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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 16 (Monday, January 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3962-3964]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01277]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL 9922-00-OCFO; EPA-HQ-OEI-2015-0039]

E-Enterprise for the Environment Portal

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice: request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of the Chief 
Financial Officer is requesting comments on the development of an E-
Enterprise for the Environment portal and announcing three public 
meetings in the form of internet webinars. E-Enterprise is a 
transformative 21st- century strategy for rethinking how government 
agencies deliver environmental protection in the United States. Through 
joint governance at the federal, state, and tribal levels, EPA, the 
states, and tribes are collaboratively modernizing business processes 
and driving and sharing innovations. These changes will improve 
environmental results and enhance services to the regulated community 
and the public by making government more efficient and effective.
    The portal, a Web site that functions as a point of access to 
information and tools, may provide consolidated entry points for 
businesses and citizens to efficiently locate, obtain access to, and 
interact with relevant EPA, state, and tribal environmental programs 
and resources. EPA and our state and tribal partners ultimately may 
choose to provide a different name than ``portal'' to better 
characterize the functionalities provided. The goal is to reduce 
regulatory burden and optimize information technology resources across 
government entities. Further detail on

[[Page 3963]]

the portal is provided in the Background section below and also at 
www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/e-enterprise-portal.
    EPA is seeking comment on the value of establishing a portal and 
the functions that it should provide. The EPA will host a series of 
webinars for the public to learn about the portal, ask questions and 
learn how to provide comments. While open to any participants, the 
first webinar on 2/19/15 will be oriented towards states and other co-
regulators; the second webinar on 2/23/15 will be for theregulated 
community; and the third on 3/5/15 will be aimed atthe general public . 
In parallel with this Federal Register notice, EPA will conduct tribal 
consultation to obtain input from tribes.

DATES: Webinars will be held on February 19, 2015, February 23, 2015 
and March 5, 2015 from 1 p.m. to approximately 3 p.m. Eastern Time. 
Comments may be submitted 90 days from date of publication in the 
Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: The webinars will be conducted via the Internet.
    To register for the sessions, please visit www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/portal-scoping or the links below.

February 19, 2015 From 1-3 p.m. EST

    If you are a co-regulator, please register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/1359012128777800450.

February 23, 2015 From 1-3 p.m. EST

    If you are a regulated entity please register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/2565860280640724481.

March 5, 2015 From 1-3 p.m. EST

    If you are a member of the public, please register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/983075909101638402.
    After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing 
information about how to join the Webinar. Registration is strongly 
encouraged but you may also join the meetings using the links above.
    Comments: Submit your written comments, identified by Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-OEI-2015-0039, by Internet: http://www.regulations.gov: Follow 
the online instructions for submitting comments.
    Email: /epa.gov">epa.gov">OEI.docket@epa.gov.
    Instructions: EPA's policy is that all comments will be included in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information or other information the disclosure 
of which is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or by email. The http://www.regulations.gov Web 
site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know 
your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body 
of your comment. If you send an email comment directly to EPA without 
going through http://www.regulations.gov, your email address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
electronic storage media you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment 
due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, 
EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should 
avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be 
free of any defects or viruses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anyone interested in further 
information may contact Shana Harbour at telephone number (202) 566-
2959; fax: (202) 501-0648; email address: /epa.gov">epa.gov">harbour.shana@epa.gov; 
mailing address Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Chief 
Financial Officer, Mail code 2732A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20460. General information concerning E-Enterprise can 
be found on the Web at www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/e-enterprise-portal.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    Consistent with Executive Orders 13571, 13576, 13563 and 13610 and 
the 2012 White House Digital Government and Shared Services Strategies, 
EPA seeks to transform the business of environmental protection. E-
Enterprise is a transformative 21st century strategy for rethinking how 
government agencies deliver environmental protection in the United 
States. Through joint governance at the federal, state, and tribal 
levels, EPA, the states, and tribes are collaboratively modernizing 
business processes and driving and sharing innovations. These changes 
will improve environmental results and enhance services to the 
regulated community and the public by making government more efficient 
and effective. Additional information concerning E-Enterprise can be 
found at www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/e-enterprise-portal.
    A portal is central to the E-Enterprise vision. Ultimately, the 
portal could provide consolidated entry points for businesses and 
citizens to efficiently locate, obtain access to, and interact with 
relevant EPA, state, and tribal environmental programs and web 
resources. The goal is to integrate information across government 
entities to provide a seamless experience when accessing EPA or partner 
portals or applications.
    In the delivery of EPA's mission to protect human health and the 
environment through regulatory implementation and open government 
initiatives, the EPA seeks to coordinate and streamline interaction 
within and across federal, state, and tribal environmental agencies. 
The portal is needed to help address inefficiencies that have grown as 
environmental programs developed under statutes passed over the course 
of more than 40 years. The public and the regulated community 
rightfully expect transactions under these programs, some of which 
still employ paper-based methods or outdated technologies, to be modern 
and efficient. A main purpose of the portal is to provide better 
customer service to the public and to the regulated community. EPA and 
state regulators will also benefit by having easier access to 
comprehensive environmental information.
    A goal of the portal is to reduce regulatory burden and optimize 
and share information technology resources. EPA would like to develop 
the portal with input from the public. This may include feedback on 
needed enhancements to existing services or information on services 
that are delivered inefficiently with significant overlap, redundancy, 
or inconsistency across offices and agencies. Through this notice, 
consideration of public comments, interaction through the 
aforementioned webinars, and consultation with tribes, the EPA will 
gain important information on the needs of stakeholders and how we can 
best serve the American public in bringing the environmental protection 
business enterprise into the 21st century.

