U . S . E N V I R O N M E N T A L P R O T E C T I O N A G E N C Y

Achieving 

 Our Vision

EPA Strategic Plan

FY 2011–2015 
EPA’s Mission:

To Protect Human Health and the Environment

Strategic Goals

Goal 1: Taking Action on Climate Change and Improving Air Quality

Goal 2: Protecting America’s Waters

Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable 

Development

Goal 4: Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution

Goal 5: Enforcing Environmental Laws

Cross-Cutting Fundamental Strategies

Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism

Working for Environmental Justice and Children’s Health

Advancing Science, Research, and Technological Innovation

Strengthening State, Tribal, and International Partnerships

Strengthening EPA’s Workforce and Capabilities

Core Values:

Science, Transparency, Rule of Law
Fiscal Year 2011–2015 

EPA Strategic Plan

Achieving Our Vision

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

September 30, 2010
ii

Table of Contents

Message from the Administrator............................................................................... 1

Introduction ............................................................................................................... 4

Strategic Goals.......................................................................................................... 6

Goal 1: Taking Action on Climate Change and Improving Air Quality....................................6

Goal 2: Protecting America’s Waters .................................................................................11

Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development....................15

Goal 4: Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution....................................19

Goal 5: Enforcing Environmental Laws ..............................................................................23

External Factors and Emerging Issues...............................................................................25

Summary of Program Evaluation .......................................................................................27

Cross-Cutting Fundamental Strategies................................................................... 28

Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism ............................................................29

Working for Environmental Justice and Children’s Health...................................................30

Advancing Science, Research, and Technological Innovation ............................................32

Strengthening State, Tribal, and International Partnerships ................................................34

Strengthening EPA’s Workforce and Capabilities................................................................36

Strategic Measurement Framework ........................................................................ 37

Goal 1: Taking Action on Climate Change and Improving Air Quality..................................43

Goal 2: Protecting America’s Waters .................................................................................46

Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development. ...................49

Goal 4: Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution....................................52

Goal 5: Enforcing Environmental Laws. .............................................................................54
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T

he EPA’s FY 2011–2015 Strategic Plan provides a blueprint for accomplishing our priorities for the next five 

years. This plan presents five strategic goals for advancing our environmental and human-health mission outcomes, accompanied by five cross-cutting fundamental strategies that seek to focus the EPA’s work to meet 

the growing environmental protection needs of the day. To follow the Administration’s focus on strengthening programs and achieving results, the EPA is implementing near-term Priority Goals that serve as key indicators of 

progress toward our five strategic goals. We will continue to affirm the core values of science, transparency and the 

rule of law in addressing these priorities. These are the most urgent issues we must confront through 2015. 

As we prepared this strategic plan, we also were responding to one of the nation’s worst environmental disasters, the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill, which seriously affected the ecological and economic health of the 

Gulf Coast’s communities. A sustained, effective recovery and restoration effort will require significant commitments of resources, scientific and technical expertise and coordination with a range of partners in the months 

and years ahead. This strategic plan offers a solid foundation for the EPA’s long-term response to the impacts 

of the BP oil spill. As President Obama has said, our government will do “everything in our power to protect 

our natural resources, compensate those who have been harmed, rebuild what has been damaged, and help 

this region persevere like it has done so many times before.” The EPA will work tirelessly to address the environmental and human-health effects and set the Gulf Coast on the path to recovery. 

The EPA’s Strategic Goals

Taking Action on Climate Change and Improving Air Quality: America’s communities face serious health 

and environmental challenges from air pollution and the growing effects of climate change. During my first year 

as Administrator, the EPA finalized an endangerment finding on greenhouse gases, proposed the first national 

rules to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions under the Clean Air Act and initiated a national reporting system for 

greenhouse-gas emissions. All of these advances signaled historic progress in the fight against climate change. 

Climate change must be considered and integrated into all aspects of our work. While the EPA stands ready to 

help Congress craft strong, science-based climate legislation that addresses the spectrum of issues, we will assess 

and develop regulatory tools as warranted under law using the authority of the Clean Air Act. 

Message from 

the Administrator

Since beginning my tenure as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, I have been challenged by the difficult 

issues we face and inspired by the talent and dedication of our 

extraordinary work force. There is no doubt the EPA is on the job. 

We have made exceptional progress in protecting the environment of America’s communities and restoring the trust of the American people. And we have made 

a number of historic environmental advances along the way. The year 2010 marks the EPA’s 40th

anniversary. It is a moment of celebration but also a time when we face some of the most complex 

and far-reaching environmental challenges in the history of the EPA, our nation and our planet. It is 

critical that we work harder and look further ahead.
2

We have strengthened the ambient air-quality standards for nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide and proposed 

stronger standards for ozone, which will help millions of Americans breathe easier and lead healthier lives. 

We also are developing a comprehensive strategy for a cleaner and more efficient power sector, with strong 

and achievable emission-reduction goals for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and other air toxics. 

Strengthening the ambient air-quality standards consistent with the latest scientific information and gaining 

additional reductions in air toxics from a range of industrial facilities will significantly improve air quality and 

reduce risks to communities across the country. Improved monitoring, timely and thorough permitting and 

vigorous enforcement are our key tools for air-quality improvement. 

Protecting America’s Waters: Despite considerable progress, America’s waters remain imperiled. From 

nutrient loadings and stormwater runoff to invasive species and drinking-water contaminants, water quality 

and enforcement programs face complex challenges that demand both traditional and innovative strategies. 

We will work hand-in-hand with states and tribes to develop nutrient limits and intensify our work to restore 

and protect the quality of the nation’s streams, rivers, lakes, bays, oceans and aquifers. The EPA also will use its 

authority to protect and restore threatened natural treasures such as the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay and 

the Gulf of Mexico; to address our neglected urban rivers; to ensure safe drinking water; and to reduce pollution from nonpoint and industrial dischargers. We will initiate measures to address post-construction runoff, 

water-quality impairments from surface mining and drinking-water contamination. 

Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development: Using all the tools at our disposal, 

including targeted enforcement and compliance efforts, the EPA will continue to make our communities safer 

and healthier. We are accelerating these efforts through our Superfund program to confront significant local environmental challenges. The collapse of a coal-ash impoundment in Kingston, Tenn., focused the EPA’s attention on 

how these disposal facilities are managed nationwide. In response, the EPA proposed options for the nation’s first 

rules to address the risks from the disposal of coal ash generated by coal-fired power plants. By maximizing the 

potential of our brownfields program to spur environmental cleanups and by fostering stronger partnerships with 

stakeholders affected by our cleanups, we are moving toward our goal of building sustainable, healthy, economically vibrant communities. And by strengthening our work with tribal communities, we are advancing our efforts 

to build environmental-management capacity and program implementation in Indian country.

Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution: One of our highest priorities is ensuring the 

safety of the chemicals that make up the building blocks of modern society. Increasingly, the chemicals used 

to make our products, build our homes and support our way of life end up in the environment and in our 

bodies. Last year, the Administration announced principles for modernizing the more than 30-year-old Toxic 

Substances Control Act, under which we assess and regulate chemicals. To move forward and to make longoverdue progress, we are shifting our focus to filling in critical missing information on the chemicals most widely 

produced and used in commerce and addressing chemicals that pose unreasonable risk to the environment or 

human health. Pending legislative action by Congress, the EPA is strengthening its chemical safety program by 

coordinating with appropriate federal agencies to maximize use of current TSCA authorities, supported by the 

best available science, to aggressively assess and manage the risks of chemicals used in consumer products, the 

workplace and the environment. Additionally, under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the 

EPA and the states register or license pesticides for use in the U.S. The EPA also is taking steps to increase transparency and public access to TSCA-related chemical information, committing to review and, where appropriate, 

to challenge and declassify Confidential Business Information claims for hundreds of annual new submissions 

and more than 20,000 previous submissions through FY 2015. By encouraging pollution prevention, we will 

promote the use of safer chemical alternatives, implement conservation techniques, promote efficient reuse of 

materials and better align the chemical-production processes with the principles of green chemistry. 

Enforcing Environmental Laws: Effective, consistent enforcement is critical to achieving the human-health 

and environmental benefits expected from our environmental laws. The EPA, through the rule of law, will 
3

ensure compliance with environmental requirements and, as warranted, will employ vigorous and targeted 

civil and criminal enforcement. We will achieve significant environmental results by focusing our efforts on the 

most serious water, air and chemical hazards and by working closely with states and tribes. We will protect the 

public by criminally prosecuting willful, intentional and serious violations of federal environmental laws.

