All News Releases By Date

 

Environmental Information Exchange Grants Awarded New Network will Transform EPA Data Exchange

Release Date: 10/29/2003
Contact Information:

(10/29/03) To simplify the sharing of environmental data, grants for continued work on the National Environmental Information Exchange Network were announced today by Acting Administrator Marianne Horinko. Forty-three states, two U.S. territories, and 16 Native American tribes received approximately $20 million in grants in the second phase of fiscal year 2003 funding. When complete, the Exchange Network will revolutionize the way states, tribes and other partners send information to EPA. States and other partners will no longer have to spend time and dollars to resolve hardware or data incompatibility problems in order to transfer data - - they will not have to transmit the data at all. Instead they will establish nodes, special computers where they will store their environmental data, and EPA will collect the data using a universal format software language.

“I am so pleased to announce these grants today,” said Horinko. “For too long, states and other EPA partners have shouldered a disproportionate share of the work and costs of exchanging environmental data. EPA needs timely environmental information to make informed policy decisions. And the American public is entitled to view important environmental information on their communities. The federal government will be able to obtain needed information without the states and other partners incurring high costs.”

The creation of the Exchange Network is also part of the eGovernment Initiative of the President’s Management Agenda, which mandates that the federal government take full advantage of modern information technology to make data more accessible to citizens and other interested parties. This initiative further encourages collaboration between federal, state, local and tribal affiliates in sharing technology to leverage limited state and tribal dollars. EPA anticipates that Congress will continue to fund the grant program for a third year in FY 2004.

The Network Grant Program includes four types of grants:
1. Network One Stop Grants continue the work accomplished under the One Stop Program, which awarded grants to states that had already committed significant state resources to data management and reporting improvements.

2. Network Readiness Grants foster network participation, such as node development, assignment of data stewardship roles and responsibility, establishment of trading partner agreements, and internal data clean up.

3. Network Challenge Grants are for collaborative work that advances the Exchange Network, including projects that result in a higher level of quality data, reduce reporting burden, or provide increased public access to the data.

4. Network Administration Grants are to support State/Tribal technical and administrative functions of the Network.

More information on the different types of grants and EPA’s National Environmental Information Exchange Network is available at: https://www.epa.gov/Networkg/

A complete list of the grantees is attached.

FY 2003 Exchange Network Grant Program
Office of Environmental Information
Final Awards - September 2003
Challenge State Grants
California - Environmental Protection Agency	$1,000,000
Delaware - Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control	$378,000
Maine - Department of Environmental Protection	$494,000
Total Challenge State Grants: 3	$1,872,000
Challenge Tribe Grants
Board of Regents for and on behalf of Northern Arizona University - Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals	$190,000
Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes - Native Lands and Resources	$150,000
Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma - Office of Environmental Services	$190,000
Coeur D'Alene Tribe of the Coeur D'Alene Reservation, Idaho - Tribal GIS Program	$190,000
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Washington - Environmental Protection Agency	$190,000
Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming - Wind River Environmental Quality Commission	$190,000
Total Challenge Tribe Grants: 6	$1,100,000
Readiness State Grants
Arizona - Department of Environmental Quality	$297,700
California - Environmental Protection Agency	$810,000
Delaware - Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control	$297,700
Florida - Department of Environmental Protection	$297,700
Georgia - Department of Natural Resources	$297,700
Idaho - Department of Environmental Quality	$297,700
Illinois - Environmental Protection Agency	$178,600
Iowa - Department of Natural Resources	$297,700
Kansas - Department of Health and Environment	$297,700
Louisiana - Department of Health and Hospitals	$237,000
Maine - Department of Environmental Protection	$297,700
Maryland - Department of the Environment	$297,700
Massachusetts - Department of Environmental Protection	$178,600
Michigan - Department of Environmental Quality	$297,000
Minnesota - Pollution Control Agency	$297,700
Mississippi - Department of Environmental Quality	$297,700
Missouri - Department of Natural Resources	$297,700
Montana - Department of Environmental Quality	$297,700
Nebraska - Department of Environmental Quality	$400,000
New Hampshire - Department of Environmental Services	$297,700
New Jersey - Department of Environmental Protection	$296,600
New Mexico - Environment Department	$297,700
New York - State Department of Environmental Conservation	$297,700
North Carolina - Department of Environment and Natural Resources	$178,600
Ohio - Environmental Protection Agency	$297,700
Oklahoma - Department of Environmental Quality	$297,700
Oregon - Department of Environmental Quality	$287,876
Pennsylvania - Department of Environmental Protection	$178,600
Rhode Island - Department of Environmental Management	$74,786
South Carolina - Department of Health and Environmental Control	$297,700
Texas - Commission on Environmental Quality	$297,700
Utah - Department of Environmental Quality	$297,700
Vermont - Agency of Natural Resources	$297,700
Virginia - Department of Environmental Quality	$178,600
Washington - Department of Ecology	$297,700
West Virginia - Department of Health and Human Resources	$178,600
Wisconsin - Department of Natural Resources	$297,700
Total Readiness State Grants: 37	$10,619,662
Readiness Territory Grants
Guam - Environmental Protection Agency	$178,600
Puerto Rico - Environmental Quality Board	$297,700
Total Readiness Territory Grants: 2	$476,300
Readiness Tribe Grants
Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon - Tribal Planning Department	$100,000
Hualapai Indian Tribe of the Hualapai Indian Reservation, Arizona - Department of Natural Resources	$100,000
Navajo Nation Arizona, New Mexico and Utah - Environmental Protection Agency	$100,000
St. Regis Band of Mohawk Indians of New York - Environment Division	$100,000
Total Readiness Tribe Grants: 4	$400,000
One Stop State Grants
Alabama - Department of Environmental Management	$500,000
Colorado - Department of Public Health and Environment	$500,000
District of Columbia - Department of Health	$500,000
Hawaii - Department of Health	$500,000
North Dakota - Department of Health	$500,000
South Dakota - Department of Environment and Natural Resources	$500,000
Wyoming - Department of Environmental Quality	$500,000
Total One Stop State Grants: 7	$3,500,000
One Stop Tribe Grants
Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin - Tribal Government	$47,996
Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota, Grand Portage Band - Grand Portage Reservation Trust Lands: Natural Resources	$47,000
Cortina Indian Rancheria of Wintun Indians of California - Environmental Protection Agency	$48,000
Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California - Tribal Environmental Programs	$48,000
La Jolla Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the La Jolla Reservation, California - Environmental Resources Office	$47,000
Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho - Land Services	$48,000
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community of the Salt River Reservation, Arizona - Cultural and Environmental Services	$48,000
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska - Environmental Protection Department	$66,000
Total One Stop Tribe Grants: 8	$399,996
Network Administration Grant
Environmental Council of the States	$1,000,000
Total Network Administration Grants: 1	$1,000,000
Summary 2003 Network Grant Awards
Total Number of Grants	68