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Starting an XL Project
Pre-Proposal: The sponsor and EPA staff person (either regional or headquarters) has an informal, conceptual discussion about the project. Sometimes a concept paper or draft proposal is submitted to EPA for review.
Proposal Development: Once the project concept is developed, the sponsor submits a formal proposal. A cross EPA team made up of the appropriate technical and legal staff review the proposal and work with the sponsor to clarify information needed to evaluate the proposal. Publications that may assist you throughout project development include:
- Project XL: Best Practices Guide for Proposal Development
- Project XL Stakeholder Involvement (PDF 30 pages; 764K)
EPA and State Review: Since most XL projects require state as well as federal regulatory flexibility, EPA works with the state or tribal government to assess the merits of the proposal, which are then communicated to EPA's senior management. EPA's Associate Administrator for Reinvention, in consultation with other senior managers on the EPA Reinvention Action Council (RAC) and state and tribal governments, award a decision to advance or reject a proposal. For a list of projects currently in this phase, click here.
Final Project Agreement (FPA) Development: The sponsor, EPA, states and other co-regulators negotiate the details of the project and each parties' commitments, including agreements for expected environmental performance, regulatory flexibility needed, experimental conditions that need to be met, and evaluation protocol. EPA's Guide to Writing Final Project Agreements (PDF 23 pages; 58K) may be particularly helpful at this stage. For a list of projects currently in this phase, click here.
Implementation and Evaluation: After the experiment begins, the project is periodically evaluated by EPA and other co-regulators. Results are documented so that EPA may integrate lessons learned from the project into Agency policy, guidance and regulations. Project Tracking, Reporting and Evaluation: A Guide for XL Project Teams (PDF 8 pages; 21K) may be particularly helpful at this stage. For examples of progress on existing XL Projects, please refer to a variety of specific project reports and EPA publications in the Evaluation Documents and Publications section. For a list of projects currently in this phase, click here.
To discuss project ideas, or for more information, contact the EPA representative in your region or EPA HQ staff by calling (202) 566-0495.