The EPA’s Cross-Cutting Fundamental Strategies

As a companion to our strategic goals, which chart the Agency’s direction for achieving mission results during 

the next five years, the EPA’s five cross-cutting fundamental strategies set explicit expectations for changing the 

way we approach our work. These five strategies will inform the work of every program and regional office and 

help us meet the challenges we face today. 

Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism: Every American has a stake in clean air and water, 

chemical safety, restoring contaminated industrial and mining sites and strong enforcement of environmental 

statutes. Every community must be part of the conversation. We will take broad steps to expand the conversation on environmentalism to communities across America, building capacity, increasing transparency and 

listening to the public. We will engage citizens to hear all the voices that must be part of our nation’s dialogue 

on environmental issues. 

Working for Environmental Justice and Children’s Health: We will work alongside entities that bear 

important responsibilities for the day-to-day mission of environmental protection and strengthen oversight to 

ensure programs are consistently delivered nationwide. We will use a variety of approaches, including regulations, enforcement, research, community-based programs and outreach to protect children and low-income, 

minority and tribal populations disproportionately impacted by environmental and human-health hazards. 

Advancing Science, Research and Technological Innovation: The EPA will advance the scientific 

research and technological innovation that is essential to enhancing our ability to protect human health and 

the environment. 

Strengthening State, Tribal and International Partnerships: We will strengthen partnerships with states, 

tribes and the international community. Hand-in-hand with these partnership efforts and inclusive environmentalism, we will address pollution problems and protect human health.

Strengthening the EPA’s Work Force and Capabilities: We will adopt improved, innovative and creative 

management approaches and exemplify stewardship, transparency and accountability in addressing increasingly complex environmental and human-health challenges. We will foster a culture of excellence and provide 

the infrastructure, technology, training and tools to support a talented, diverse, and highly motivated work 

force that supports the Administration’s human capital and acquisition priorities. 

Forty years after the birth of the EPA, we have a rare opportunity to spark a new era of environmental and 

human-health protection. The American people and countries around the world look to us for leadership. It is 

up to us to embrace this moment, so our children and grandchildren can have a cleaner, healthier future. We 

will face new challenges, new opportunities and new possibilities for achieving our vision of a cleaner, greener 

and more sustainable environment. I have tremendous confidence in the talent and spirit of our work force, 

and I know we will meet our challenges head-on, as One EPA. Fueled by our energy, our ideas, and our passion, 

this strategic plan will help guide our path to success.

Lisa P. Jackson
4

Recent events in the Gulf Coast region and 

elsewhere have brought to the forefront how 

much we value our environment. Our homes, 

our livelihoods, our health and that of our 

children depend on clean water to drink, 

clean air to breathe, and healthy ecosystems 

that produce our food and the raw materials 

that support modern life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its mission to protect 

human health and the environment have never been more vital than they are today. 

T

he Fiscal Year (FY) 2011–2015 EPA Strategic 

Plan responds to this increasing degree of 

environmental awareness and the challenges 

that lie ahead.1 We have created a streamlined, executive-level Plan that sets the Agency’s 

direction, advances the Administrator’s priorities, and 

will be used routinely by the Agency’s senior leadership as a management tool. We have sharpened 

our strategic goals and objectives and offer a more 

focused set of strategic measures to better inform 

our understanding of progress and challenges alike 

in managing our programs. We intend to pursue 

these goals and objectives as One EPA, through 

meaningful collaboration across the Agency. Our new 

cross-cutting fundamental strategies are directed at 

refocusing and tangibly changing the way we carry 

out our work. We anticipate that this new approach 

will foster a renewed commitment to accountability, 

transparency, and inclusion. 

Our five strategic goals represent a simplified and 

meaningful approach to our work and reflect 

the results we hope to achieve on behalf of the 

American people:

✦ Goal 1: Taking Action on Climate Change and 

Improving Air Quality

✦ Goal 2: Protecting America’s Waters

✦ Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and 

Advancing Sustainable Development

✦ Goal 4: Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and 

Preventing Pollution

✦ Goal 5: Enforcing Environmental Laws

To achieve the long-term goals and associated 

objectives and strategic measures set out in this 

Plan, we will track progress through annual performance measures, which are presented in EPA’s 

Annual Performance Plans and Budgets. We will 

report on our performance against these annual 

measures in our Annual Performance Reports, and 

use this performance information as we establish 

priorities, develop future budget submissions, and 

manage programs. Additionally, EPA reports on High 

Priority Performance Goals (Priority Goals), a new 

component of this Administration’s performance 

management framework. Priority Goals are specific, 

measurable, ambitious, near-term targets that align 

with our long-term strategic measures and annual 

measures. The Priority Goals communicate the performance improvements we will accomplish relative 

to our priorities using existing legislative authority 

and resources. The Priority Goals constitute 18- to 

24-month operational targets the Agency will work 

to accomplish, distinguishing the Priority Goals from 

the longer-term measures. This process will come 

full circle as we evaluate these performance data to 

develop future Strategic Plans.

Our measures for the FY 2011–2015 EPA Strategic 

Plan draw upon some of the indicators contained in 

Introduction
5

EPA’s 2008 Report on the Environment 

(ROE).2 The indicators help us to 

monitor trends in environmental 

conditions and environmental influences on human health. Our efforts 

to develop the report and regularly 

update the indicators have advanced 

our performance measurement work 

by bringing together existing and new 

analytical information on the environment and human health.

During the five-year horizon of 

this Plan, we know that we will 

face unanticipated challenges and 

opportunities that will affect our 

ability to achieve our objectives and 

the specific measurable results that 

we have described. In particular, we 

recognize that numerous entities vital 

to our success—federal3

, state, tribal, 

and local governments, and cooperating partners and stakeholders—are 

operating under resource constraints 

that could impede our joint progress. 

This Plan provides the framework to 

address these challenges and make 

necessary adjustments. 

This FY 2011–2015 EPA Strategic Plan 

sets forth our vision and commitment 

to preserve the environment for future 

generations and to protect human 

health in the places where people live, 

work, learn, and play. It is our hope 

that you will join us as we undertake 

the important work that lies ahead.

End Notes: 

1 The Fiscal Year 2011–2015 EPA Strategic Plan covers the timeframe from October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2015 unless 

otherwise noted.

2 EPA electronic Report on the Environment is available at http://www.epa.gov/roe.

3 Federal entities with whom we expect continued cooperation or coordination for EPA’s five strategic goals include: Agriculture, 

Army Corps of Engineers, Commerce, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Defense, Education, Energy, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, General Services Administration, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban 

Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Small Business Administration, State, Transportation, Treasury, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Agency 

for International Development, and U.S. Trade Representative.

Consultation Efforts

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 

directs all federal departments and agencies to consult 

with parties interested in or likely to be affected by a strategic plan. Consultation with EPA’s federal, state, local, and 

tribal government partners and our many stakeholders is 

an integral part of the Agency’s strategic planning process. 

To that end, EPA:

• Engaged with key partners and co-regulators throughout the effort to develop the Draft Plan. 

• Significantly expanded our outreach efforts for public 

review of the Draft FY 2011–2015 EPA Strategic Plan

to enhance transparency and inclusion. We issued, 

for the first time, a news release in both English and 

Spanish and a Federal Register Notice and used 

www.regulations.gov to encourage feedback on the 

Draft Plan. 

• Sent notification letters to over 800 organizations and 

individuals to request input. These entities included 

leaders of the Agency’s Congressional authorizing 

and appropriations committees; states and state 

associations; all federally-recognized tribes; tribal 

organizations; local government representatives; other 

federal agencies; public health organizations; environmental, public interest, and public policy groups; and 

representatives of the regulated community. 

• Established an on-line discussion forum to engage 

with the public on implementing the cross-cutting 

fundamental strategies to tangibly change the way 

we work. Comments received through the discussion forum can be viewed at https://blog.epa.gov/

strategicplan.

Our efforts to significantly expand our outreach for public 

review of the Draft Plan resulted in over 500 public comments, compared to approximately 50 public comments 

for prior Draft Strategic Plans. 
6

C

limate change poses risks to human 

health, the environment, cultural 

resources, the economy, and quality of 

life.1 These changes are expected to create 

further challenges to protecting human health and 

welfare. Many effects of climate change are already 

evident and will persist into the future regardless of 

future levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

Potential climate change impacts may include, for 

example, increased smog levels in many regions of 

the country, making it more difficult to attain or 

maintain clean air. A rise in sea level or increased 

precipitation intensity may increase flooding, 

which would affect water quality, as large volumes 

of water can transport contaminants and overload 

storm and wastewater systems. In order to protect 

human health and the environment, EPA must 

recognize and consider the challenge a changing 

climate poses to the environment. 

