Priority Goal
Improve environmental outcomes and enhance service to the regulated community and the public.
Priority Goal
Goal Overview
Environmental regulators face ever growing needs to share information within and across agencies, reduce staff burden of data entry, reduce regulatory reporting burdens, and improve environmental and human health protection. There is also an increasing expectation from the public and regulated community for the use of on-line systems and the desire for data transparency and personalized access. Both federal and state agencies recognize that easier access to and use of environmental data will facilitate better environmental protection and decision-making while also increasing overall data transparency.
Consistent with the 2012 White House Digital Government Strategy and Executive Order 13563, EPA seeks to transform the way business is conducted. E-Enterprise for the Environment is a joint initiative of states and EPA to improve environmental outcomes and enhance service to the regulated community and the public by maximizing the use of advanced monitoring and information technologies, optimizing operations, and increasing transparency. E-Enterprise will enable new environmental management approaches by modernizing EPA programs and regulations while streamlining and improving existing business processes. E-Enterprise will use the transformational capabilities of information and advanced monitoring technologies to identify and implement programmatic and service improvements.
These improvements will include “smart” tools and services that guide the regulated community in understanding and fulfilling their federal, state and, local regulatory reporting obligations, offer basic validations and error checking of entered information, and support electronic signature submissions. E-Enterprise projects that take advantage of tools and practices such as advanced monitoring technology and streamlined data collection will also expand the ability of the government, regulated entities, and the public to see and measure pollutant discharges, emissions and environmental conditions. A fundamental premise of E-Enterprise is that providing a more complete and integrated (cross media - air, water, and land) view of environmental data can support greener behavior of the public and regulated entities. For example, broad availability of high-speed internet allows real-time reporting of emissions and provides unprecedented opportunities for transparency and public involvement in matters affecting local environmental conditions. These technological advances will allow better tracking of environmental progress. Innovative technology can also help regulators improve compliance with environmental laws.
Strategies
As a state-EPA joint approach to environmental management, E-Enterprise will be led and managed by the E-Enterprise Leadership Council (EELC). The EELC’s responsibilities include identifying, soliciting, reviewing, and prioritizing E-Enterprise projects, harmonizing state and EPA resources (existing and new investments) to support these projects, resolving policy issues impeding E-Enterprise project implementations, chartering and overseeing appropriate teams as necessary, and taking other actions as deemed necessary to achieve the vision of E-Enterprise.
EPA and states are investing in this partnership because their business processes are interdependent. Reforms will require changes of both EPA and state procedures. Further, given the scope of potential changes, E-Enterprise is an inherently long-term proposition and will require the ongoing support of both states and EPA. Implementation of E-Enterprise will occur through the investment decisions of partners as they implement new and upgrade existing e-government systems.
Progress Update
E-Enterprise successfully achieved its three-part APG. In the fourth quarter of FY 2015, Phase I of the E-Enterprise Portal was completed including eight use cases and services. The Agency, along with states, reached out to over 500 stakeholders to gather requirements for the design. The Agency reached its goal of reducing one million hours of burden as the result of moving from paper to electronic reporting in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System as well as in TSCA and Clean Air Act programs. The Agency exceeded its goal of having real-time monitoring systems in two communities with the placement of Village Green benches in six different cities. The Village Green benches are solar-powered air quality monitoring stations that generate real-time air quality data and make it accessible to the public through EPA's website. EPA and States will continue to move forward with E-Enterprise modernizing and streamlining environmental programs with the goal of reducing burden, increasing efficiency, and making environmental data more readily accessible.
Next Steps
No Data Available
Other Indicators
Proposed E-Enterprise Regulations
Reduced ICR Burden Hours
New electronic data exchanges
Contributing Programs & Other Factors
E-Enterprise is a collaborative effort and seeks to take advantage of the shared vision between states and EPA to improve environmental outcomes and dramatically enhance service to the regulated community and the public. In September 2013, EPA’s Administrator and ECOS President signed the charter for State and EPA E-Enterprise Leadership Council.
As E-Enterprise moves forward, EPA and states will broaden the collaboration to include other environmental regulators including tribes, municipalities and other authorities. E-Enterprise will also invite input from the regulated community, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions and the public. Specifically, the public, industry, and trade associations will be informed and involved through proposed regulation comment periods, and websites in support of rules. Also, EPA will be encouraging private sector development of reporting tools to drive innovation, reduce costs, and help regulated entities to comply through increased transparency and access to environmental data.
Expand All
Strategic Goals
Strategic Goal:
Addressing Climate Change and Improving Air Quality
Statement:
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop adaptation strategies to address climate change, and protect and improve air quality.
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Minimize the threats posed by climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and taking actions that help to protect human health and help communities and ecosystems become more sustainable and resilient to the effects of climate change.
Description:
EPA’s strategies to address climate change reflect the President’s call to action in his Climate Action Plan (June 2013), which, among other initiatives, tasks EPA with setting carbon dioxide (CO2) standards for power plants and applying the Agency’s authorities and other tools to address hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and methane. These strategies support the President's goal to reduce GHG emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.[1] EPA and its partners are developing and implementing approaches to reduce GHG emissions domestically and internationally through cost-effective, voluntary programs while pursuing additional regulatory actions as needed. Our efforts address the following areas:
Mobile Sources
- Implementing three sets of GHG standards for vehicles and trucks, including: two sets of GHG standards for light-duty cars and trucks (model years 2012-2016 and 2017-2025); and the first set of standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses (model years 2014-2018). These emission standards, finalized jointly with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) fuel economy standards, will result in substantial reductions in new vehicle GHG emissions from model years 2012 through 2025. (Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks is an FY 2014-2015 Agency Priority Goal.[2])
- Carrying out the next phase of the GHG vehicle emission standards. Consistent with the President’s Climate Action Plan, the Agency plans to propose in March 2015 a second phase of fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for model years 2018 and beyond, and plans to finalize the standards in March 2016. This second phase of regulations will build upon the success of the first phase and offer further opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease transportation fuel consumption, and is expected to benefit consumers and business by reducing the cost of transporting goods while spurring job growth and innovation in the clean energy technology sector.
- Assessing GHG control options for non-road sources, including evaluating whether and when to commence work on standards setting for GHG emissions from a wide range of non-road equipment, locomotives, marine vessels and aircraft, and transportation fuels.
Stationary Sources
- Using authority under Section 111(b) of the Clean Air Act, EPA issued a new proposal on September 20, 2013 for GHG performance standards for new power plants and will subsequently finalize that rule after consideration of public comment as appropriate. Using authority under Sections 111(b) and 111(d) of the Act, EPA will issue proposed GHG standards, regulations, or guidelines, as appropriate, for modified, reconstructed, and existing power plants by June 1, 2014, and finalize these standards, regulations, or guidelines by June 1, 2015.
- Collecting and publishing high-quality GHG emissions data from large direct emitters and suppliers of GHGs through the greenhouse gas reporting program to inform the public and support sound, data-driven, policy decisions on climate change.
- Implementing permitting requirements for facilities that emit large amounts of GHGs to encourage design and construction of more sustainable, efficient, and advanced processes that will contribute to a clean energy economy.
- Applying the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program to promote the use of low global warming potential HFCs and similar chemicals.
International and Other Efforts
- Implementing proven voluntary programs that maximize GHG reductions through the greater use of technologies, products, and practices that promote energy efficiency, and renewables programs and policies that benefit the environment and human health.
- Identifying and assessing substitute chemical and ozone-depleting substances and processes for their global warming potential.
- Collaborating with countries and other international partners to reduce methane emissions and deliver clean energy to markets around the world through the Global Methane Initiative.
- Collaborating with international partners to reduce short-lived climate pollutants, including methane, black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons, through the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
- Educating the public about a changing climate and actions people can take to reduce GHG emissions.
- Collaborating with state, local, and tribal governments on regulatory and policy initiatives, technical assistance, and voluntary programs related to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Adaptation
Much of EPA’s work is sensitive to weather and climate. Consequently, the various actions EPA takes to meet its obligations and achieve its goals, including promulgating regulations and implementing programs, take these variables into consideration. For example, potential increases in ground-level ozone due to a changing climate could make attainment or maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) more challenging. Similarly, attaining water quality standards will become more difficult as water temperatures increase in response to climate change.
EPA must adapt and plan for future changes in climate to continue fulfilling its statutory, regulatory, and programmatic requirements. The Agency will implement its Climate Change Adaptation Plan, and consider where it is appropriate to integrate and mainstream considerations of a changing climate into the full range of its programs to ensure they are effective under future climatic conditions. EPA will work with state, tribal, and local partners to enhance their capacity to adapt to a changing climate. Each of the EPA national programs and ten regional offices will implement new climate adaptation implementation plans to carry out the work called for in the Agency’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan. EPA will also continue to collaborate with the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the Council on Climate Change Preparedness and Resilience to support the development and implementation of climate change adaptation plans by all federal agencies.[3]
Adaptation initiatives undertaken by EPA national programs and regional offices will carry out key elements of the President’s Climate Action Plan (June 2013) and aim to increase the resilience of communities and ecosystems to climate change by increasing their ability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of a changing climate. EPA is encouraging and supporting smarter, more resilient investments by integrating considerations of climate change impacts and adaptive measures into major grant, loan, contract, and technical assistance programs, consistent with existing authorities. For example, EPA is integrating climate adaptation criteria into the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds and grants for brownfields cleanup. EPA is also partnering with states, tribes, and urban and rural communities to integrate climate change data, models, information, and other decision-support tools into their planning processes in ways that empower them to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to a changing climate. As an example, EPA developed a stormwater calculator that will enable users to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative strategies for limiting stormwater runoff that can overwhelm sewer systems and spill into rivers and streams, and to identify strategies that ensure the systems are effective under future climatic conditions.
External Factors and Emerging Issues
External influences on EPA’s efforts to improve air quality and address climate change issues include the evolution of state and local transportation and energy-related policies and the impacts of a changing climate, such as changes in rainfall amount and intensity, shifting weather and seasonal patterns, and increases in flood plain elevations and sea levels. Some of these external influences present significant challenges to the EPA’s work, whereas others, such as the growth of alternative energy sources and increased investments in energy efficiency, can improve local air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Endnotes:
- See http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/cop_15/copenhagen_accord/application/pdf/unitedstatescphaccord_app.1.pdf.
- FY 2014-2015 Agency Priority Goal: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and trucks: Through September 30, 2015, EPA in coordination with Department of Transportation’s fuel economy standards program will be implementing vehicle and truck greenhouse gas (GHG) standards that are projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 billion metric tons and reduce oil consumption by about 12 billion barrels over the lifetime of the affected vehicles and trucks.
- The U.S. Global Change Research Program coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and the implications of these changes for society, as mandated in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606) (http://www.globalchange.gov/about/global-change-research-act.html). In 2009, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration initiated the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force. When the President signed Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, in October 2009, he called on the Task Force to develop federal recommendations for adapting to climate change impacts both domestically and internationally. Executive Order 13514 is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-signs-an-Executive-Order-Focused-on-Federal-Leadership-in-Environmental-Energy-and-Economic-Performance.
