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Overview of Recent EPA Activities
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
Recognizing EPA’s long tradition of using collaborative processes to address environmental challenges, in January, 2004, Administrator Michael O. Leavitt asked EPA senior managers to build upon the Agency’s past experience and to chart a course for the future. As the first step in this process, EPA conducted an extensive internal review of its experiences with collaborative approaches to environmental protection, including nearly 200 EPA case studies, as well as an extensive examination of the scientific and Agency literature on the subject. Through this research, the study team produced a Draft Discussion Guide that identified seven “keys” to successful collaborative problem-solving.
Based on these findings, EPA leadership initiated a series of dialogue sessions with senior executives, managers, and staff throughout the Agency regarding the future of collaborative problem-solving at EPA. Participants proposed hundreds of ideas for enhancing the Agency’s collaborative problem-solving efforts. Based on these contributions, EPA is now implementing activities in four thematic areas: (1) build expert knowledge, skills, and capacity; (2) develop collaborative leadership at all levels through recruitment and career development; (3) align planning, budgeting, and accountability systems to foster collaboration; and (4) target priority environmental problems. EPA anticipates that focused investment in these four strategic areas will enable the Agency to take collaborative problem-solving to new heights, enabling it to more effectively deliver the cleaner air, water, and land that the American public deserves.
New Collaboration tools
- Collaboration & FACA at EPA (PDF format 4 pages, 41K) – a collaborative problem solving guide that clarifies the application of Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) requirements affect collaborative approaches at EPA
- Factsheets showcasing key collaboration case studies
- Atlantic Steel Redevelopment (PDF 2 pages, 188KB)
- Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule (PDF 2 pages, 40KB)
- Great Lakes Bi-National Toxics Strategy (PDF 2 pages, 27KB)
- New York City Watershed Partnership (PDF 2 pages, 40KB)
- Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life (SEQL) (PDF 2 pages, 35KB)
- Western Regional Air Partnership (PDF 2 pages, 52KB)
- Administrator Stephen Johnson’s comments at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation – additional conference materials including agenda, newsletters, case-study information, breakout session summaries, and more are located at http://conservation.ceq.gov/index.html