Since passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments in 

1990, nationwide air quality has improved significantly.2

 Despite this progress, about 127 million 

Americans lived in counties that did not meet air 

quality standards for at least one pollutant in 2008. 

Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause 

cancer and damage to the immune, neurological, 

reproductive, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems.3

Because people spend much of their lives indoors, the 

quality of indoor air is also a major concern. Twenty 

percent of the population spends the day indoors in 

elementary and secondary schools, where problems 

with leaky roofs and with heating, ventilation, and 

air conditioning systems can trigger a host of health 

problems, including asthma and allergies. Exposure to 

indoor radon is responsible for an estimated 20,000 

premature lung cancer deaths each year.4

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop adaptation strategies 

to address climate change, and protect and improve air quality.

Goal 1: Taking 

Action on Climate 

Change and 

Improving Air Quality

Objectives: 

• Address Climate Change. Reduce the 

threats posed by climate change by 

reducing greenhouse gas emissions and 

taking actions that help communities and 

ecosystems become more resilient to the 

effects of climate change.

• Improve Air Quality. Achieve and maintain 

health-based air pollution standards and 

reduce risk from toxic air pollutants and 

indoor air contaminants.

• Restore the Ozone Layer. Restore the 

earth’s stratospheric ozone layer and 

protect the public from the harmful effects 

of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

• Reduce Unnecessary Exposure to 

Radiation. Minimize unnecessary releases 

of radiation and be prepared to minimize 

impacts should unwanted releases occur.

Strategic Measures associated with this Goal 

are on pages 43 through 45.
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Reduce GHG Emissions and 

Develop Adaptation Strategies to 

Address Climate Change

EPA’s strategies to address climate change support the 

President’s GHG emissions reduction goals. EPA and 

its partners will reduce GHG emissions domestically 

and internationally through cost-effective, voluntary programs while pursuing additional regulatory 

actions as needed. Our efforts include: 

✦ Developing and implementing a national system 

for reporting GHG emissions. (Implementing 

the mandatory GHG reporting rule is one of the 

Agency’s Priority Goals.)5

✦ Issuing new standards to reduce emissions from 

cars and light-duty trucks for model years 2012 

through 2016, extending that program to model 

year 2017 and beyond, and creating a similar 

program to reduce GHGs from medium- and 

heavy-duty trucks for model years 2014–2018. 

(Implementing the light-duty GHG rule is one of 

the Agency’s Priority Goals.)6

✦ Developing standards to reduce GHG emissions from nonroad sources such as marine and 

aircraft and land-based nonroad equipment and 

locomotives.

✦ Implementing permitting requirements for 

facilities that emit large amounts of GHGs to 

encourage design and construction of more 

efficient and advanced processes that will contribute to a clean energy economy.

✦ Implementing refocused voluntary programs 

that maximize GHG reductions through the 

greater use of energy-efficient technologies, 

products, and practices, and promoting energy 

and transportation policies that benefit the 

environment and human health.

✦ Collaborating with state, local, and tribal governments on regulatory and policy initiatives, 

technical assistance, and voluntary programs 

related to climate change mitigation and adaption.

✦ Collaborating with countries and other international partners to reduce methane emissions and 

deliver clean energy to markets around the world 

through the Global Methane Initiative.

✦ Developing a comprehensive report to Congress 

on black carbon that will provide a foundation 

for evaluating future approaches to black carbon 

mitigation.

✦ Pursuing a sustainable, life-cycle approach to 

managing materials.

✦ Identifying and assessing substitute chemical and 

ozone-depleting substances and processes for 

their global-warming potential.

✦ Educating the public about climate change and 

actions people can take to reduce GHG emissions.

Adaptation initiatives aim to increase the resilience 

of communities and ecosystems to climate change 

by increasing their ability to anticipate, prepare 

for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of 

climate change. Many of the outcomes EPA is working to attain are sensitive to weather and climate. 

Consequently, every action EPA takes, including promulgating regulations and implementing programs, 

should take these fluctuations into consideration. 

For example, EPA models the ways in which weather 

affects air quality when it develops air quality standards, and cannot assume that climate is constant, an 

assumption typically made in the rulemaking process.

EPA must adapt and plan for future changes in 

climate, work with state, tribal, and local partners, and 

continue to collaborate with the U.S. Global Change 

Research Program and the Interagency Task Force 

on Climate Change Adaptation.7

 The Agency must 

incorporate the anticipated, unprecedented changes 

in climate into its programs and rules, drawing on 

the critical information and tools provided by EPA 

researchers, to continue to fulfill statutory, regulatory, 

and programmatic requirements.

Improve Air Quality

Taking into account the most current health effects 

research findings8

, EPA recently completed new, more 

health-protective standards for lead, sulfur dioxide, 

and nitrogen dioxide. We are in the process of 

reviewing the ozone, particulate matter, and carbon 

monoxide standards. Over the next five years, we will 
8

work with states and tribes to develop and implement plans to achieve and maintain these standards. 

Our research provides the tools and information 

necessary for EPA, states, and tribes to implement air 

quality standards and controls. 

In 2011, we expect to complete and begin implementing a rule to replace the Clean Air Interstate 

Rule that was remanded to us by the courts in 2008. 

Strengthening the standards and decreasing the emissions that contribute to interstate transport of air 

pollution will help many areas of the country attain 

the standards and achieve significant improvements 

in human health. As we implement the standards, we 

will do so in a way that protects disproportionatelyimpacted low-income and minority communities. 

We are also 

working with 

partners and 

stakeholders 

to improve 

the overall 

air quality 

management 

system and 

to address 

air quality 

challenges 

expected over 

the next 10 to 

20 years. These 

efforts include 

improving the 

state implementation plan 

approval process, implementing a national training 

strategy, and developing effective air quality strategies 

that address multiple pollutants and consider the 

interplay between air quality and factors such as land 

use, energy, transportation, and climate.

We will address emissions from vehicles, engines, and 

fuels through an integrated strategy that combines 

regulatory approaches that take advantage of technological advances and cleaner fuels with voluntary 

programs that reduce vehicle, engine, and equipment 

activity and emissions. We are working with refiners, 

renewable fuel producers, and others to implement 

regulations to increase the amount of renewable fuel 

blended into gasoline. Through the National Clean 

Diesel Campaign, we support diesel emission reductions that can be achieved through such actions as 

switching to cleaner fuels; engine retrofit, repair, and 

replacement; and idle reduction.

Air toxics are both widespread and communityspecific. They are emitted by large industry, small 

businesses, motor vehicles, and many other 

common activities. While certain chemicals are 

ubiquitous throughout the country, in some areas 

of concentrated industrial and/or mobile source 

activity, concentrations may be significantly greater. 

EPA will continue to set and enforce control 

technology-based air toxics emissions standards and, 

where needed, amend those standards to address 

residual risk 

and technology 

advancements. 

EPA is developing a strategy 

aimed at reducing toxic air 

pollution 

from stationary sources in 

a way that 

targets priority 

categories of 

sources, reduces 

pollution in 

communities, 

utilizes a more 

cost-effective 

‘sector-based’ 

approach, and provides tools to help communities 

and other stakeholders participate in rulemaking. 

These priority categories include petroleum refining, iron and steel, chemical manufacturing, utilities, 

non-utility boilers, oil and gas, and Portland cement. 

As part of this strategy, EPA will take advantage of 

the natural overlap of certain air toxics and criteria 

pollutant rules and coordinate the development and 

implementation of Maximum Achievable Control 

Technology (MACT) and New Source Performance 

Standards (NSPS) where it makes sense. Often, there 

are opportunities to control air toxic and criteria 

pollutants together. By coordinating MACT standard 
9

development for specific source categories with 

other rulemaking efforts, EPA can substantially reduce 

the resources needed to develop standards; provide 

more certainty and lower cost for industry; simplify 

implementation for states, local, and tribal agencies; 

and, enhance cost-effective regulatory approaches. 