Statement:
Achieve and maintain health- and welfare-based air pollution standards and reduce risk from toxic air pollutants and indoor air contaminants.
Description:
Taking into account the most current health effects research findings[1], EPA has completed new, more health-protective national ambient air quality standards for particulate matter (December 2012), lead (October 2008), sulfur dioxide (June 2010), nitrogen dioxide (January 2010), and carbon monoxide (August 2011), and is currently reviewing the standard for ozone. Over the next 4 years, we will work with states and tribes to develop and implement plans to achieve and maintain these standards. Our efforts provide the tools and information necessary for EPA, states, and tribes to implement air quality standards and controls.
EPA will work with states and tribes to decrease the emissions that contribute to interstate transport of air pollution. These efforts will help many areas of the country attain the standards and achieve significant improvements in human health. Working with states and tribes, EPA will continue implementing cost-effective multi-state regional programs designed to control the significant contributions of power plant and other stationary source emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) to air quality problems (i.e., nonattainment and interference with maintenance of ozone and PM2.5 NAAQS) in downwind areas. Operating programs in 2014 will include the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) or a replacement program for control of transported ozone and PM2.5 pollution[2], in addition to the national acid rain SO2 and NOx emission reduction programs.
As we implement national air quality standards, we will seek ways to increase efficiency and maximize results. These efforts include: working with states to improve the state implementation plan approval process, including the use of full-cycle analysis (i.e., identifying specific actions along a time line needed to facilitate the timely issuance of implementation rules and guidelines); modernizing our training program for state, local, and tribal agencies through an e-learning system; and implementation of electronic emission reporting as part of the Agency’s E-Enterprise initiative.
Additionally, EPA will work to ensure that our efforts to improve air quality consider low-income and minority communities that are disproportionately impacted by pollution. The Agency will continue to implement the goals of the Environmental Justice (EJ) 2014 strategy that focus on protecting health in communities overburdened by pollution, empowering communities to take action to improve their health and environment, and establishing partnerships with local, state, tribal, and federal organizations to achieve healthy and sustainable communities.
EPA has finalized a number of air pollution control standards over the last decade that have substantially reduced, and will continue to reduce, PM, NOx, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), air toxics, and GHG emissions. These standards will cut emissions from new vehicles and engines by over 90 percent, with an estimated $290 billion in net health benefits by 2030. In addition, EPA partnership programs such as the SmartWay Transport program, are achieving important reductions in emissions from the existing fleet of diesel engines that are not subject to the new standards.[3]
Looking forward, EPA will collect and evaluate mobile source emission data to help guide future program priorities. Other factors to consider include the health and environmental effects of emissions and future advancements in technology that could provide opportunities for further emission reductions.
The Agency also recognizes the importance of fuels work and the critical need to understand the challenges and opportunities this work presents. EPA will continue to coordinate with the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other interagency partners on these issues as appropriate. The Agency plans to focus on streamlining the implementation processes of the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program, including the annual standard-setting process and new fuel pathway approvals. EPA will also strengthen its oversight of industry compliance with RFS standards and core fuels and fuels additive registration mandates through a voluntary third-party quality assurance program to verify that renewable identification numbers (RINs) have been validly generated. In addition, proposed modifications to the exporter provisions of the RFS program will help to ensure that an appropriate number and type of RINs are retired whenever renewable fuel is exported.
Air toxics and other air pollutants can be widespread and/or community specific. They are emitted by large industry, small businesses, motor vehicles, and many other common activities. Although certain chemicals are ubiquitous throughout the country, in some areas of concentrated industrial and/or mobile source activity, concentrations may be significantly greater. To support effective air toxics reduction policies, EPA uses data from our national toxics monitoring network and from national and local assessments to provide key information to better characterize risks and assess priorities. EPA also leverages pollution prevention and green expertise to reduce air toxics emissions and associated risk.
EPA recognizes that air toxics pose unique challenges both nationally and at the community level, and we focus on relatively high-risk sources, pollutants, and exposure situations. EPA will continue to set and enforce control technology-based air toxics emissions standards and, where needed, amend those standards to address residual risk and technology advancements. These regulations are aimed at reducing toxic air pollution from stationary sources and targeted priority source categories, reducing pollution in communities, utilizing a more cost-effective “sector-based” approach, and providing tools to help communities and other stakeholders participate in rulemaking. Priority categories include petroleum refining, iron and steel manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, and Portland cement. EPA takes advantage of the natural overlap of certain air toxics and criteria pollutant rules and coordinates the development and implementation of Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards and New Source Performance Standards (NSPSs) where appropriate. By coordinating MACT standard development for specific source categories with other rulemaking efforts, EPA can substantially reduce the resources needed to develop standards; provide more certainty and lower cost for industry; simplify implementation for state, local, and tribal agencies; and, enhance cost-effective regulatory approaches. To address unacceptable risks that may remain after implementing national strategies, EPA works with states, tribes, and local agencies and organizations to understand the risks at the local level, target the problem areas, and tailor reduction strategies and approaches to the unique situations in those areas.
To improve indoor air quality, EPA deploys programs that educate the public about indoor air quality concerns, including radon, and promotes public action to reduce potential risks in homes, schools, and workplaces. Included among the people most exposed to indoor air pollutants are those most susceptible to the effects—the young, the elderly, and the chronically ill. In addition, EPA collaborates with state and tribal organizations, environmental and public health officials, housing, energy, and building organizations, school personnel who manage school environments, and health care providers who treat children prone to or suffering disproportionately from asthma. The focus of these efforts is to create, expand, and leverage systems already in place to support community efforts to address indoor air quality health risks.
External Factors and Emerging Issues
External factors that will affect air quality program implementation include the outcome of the appeal of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) decision and continuing legal challenges to stationary source rules.[4] Also, impacts from a changing climate may worsen existing indoor environmental problems and introduce new ones as temperatures change and the frequency and/or severity of adverse outdoor events increase. These impacts include increased mold from water damage and more time spent indoors where air may be of poorer quality.
Endnotes:
- U.S. EPA, 2006. Air Quality Criteria for Lead (2006) Final Report. EPA/600/R-05/144aF-bF. Available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=158823. U.S. EPA, 2008. Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Sulfur Oxides—Health Criteria (Final Report). EPA/600/R-08/047F. Available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=198843. U.S. EPA, 2008. Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen—Health Criteria (Final Report). EPA/600/R-08/071. Available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=194645.
- In 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit remanded CAIR to EPA, but allowed the rule to remain in effect pending replacement by a valid rule. In August 2012, the same court vacated EPA’s replacement rule (CSAPR). The Agency successfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal of the D.C. Circuit’s decision, and the Supreme Court is expected to issue its opinion on the merits by June 2014. Depending on the outcome of that appeal, CAIR’s ultimate replacement could be either CSAPR or the product of a new EPA rulemaking effort.
- Recent air pollution control standards include the Tier 2 Motor Vehicle Emissions Standards and Gasoline Sulfur Control Requirements (February 2001); the 2007 Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards and Highway Diesel Fuel Sulfur Control Highway Rule (January 2001); the Tier 4 Emission Standards (June 2004); and Locomotive Engines and Marine Compression-Ignition Engines rule (June 2008).
- In an August 21, 2012 opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated the CSAPR and ordered EPA to continue implementing CAIR pending development of a valid replacement. The Agency successfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal of the D.C. Circuit’s decision, and the Supreme Court is expected to issue its opinion on the merits by June 2014. Please see http://www.epa.gov/crossstaterule/ for updates on CSAPR.
Statement:
Restore and protect the earth's stratospheric ozone layer and protect the public from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Description:
EPA will implement programs that reduce and control ozone-depleting substances (ODS), enforce rules on their production, import, and emission, and facilitate the transition to alternative products that reduce GHG emissions and save energy. EPA’s contributions to the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol will help to continue support for cost-effective projects designed to build capacity and eliminate ODS production and consumption in over 60 developing countries. EPA will also continue partnership programs that educate the public about the importance of protection from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
External Factors and Emerging Issues
Protection of the ozone layer is a global problem that cannot be solved by domestic action alone—all nations must also phase out the use of ODS. Much remains to be done in the U.S. and in the global community at large before the ozone layer will be considered safe for current and future generations. Critical emerging issues include the need to ensure that:
- Ozone depleting substances are replaced by alternatives that reduce overall risk to human health and the environment;
- Use of the agricultural fumigant methyl bromide is phased out in a manner that provides continued control of pests that threaten food supplies and other economically important products traded internationally by the U.S.[14]; and,
- Remaining ODS phaseout, including the 2013 and 2015 developing-country ODS reduction requirements, is appropriately supported in a manner that is both cost effective and climate friendly.[1]
Endnotes:
- All countries that are Parties to the Montreal Protocol have agreed to phase out their production and consumption of ozone depleting substances (ODS). The Multilateral Fund was set up by agreement among the Parties, and the Fund’s purpose is to assist developing countries to comply with these obligations. Contributions are made to the Multilateral Fund by developed countries, also referred to as donor countries under the Treaty.
Statement:
Minimize releases of radioactive material and be prepared to minimize exposure through response and recovery actions should unavoidable releases occur.
Description:
Recognizing the potential hazards of radiation, Congress charged EPA with the primary responsibility for protecting people and the environment from harmful and avoidable exposures. In fulfilling this responsibility, the Agency will review and update its radiation protection regulations and guidance and operate RadNet, the Agency’s national environmental radiation monitoring system. EPA will also maintain personnel expertise, capabilities, and equipment readiness of the radiological emergency response program, including the Agency’s Radiological Emergency Response Team. In addition, EPA will provide regulatory oversight of DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), inspect WIPP waste generator facilities, and evaluate DOE’s compliance with EPA’s radioactive waste disposal standards and applicable environmental laws and regulations.
External Factors and Emerging Issues
There are several emerging issues and external factors that will have an impact on how we carry out our radiation program, including new designs and technologies for nuclear power plant facilities as well as new uranium extraction and processing technologies.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. Through September 30, 2015, EPA, in coordination with Department of Transportation’s fuel economy standards program, will be implementing vehicle and truck greenhouse gas standards that are projected to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 6 billion metric tons and reduce oil consumption by about 12 billion barrels over the lifetime of the affected vehicles and trucks.
Description:
This Priority Goal advances the Strategic Plan objective to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the strategic measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from light duty vehicles and is a continuation of the FY 2012/2013 Priority Goal. The FY 2012/2013 Priority Goal focused on the implementation of the first light-duty vehicle standards (Model Years (MY) 2012-2016) and heavy-duty standards (MY 2014-2018) to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from transportation activities, which accounted for 27% of U.S. GHG emissions in 2010, with the largest source being from passenger cars, light-duty trucks and freight trucks. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report, “Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change,” indicates that climate change is associated with increased flooding, prolonged drought, more severe heat waves, more frequent wildfires, and changes in wetland, forest, and grassland habitats. These events result in substantial economic consequences through the contamination of drinking water resources, impaired air and water quality and reduced capacity of ecosystems to provide the services to society that we depend upon.