B. Public Meeting

Does this action apply to me?

    This action is directed to the general public. However, this notice 
may be of particular interest to: persons who submit reporting 
information to EPA,

[[Page 3964]]

such as regulated companies and facilities; academic researchers and 
non-governmental organizations; information technologists; and members 
of the public interested in environmental conditions. EPA has not 
attempted to describe all the specific entities that may have interest 
in the E-Enterprise portal. If you have any questions regarding this 
notice, consult Shana Harbour, whose contact information is listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

C. Written Comments

What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    To ensure proper receipt by EPA, please be sure to identify the 
Docket ID number assigned to this action [EPA-HQ-OEI-2015-0039] in the 
subject line on the first page of your response. You may also provide 
the name, date, and Federal Register citation.
    Your comments will be particularly helpful if you identify yourself 
and your sector (regulated entity, non-governmental organization, 
academic, general public, other (explain). For more information on the 
E-Enterprise portal, please visit www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/e-enterprise-portal. EPA is particularly interested in comments on the 
following:
    1. How frequently and for what purpose do you visit epa.gov, state 
and other government environmental Web sites?
    2. List the government Web sites you frequently visit for 
environmental information and identify opportunities for potential 
integration of information from those Web sites.
    3. Cite examples of successful portals or portal-like information 
systems.
    4. Discuss what you consider to be significant obstacles to 
business information transactions with EPA and state co-regulators.
    5. Discuss what you view as significant opportunities for 
streamlining transactions with EPA or states and how a portal may or 
may not facilitate them.
    6. Identify requirements for capabilities of the portal and for 
each requirement indicate:
    a. The extent to which the requirement involves transactions or 
aspects of transactions that are common across organizational or 
programmatic units when reporting to environmental regulatory agencies 
(e.g. registration, logging in, resubmitting common contact or facility 
information, etc.).
    b. Relationship of the requirement to regulatory obligations.
    c. Priority of the requirement, and whether the requirement is 
``must-have'' or ``nice-to-have.''
    d. Urgency of the requirement, as in how soon the capability is 
needed.
    e. Any information on how a portal could reduce the time you spend 
to report environmental information or process transactions and an 
estimate of this time.
    7. Discuss any positive/negative impacts of using a portal as the 
required or voluntary means for interacting with EPA and states for 
business transactions required to fulfill environmental regulatory 
obligations.
    8. In order to provide a more streamlined/personalized/customized 
experience in the portal for retrieving publically available 
information, would you be willing to establish an electronic credential 
(user ID) or reuse an existing ID such as one used on social media?
    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
--Explain your views as clearly as possible.
--Describe any assumptions that you used.
--Provide copies of any technical information and/or data that you used 
to support your views.

    Dated: January 16, 2015.
David A. Bloom,
Acting Chief Financial Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-01277 Filed 1-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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