Along with these regulatory efforts, EPA has a wide 

range of voluntary efforts to reduce emissions, 

including programs to reduce multi-media and 

cumulative risks. Through data from our national 

toxics monitoring network and from national and 

local assessments, we are able to better characterize 

risks and assess priorities. We work with state and 

local agencies, tribes, schools, and community groups 

to identify communities where air toxics pollution is 

occurring at unsafe levels and aggressively take action 

to reduce air toxics pollution within those areas.

Often the people most exposed to air pollutants are 

those most susceptible to the effects—the young, the 

elderly, and the chronically ill. To improve indoor air 

quality, EPA deploys programs that educate the public 

about indoor air quality concerns, including radon, and 

promotes public action to reduce potential risks in 

homes, schools, and workplaces. EPA also collaborates 

with state and tribal organizations, environmental 

and public health officials, housing and building 

organizations, school personnel who manage school 

environments, and health care providers, who treat 

children prone to or suffering disproportionately from 

asthma. The focus of these efforts is to support communities’ efforts to address indoor air quality health 

risks. We also provide policy and technical support 

and financially assist states and tribes in developing 

and implementing effective radon programs.

Restore the Ozone Layer

EPA will implement programs that reduce and 

control ozone-depleting substances (ODS), enforce 

rules on their production, import, and emission, 

and facilitate the transition to substitutes that 

reduce GHG emissions and save energy. We will 

continue partnership programs that minimize the 

release of ODS and programs that educate the 

public about the importance of protection from 

ultra-violet radiation.

Reduce Unnecessary Exposure 

to Radiation

Recognizing the potential hazards of radiation, 

Congress charged EPA with the primary responsibility for protecting people and the environment from 

harmful and avoidable exposures. In fulfilling this 

responsibility, we will review and update our radiation protection regulations and guidance, operate the 

national radiation monitoring system, maintain radiological emergency response capabilities, oversee the 

disposal of radioactive waste at the Waste Isolation 

Pilot Plant, inspect waste generator facilities, and 

evaluate compliance with applicable environmental 

laws and regulations.

Applied Research

EPA’s research efforts will focus on a number of air 

quality and climate areas over the next several years. 

In particular, EPA will:

✦ Conduct integrated science assessments of 

criteria air pollutants and provide new data and 

approaches for improving these assessments;

✦ Improve inventory and risk information to better 

inform Agency actions relative to air toxics;

✦ Promote resilience and adaptation by connecting 

air quality, water quality, and land use managers 

with climate change information and decisionsupport tools;

✦ Promote systems research and life-cycle analysis in analyzing the health and environmental 

impacts of energy production and operation, 

including biofuels; and, 

✦ Investigate the influence of climate change on 

clean air, as well as the impacts of emissions from 

low-carbon fuels in transportation.
10

End Notes:

1 Thomas R. Karl, Jerry M. Melillo, and Thomas C. Peterson (eds.). 2009. Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States (New 

York, New York: Cambridge University Press). Available at http://downloads.globalchange.gov/usimpacts/pdfs/climate-impactsreport.pdf.

2 U.S. EPA, 2010. Our Nation’s Air-Status and Trends through 2008. EPA-454/R-09-002. Available at http://epa.gov/airtrends/2010/

index.html.

3 U.S. EPA, 2007. The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act. EPA-456/K-07-001. Available at http://www.epa.gov/air/peg/peg.pdf.

4 U.S. EPA, 2003. EPA’s Assessment of Risks from Radon in Homes. EPA 402-R-03-003. Available at http://www.epa.gov/radon/

pdfs/402-r-03-003.pdf 

5 Implementing the mandatory GHG reporting rule is one of the Agency’s Priority Goals: By June 15, 2011, EPA will make publicly 

available 100 percent of facility-level GHG emissions data submitted to EPA in accordance with the GHG Reporting Rule, compliant with policies protecting confidential business information (CBI).

6 Implementing the light-duty GHG rule is one of the Agency’s Priority Goals: In 2011, EPA, working with DOT, will begin implementation of regulations designed to reduce the GHG emissions from light-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. starting with model year 2012.

7 The U.S. Global Change Research Program coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and 

their implications for society. It was mandated by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606). In 2009, 

the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration initiated the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force. When the President signed the 

Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance in October 2009, he called on the 

Task Force to develop federal recommendations for adapting to climate change impacts both domestically and internationally.

8 U.S. EPA, 2006. Air Quality Criteria for Lead (2006) Final Report. EPA/600/R-05/144aF-bF. Available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/

cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=158823. 

U.S. EPA, 2008. Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Sulfur Oxides–Health Criteria (Final Report). EPA/600/R-08/047F. Available at 

http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=198843. 

U.S. EPA, 2008. Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen–Health Criteria (Final Report). EPA/600/R-08/071. Available at 

http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=194645. 
11

T

he nation’s water resources are the lifeblood of our communities, supporting our 

economy and way of life. Across most of 

our country, we enjoy and depend upon 

reliable sources of clean and safe water. Several 

decades ago, however, many of our drinking 

water systems provided water to the tap with 

very limited treatment. Drinking water was often 

the cause of illnesses linked to microbiological 

and other contaminants. Many of our surface 

waters would not have met today’s water quality 

standards. Some of the nation’s rivers were open 

sewers, posing health risks, and many waterbodies 

were so polluted that safe swimming, fishing, and 

recreation were not possible.

We have made significant progress since enactment 

of the landmark Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking 

Water Act almost 40 years ago. Today, the enhanced 

quality of our surface waters and the greater safety 

of our drinking water are testaments to decades of 

environmental protection and investment, but serious challenges remain. Small drinking water systems 

are particularly challenged by the need to improve 

infrastructure and develop the capacity to meet new 

and existing standards. Tens of thousands of homes, 

primarily in tribal and disadvantaged communities 

and the territories, still lack access to basic sanitation 

and drinking water. The rate at which new waters are 

listed for water quality impairments exceeds the pace 

at which restored waters are removed from the list. 

Pollution discharged from industrial, municipal, 

agricultural, and stormwater sources continue to be 

causes of water quality problems, but other significant contributors include loss of habitat and habitat 

fragmentation, hydrologic alteration, the spread of 

invasive species, and climate change. For many years, 

nonpoint source pollution—principally nitrogen, 

phosphorus, and sediments—has been recognized 

as the largest remaining impediment to improving 

water quality. Recent national surveys have found that 

our waters are stressed by nutrient pollution, excess 

sedimentation, and degradation of shoreline vegetation, which affect upwards of 50 percent of our lakes 

and streams.1

 Climate change will compound these 

Objectives: 

• Protect Human Health. Reduce human 

exposure to contaminants in drinking 

water, fish and shellfish, and recreational 

waters, including protecting source 

waters. 

• Protect and Restore Watersheds and 

Aquatic Ecosystems. Protect the quality 

of rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands 

on a watershed basis, and protect urban, 

coastal, and ocean waters. 

Strategic Measures associated with this Goal 

are on pages 46 through 48.

Protect and restore our waters to ensure that drinking water 

is safe, and that aquatic ecosystems sustain fish, plants and 

wildlife, and economic, recreational, and subsistence activities.

Goal 2: Protecting 

America’s Waters
12

problems, highlighting the urgency to evaluate with 

our partners options for protecting infrastructure, conserving water, reducing energy use, adopting “green” 

infrastructure and watershed-based practices, and 

improving the resilience of infrastructural and natural 

systems, including utilities, watersheds, and estuaries.2

Over the next five years, EPA will work with states, 

territories, and tribes to safeguard human health, 

make America’s water systems sustainable and secure, 

strengthen the protection of our aquatic ecosystems, 

improve watershed-based approaches, focus efforts 

in key geographic areas3, and take action on climate 

change. EPA has established two Priority Goals for 

the revision of drinking water standards to strengthen 

public health protection4

and the development of 

state watershed implementation plans in support of 

the Chesapeake Bay total 

maximum daily load called 

for in the Chesapeake Bay 

Protection and Restoration 

Executive Order.5

 Working 

with our partners, the 

Agency’s effort to protect 

our waters is aimed at two 

objectives—protecting 

human health and protecting 

and restoring watersheds and 

aquatic ecosystems.

Protect Human Health

Sustaining the quality and supply of our water 

resources is essential to safeguarding human health. 