It is important to continue this APG because both the light-duty (MY 2012-2016) and heavy-duty vehicle rules are in the early stages of implementation, and the real benefits of these rules will not be realized until later years. For light-duty rules, the implementation for vehicles started in 2012, and will ramp up each year until 2025. For the heavy-duty rule, EPA is in the early credit earning phase, and will start in 2014/2015 to implement the first standards and assess compliance for the 2014 model year. The next phase includes incorporating the GHG standards in the light-duty vehicle rule for model years 2017-2025 (finalized in August 2012) and transitioning from the voluntary early credit earning phase (i.e., credit banking/trading, off-cycle credits, air-conditioning improvement credits) of the heavy-duty rule to the implementation phase of the 2014 model year standards.
Statement:
By September 30, 2015 reduce reporting burdens to EPA by one million hours through streamlined regulations, provide real-time environmental data to at least two communities, and establish a new portal to service the regulated community and public.
Description:
Environmental regulators face ever growing needs to share information within and across agencies, reduce staff burden of data entry, reduce regulatory reporting burdens, and improve environmental and human health protection. There is also an increasing expectation from the public and regulated community for the use of on-line systems and the desire for data transparency and personalized access. Both federal and state agencies recognize that easier access to and use of environmental data will facilitate better environmental protection and decision-making while also increasing overall data transparency.
Consistent with the 2012 White House Digital Government Strategy and Executive Order 13563, EPA seeks to transform the way business is conducted. E-Enterprise for the Environment is a joint initiative of states and EPA to improve environmental outcomes and enhance service to the regulated community and the public by maximizing the use of advanced monitoring and information technologies, optimizing operations, and increasing transparency. E-Enterprise will enable new environmental management approaches by modernizing EPA programs and regulations while streamlining and improving existing business processes. E-Enterprise will use the transformational capabilities of information and advanced monitoring technologies to identify and implement programmatic and service improvements.
These improvements will include “smart” tools and services that guide the regulated community in understanding and fulfilling their federal, state and, local regulatory reporting obligations, offer basic validations and error checking of entered information, and support electronic signature submissions. E-Enterprise projects that take advantage of tools and practices such as advanced monitoring technology and streamlined data collection will also expand the ability of the government, regulated entities, and the public to see and measure pollutant discharges, emissions and environmental conditions. A fundamental premise of E-Enterprise is that providing a more complete and integrated (cross media - air, water, and land) view of environmental data can support greener behavior of the public and regulated entities. For example, broad availability of high-speed internet allows real-time reporting of emissions and provides unprecedented opportunities for transparency and public involvement in matters affecting local environmental conditions. These technological advances will allow better tracking of environmental progress. Innovative technology can also help regulators improve compliance with environmental laws.
Strategic Goal:
Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development
Statement:
Clean up communities, advance sustainable development, and protect disproportionately impacted low-income and minority communities. Prevent releases of harmful substances and clean up and restore contaminated areas.
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Support sustainable, resilient, and livable communities by working with local, state, tribal, and federal partners to promote smart growth, emergency preparedness and recovery planning, redevelopment and reuse of contaminated and formerly contaminated sites, and the equitable distribution of environmental benefits.
Description:
EPA supports the goals of urban, suburban, and rural communities to grow in ways that improve the environment, human health, and quality of life for their residents.[1] With the support of partners working hand in hand across all levels of government, communities can grow in ways that also strengthen the economy, help them adapt to a changing climate, improve their resiliency to disasters, use public resources more efficiently, revitalize neighborhoods, and improve access to jobs and amenities. By making sustainable infrastructure investments, communities can successfully build innovative and functional systems on neighborhood streets and sidewalks to deal with the runoff from stormwater and still provide easy access for pedestrians, bicyclists, on-street parking, and other beneficial uses. By adopting local planning and zoning codes that account for the environmental impacts of development, the private sector can more easily construct market-ready green buildings serving a range of housing needs. Communities also can benefit from tools, technology, and research that better engage citizens and inform local decision making to support smart and sustainable growth.
EPA recognizes environmental justice, children’s health, and sustainable development are all at the intersection of people and place. These goals are not mutually exclusive. Throughout all our work to achieve more livable communities, EPA is committed to ensuring we focus on children’s health and environmental justice.[2] Recognizing that minority or low-income communities may face disproportionate environmental risks, we work to protect these communities from adverse health and environmental effects and to ensure they are given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in environmental decisions and efforts to plan for future growth and development that directly affect residents.[3] EPA’s ability to optimize the benefits of sustainability requires making environmental justice a normal part of how EPA does business rather than an ad hoc activity.
Sustainable and livable communities balance their economic and natural assets so that the diverse needs of residents can be met with limited environmental impacts. EPA’s community-based programs help to accomplish these goals by working with communities, other federal agencies, state, tribal, and regional governments, private and nonprofit sectors, and national experts to encourage equitable development strategies that have better outcomes for air quality, water quality, and land preservation and revitalization. In particular, EPA’s smart growth program delivers technical assistance to communities through contract- and grant-based programs to help them base their growth and development decisions on strategies that are smart, sustainable, and supportive of improved environmental, public health, and economic outcomes.
For example, EPA has been working with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) since 2009 to align federal resources and improve the environmental outcomes from development. Through technical assistance, grants, and training, these three agencies have worked together to assist hundreds of communities to plan for and invest in growth that improves access to affordable housing, increases transportation options, and expands choices for all citizens.[4] All three agencies use a common set of “livability principles” to better coordinate their efforts and investments in a manner that will better protect the environment, promote equitable development, and help address the challenges of a changing climate.
EPA’s brownfields program emphasizes environmental and human health protection in a manner that stimulates economic development and job creation by awarding competitive grants to assess and clean up brownfield properties that are contaminated, or perceived to be contaminated, with hazardous substances and/or petroleum contamination and by providing job training opportunities, particularly in underserved communities.[5] A 2012 EPA program evaluation concluded that cleaning up brownfield properties leads to residential property value increases of 5.1 to 12.8 percent.[6] In addition, a 2011 study of five pilot projects revealed that cleaning up contaminated properties for neighborhood commercial use may contribute to a 32 to 57 percent reduction in vehicle miles traveled compared to alternative development scenarios.[7] This reduction results from increased accessibility of neighborhood-based services and goods, requiring less frequent trips by residents outside the immediate area.
The brownfields program also provides funding for state and tribal environmental response programs as well as outreach and technical assistance to communities. Area-wide planning approaches for brownfields work help to identify important local factors in a coordinated manner: viable end uses of individual or groups of brownfield properties; beneficial air and water infrastructure investments in these areas; and, added environmental improvements in the surrounding area to revitalize the community. Taken together, these efforts will enhance the livability and economic vitality of neighborhoods in and around brownfield properties.
In addition to the brownfields activities, EPA promotes livable communities though its efforts to prevent chemical accidents. EPA's risk management program requires facilities with one or more covered chemicals in a process to analyze the potential for accidental releases and possible consequences, develop an accident prevention program, and coordinate with the community to ensure that all are prepared for responding to a release. The facility must include this information in a Risk Management Plan (RMP) and submit this RMP electronically to EPA, which makes the information available to federal, state, and local officials (e.g., fire fighters) who work on chemical accident preparedness, prevention, and response. There are approximately 13,000 active RMPs currently on file.
External Factors and Emerging Issues
There are several external factors and emerging issues that may affect the overall success of the Agency’s brownfields, chemical risk management, and smart growth programs. These include:
- The continued challenges posed by foreclosures and vacant, blighted, and neglected properties. Increased attention may be required for the siting of new domestic manufacturing in formerly abandoned or blighted areas and the potential impacts on local communities.
- The impacts of increased extremes of weather on a community’s redevelopment and revitalization plans, including whether these projects are resilient enough to withstand the threat of flooding or loss of power from natural or man-made disasters.
- The lack of capacity in many tribal, local, regional, and state governments to adequately identify the environmental outcomes associated with land use and infrastructure decisions, particularly given the demands on already tight budgets.
- The importance of engaging in efforts that involve stakeholders beyond federal agencies. These efforts include supporting local responders, advancing additional chemical plant safety measures, and standardizing the best practices of industry leaders.
The need to explore how EPA’s legal authorities and policies can be used to further improve coordination among federal agencies and stakeholders in our efforts to identify and address the potential hazards in chemical plant safety.
End Notes:
- For more information about the impact of the built environment on the natural environment and public health, see “Our Built and Natural Environments: A Technical Review of the Interactions Between Land Use, Transportation, and Environmental Quality (Second Edition, 2013)” at http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/built.htm.
- For more information about EPA’s focus on Environmental Justice, please see http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/index.html.
- For more information about the connections between smart growth and environmental justice, see “Creating Equitable, Healthy, and Sustainable Communities: Strategies for Advancing Smart Growth, Environmental Justice, and Equitable Development” (EPA 231-K-10-005, 2013) at http://epa.gov/smartgrowth/equitable_development_report.htm.
- For more information about the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities, see http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov.
- For more information about EPA’s brownfields program, see http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.
- Kevin Haninger, Lala Ma, and Christopher Timmins. 2012. “Estimating the Impacts of Brownfields Remediation on Housing Property Values.” Duke Environmental Economics Working Paper Series. Working Paper EE12-08. The program evaluation is available at http://sites.nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/environmentaleconomics/files/2013/01/WP-EE-12-08.pdf.
- U.S. EPA, Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, Air and Water Impacts of Brownfields Redevelopment: A Study of Five Communities, April 2011, EPA-560-F-10-232.
Statement:
Conserve resources and prevent land contamination by reducing waste generation and toxicity, promoting proper management of waste and petroleum products, and increasing sustainable materials management.
Description:
To prevent future environmental contamination and to protect the health of the estimated 20 million people living within a mile of hazardous waste management facilities[1], EPA and its state partners continue their efforts to issue, update, or maintain Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permits for approximately 20,000 hazardous waste units (such as incinerators and landfills) at these facilities. EPA also will issue polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) cleanup, storage, and disposal approvals each year since this work cannot be delegated to the states or tribes. With the October 2012 promulgation of the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act, improving and modernizing hazardous waste transportation and tracking has become an important Agency focus. EPA will be working with state agencies, other partners and stakeholders, and the public to implement the requirements of the new law. These include the use of electronic tracking (e-Manifest), which will provide superior data availability, transparency, and cost savings when compared with the use of paper manifests, and the establishment of an advisory board to provide recommendations to the Agency on the implementation of this new e-Manifest approach.
