**Government Lean Process Improvement Initiatives**

Updated: October 16, 2007

**[What is Lean Process Improvement?]{.underline}** It is a set of
methods that seeks to eliminate all non-value added activity from a
process *without* impacting environmental protection goals or reducing
value-added permit review time.

**[Lean is Producing Dramatic Improvement Results]{.underline}**

Since 2003, many State agencies have experienced significant efficiency
gains through implementing Lean and Six Sigma methods. These include:

-   **Delaware DNREC** lowered a backlog of air construction permits
    from 199 to 25, while reducing the average permit processing time to
    less than 76 days.

-   **California DTSC** held Kaizen events in August and October 2007.

-   **Idaho DEQ** achieved a significant reduction in process steps and
    delays within their air permitting program and is planning a Kaizen
    event for their wastewater enforcement program in mid 2007.

-   **Illinois EPA** held a Kaizen event for minor source air
    construction permits in June 2007.

-   The **State of Iowa** achieved significant efficiency gains through
    the completion of 62 Lean events which focused on a variety of
    permitting and management processes. For example, Iowa DNR reduced
    the average time to issue standard air quality construction permits
    from 62 days to 6 days, and eliminated 70 percent of the process
    steps (from 23 to 7 steps).

-   **Indiana DEM** held a Kaizen event for significant source
    modifications to their air permitting program in early October 2007.

-   **Michigan DEQ** decreased the time needed to process major air
    construction permits from 422 days to 98 days. Initial application
    administrative completeness rose from 82 to 95 percent.

-   **Minnesota PCA** improved permitting timeliness by issuing 75
    percent of NPDES permits within 180 days (from a historical baseline
    of 9 percent), and issued 75 percent of air construction permits
    within 150 days (from a historical baseline of 33 percent). MPCA has
    used Six Sigma methodologies to improve at least 21 agency
    processes.

-   **Nebraska DEQ** reduced the review time for ethanol plant air
    construction permits by 50 percent and decreased the air
    construction permitting backlog by 55 percent.

-   **Tennessee DOE** conducted a Value Stream Mapping exercise in
    August 2007 that focused on the Aquatic Resource Alteration Permits
    (ARAP) program.

-   **Vermont ANR** completed a Kaizen event for their waste water
    permit program which brought about significant reductions in the
    number of steps and delays within the permitting process.

-   **Virginia DEQ** completed permit program reviews on their air
    program, hazardous waste program, solid waste program, Virginia
    Pollution Discharge Elimination Systems, wetland protection program,
    and identified numerous opportunities for process improvements.

-   **Washington DOE** conducted two Lean events focusing on the
    financial assistance program within the water quality program and
    the pollution prevention planning process, both in June 2007.

-   **Wyoming DEQ** held a Kaizen event for New Source Review oil and
    gas permits in June 2007.

-   **Region 7 States (Iowa DNR, Kansas DHE, Missouri DNR, and Nebraska
    DEQ)** teamed up with the **EPA** to hold a Lean event for water
    quality standards in June 2007.

**[Interest in Lean is Growing]{.underline}**

Many additional States have expressed interest in learning more about
Lean process improvements, including:

**Florida DEP, Hawaii DOH, Kentucky DEP, Montana DEQ, New Mexico ED,
North Carolina DENR, and Oregon DEQ**