More than 290 million people living in the United 

States rely on the safety of tap water provided by 

public water systems that are subject to national 

drinking water standards. Over the next five years, 

EPA will help protect human health and make 

America’s water systems sustainable and secure by: 

✦ Financing public water system infrastructure to 

protect and maintain drinking water quality; 

✦ Strengthening compliance with drinking water 

standards; 

✦ Continuing to protect sources of drinking water 

from contamination; 

✦ Developing new and revising existing drinking 

water standards; and, 

✦ Supporting states, tribes, territories, and local 

water systems in implementing these standards. 

While promoting sustainable management of drinking water infrastructure, we will provide needed 

oversight and technical assistance to states, territories, 

and tribes so that their water systems comply with 

or exceed existing standards and are able to comply 

with new standards. We will also promote the construction of infrastructure that brings safe drinking 

water into the homes of small, rural, and disadvantaged communities and increase efforts to guard the 

nation’s critical drinking water infrastructure. 

In addition, EPA is actively 

working Agency-wide and 

with external partners and 

stakeholders to implement a 

new, multi-faceted drinking 

water strategy. It is designed 

to streamline decision making and expand protection 

to meet the needs of rural, 

urban, and other communities. This shift in approach 

seeks to address chemicals 

and contaminants by group, 

as opposed to working on a 

chemical-by-chemical basis; 

fostering the development of new drinking water 

treatment technologies; using the authority of multiple 

statutes; and, encouraging collaboration with states and 

tribes to share more complete data from monitoring at 

public water systems. 

Science-based standards are essential to protect our 

public water systems, groundwater and surface waterbodies, and recreational waters. These standards are 

the foundation for tools to safeguard human health 

such as advisories for beaches, fish consumption, 

and drinking water. Over the next five years, we will 

expand that science to improve our understanding 

of emerging potential waterborne threats to human 

health. We will also increase efforts to protect and 

improve beach water quality for our communities, 

including the development of new criteria and testing methods that provide quicker results and enable 

faster action on beach safety. 
13

Protect and Restore Watersheds 

and Aquatic Ecosystems

People and the ecological integrity of aquatic systems 

rely on healthy watersheds. EPA employs a suite of 

programs to protect and improve water quality in 

the nation’s watersheds—rivers, lakes, wetlands, and 

streams—as well as in our estuarine, coastal, and 

ocean waters. In partnership with states, territories, 

local governments, and tribes, EPA’s core water 

programs help: 

✦ Protect, restore, maintain, and improve water 

quality by financing wastewater treatment 

infrastructure; 

✦ Conduct monitoring and assessment; 

✦ Establish pollution reduction targets; 

✦ Update water quality standards; 

✦ Issue and enforce discharge permits; and, 

✦ Implement programs to prevent or reduce 

nonpoint source pollution. 

Over the next five years, EPA will continue efforts to 

restore waterbodies that do not meet water quality 

standards, preserve and protect high quality aquatic 

resources, and protect, restore, and improve wetland 

acreage and quality. The Agency will improve the way 

existing tools are used, explore how innovative tools 

can be applied, and enhance efforts and cross-media 

collaboration to protect and prevent water quality 

impairment in healthy watersheds. 

In partnership with states, tribes, and local communities, EPA is developing a clean water strategy that 

will outline objectives for advancing the vision of the 

Clean Water Act and actions EPA will take to achieve 

those objectives. The Agency will explore ways to 

improve the condition of the urban waterways that 

may have been overlooked or under-represented in 

local environmental problem solving. We will also 

work more aggressively to reduce and control pollutants that are discharged from industrial, municipal, 

agricultural, and stormwater sources, and vessels, 

as well as to implement programs to prevent and 

reduce pollution that washes off the land during 

rain events. By promoting “green” infrastructure and 

sustainable landscape management, EPA will help 

restore natural hydrologic systems and reduce pollution from stormwater events.6

EPA will also lead efforts to restore and protect 

aquatic ecosystems and wetlands, particularly in 

key geographic areas3

, to address complex and 

cross-boundary challenges. EPA is heading up a 

multi-agency effort to restore and protect the Great 

Lakes, one of America’s great waters, through the 

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.7

 In other parts 

of the nation, we will focus on nutrient pollution, 

which threatens the long-term health of important 

ecosystems such as the Chesapeake Bay. Further, 

given the environmental catastrophe resulting from 

the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill, EPA will take 

necessary actions to support efforts to remove oil 

from and restore the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. EPA 

will provide assistance to other federal, state, tribal, 

and local partners as they work to restore the water, 

wetlands, beaches, and surrounding communities of 

this vital area. We will also begin to identify actions 

to respond and adapt to the current and potential 

impacts of climate change on aquatic resources, 

including the current and potential impacts associated with warming temperatures, changes in rainfall 

amount and intensity, and sea level rise.8

Applied Research

EPA’s research will help ensure that natural and 

engineered water systems have the capacity and 

resiliency to meet current and future water needs for 

the range of water-use and ecological requirements. 

These efforts will help position the Agency to meet 

the future needs in water resources management by:

✦ Evaluating individual and groups of contaminants for the protection of human health and 

the environment;

✦ Developing innovative tools, technologies, and 

strategies for managing water resources (including stormwater); and,

✦ Supporting a systems approach for protecting 

and restoring aquatic systems. The development 

of watershed-level data, tools, and approaches 

is crucial to our ability to provide adequate and 

safe water resources.
14

End Notes: 

1 U.S. EPA, 2006. Wadeable Streams Assessment: A Collaborative Survey of the Nation’s Streams. EPA 841-B-06-002. Available at http://

www.epa.gov/owow/streamsurvey. See also EPA, 2010. National Lakes Assessment: A Collaborative Survey of the Nation’s Lakes. EPA 

841-R-09-001. Available at http://www.epa.gov/lakessurvey/pdf/nla_chapter0.pdf.

2 Resilience is the ability of a system to absorb change and disturbance and still retain its fundamental function and/or structure. 

3 Key geographic areas in the national water program include the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, the 

U.S.–Mexico Border region, the Pacific Islands, the Long Island Sound, the South Florida Ecosystem, the Puget Sound Basin, the 

Columbia River Basin, and the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary. For more information on these programs and their performance 

measures, see the annual National Water Program Guidance, available at http://www.epa.gov/water/waterplan/index.html. 

4 EPA has developed a Priority Goal as part of the drinking water strategy efforts: Over the next two years, EPA will initiate review/

revision of at least four drinking water standards to strengthen public health protection.

5 EPA has developed a Priority Goal to support the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order: Chesapeake Bay watershed states (including 

the District of Columbia) will develop and submit Phase I watershed implementation plans by the end of CY 2010 and Phase II 

plans by the end of CY 2011 in support of EPA’s final Chesapeake Bay total maximum daily load (TMDL) and consistent with the 

expectations and schedule described in EPA’s letters of November 4 and December 29, 2009, and June 11, 2010. For more information, see http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net.

6 For information on managing wet weather with green infrastructure, see http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298. 

7 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, information available at http://greatlakesrestoration.us/. 

8 United States Global Change Research Program, information available at http://www.globalchange.gov/publications/reports/

scientific-assessments/us-impacts. 
15

U

ncontrolled releases of waste and 

hazardous substances can contaminate 

our drinking water and threaten healthy 

ecosystems. EPA leads efforts to preserve, 

restore, and protect these precious resources so 

they are available for both current and future 

generations. Over the next several years, our highest priorities under this goal are to prevent and 

reduce exposure to contaminants and accelerate 

the pace of cleanups across the country. EPA 

works collaboratively with international, state, 

and tribal partners to achieve these aims and with 

communities to ensure that they have a say in 

environmental decisions that affect them. Our 

efforts are guided by scientific data, research, and 

tools that alert us to emerging issues and inform 

decisions on managing materials and addressing 

contaminated properties. 

Promote Sustainable and 

Livable Communities

EPA supports urban, suburban, and rural community goals of improving environmental, human 

health, and quality-of-life outcomes through 

partnerships that also promote economic 

opportunities, energy efficiency, and revitalized 

neighborhoods. Sustainable communities balance their economic and natural assets so that 

the diverse needs of local residents can be met 

now and in the future with limited environmental 

Clean up communities, advance sustainable development, and protect 

disproportionately impacted low-income, minority, and tribal communities. Prevent 

releases of harmful substances and clean up and restore contaminated areas.

Goal 3: Cleaning Up 

Communities and 

Advancing Sustainable 

Development

Objectives: 

• Promote Sustainable and Livable 

Communities. Support sustainable, resilient, and livable communities by working 

with local, state, tribal, and federal partners 

to promote smart growth, emergency 

preparedness and recovery planning, 

brownfield redevelopment, and the equitable distribution of environmental benefits. 