As part of its sustainable materials management program, EPA is currently promoting three national strategies—the Federal Green Challenge, the Electronics Challenge, and the Food Recovery Challenge. These strategies are focused on using less environmentally intensive and toxic materials and employing downstream solutions, like reuse and recycling, to conserve our resources for future generations.[2] EPA is working with other federal agencies, state and tribal governments, and non-governmental organizations to promote sustainability goals through these and other initiatives. For example, EPA and USDA are partnering through the U.S. Food Waste Challenge to address sustainable food management from farm to final disposition.[3] Through this partnership, EPA is working to reduce food waste, which is the largest component (21 percent) of municipal solid waste discarded.[4] In keeping with the RCRA mandate to conserve resources and energy, and recognizing that an estimated 42 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are attributable to materials management activities, EPA continues to create innovative strategies that emphasize sustainable materials management. These efforts—to identify and reduce or minimize the impact of waste and capture resultant GHG benefits through more sustainable materials management throughout all life-cycle stages (from extraction of raw materials through end of life)—are critical, along with other activities, for offsetting the use of virgin materials.[5,6]
To reduce the risk posed by underground storage tanks (USTs) located at more than 200,000 facilities throughout the country, EPA and states are working to ensure that every UST system is inspected at least once every 3 years and all facility operators are trained. As fuel types change, UST systems must be equipped to safely store the new fuels. For example, EPA is working to ensure biofuels are stored in compatible UST systems.
External Factors and Emerging Issues
EPA must be prepared to address significant waste management issues anticipated for the future.
- The potential impacts of a changing climate, including extreme weather events, such as tornadoes and hurricanes.
- Continued changes in technology and the emergence of new waste streams that result from new methods of domestic energy development, among other contributing sources.
- General trend away from landfills and toward the recycling of materials using new technologies that will require further evaluation.
Endnotes:
- Estimate drawn from OSWER Near Site Population Database, an internal EPA database that merges facility size and location information from RCRAInfo with population data, at the block and block group levels, from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2000 Census. The demographics were captured around the total number of facilities that have approved controls in place that result in the protection of this population (20 million people).
- For more information on the Federal Green Challenge, see http://www.epa.gov/federalgreenchallenge. For more information on the Electronics Challenge, see http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/smm/electronics/. For more information on the Food Recovery Challenge, see http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/smm/foodrecovery/.
- For more information on the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, see http://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/index.htm.
- For more information, see EPA report, “Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2011,” at http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/MSWcharacterization_508_053113_fs.pdf.
- USEPA, Opportunities to Reduce or Avoid Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Materials and Land Management Practices, September 2009.
- For more information on sustainable materials management, see Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead. EPA 530R-09-009. Available at http://www.epa.gov/smm/pdf/vision2.pdf.
Statement:
Prepare for and respond to accidental or intentional releases of contaminants and clean up and restore polluted sites for reuse.
Description:
Challenging and complex environmental problems persist at many contaminated properties. These include contaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater that can cause human health concerns. Together with our federal, state, and tribal partners, EPA’s Superfund program, RCRA corrective actions, leaking underground storage tank and brownfields cleanup programs, and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) cleanups of PCBs reduce risks to human health and the environment through site cleanup and the return of restored land to productive use. EPA is establishing an Agency Priority Goal for FY 2014-2015, which is a continuation of the Priority Goal for FY 2012-2013, to measure and report sites ready for anticipated use (RAU). RAU is an indicator that the local, state, or federal agency has determined that the necessary cleanup goals, engineering controls, and institutional controls have been implemented at the site to make it available for a community’s current or reasonably anticipated future use or reuse. EPA’s Superfund, RCRA corrective action, leaking underground storage tank (LUST), and brownfields cleanup programs all contribute to the Priority Goal to make sites ready for anticipated use.[1] Although each program establishes its own targets, the collective nature and combined overall target of the RAU Priority Goal offers an opportunity for EPA cleanup programs to work together to identify lessons learned, efficiencies, and opportunities to advance site cleanup. From the inception of the respective programs to the end of FY 2013, 441,333 sites were made RAU, corresponding to over 2.3 million acres.[2]
There are multiple benefits associated with cleaning up contaminated sites: reducing mortality and morbidity risk; preventing and reducing human exposure to contaminants; making land available for commercial, residential, industrial, or recreational reuse; and, promoting community economic development. A 2011 study suggests that Superfund cleanups reduce the incidence of congenital anomalies in infants of mothers living within 2,000 meters of a site by roughly 20-25 percent.[3] In another case, EPA contracted with researchers at Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh to conduct a study to determine the effects of Superfund site status on housing values. The study found that when sites are cleaned up and deleted from the National Priorities List (NPL), properties within 3 miles of the sites experience an 18.6 to 24.5 percent increase in value.[4]
Over the past 3 years, EPA has implemented the Integrated Cleanup Initiative (ICI) in an effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its land cleanup programs. More than 150 different actions were conducted under ICI from FY 2010 through FY 2012 by the various land cleanup programs involved in the effort. These actions to improve efficiency and effectiveness are now part of current business procedures and cleanup processes. For example, EPA initiated a series of project management pilots to explore options for accelerating the pace of Superfund site cleanups from the remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) phase of cleanup through site completion. Three of these pilots improved the remedial design/remedial action (RD/RA) process and were completed in FY 2012. EPA’s Superfund program will consider applying the time- and cost-saving approaches examined in these pilots wherever appropriate.[5]
EPA's Superfund program is undertaking a comprehensive review of all aspects of the program. The goal of this review is to determine the best way to maintain the program's effectiveness in protecting human health and the environment by more efficiently managing its site cleanup process and program resources. In the same spirit, in early 2013, EPA worked with state partners and stakeholders to pilot an ambitious effort to apply “Lean” principles to the facility investigation phase of RCRA corrective action cleanup as a means to accelerate the process for a typical facility by several years.[6] By applying Lean techniques, EPA expects to achieve performance improvements and to continue setting and achieving ambitious goals for environmental progress. The Agency will continue to solicit new ideas and practices to improve EPA’s cleanup programs.
Another challenge to protecting our land resources from contamination is pollution from leaking underground storage tanks (USTs). While considerable progress has been made to clean up leaks from USTs, a backlog of over 80,000 sites remains and the number of cleanups per year is decreasing. To understand the makeup of remaining UST releases and the decline in the number of cleanups per year, EPA conducted a two-phase, data-driven analysis of UST cleanups as of 2006 and 2009. The study compiled and analyzed available data from 14 state [L]UST programs and identified key findings and potential opportunities to help reduce the number of remaining UST cleanups. To address new and existing LUST sites, EPA, in partnership with state and tribal programs, is developing and implementing strategies to address technical challenges, leverage best practices, and support management, oversight, and enforcement activities. In addition, EPA has implemented improvements in the LUST prevention program by increasing inspection frequency and other prevention efforts, and there has been a corresponding decrease in new confirmed releases. The efforts of the prevention program and the continued reduction in new confirmed releases, along with the earlier detection of releases, will remain critical factors in backlog reduction.[7]
In addition to cleanup and revitalization, EPA’s hazardous waste programs also are working to reduce the energy use and environmental footprint during the investigation and remediation of hazardous waste sites. As part of this effort, EPA’s Superfund program evaluated its green remediation strategy to assess its experiences in implementing the strategy, to determine a baseline against which to measure future progress, and to develop the best metrics for measuring the program’s success. The evaluation’s findings are being used to prepare the next phase of the strategy to reduce the energy, water, and materials used during site cleanups while at the same time ensuring that protective remedies are implemented.[8]
Throughout this work, EPA is enhancing its engagement with local communities and stakeholders so that they may meaningfully participate in decisions on land cleanup, emergency response, and management of hazardous substances and waste. Enhancing community engagement helps to ensure transparent and accessible decision-making processes, to deliver information that communities can use to participate effectively, to improve EPA responsiveness to community perspectives, and to ensure timely cleanup decisions.
National preparedness is an essential component in EPA’s work that entails responding to large-scale emergencies that may involve chemicals, oil, biological agents, radiation, weapons of mass destruction, or natural catastrophes. In recent years, the U.S. has faced considerable challenges in responding to nationally significant incidents and large-scale emergencies, including Hurricane Katrina, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant emergency in Japan, and Hurricane Sandy. Maintaining our preparedness level and ensuring that emergency responders are able to address chemical spills, unplanned releases of other hazardous materials, and other catastrophes are vital responsibilities. Consistent with the government-wide National Response Framework and the National Disaster Recovery Framework, EPA prepares for the possibility of multiple, simultaneous, nationally significant incidents across several regions and provides guidance and technical assistance to state, tribal, and local planning and response organizations. EPA recognizes the important role of state and local emergency responders and works with them to strengthen their preparedness and provide technical assistance when significant man-made or natural incidents strain their staffing and budget resources.
External Factors and Emerging Issues
Hazardous waste programs are intended to provide permanent solutions to contamination at sites or facilities to the extent practicable. As appropriate, EPA must incorporate emerging science into decision making to maintain its commitment to provide permanent solutions.
- Complications can arise when new scientific information (e.g., new toxicity information or a new analytical method) calls into question previous determinations about the need for or the scope and methods of cleanup at a site. Such scientific and technological developments may complicate relations with affected communities, risk communication, site investigation, remedy selection, and resource allocation within the program.
- Changes in precipitation, sea level rise, and storm surge, for example, may impact remedies and alter their effectiveness. Some evidence of this was apparent during the Hurricane Sandy event along the coasts and waterways of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. EPA might appropriately consider the effects on planned, current, and completed cleanups that will occur from the impacts of a changing climate.
Endnotes:
- FY 2014-2015 Agency Priority Goal: Clean up contaminated sites to enhance the livability and economic vitality of communities. By September 30, 2015, an additional 18,970 sites will be made ready for anticipated use, protecting Americans and the environment one community at a time. For the LUST program, data as to whether institutional controls are in place are unavailable. EPA is exploring with states whether the data can be made available.
- Although separate performance targets are not developed for the number of acres RAU, the acres RAU are reported at the end of each fiscal year.
- Janet Currie, Michael Greenstone, and Enrico Moretti. 2011. "Superfund Cleanups and Infant Health." American Economic Review, 101(3): 435-41.
- S. Gamper-Rabindran and C. Timmins. 2013. "Does cleanup of hazardous waste sites raise housing values? Evidence of spatially localized benefits," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.
- A recent directive from EPA’s Superfund program shares the lessons learned from these RD/RA pilot studies. This directive can be found at http://www.epa.gov/oswer/docs/ici/broader_applications_rd_ra_pilot_project_lessons_learned.pdf.
- Lean principles focus on identifying and enhancing valuable process steps while reducing wasteful steps. See also http://www.epa.gov/lean/government/index.htm.
- For more information, please see The National LUST Cleanup Backlog: A Study of Opportunities at http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/cat/backlog.html.
- More information about Superfund and green remediation at EPA is available at http://www.epa.gov/superfund/greenremediation.
Statement:
Directly implement federal environmental programs in Indian country and support federal program delegation to tribes. Provide tribes with technical assistance and support capacity development for the establishment and implementation of sustainable environmental programs in Indian country.
