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Environmental Protection: Challenges Facing EPA's Efforts to Reinvent Environmental Regulation

RCED-97-155 Published: Jul 02, 1997. Publicly Released: Aug 05, 1997.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined: (1) what the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) reinvention initiatives are and how EPA is structured to carry them out; and (2) what key issues need to be addressed for these initiatives to have their intended effect.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Environmental Protection Agency The Administrator, EPA, should direct the Associate Administrator for Reinvention to review the agency's reinvention initiatives to: (1) determine whether there are any that no longer support the agency's overall reinvention goals and should therefore be discontinued; (2) set priorities among those that will be continued; and (3) issue clarifying guidance, as needed, to help ensure that the specific objectives and expectations of continuing initiatives are clear among stakeholders inside and outside the agency.
Closed – Implemented
EPA has taken actions to: (1) establish a senior management group and process to oversee implementation of reinvention across EPA; (2) develop a strategic framework that better explains how EPA is implementing its reinvention vision; (3) set priorities for reinvention activities and clarify how different initiatives fit together; and (4) develop clarifying guidance for various reinvention initiatives, such as the Common Sense Initiative.
Environmental Protection Agency The Administrator, EPA, should improve the prospects for achieving consensus among concerned parties in EPA's reinvention efforts by clarifying the circumstances under which unanimous agreement is required.
Closed – Implemented
In October 1997, EPA developed a white paper entitled, "Consensus Decisionmaking Principles and Applications in the EPA Common Sense Initiative," which was created as guidance for the CSI Council and subcommittees. The document was adopted by the council and, according to EPA, has led to a greater level of satisfaction with the issue of consensus within the context of the Common Sense Initiative.
Environmental Protection Agency The Administrator, EPA, should develop a systematic process that would help to address problems in a timely fashion by identifying which kinds of problems can be resolved at lower levels within the agency and which should be elevated for senior management's attention.
Closed – Implemented
EPA cites a preexisting action (taken in 1996) as a response to this July 1997 recommendation. GAO was aware of the 1996 action, but believed additional measures were needed. EPA maintains that the process it set up in 1996 "is still evolving" and will help to address the issues identified in this recommendation.
Environmental Protection Agency The Administrator, EPA, should direct that each of the agency's initiatives include an evaluation component that measures the extent to which the initiative has had its intended effect.
Closed – Implemented
At the direction of the Senate Appropriations Committee, EPA has contracted with the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) to assess key reinvention activities. EPA says that an important part of NAPA's work will be to build an evaluation capacity within EPA. EPA also cites a number of key initiatives for which evaluation components are presently being developed, and has increased use of "customer satisfaction" surveys to ensure that activities are responsive to customer needs.

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Topics

Agency missionsEnvironmental lawEnvironmental policiesInteragency relationsPerformance measuresPollution controlManagement reengineeringStrategic planningEnvironmental protectionPollution