• Preserve Land. Conserve resources and 

prevent land contamination by reducing 

waste generation, increasing recycling, 

and ensuring proper management of 

waste and petroleum products. 

• Restore Land. Prepare for and respond 

to accidental or intentional releases of 

contaminants and clean up and restore 

polluted sites. 

• Strengthen Human Health and 

Environmental Protection in Indian 

Country. Support federally-recognized 

tribes to build environmental management 

capacity, assess environmental conditions and measure results, and implement 

environmental programs in Indian country. 

Strategic Measures associated with this Goal 

are on pages 49 through 51.
16

impacts. EPA accomplishes these outcomes by working with communities, other federal agencies, states, 

and national experts to develop and encourage 

development strategies that have better outcomes 

for air quality, water quality, and land preservation 

and revitalization. 

Development and building construction practices 

may result in a broad range of impacts on human 

health and the environment. EPA is working with 

other federal, state, and local partners to develop best 

practices and guidance on aspects of sustainability 

related to how and where development occurs, 

including promoting smarter growth patterns and 

encouraging widespread adoption of green building 

technologies to support our strategic goals. 

For example, EPA has joined with the U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development 

(HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation 

(DOT) to minimize the environmental impacts of 

development, which may include improved access to 

affordable housing, more transportation options, and 

lower transportation costs.1

 Through a set of guiding 

“livability” principles and a partnership agreement 

that will guide the agencies’ efforts, this partnership 

is coordinating federal housing, transportation, water, 

and other infrastructure investments to protect the 

environment, promote equitable development, and 

help to address the challenges of climate change.

EPA is committed to ensuring environmental justice 

regardless of race, color, national origin, or income. 

Recognizing that minority and/or low-income communities may face disproportionate environmental 

risks, we work to protect these communities from 

adverse health and environmental effects and to 

ensure they are given the opportunity to participate 

meaningfully in environmental cleanup decisions. 

EPA’s brownfields program emphasizes environmental and human health protection in a manner that 

stimulates economic development and job creation 

by awarding competitive grants to assess and clean 

up brownfield properties and providing job training 

opportunities, particularly in underserved communities.2

 We also provide outreach and technical 

assistance to communities, including area-wide 

planning approaches, to identify: viable end uses 

of a single, large property or groups of brownfield 

properties; associated air and water infrastructure 

investments; and, environmental improvements in 

the surrounding area to revitalize the community. 

Under EPA’s brownfields Priority Goal, area-wide 

planning will be conducted with the participation of 

other federal agencies, states, tribes, and local governments and communities to identify resources and 

approvals necessary to carry out actions identified in 

area-wide plans.3 This new approach differs from the 

way EPA brownfields resources have traditionally been 

used, recognizing that approaching the assessment 

and cleanup needs of a brownfields-impacted area 

can be more effective than focusing on individual 

sites in isolation of the adjacent or surrounding area. 

Preserve Land 

EPA and authorized states issue and enforce permits 

for the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous 

wastes to ensure that facilities subject to Resource 

Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations 

operate safely. To prevent future environmental 

contamination and to protect the health of the 

estimated three million people living within a mile of 

hazardous waste management facilities4, EPA and its 

state partners continue their efforts to issue, update, 

or maintain RCRA permits for approximately 10,000 

hazardous waste units (such as incinerators and 

landfills) at these facilities. 

EPA is increasing emphasis on life-cycle based 

materials management. In order to respond to RCRA’s 

mandate to conserve resources and energy, EPA 

will focus on strategies that emphasize sustainable 

materials management by identifying and reducing or 

minimizing waste at all life-cycle stages, from extraction of raw materials through end of life.5

 Through 

this approach, EPA will focus on improving resource 

use through evaluating the environmental impacts 

of life-cycle stages of a material, product, or service, 

including identifying GHG benefits. EPA will develop 

national strategies that consider using less environmentally intensive and toxic materials and continue to 

promote downstream solutions, like reuse and recycling, to conserve our resources for future generations.

To reduce the risk posed by underground storage 

tanks (USTs) located at nearly a quarter of a million 

facilities throughout the country, EPA and states are 

working to ensure that every UST system is inspected 
17

at least once every three years. As fuel types change, 

UST systems must be equipped to safely store the 

new fuels. EPA is working to ensure biofuels are stored 

in compatible UST systems.

Restore Land

Challenging and complex environmental problems, 

such as contaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater that can cause human health concerns, persist 

at many contaminated properties. EPA’s Superfund, 

RCRA corrective action, leaking underground storage tank, and brownfields cleanup programs, and 

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) cleanups of 

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), reduce risks to 

human health and the environment by assessing and 

cleaning up these sites to 

maintain or put them back 

into productive use. 

In an effort to improve the 

accountability, transparency, and effectiveness of 

EPA’s cleanup programs, EPA 

has initiated the Integrated 

Cleanup Initiative (ICI), a 

multi-year effort to better use 

the most appropriate assessment and cleanup authorities 

to address a greater number 

of sites, accelerate cleanups, 

and put sites back into 

productive use while protecting human health and 

the environment. By using 

the relevant tools available in each of the cleanup 

programs, including enforcement, EPA will better 

leverage the resources available to address needs at 

individual sites. EPA will examine all aspects of the 

cleanup programs, identifying key process improvements and enhanced efficiencies. As part of the ICI, 

EPA will develop a new suite of performance measures that will support comprehensive management 

of the cleanup life cycle by addressing three critical 

points in the cleanup process—starting, advancing, 

and completing site cleanup. 

EPA is continuing to improve its readiness to respond 

to releases of harmful substances, including oil spills, 

by clarifying authorities, training personnel, and 

providing proper equipment. Given the Deepwater 

Horizon BP oil spill and the efforts to clean up and 

restore the Gulf of Mexico, EPA will review its current 

rules, guidelines and procedures on oil spills. EPA will 

ensure that it has the appropriate tools to prevent, 

prepare for, respond to, and recover from such incidents within its jurisdiction.6

National preparedness is essential to ensure that 

emergency responders are able to address multiple, 

large-scale emergencies, including those that may 

involve chemicals, oil, biological agents, radiation, or 

weapons of mass destruction. Consistent with the 

government-wide National Response Framework, 

EPA prepares for the possibility of multiple, simultaneous, 

nationally significant incidents across several regions 

and provides guidance and 

technical assistance to state 

and local planning and 

response organizations. 

EPA’s hazardous waste 

programs are working to 

reduce the energy use and 

environmental footprint 

during the investigation and 

remediation of sites. As part 

of this effort, EPA’s Superfund 

program will implement its 

green remediation strategy 

to reduce the energy, water, 

and materials used during site 

cleanups while ensuring that 

protective remedies are implemented.7

EPA is also implementing its Community 

Engagement Initiative designed to enhance our 

involvement with local communities and stakeholders so that they may meaningfully participate in 

decisions on land cleanup, emergency response, and 

management of hazardous substances and waste. 

The goals of this initiative are to ensure transparent 

-and accessible decision-making processes, to deliver 

information that communities can use to participate meaningfully, to improve EPA responsiveness 

to community perspectives, and to ensure timely 

cleanup decisions. 
18

Strengthen Human Health and 

Environmental Protection in 

Indian Country

Under federal environmental statutes, EPA is responsible for protecting human health and the environment 

in Indian country. EPA’s commitment to tribal environmental and human health protection, through the 

recognition of tribal sovereignty and self-determination, 

has been steadfast for over 25 years, as formally 

established in the Agency’s 1984 Indian Policy.8 EPA 

works with over 500 federally-recognized tribes located 

across the United States to improve environmental and 

human health outcomes. Indian country totals more 

than 70 million acres with reservations ranging from less 

than 10 acres to more than 14 million acres. Difficult 

environmental and health challenges remain in many 

of these areas, including lack of access to safe drinking 

water, sanitation, adequate waste facilities, and other 

environmental safeguards taken for granted elsewhere.

In collaboration with our tribal partners and fulfilling 

our government-to-government responsibilities, EPA 

will engage in a two-part strategy for strengthening 

human health and environmental protection in Indian 

country. First, EPA will provide the opportunity for 

federally-recognized tribes to create an effective and 

results-oriented environmental capacity-building 

presence. Second, EPA will ensure that its programs 

are implemented in Indian country either by EPA or 

through opportunities for implementation of environmental programs by tribes themselves.