Description:
Under federal environmental statutes, EPA is responsible for protecting human health and the environment in Indian country. EPA’s commitment to tribal environmental and human health protection has been steadfast for nearly 30 years, as formally established in the Agency’s 1984 Indian Policy.[1] EPA works with over 560 federally-recognized tribes located across the United States to improve environmental and human health outcomes. Approximately 56 million acres are held in trust by the United States for various Indian tribes and individuals. Over 10 millon acres of individually owned lands are still held in trust for allotees and their heirs.[2] Difficult environmental and health challenges remain in many of these areas, including lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation, adequate waste facilities, and other environmental safeguards taken for granted elsewhere.
In collaboration with our tribal government partners, EPA will engage in a two-part strategy for strengthening human health and environmental protection in Indian country. First, EPA will ensure that its environmental protection programs are implemented in Indian country either by EPA or through implementation of environmental programs by tribes themselves. Second, EPA will provide resources through grant funds and technical assistance for federally-recognized tribes to create and maintain effective environmental program capacity.
External Factors and Emerging Issues
Tribal environmental and human health needs are significant. For example, the lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation for tribes continues to threaten the public health of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Approximately 12 percent of AI/AN homes do not have safe water and/or basic sanitation facilities.[3] This is high compared to the non-native homes in the U.S. that lack such infrastructure. EPA, along with over four federal departments and agencies, provides a range of federal water infrastructure programs to tribes, consistent with our legal authorities and the federal trust responsibility.
There is a broad spectrum among tribes with respect to population, culture, income, geography, economic development, environmental program management expertise, and priorities. EPA also recognizes that many tribes may not have the capacity to implement programs in a manner similar to a state, where programmatically available. Further, the decision to be treated in a manner similar to a state (TAS) is voluntary, and may not be a priority to a tribe. Currently, over 200 tribes are not eligible for jurisdictional reasons to receive a TAS designation to implement federally authorized environmental protection programs, yet they are partnering with EPA to build programmatic capacity in other ways. EPA continues to play a critical role in ensuring environmental protection in Indian country.
Endnotes:
- The “EPA Policy for the Administration of Environmental Programs on Indian Reservations” can be found at http://www.epa.gov/tp/pdf/indian-policy-84.pdf.
- For more information, please see http://www.bia.gov/FAQs/index.htm.
- Indian Health Service, Sanitation Facilities Construction Program 2011 Annual Report.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
Clean up contaminated sites to enhance the livability and economic vitality of communities. By 2015, an additional 18,970 sites will be made ready for anticipated use protecting Americans and the environment one community at a time.
Description:
Problem or opportunity being addressed
EPA’s Superfund, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) corrective action (CA), leaking underground storage tank (LUST), and Brownfields cleanup programs reduce risks to human health and the environment by assessing and cleaning up contaminated sites to enhance the livability and economic vitality of neighborhoods. Challenging and complex environmental problems, such as the presence or perceived presence of hazardous substances in soil, sediment, and groundwater, persist at many contaminated properties, and can threaten the health of American families.
There are multiple benefits associated with cleaning up contaminated sites and making them ready for reuse: reducing mortality and morbidity risk; preventing and reducing human exposure to contaminants; making land available for commercial, residential, industrial, or recreational reuse; and promoting community economic development. When sites are ready for anticipated reuse, communities are able to reclaim them for ecological, recreational, commercial, residential and other productive purposes.
Since EPA began collecting the number of sites ready for anticipated use (RAU) in FY2008, the cumulative number of sites RAU has increased. As of the end of FY2013, 441,333 sites were made ready for anticipated use, or approximately 83% of all sites.
|
Program |
FY14 Target |
FY15 Target |
|
Superfund |
55 |
55 |
|
RCRA CA |
80 |
80 |
|
LUST |
9,000 |
8,600 |
|
Brownfields |
550 |
550 |
|
Total |
9,685 |
9,285 |
Although each program establishes its own targets, the collective nature and combined overall target of the RAU Priority Goal offers an opportunity for EPA cleanup programs to work together to identify lessons learned, efficiencies and opportunities to advance site cleanup.
Efficiencies and cost savings
In an effort to improve the accountability, transparency, and effectiveness of EPA’s cleanup programs, EPA initiated the Integrated Cleanup Initiative, a multi-year effort to better use the most appropriate assessment and cleanup authorities to address a greater number of sites, accelerate cleanups where possible, and put those sites back into productive use while protecting human health and the environment. By using relevant tools available in each of the cleanup programs, including enforcement, EPA will better leverage the resources available to address needs at individual sites. EPA will focus on enforcement activities that are critical to ensuring that responsible parties are compelled to clean up contaminated sites, thereby preserving federal monies for clean up at sites where viable responsible parties do not exist.
Relationship to agency strategic goals and objectives
The Priority Goal directly supports EPA’s FY2014-2018 Strategic Plan, specifically Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development. Over the next several years, two of EPA’s priorities under this goal are to prevent and reduce exposure to contaminants and accelerate the pace of cleanups across the country. RAU is an indicator that the local, state, or federal agency has determined that cleanup goals and engineering and institutional controls have been implemented for the media that affects current and reasonably anticipated future use so that the sites are available for communities to use or reuse. Making contaminated sites ready for anticipated reuse also supports several of the Administrator’s Themes for EPA, including Making a Visible Difference in Communities across the Country; Launching a New Era of State, Tribal and Local Partnerships; and Working Toward a Sustainable Future. These connections are further described in the overview of our goal, as well as our description of goal partners.
Statement:
By September 30, 2015 reduce reporting burdens to EPA by one million hours through streamlined regulations, provide real-time environmental data to at least two communities, and establish a new portal to service the regulated community and public.
Description:
Environmental regulators face ever growing needs to share information within and across agencies, reduce staff burden of data entry, reduce regulatory reporting burdens, and improve environmental and human health protection. There is also an increasing expectation from the public and regulated community for the use of on-line systems and the desire for data transparency and personalized access. Both federal and state agencies recognize that easier access to and use of environmental data will facilitate better environmental protection and decision-making while also increasing overall data transparency.
Consistent with the 2012 White House Digital Government Strategy and Executive Order 13563, EPA seeks to transform the way business is conducted. E-Enterprise for the Environment is a joint initiative of states and EPA to improve environmental outcomes and enhance service to the regulated community and the public by maximizing the use of advanced monitoring and information technologies, optimizing operations, and increasing transparency. E-Enterprise will enable new environmental management approaches by modernizing EPA programs and regulations while streamlining and improving existing business processes. E-Enterprise will use the transformational capabilities of information and advanced monitoring technologies to identify and implement programmatic and service improvements.
These improvements will include “smart” tools and services that guide the regulated community in understanding and fulfilling their federal, state and, local regulatory reporting obligations, offer basic validations and error checking of entered information, and support electronic signature submissions. E-Enterprise projects that take advantage of tools and practices such as advanced monitoring technology and streamlined data collection will also expand the ability of the government, regulated entities, and the public to see and measure pollutant discharges, emissions and environmental conditions. A fundamental premise of E-Enterprise is that providing a more complete and integrated (cross media - air, water, and land) view of environmental data can support greener behavior of the public and regulated entities. For example, broad availability of high-speed internet allows real-time reporting of emissions and provides unprecedented opportunities for transparency and public involvement in matters affecting local environmental conditions. These technological advances will allow better tracking of environmental progress. Innovative technology can also help regulators improve compliance with environmental laws.
Strategic Goal:
Protecting Human Health and the Environment by Enforcing Laws and Assuring Compliance
Statement:
Protect human health and the environment through vigorous and targeted civil and criminal enforcement. Use Next Generation Compliance strategies and tools to improve compliance with environmental laws.
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Pursue vigorous civil and criminal enforcement that targets the most serious water, air, and chemical hazards in communities to achieve compliance. Assure strong, consistent, and effective enforcement of federal environmental laws nationwide. Use Next Generation Compliance strategies and tools to improve compliance and reduce pollution.
Description:
Effective targeting of compliance monitoring and vigorous civil and criminal enforcement play a central role in achieving the goals EPA has set for protection of health and the environment. Targets for most of the enforcement measures will remain steady over the life of this Strategic Plan. For some other measures, the strategic direction outlined in this Plan will affect the targets, as described in the “Strategic Measurement Framework” section of this Plan. What remains constant is EPA’s focus on the cases that have the highest impact on protecting public health and the environment.
- Addressing Climate Change and Improving Air Quality: EPA will continue to take effective actions to reduce air pollution from the largest sources, including coal-fired power plants and the cement, acid, glass, and other sectors, to improve air quality. Enforcement to cut toxic air pollution in communities improves the health of communities, particularly communities that are disproportionately affected by pollution. EPA will work to assure compliance by the energy extraction sector, where violations can lead to air and water impacts that pose a potential risk to human health. EPA will also work to ensure compliance with climate change standards, including the greenhouse gas reporting rules.
- Protecting America’s Waters: EPA has been working with states and cities to make progress on the most important water pollution problems. The Agency will continue to focus on getting raw sewage out of water and reducing pollution from stormwater runoff, using common sense and affordable approaches to tackle the most important problems first and incorporating green infrastructure for cost-effective reduction of pollution while enhancing communities. EPA is committed to working with communities to incorporate green infrastructure, such as green roofs, rain gardens, and permeable pavement, into permitting and enforcement actions to reduce stormwater pollution and sewer overflows where applicable. EPA, together with the states, continues to implement the Clean Water Act Action Plan[1] by ensuring the implementation of fundamental changes to the national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) program, such as coordinated permitting, compliance, and enforcement programs to protect and improve water quality. The enforcement program continues to address pollution from animal waste, take enforcement action to reduce pollution in large aquatic ecosystems like the Chesapeake Bay, and assist in revitalizing urban communities by protecting urban waters.
Enforcement also supports the goals of assuring safe drinking water for all communities, including in Indian country, and improving the quality of drinking water data reported by states to ensure compliance.[2]
- Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development: EPA protects communities by requiring responsible parties to conduct cleanups, saving federal dollars for sites where there are no other alternatives. Aggressively pursuing these parties to clean up sites ultimately reduces direct human exposures to hazardous pollutants and contaminants, provides for long-term human health protection, and makes contaminated properties available for reuse.
- Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution: Reforming chemical management and reducing exposure to pesticides and other toxics will help protect human health. Enforcement reduces direct human exposures to toxic chemicals and pesticides and supports long-term human health protection.
Criminal enforcement underlines our commitment to pursuing the most serious pollution violations. EPA’s criminal enforcement program will focus on cases across all media that involve serious harm or injury; hazardous or toxic releases; ongoing, repetitive, or multiple releases; serious documented exposure to pollutants; and violators with significant repeat or chronic noncompliance or prior criminal conviction. EPA's criminal enforcement program will continue to work collaboratively with its state and local law enforcement counterparts, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice. Many successful and important EPA criminal investigations result from enhanced coordination among all levels of government. An example is the prosecutions surrounding the Deepwater Horizon explosion, which led to the death of 11 people and was the largest marine oil spill in United States history. EPA's criminal enforcement program worked with multiple federal and state agencies and the U.S. Department of Justice, resulting in the single largest criminal resolution in the history of the United States as of 2013.
