IV.A: Collaboration History and Baseline

Work with states and tribes to establish the National Environmental Information Exchange Network (NEIEN)

Other Information:

Working in partnership with states and tribes is critical to protecting human health and the environment. Starting in 2001, we worked with states and tribes to establish the National Environmental Information Exchange Network (NEIEN) (www.exchangenetwork.net) to share over 240 regulatory reports. Sharing such information improves its quality, timeliness, accessibility and transparency while lowering costs and burden. All 50 states, 9 tribes and 1 territory currently exchange data over the Network, and the volume of data, types of data being shared, and unique ways of sharing it through cutting edge technology all grow annually. EPA also established a grants program to help the states and tribes exchange their data across the network. Through these grants, states and tribes are able to build the infrastructure and take other steps to move from submitting information on paper to sharing information electronically. The collaboration on the Network extends to the governance structure as well. Our governance features shared ownership and responsibility among the partners and comprises EPA, state and tribal members who collectively make decisions about Network resources, strategy and technology. The Network's technology and approach have been so successful that we are extending them to support other important programs nationwide. Network technology is a backbone of the new International Trade Data System's efforts to improve the sharing of import security information among federal agencies; the Recovery, Accountability and Transparency Board used EPA's Network technology and approaches to develop FederalReporting.gov, which helps the Board monitor spending progress under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Academia is another important group with whom we collaborate in meeting our mission. Scientists are an important source of information, and scientific data and studies are important as we make decisions affecting the environment. EPA recognized the need for our scientists to collaborate more freely with scientists in other agencies and in academia. To meet this need, we developed the Environmental Science Connector (ESC), a password-protected research and collaboration center that provides the capability to customize, coordinate and monitor the progress of science projects from a desktop. EPA scientists can centrally manage projects; search for and download data sets, publications and other documents; set up web conferences; track the history of their work; and share information with other researchers within EPA and external scientists, partners and stakeholders who are collaborating with the Agency. (https://ssoprod.epa.gov/sso/jsp/obloginESCNew.jsp) EPA often collects and makes available information that is important to other federal agencies. For example, we hold multiple radiological emergency response exercises each year with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Department of Energy (DOE), as well as state and local governments. The CDC and EPA also work together to help local health officials prepare in case of a radiological emergency. We developed tools to assist federal, state and local agencies with the review of Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements through a web-based geospatial application. The NEPAssist tool automates the collection and coordination of information needed in the environmental review process, as mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPAssist provides immediate screening of environmental assessment indicators in accordance with regional decision rules for a user-defined area of interest. These features contribute to a streamlined review process that potentially raises important environmental issues at the earliest stages of project development. As another collaboration example, the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program is a grant vehicle that empowers local communities to reduce risks from toxic pollution. Local groups create partnerships to address issues of local concern, from reducing chemical exposure of workers at automotive shops to addressing the presence of heavy metals in drinking water for people living near certain mining activities. Through one CARE project, a community discovered that a large source of mercury releases into the Great Lakes was from dental offices, a finding that prompted the American Dental Association to call on its members to install a low cost device that captures mercury, keeping it from going down the drain and into our river systems. We also foster collaboration through training. We have EPA training programs that focus on building collaboration skills as well as programs that provide information on available tools and resources. Our skills building training programs cover areas such as negotiation, situation assessment and collaboration. Training is sometimes made available to EPA partners as part of a program. And the Superfund Program has a Community Involvement University that provides public involvement and collaboration training, including methods to help our staff manage difficult topics and situations. To continue and expand our collaboration with the community, EPA will analyze public feedback from the publication of our Open Government Plan and commit to providing updates on a periodic basis.

Stakeholder(s):

• States


• Tribes

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

Content