Applied Research

In the area of cleaning up communities, research will allow 

EPA to identify and apply approaches that better inform 

and guide environmentally sustainable behavior, protect 

human health and ecosystems, and provide the products 

and services needed for mitigation, management, remediation, and long-term stewardship of contaminated sites. 

It will also provide state, tribal, and local decision makers 

with the knowledge needed to make smart, systemsbased decisions that will inform a balanced approach to 

their cleanup and development needs. 

End Notes:

1 Our Built and Natural Environments: A Technical Review of the Interactions between Land Use, Transportation, and 

Environmental Quality. Information available at http://www.epa.gov/dced/built.htm.

2 For more information about EPA’s brownfields program, see http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

3 EPA has developed a Priority Goal for brownfields: By 2012, EPA will have initiated 20 enhanced brownfields community level 

projects that will include a new area-wide planning effort to benefit under-served and economically disadvantaged communities. 

This will allow those communities to assess and address a single large or multiple brownfields sites within their boundaries, thereby 

advancing area-wide planning to enable redevelopment of brownfields properties on a broader scale. EPA will provide technical 

assistance, coordinate its enforcement, water, and air quality programs, and work with other federal agencies, states, tribes, and local 

governments to implement associated targeted environmental improvements identified in each community’s area-wide plan.

4 This refers to the total estimated number of people that live within a mile of each of the RCRA hazardous waste facilities that 

have approved controls in place. Site-specific data can be queried from the Enforcement and Compliance History On-line 

database, which provides fast, integrated searches of EPA and state data for regulated facilities (see http://www.epa-otis.gov/echo/

compliance_report_rcra.html). Population data included in the database is from the 2000 U.S. Census.

5 For more information on sustainable materials management, see Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead. 

EPA 530R-09-009. Available at http://www.epa.gov/osw/inforesources/pubs/vision2.pdf

6 Several federal agencies have jurisdiction and authority for oil spill preparedness, response, and recovery in the U.S. in addition to 

EPA, including the Department of Transportation and the Coast Guard. EPA’s efforts will focus on those aspects of the national oil 

spill program for which they have authority and responsibility, primarily the inland area and fixed facilities, as well as sharing best 

practices, pertinent research, and lessons learned with its federal partners. 

7 More information about Superfund and green remediation at EPA is available at http://www.epa.gov/superfund/greenremediation. 

8 The 1984 EPA Policy for the Administration of Environmental Programs on Indian Reservations is available at http://www.epa.gov/

tribal/pdf/indian-policy-84.pdf. 
19

C

hemicals are involved in the production 

of everything from our homes and cars 

to the cell phones we carry and the food 

we eat. Thousands of chemicals have 

become ubiquitous in our everyday lives and 

everyday products, as well as in our environment 

and our bodies. Chemicals are often released into 

the environment as a result of their manufacture, 

processing, use, and disposal. Research shows that 

children receive greater exposures to chemicals 

because they inhale or ingest more air, food, or 

water on a body-weight basis than adults do.1

Other vulnerable groups, including low-income, 

minority, and indigenous populations, are also disproportionately impacted by, and thus particularly 

at risk from, chemicals.

In 2009, the Administration announced principles 

for modernizing the Toxic Substances Control Act 

(TSCA) to help inform efforts underway in Congress 

to reauthorize and significantly strengthen EPA’s ability 

to assess the safety of industrial chemicals and adequately protect against unreasonable environmental 

or public health risks.2 TSCA is outdated and should 

be revised to provide stronger and clearer authority 

for EPA to collect and act upon critical data regarding chemical risks. While TSCA does provide some 

authority to EPA to collect chemical information and 

mandate industry to conduct testing, there remain 

large, troubling gaps in the available data and state 

of knowledge on many widely used chemicals in commerce. EPA’s authority to require development and 

submission of information and testing data is limited 

by legal hurdles and procedural requirements. As we 

look to the future, it is important to work together 

with Congress and stakeholders to modernize and 

strengthen the tools available under TSCA to prevent 

harmful chemicals from entering the marketplace 

and to increase confidence that those chemicals that 

remain are safe and do not endanger the environment 

or human health, especially for consumers, workers, 

and sensitive subpopulations like children. 

The 1990 Pollution Prevention Act established preventing pollution before it is generated as national 

environmental policy. EPA is enhancing cross-cutting 

efforts to advance sustainable practices, safer chemicals, 

greener processes and practices, and safer products.

Objectives: 

• Ensure Chemical Safety. Reduce the risk 

of chemicals that enter our products, our 

environment, and our bodies. 

• Promote Pollution Prevention. Conserve 

and protect natural resources by promoting pollution prevention and the adoption 

of other stewardship practices by companies, communities, governmental 

organizations, and individuals. 

Strategic Measures associated with this Goal 

are on pages 52 through 53.

Reduce the risk and increase the safety of chemicals and prevent pollution at the source.

Goal 4: Ensuring 

the Safety of 

Chemicals and 

Preventing Pollution
20

Ensure Chemical Safety

Chemical safety is one of EPA’s highest priorities. EPA’s 

approach to chemical risk management leverages 

expertise, information, and resources by collaborating 

with other countries, federal agencies, states, tribes, 

and the public to improve chemical safety.3

 Children 

and other disproportionately exposed and affected 

groups, including low-income, minority, and indigenous populations, require more explicit consideration 

in EPA’s chemical risk assessments and management 

actions, in accordance with the Executive Orders 

and guidance on children’s health and environmental 

justice.4

EPA employs a variety of strategies under several statutes to ensure the safety of chemicals. These include: 

✦ Controlling the risks of new chemicals before 

they are introduced or reintroduced into 

commerce; 

✦ Evaluating chemicals already in use; 

✦ Developing and implementing regulatory and 

other actions to eliminate or reduce identified 

chemical risks; and, 

✦ Making public the data necessary to assess 

chemical safety to the extent allowed by law.5, 6

EPA has enhanced its work to ensure the safety of 

existing chemicals by taking action to restrict the 

production and use of chemicals posing unreasonable risks and better assess chemicals that may pose 

environmental or public health concerns. This will 

quicken the Agency’s pace in characterizing the 

hazards posed by the highest volume chemicals, 

maximize use of existing TSCA authorities to increase 

the availability of chemical information, and accelerate work to identify safer alternatives. 

Over the next five years, the Agency will implement 

risk management actions for chemicals that pose 

unreasonable risk to the environment or human 

health, carefully considering how the most vulnerable 

populations are potentially affected. EPA is strengthening rules to keep track of chemicals in commerce 

and adding chemicals and data requirements to 

better inform both EPA and the public about releases 

of toxic chemicals into the environment. EPA is 

increasing its evaluation of claims of confidentiality in 

order to make all health and safety data for chemicals 

in commerce more publicly available to the extent 

allowed by law. EPA is also applying increasingly 

sophisticated scientific tools in reviewing hundreds of 

new chemical submissions each year under TSCA and 

increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of these 

reviews through the implementation of electronic 

submission and management systems.7

EPA will make major strides in guarding against 

exposure to chemicals that continue to pose potential risks to human health and the environment even 

after their hazards have been identified and certain 

uses have been phased out. For example, to continue 

to reduce childhood blood lead levels, EPA is working 

in partnership with states and tribes to certify hundreds of thousands of lead-paint professionals and 

expand public awareness of lead risks by implementing requirements for the use of lead-safe practices 

in renovation, remodeling, and painting activities in 

millions of older homes.8, 9

Over the next five years, EPA will manage a comprehensive pesticide risk reduction program through 

science-based registration and reevaluation processes, 

a worker safety program, certification and training 
21

activities, and support for integrated pest management. EPA’s current pesticide review processes focus 

on ensuring that pesticide registrations comply with 

the Endangered Species Act and achieve broader 

Agency objectives for water quality protection. The 

review processes will continue to place emphasis 

on the protection of potentially sensitive populations, such as children, by reducing exposures from 

pesticides used in and around homes, schools, and 

other public areas. EPA is reviewing its worker safety 

certification and training regulations to ensure that 

they are adequately protective. EPA’s review processes 

ensure that pesticides can be used safely and are 

available for use to maintain a safe and affordable 

food supply, to address public health outbreaks, and 

to minimize property damage that can occur from 

insects and pests.10

EPA is also working to identify and address any 

potential risks of nanoscale materials during new 

and existing chemical review and on improving data 

collection efforts.11 In addition, EPA is implementing a 

comprehensive testing program to screen for chemicals’ potential to interact with the endocrine system.12

More broadly, EPA is looking comprehensively across 

statutes to determine the best tools to apply to 

specific problems. For example, under a new drinking 

water strategy, the Agency is exploring how to use 

the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide 

Act (FIFRA) and TSCA to ensure that drinking water 

is protected from pesticides and industrial chemicals and that chemicals found in drinking water are 

being screened for endocrine disrupting properties 

using the authorities of the Safe Drinking Water Act 

(SDWA), the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 

(FFDCA), and FIFRA.