EPA shares accountability for environmental and human health protection with states and tribes. We work together to target the most important pollution violations and to ensure that companies that do the right thing and are responsible neighbors are not put at a competitive disadvantage. The Agency also has a responsibility to oversee EPA-authorized state and tribal implementation of federal laws to ensure that the same level of protection for the environment and the public applies across the country.
Enforcement can help to promote environmental justice by tackling noncompliance problems that disproportionately impact low-income, minority, and tribal communities. Ensuring compliance with environmental laws is particularly important in communities that are exposed to greater environmental health risks. EPA fosters community involvement by making information about compliance and government action available to the public. In addition to ensuring compliance and promoting environmental justice, EPA enforcement actions also result in companies investing in actions and equipment to control pollution, mitigating harm from past violations, and undertaking additional projects that benefit the environment and public health (known as supplemental environmental projects, or SEPs). EPA will continue to use all of these tools to protect communities.
In addition to vigorous enforcement of environmental laws, EPA is investing in Next Generation Compliance to take advantage of advances in pollution monitoring and information technology in order to reduce pollution and improve results. By building compliance drivers into regulations and permits, and using them across our compliance programs, these tools will enable EPA, states, and tribes to focus on the most serious environmental problems and to better protect communities.
Through the increased use of new information and monitoring technologies and other compliance strategies, Next Generation Compliance will allow us to identify pollution issues and will assist both government and industry to find and fix pollution and violation problems. Next Generation Compliance supports EPA’s new E-Enterprise initiative by promoting electronic reporting, advanced monitoring, and transparency. Electronic reporting allows for more accurate and timely information on pollution sources, as well as public access to pollution and compliance information. A new collaborative state-EPA effort, the E-Enterprise Leadership Council, is working to establish a joint approach on information technology and program management infrastructure issues. Confirming the accuracy and completeness of existing and future data that are collected and protecting confidential business information remain priorities for EPA, states, and tribes. In collaboration with states and in consultation with our tribal partners, E-reporting and advanced monitoring technologies will ultimately lead to better, more timely data for decision making and public transparency.
Next Generation Compliance also includes tools to help EPA design regulations and permits that will result in higher compliance and improved environmental outcomes. Regulations and permits are more likely to be implemented and compliance is likely to be higher when rules and permits are clear and easily understood, are provided in a user-friendly format, and contain built-in approaches that drive better compliance, such as improved monitoring, self- and third-party certifications, public disclosure/transparency, and easily monitored product designs or physical structures in facilities. EPA is also building on recent, measurable successes in innovative compliance efforts, such as the drinking water enforcement approach launched in 2010 that required public water systems with serious violations to return to compliance within 6 months or face an enforcement action by states or EPA. Use of this approach resulted in a decrease of approximately 75 percent in the number of public water systems classified as serious violators between January 2010 and October 2013. EPA is enhancing its ability to find and document violations through new targeting tools and data analysis to better identify, publicize, and respond to the most serious violations.
The Agency is also exploring innovative enforcement approaches such as providing electronic responses to electronically reported violations, and expanding the use of Next Generation Compliance tools in enforcement settlements. Through these and other Next Generation Compliance efforts, EPA will design the compliance programs of the future and work to maintain strong enforcement and improve compliance. EPA, states, tribes, and other partner agencies are beginning to invest in this transformation together–and anticipate realizing both efficiencies and cost savings while protecting human health and the environment. If implemented as proposed, the proposed NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule, as one example, will save money for states, tribes, and territories as well as EPA and NPDES permittees, while resulting in a more complete, accurate, and nationally consistent set of data about the NPDES program. The proposed rule would provide states with regulatory relief from reporting associated with the Quarterly Noncompliance Report (QNCR), the Annual Noncompliance Report (ANCR), the Semi‐Annual Statistical Summary Report, and the biosolids information required to be submitted to EPA annually by states.
External Factors and Emerging Issues
Advanced monitoring technology and information technology are rapidly evolving fields. Until recently, for example, air pollution measurement was primarily left to trained scientists and technicians employing sophisticated instruments and methodologies to evaluate data quality. New breakthroughs in sensor technology, as well as advances in smart phone, GPS, and other information technology, have made inexpensive, portable monitoring and measurement of air pollution possible today, not only for government regulators, but for the public as well. In promulgating rules, developing policies, and targeting compliance monitoring and enforcement, EPA has always welcomed and considered relevant data from all sources. EPA will need to work closely with states, tribes, and the public to help interpret and provide context for data derived from such new technologies, and to ensure that EPA uses data of high quality.
End Notes:
- Information on the Clean Water Act Action Plan can be accessed at: http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement/clean-water-act-cwa-action-plan.
- An FY 2011 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlighted the seriousness of under-reporting Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) data. EPA followed up and will continue to take action to improve the quality of data reported by states.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
By September 30, 2015 reduce reporting burdens to EPA by one million hours through streamlined regulations, provide real-time environmental data to at least two communities, and establish a new portal to service the regulated community and public.
Description:
Environmental regulators face ever growing needs to share information within and across agencies, reduce staff burden of data entry, reduce regulatory reporting burdens, and improve environmental and human health protection. There is also an increasing expectation from the public and regulated community for the use of on-line systems and the desire for data transparency and personalized access. Both federal and state agencies recognize that easier access to and use of environmental data will facilitate better environmental protection and decision-making while also increasing overall data transparency.
Consistent with the 2012 White House Digital Government Strategy and Executive Order 13563, EPA seeks to transform the way business is conducted. E-Enterprise for the Environment is a joint initiative of states and EPA to improve environmental outcomes and enhance service to the regulated community and the public by maximizing the use of advanced monitoring and information technologies, optimizing operations, and increasing transparency. E-Enterprise will enable new environmental management approaches by modernizing EPA programs and regulations while streamlining and improving existing business processes. E-Enterprise will use the transformational capabilities of information and advanced monitoring technologies to identify and implement programmatic and service improvements.
These improvements will include “smart” tools and services that guide the regulated community in understanding and fulfilling their federal, state and, local regulatory reporting obligations, offer basic validations and error checking of entered information, and support electronic signature submissions. E-Enterprise projects that take advantage of tools and practices such as advanced monitoring technology and streamlined data collection will also expand the ability of the government, regulated entities, and the public to see and measure pollutant discharges, emissions and environmental conditions. A fundamental premise of E-Enterprise is that providing a more complete and integrated (cross media - air, water, and land) view of environmental data can support greener behavior of the public and regulated entities. For example, broad availability of high-speed internet allows real-time reporting of emissions and provides unprecedented opportunities for transparency and public involvement in matters affecting local environmental conditions. These technological advances will allow better tracking of environmental progress. Innovative technology can also help regulators improve compliance with environmental laws.
Strategic Goal:
Launching A New Era of State, Tribal, Local, and International Partnerships
Statement:
Strengthen partnerships with states, tribes, local governments, and the global community that are central to the success of the national environmental protection program through consultation, collaboration, and shared accountability. Modernize the EPA-state relationship, including revitalizing the National Environmental Performance Partnership System and jointly pursuing E-Enterprise, a transformative approach to make environmental information and data more accessible, efficient, and evidence-based through advances in monitoring, reporting, and information technology.
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Strengthen partnerships with states, tribes, local governments, and the global community that are central to the success of the national environmental protection program through consultation, collaboration, and shared accountability. Modernize the EPA-state relationship, including revitalizing the National Environmental Performance Partnership System and jointly pursuing E-Enterprise, a transformative approach to make environmental information and data more accessible, efficient, and evidence-based through advances in monitoring, reporting, and information technology.
Description:
The practice of good government, as well as the reality of limited resources, means that EPA works in concert with our partners to improve coordination, promote innovation, and maximize efficiencies to ensure our continued success. As we work together, our relationships must continue to be based on integrity, trust, and shared accountability to make the most effective use of our respective bodies of knowledge, our existing authorities, our resources, and our talents.
Successful partnerships will be based on four working principles: consultation, collaboration, cooperation, and accountability. By consulting, we will engage our partners in a timely fashion as we consider approaches to our environmental work so that each partner can make an early and meaningful contribution toward the final result. By collaborating, we will not only share information, but we will actively work together with our partners to develop innovative approaches that use and leverage all available resources to achieve our environmental and human health goals. As our work progresses, we will cooperate, viewing each other with respect as allies who must work successfully together if our goals are to be achieved. Through shared accountability, we will ensure that environmental benefits are consistently delivered nationwide. In carrying out these responsibilities, EPA will ensure that state, tribal, and federal implementation of federal laws achieves a consistent level of protection for the environment and human health.
With States
Under our federal environmental laws, EPA and the states share responsibility for protecting human health and the environment. With this relationship as a key component of the nation's environmental protection system, EPA will:
- Improve implementation of national environmental programs through closer consultation and collaboration to seek the most efficient use of resources, streamline business processes and administrative requirements, develop and promote innovative solutions, and further our shared governance framework by revitalizing the National Environmental Performance Partnership System (NEPPS).[1] We will strengthen joint EPA-state priority setting by better aligning NEPPS with EPA’s national program manager guidances[2], focusing on flexible, innovative approaches to achieve results, and seek ways to leverage all available mutually beneficial opportunities to share work and expertise.
- Work collaboratively with state partners to develop innovative strategies and modernize our environmental programs through the E-Enterprise initiative[3], a 21st century approach that will support the nation’s environmental protection responsibilities through enhanced information sharing, increased transparency, and reduced regulatory burden, supported by advanced monitoring tools and information technologies.
- Consult with state governments early in the rule-making process to ensure that the development and implementation of rules is consistent with “EPA’s Action Development Process: Guidance on Executive Order 13132 (Federalism),” which recognizes the division of governmental responsibilities between the federal government and the states.
- Strengthen state-EPA shared accountability by focusing oversight on the most significant and pressing state program performance challenges, using data and analysis to accelerate program improvements.
- Ensure a level playing field across states to improve compliance and address the most serious violations.
- Collaborate with state research organizations to share information on EPA’s scientific and technical capabilities and solicit input to make our tools, models, and research useful and practical for the states in carrying out their environmental responsibilities.
With Tribes
The relationship between the United States government and federally-recognized tribes is unique—we work with tribes on a government-to-government basis on Agency decisions that may affect tribal interests. Our responsibility to consult with tribal governments is distinct from the general consultations we have with states and nations outside the U.S. border. As such, our consultations with tribes are governed by the EPA Policy for the Administration of Environmental Programs on Indian Reservations (November 8, 1984), Executive Order 13175 on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments, and the Agency’s Policy on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes (May 4, 2011). In strengthening this relationship with tribes, EPA will:
- Focus on increasing tribal capacity to establish and implement environmental programs while ensuring that our national programs are as effective in Indian country as they are throughout the rest of the nation.[4]
- Enhance our effort to work with tribes on a government-to-government basis, based upon the Constitution, treaties, laws, executive orders, and a long history of Supreme Court rulings.
- Strengthen our cross-cultural sensitivity with tribes, recognizing that tribes have cultural, jurisdictional, and legal features that must be considered when coordinating and implementing environmental programs in Indian country.
With Local Partners:
EPA has a unique relationship with local governments given that local governments can be both co-implementers and regulated entities under national and state environmental laws. Recognizing that local governments vary considerably[5], are dealing with significant resource constraints as they work to build capacity (particularly in smaller communities), and often provide innovative leadership in environmental stewardship, EPA will:
- Maintain consistent and meaningful communications with local officials and optimize outreach efforts to improve environmental program implementation at the local level and receive recommendations on environmental issues that are important to local governments.
- Consult with local governments, as with states, early in the development of rules and policies that impact them, consistent with “EPA’s Action Development Process: Guidance on Executive Order 13132 (Federalism).”
- Promote and facilitate best practices among local officials to address pressing local environmental matters with flexible, innovative approaches that advance shared priorities.
With International Partners
To achieve our domestic environmental and human health goals, international partnerships, including those with the business community and entrepreneurs, are essential. Pollution is often carried by winds and water across national boundaries, posing risks to human health and ecosystems many hundreds and thousands of miles away. Many concerns, like climate change, are global and, to address these and other environmental challenges in the international arena, EPA will:
- Enhance sustainability principles through expanded partnership efforts in multilateral forums and in key bilateral relationships.
- Strengthen existing and build new international partnerships to encourage increased international commitment to sustainability goals and to promote a new era of global environmental stewardship based on common interests, shared values, and mutual respect.
End Notes:
- NEPPS is an environmental performance system established in 1995 and designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of state environmental programs and EPA-state partnerships. It is a system of principles and tools to drive performance, efficiency, and flexibility in the EPA-state relationship. It enables EPA and states to leverage their collective resources most efficiently and effectively by taking full advantage of the unique capacities and capabilities of each partner to achieve the maximum environmental and human health protection. The primary tools for establishing priorities and deploying resources are Performance Partnership Agreements (PPAs) and Performance Partnership Grants (PPGs). PPGs allow states and tribes to combine categorical grants for greater spending flexibility on state and tribal priorities. PPAs are strategic negotiated plans that articulate joint goals and priorities, key activities, and roles and responsibilities.
- EPA’s national program manager (NPM) guidances translate the Agency’s budget decisions into operational program priorities, strategies, and performance measures. Issued by the five major environmental programs (air, water, waste, chemical safety and pollution prevention, and enforcement and compliance assurance), the NPM guidances inform the development of EPA work plans and grant agreements with states and tribes, including Performance Partnership Agreements, Performance Partnership Grants, and/or programmatic grants.
- EPA has developed an FY 2014-2015 Agency Priority Goal for E-Enterprise: Improve environmental outcomes and enhance service to the regulated community and the public. By September 30, 2015, reduce reporting burdens to EPA by one million hours through streamlined regulations, provide real-time environmental data to at least two communities, and establish a new portal to service the regulated community and public. More information on Agency Priority Goals is available at http://goals.performance.gov/agency/epa.
- EPA recently issued new guidance for the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program, “Guidance on the Award and Management of General Assistance Agreements for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia,” May 15, 2013. The General Assistance Program (GAP) Guidance is designed to enhance the EPA-tribal partnership by establishing a framework for joint strategic planning, identification of mutual responsibilities, and targeting resources to build tribal environmental program capacities. Additionally, it augments existing GAP Guidance with a guidebook of program development indicators, providing “pathways” for capacity building and ways to measure development of programs over time.
- Local governments may include counties, cities, water districts, air districts, ports, municipal waste management associations, economic development councils, metropolitan councils of government, and other entities.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
By September 30, 2015 reduce reporting burdens to EPA by one million hours through streamlined regulations, provide real-time environmental data to at least two communities, and establish a new portal to service the regulated community and public.
Description:
Environmental regulators face ever growing needs to share information within and across agencies, reduce staff burden of data entry, reduce regulatory reporting burdens, and improve environmental and human health protection. There is also an increasing expectation from the public and regulated community for the use of on-line systems and the desire for data transparency and personalized access. Both federal and state agencies recognize that easier access to and use of environmental data will facilitate better environmental protection and decision-making while also increasing overall data transparency.
Consistent with the 2012 White House Digital Government Strategy and Executive Order 13563, EPA seeks to transform the way business is conducted. E-Enterprise for the Environment is a joint initiative of states and EPA to improve environmental outcomes and enhance service to the regulated community and the public by maximizing the use of advanced monitoring and information technologies, optimizing operations, and increasing transparency. E-Enterprise will enable new environmental management approaches by modernizing EPA programs and regulations while streamlining and improving existing business processes. E-Enterprise will use the transformational capabilities of information and advanced monitoring technologies to identify and implement programmatic and service improvements.
These improvements will include “smart” tools and services that guide the regulated community in understanding and fulfilling their federal, state and, local regulatory reporting obligations, offer basic validations and error checking of entered information, and support electronic signature submissions. E-Enterprise projects that take advantage of tools and practices such as advanced monitoring technology and streamlined data collection will also expand the ability of the government, regulated entities, and the public to see and measure pollutant discharges, emissions and environmental conditions. A fundamental premise of E-Enterprise is that providing a more complete and integrated (cross media - air, water, and land) view of environmental data can support greener behavior of the public and regulated entities. For example, broad availability of high-speed internet allows real-time reporting of emissions and provides unprecedented opportunities for transparency and public involvement in matters affecting local environmental conditions. These technological advances will allow better tracking of environmental progress. Innovative technology can also help regulators improve compliance with environmental laws.
Strategic Goal:
Embracing EPA as a High-Performing Organization
Statement:
Maintain and attract EPA’s diverse and engaged workforce of the future with a more collaborative work environment. Modernize our business practices, including through E-Enterprise, and take advantage of new tools and technologies. Improve the way we work as a high performing Agency by ensuring we add value in every transaction with our workforce, our co-regulators, our partners, industry, and the people we serve.
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Maintain and attract EPA’s diverse and engaged workforce of the future with a more collaborative work environment. Modernize our business practices, including through E-Enterprise, and take advantage of new tools and technologies. Improve the way we work as a high performing Agency by ensuring we add value in every transaction with our workforce, our co-regulators, our partners, industry, and the people we serve.
Description:
As today’s environmental problems continue to increase in complexity, EPA’s ability to respond creatively, flexibly, and effectively will demand cross-Agency approaches to problem-solving and the use of new tools and technologies. EPA will support these efforts by establishing a high-performing organization characterized by business practices that are modern, efficient, and cost effective, as well as a work environment that supports staff growth and development, and is collaborative and results driven. Becoming a high-performing organization will require changes to both our internal and external processes, and EPA will actively solicit advice and engagement from both within EPA and with our partners as we advance new tools and streamline approaches.
EPA’s compelling mission to protect human health and the environment attracts workers eager to make a difference. EPA cultivates a highly skilled and diverse workforce, with employees energized by opportunities to learn and work collaboratively, and equipped to do their best work for the American people. In building a high-performing organization, the Agency is working to provide employees with a modern, inclusive, and flexible work environment, enabled by advanced information technologies and tools that enhance communication, transparency, and cooperative problem solving across the Agency and with our partners.
EPA is now moving forward with two major initiatives that are part of our efforts to create the next generation of environmental protection in our nation.
- E-Enterprise is a U.S. EPA-state initiative to improve environmental performance and enhance services to the regulated community, environmental agencies, and the public. As described in the E-Enterprise for the Environment Conceptual Blueprint, “E-Enterprise will increase transparency and efficiency, develop new environmental management approaches, and employ advanced information and monitoring technologies in a coordinated effort to manage and modernize environmental programs.”[1] For example, this initiative will move us from using paper to electronic transactions, increase the use of advanced monitoring technologies to obtain better, more complete information on environmental conditions and pollution sources, and deliver data that is transparent, readily available, and understandable to EPA, the states, and the general public. Through E-Enterprise, the entire environmental protection enterprise (federal, state, local, and tribal partners) will be able to regularly conduct two-way business electronically in an integrated way, reducing costs while enhancing environmental protection.
- EPA is moving forward to adopt Next Generation Compliance principles and tools to increase compliance and reduce pollution. Next Generation Compliance uses advances in research, pollutant monitoring, and information technology; expanded transparency; electronic reporting; and innovative enforcement to reduce pollution and improve results. These tools, combined with a focus on designing rules and permits that are easier to implement, enable EPA, states, and tribes to focus on the most serious environmental problems and to better protect communities.
The Agency will focus on streamlining internal business processes and decision making at all levels. To stay current, programs must be constantly reevaluated to ensure they are well focused and cutting edge. Promulgated regulations should maximize environmental benefit while minimizing costs. EPA is committed to process improvement through the application of Lean methodologies and other business practice improvement techniques, as well as the engagement of the expertise and insights of Agency employees to identify opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness.[2]
By combining the strengths of a supportive work environment with a streamlined and collaborative business culture, EPA will establish itself as a high-performing organization known for advancing the talents, drive, and interests of employees, as well as the collaborative work in support of our common mission and the public we serve. EPA will:
- Maintain and attract the workforce of the future to ensure that EPA’s employees represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives, are equipped with the most current technical skills, tools, and knowledge, and are positioned to effectively accomplish the Agency’s mission and meet evolving environmental and sustainability challenges.
- Cultivate a work environment that offers a high-quality work life for all employees by engaging them in shaping Agency decisions and improving processes, and providing flexible work practices, fair and inclusive employee-friendly policies, and opportunities for continuous learning. EPA will modernize the workplace and develop and promote collaboration tools to improve communication, cross-program integration, access to information, and transparency.
- Advance the E-Enterprise initiative to improve environmental outcomes, enhance service to the regulated community and public, and reduce burden and improve collaborative management among EPA, states, tribes, and others. E-Enterprise will increase collaboration with the states as we modernize regulations to make e-reporting the “new normal” and use advanced monitoring to provide more complete and useful environmental data. Key parts of E-Enterprise will be shared information technology services and tools that states and EPA programs use and, in collaboration with the states, the development of a regulatory portal that will help regulated entities electronically report to the states and EPA. The development of E-Enterprise is one of EPA’s Priority Goals.[3]
- In addition to compliance monitoring and enforcement actions, implement Next Generation Compliance by promoting the use of advanced monitoring and electronic reporting, designing rules that are easier to implement, expanding transparency, and using innovative enforcement approaches to increase compliance and reduce pollution.
- Streamline the Agency’s internal business practices, core program processes, and decision making in areas such as acquisition and grants management, rulemaking, and permitting to ensure they are cutting edge, enhance collaboration, and improve efficiency and cost effectiveness while maximizing environmental benefits.
- Practice outstanding financial resource stewardship to ensure that all Agency programs use resources efficiently, operate with fiscal responsibility and management integrity, are effectively and consistently delivered nationwide, and demonstrate results.
- Achieve or exceed federal sustainability targets. These efforts, enhanced by sustainable workplace choices that can be routinely practiced by Agency employees, will continue to reduce EPA’s environmental footprint by increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, advancing water conservation, and reducing waste, and will provide lessons learned to share with other federal agencies.
End Note:
- E-Enterprise for the Environment Conceptual Blueprint, Executive Summary, page i, as ratified by the state-EPA E-Enterprise Leadership Council on January 21, 2014. For more information, see http://www.ecos.org/section/committees/information_management.
- For more information on Lean process improvement approaches, see http://www.epa.gov/lean/government/index.htm.
- See the FY 2014-2015 Agency Priority Goal for E-Enterprise under the cross-agency strategy entitled “Launching a New Era of State, Tribal, Local, and International Partnerships.” More information on Agency Priority Goals is at http://goals.performance.gov/agency/epa.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
By September 30, 2015 reduce reporting burdens to EPA by one million hours through streamlined regulations, provide real-time environmental data to at least two communities, and establish a new portal to service the regulated community and public.
Description:
Environmental regulators face ever growing needs to share information within and across agencies, reduce staff burden of data entry, reduce regulatory reporting burdens, and improve environmental and human health protection. There is also an increasing expectation from the public and regulated community for the use of on-line systems and the desire for data transparency and personalized access. Both federal and state agencies recognize that easier access to and use of environmental data will facilitate better environmental protection and decision-making while also increasing overall data transparency.
Consistent with the 2012 White House Digital Government Strategy and Executive Order 13563, EPA seeks to transform the way business is conducted. E-Enterprise for the Environment is a joint initiative of states and EPA to improve environmental outcomes and enhance service to the regulated community and the public by maximizing the use of advanced monitoring and information technologies, optimizing operations, and increasing transparency. E-Enterprise will enable new environmental management approaches by modernizing EPA programs and regulations while streamlining and improving existing business processes. E-Enterprise will use the transformational capabilities of information and advanced monitoring technologies to identify and implement programmatic and service improvements.
These improvements will include “smart” tools and services that guide the regulated community in understanding and fulfilling their federal, state and, local regulatory reporting obligations, offer basic validations and error checking of entered information, and support electronic signature submissions. E-Enterprise projects that take advantage of tools and practices such as advanced monitoring technology and streamlined data collection will also expand the ability of the government, regulated entities, and the public to see and measure pollutant discharges, emissions and environmental conditions. A fundamental premise of E-Enterprise is that providing a more complete and integrated (cross media - air, water, and land) view of environmental data can support greener behavior of the public and regulated entities. For example, broad availability of high-speed internet allows real-time reporting of emissions and provides unprecedented opportunities for transparency and public involvement in matters affecting local environmental conditions. These technological advances will allow better tracking of environmental progress. Innovative technology can also help regulators improve compliance with environmental laws.
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Objective:
Statement:
Maintain and attract EPA’s diverse and engaged workforce of the future with a more collaborative work environment. Modernize our business practices, including through E-Enterprise, and take advantage of new tools and technologies. Improve the way we work as a high performing Agency by ensuring we add value in every transaction with our workforce, our co-regulators, our partners, industry, and the people we serve.
Description:
As today’s environmental problems continue to increase in complexity, EPA’s ability to respond creatively, flexibly, and effectively will demand cross-Agency approaches to problem-solving and the use of new tools and technologies. EPA will support these efforts by establishing a high-performing organization characterized by business practices that are modern, efficient, and cost effective, as well as a work environment that supports staff growth and development, and is collaborative and results driven. Becoming a high-performing organization will require changes to both our internal and external processes, and EPA will actively solicit advice and engagement from both within EPA and with our partners as we advance new tools and streamline approaches.
EPA’s compelling mission to protect human health and the environment attracts workers eager to make a difference. EPA cultivates a highly skilled and diverse workforce, with employees energized by opportunities to learn and work collaboratively, and equipped to do their best work for the American people. In building a high-performing organization, the Agency is working to provide employees with a modern, inclusive, and flexible work environment, enabled by advanced information technologies and tools that enhance communication, transparency, and cooperative problem solving across the Agency and with our partners.
EPA is now moving forward with two major initiatives that are part of our efforts to create the next generation of environmental protection in our nation.
- E-Enterprise is a U.S. EPA-state initiative to improve environmental performance and enhance services to the regulated community, environmental agencies, and the public. As described in the E-Enterprise for the Environment Conceptual Blueprint, “E-Enterprise will increase transparency and efficiency, develop new environmental management approaches, and employ advanced information and monitoring technologies in a coordinated effort to manage and modernize environmental programs.”[1] For example, this initiative will move us from using paper to electronic transactions, increase the use of advanced monitoring technologies to obtain better, more complete information on environmental conditions and pollution sources, and deliver data that is transparent, readily available, and understandable to EPA, the states, and the general public. Through E-Enterprise, the entire environmental protection enterprise (federal, state, local, and tribal partners) will be able to regularly conduct two-way business electronically in an integrated way, reducing costs while enhancing environmental protection.
- EPA is moving forward to adopt Next Generation Compliance principles and tools to increase compliance and reduce pollution. Next Generation Compliance uses advances in research, pollutant monitoring, and information technology; expanded transparency; electronic reporting; and innovative enforcement to reduce pollution and improve results. These tools, combined with a focus on designing rules and permits that are easier to implement, enable EPA, states, and tribes to focus on the most serious environmental problems and to better protect communities.
The Agency will focus on streamlining internal business processes and decision making at all levels. To stay current, programs must be constantly reevaluated to ensure they are well focused and cutting edge. Promulgated regulations should maximize environmental benefit while minimizing costs. EPA is committed to process improvement through the application of Lean methodologies and other business practice improvement techniques, as well as the engagement of the expertise and insights of Agency employees to identify opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness.[2]
By combining the strengths of a supportive work environment with a streamlined and collaborative business culture, EPA will establish itself as a high-performing organization known for advancing the talents, drive, and interests of employees, as well as the collaborative work in support of our common mission and the public we serve. EPA will:
- Maintain and attract the workforce of the future to ensure that EPA’s employees represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives, are equipped with the most current technical skills, tools, and knowledge, and are positioned to effectively accomplish the Agency’s mission and meet evolving environmental and sustainability challenges.
- Cultivate a work environment that offers a high-quality work life for all employees by engaging them in shaping Agency decisions and improving processes, and providing flexible work practices, fair and inclusive employee-friendly policies, and opportunities for continuous learning. EPA will modernize the workplace and develop and promote collaboration tools to improve communication, cross-program integration, access to information, and transparency.
- Advance the E-Enterprise initiative to improve environmental outcomes, enhance service to the regulated community and public, and reduce burden and improve collaborative management among EPA, states, tribes, and others. E-Enterprise will increase collaboration with the states as we modernize regulations to make e-reporting the “new normal” and use advanced monitoring to provide more complete and useful environmental data. Key parts of E-Enterprise will be shared information technology services and tools that states and EPA programs use and, in collaboration with the states, the development of a regulatory portal that will help regulated entities electronically report to the states and EPA. The development of E-Enterprise is one of EPA’s Priority Goals.[3]
- In addition to compliance monitoring and enforcement actions, implement Next Generation Compliance by promoting the use of advanced monitoring and electronic reporting, designing rules that are easier to implement, expanding transparency, and using innovative enforcement approaches to increase compliance and reduce pollution.
- Streamline the Agency’s internal business practices, core program processes, and decision making in areas such as acquisition and grants management, rulemaking, and permitting to ensure they are cutting edge, enhance collaboration, and improve efficiency and cost effectiveness while maximizing environmental benefits.
- Practice outstanding financial resource stewardship to ensure that all Agency programs use resources efficiently, operate with fiscal responsibility and management integrity, are effectively and consistently delivered nationwide, and demonstrate results.
- Achieve or exceed federal sustainability targets. These efforts, enhanced by sustainable workplace choices that can be routinely practiced by Agency employees, will continue to reduce EPA’s environmental footprint by increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, advancing water conservation, and reducing waste, and will provide lessons learned to share with other federal agencies.
End Note:
- E-Enterprise for the Environment Conceptual Blueprint, Executive Summary, page i, as ratified by the state-EPA E-Enterprise Leadership Council on January 21, 2014. For more information, see http://www.ecos.org/section/committees/information_management.
- For more information on Lean process improvement approaches, see http://www.epa.gov/lean/government/index.htm.
- See the FY 2014-2015 Agency Priority Goal for E-Enterprise under the cross-agency strategy entitled “Launching a New Era of State, Tribal, Local, and International Partnerships.” More information on Agency Priority Goals is at http://goals.performance.gov/agency/epa.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement: By September 30, 2015 reduce reporting burdens to EPA by one million hours through streamlined regulations, provide real-time environmental data to at least two communities, and establish a new portal to service the regulated community and public.
Description: Environmental regulators face ever growing needs to share information within and across agencies, reduce staff burden of data entry, reduce regulatory reporting burdens, and improve environmental and human health protection. There is also an increasing expectation from the public and regulated community for the use of on-line systems and the desire for data transparency and personalized access. Both federal and state agencies recognize that easier access to and use of environmental data will facilitate better environmental protection and decision-making while also increasing overall data transparency. Consistent with the 2012 White House Digital Government Strategy and Executive Order 13563, EPA seeks to transform the way business is conducted. E-Enterprise for the Environment is a joint initiative of states and EPA to improve environmental outcomes and enhance service to the regulated community and the public by maximizing the use of advanced monitoring and information technologies, optimizing operations, and increasing transparency. E-Enterprise will enable new environmental management approaches by modernizing EPA programs and regulations while streamlining and improving existing business processes. E-Enterprise will use the transformational capabilities of information and advanced monitoring technologies to identify and implement programmatic and service improvements. These improvements will include “smart” tools and services that guide the regulated community in understanding and fulfilling their federal, state and, local regulatory reporting obligations, offer basic validations and error checking of entered information, and support electronic signature submissions. E-Enterprise projects that take advantage of tools and practices such as advanced monitoring technology and streamlined data collection will also expand the ability of the government, regulated entities, and the public to see and measure pollutant discharges, emissions and environmental conditions. A fundamental premise of E-Enterprise is that providing a more complete and integrated (cross media - air, water, and land) view of environmental data can support greener behavior of the public and regulated entities. For example, broad availability of high-speed internet allows real-time reporting of emissions and provides unprecedented opportunities for transparency and public involvement in matters affecting local environmental conditions. These technological advances will allow better tracking of environmental progress. Innovative technology can also help regulators improve compliance with environmental laws.