Prevent Pollution at the Source

The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 established 

national pollution prevention policy. Time and 

experience have added to our understanding and 

appreciation of the value of preventing pollution 

before it occurs. Pollution prevention is central to all 

of EPA’s sustainability strategies, and EPA will continue 

to incorporate pollution prevention principles into 

our policies, regulations, and actions. Pollution prevention, a long-standing priority for EPA, encourages 

companies, communities, governmental organizations, and individuals to prevent pollution and waste 

before generation by implementing conservation 

techniques, promoting efficient re-use of materials, 

making production processes more sustainable, and 

promoting the use of safer substances. Together 

with new technology development, these pollution 

prevention practices result in significant co-benefits, 

such as the conservation of raw materials, water, and 

energy; reduction in the use of hazardous and high 

global-warming-potential materials; promotion of 

safer chemical substitutes; reduction of greenhouse 

gas emissions; and, the elimination of pollutant 

transfers across air, water, and land. EPA will collaborate with states and other partners to review 

pollution prevention results and identify enhanced 

pollution prevention strategies. This will also include 

continuing grants to states to support vital state pollution prevention infrastructures and fund technical 

assistance for local businesses. 

EPA promotes “green” chemistry through the development and use of innovative chemical technologies. 

The Agency advances environmentally-conscious 

design, commercialization, and use of “green” engineering processes and sets standards for labeling 

programs that meet stringent criteria giving consumers assurance about the environmental integrity 

of the products they use. In addition, EPA helps 

agencies across the federal government comply with 

green purchasing requirements, thereby stimulating 

demand for “greener” products and services.13

Research 

EPA chemicals research will continue to provide 

the scientific foundation for addressing the risks of 

chemical exposure in humans and wildlife. It will 

include enhanced chemical screening and testing 

approaches for priority-setting and context-relevant 

chemical assessment and management. Research 

will inform Agency actions and help local decision 

makers address contaminants of greatest concern 

to them, particularly with respect to air toxics and 

drinking water issues. EPA will continue assessments 

of high priority chemicals. EPA’s research program also 

will promote discoveries and innovations in green 

chemistry and green engineering to help encourage 

use of safer chemicals in commerce.
22

End Notes:

1 Environmental Working Group, 2005. Body Burden–The Pollution in Newborns. Available at http://www.ewg.org/reports/

bodyburden2/execsumm.php.

2 Essential Principles for Reform of Chemicals Management Legislation. Available at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/

pubs/principles.html.

3 “EPA Increases Transparency of Chemical Risk Information: Action part of continued comprehensive reform of toxic substances 

laws.” EPA News Release, January 21, 2010. Available at http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/bd4379a92ceceeac85257359004

00c27/631cf22eb540c4db852576b2004eca47!OpenDocument. 

4 Executive Orders include: E.O. 13045 (Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks) and E.O. 12898 

(Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low Income Populations). Relevant guidance 

documents can be found on EPA’s environmental justice and children’s health websites, http://www.epa.gov/compliance/

environmentaljustice/index.html and http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/homepage.htm.

5 Collecting and Assessing Information on Chemicals. Available at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/collectinfo.

html. 

6 Managing Chemical Risk. Available at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/managechemrisk.html. 

7 Overview of EPA New Chemicals Program. Available at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/newchems. 

8 Information about childhood lead poisoning is available at http://www.leadfreekids.org

9 EPA Lead-Safe Certification Program. Available at http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/toolkits.htm

10 EPA pesticides program information is available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides. 

11 Information about nanotechnology is available at http://www.epa.gov/ncer/nano/factsheet/. 

12 Information about the EPA Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program is available at http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/oscpendo/index.

htm. 

13 Information about the EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program is available at http://www.epa.gov/epp/pubs/about/

about.htm. 
23

V

igorous enforcement supports EPA’s ambitious goals to protect human health and 

the environment. Achieving these goals for 

safe drinking water, lakes and streams that 

are fishable and swimmable, clean air to breathe, 

and communities and neighborhoods that are 

free from chemical contamination requires both 

new strategies and compliance with the rules we 

already have. By addressing noncompliance swiftly 

and effectively, EPA’s civil and criminal enforcement 

cases directly reduce pollution and risk, and deter 

others from violating the law.

EPA enforcement takes aggressive action against 

pollution problems that make a difference in 

communities. Through vigorous civil and criminal 

enforcement and other compliance tools, EPA targets 

the most serious water, air, and chemical hazards, and 

advances environmental justice by protecting lowincome, minority, and tribal communities that are 

disproportionately impacted by such hazards. 

Vigorous civil and criminal enforcement plays a 

central role in achieving the bold goals below that 

the Administrator has set for EPA:

✦ Taking Action on Climate Change and 

Improving Air Quality: EPA will take effective 

actions to reduce air pollution from the largest 

sources, including coal-fired power plants and 

the cement, acid, and glass sectors, to improve 

air quality. Enforcement to cut toxic air pollution in communities improves the health of 

communities, particularly low-income, minority, 

and tribal communities that are disproportionately impacted by pollution. Enforcement 

supports reductions in greenhouse gases (GHG) 

through enforcement settlements that encourage GHG emission reductions. EPA will also work 

to ensure compliance with new standards and 

reporting requirements for GHG emissions as 

they are developed.

✦ Protecting America’s Waters: EPA is revamping enforcement and working with state 

permitting authorities under the Clean Water 

Act Action Plan1

 to make progress on the most 

important water pollution problems. This work 

includes, as a Priority Goal, increasing enforcement actions in waters that do not meet water 

quality standards. In addition the Agency will 

Objective: 

• Enforce Environmental Laws. Pursue 

vigorous civil and criminal enforcement 

that targets the most serious water, air, 

and chemical hazards in communities. 

Assure strong, consistent, and effective 

enforcement of federal environmental laws 

nationwide. 

Strategic Measures associated with this Goal 

are on pages 54 through 55.

Protect human health and the environment through vigorous and targeted 

civil and criminal enforcement. Assure compliance with environmental laws.

Goal 5: Enforcing 

Environmental Laws
24

continue to focus on getting raw sewage out of 

water, cutting pollution from animal waste, and 

reducing pollution from stormwater runoff.2

Enforcement will help to clean up great waters 

like the Chesapeake Bay and will assist in revitalizing urban communities by protecting urban 

waters. Enforcement will also support the goal of 

assuring safe drinking water for all communities, 

including in Indian country. 

✦ Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing 

Sustainable Development: EPA protects 

communities by requiring responsible parties to 

conduct cleanups, saving federal dollars for sites 

where there are no other alternatives. Aggressively 

pursuing these parties to clean up sites ultimately 

reduces direct human exposures to hazardous pollutants and contaminants, provides for 

long-term human health protection, and makes 

contaminated properties available for reuse.

✦ Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and 

Preventing Pollution: Reforming chemical 

management enforcement and reducing exposure to pesticides will help protect human health. 

Enforcement reduces direct human exposures 

to toxic chemicals and pesticides and supports 

long-term human health protection.

Criminal enforcement underlines our commitment to 

pursuing the most serious pollution violations. EPA’s 

criminal enforcement program will focus on cases 

across all media that involve serious harm or injury; 

hazardous or toxic releases; ongoing, repetitive, or 

multiple releases; serious documented exposure to 

pollutants; and, violators with significant repeat or 

chronic noncompliance or prior criminal conviction.

EPA shares accountability for environmental and 

human health protection with states and tribes. We 

work together to target the most important pollution violations and ensure that companies that do 

the right thing and are responsible neighbors are not 

put at a competitive disadvantage. EPA also has a 

responsibility to oversee state and tribal implementation of federal laws to ensure that the same level 

of protection for the environment and the public 

applies across the country.

Enforcement can help to promote environmental 

justice by targeting pollution problems that disproportionately impact low-income, minority, and tribal 

communities. Ensuring compliance with environmental laws is particularly important in communities 

that are exposed to greater environmental health 

risks. EPA fosters community involvement by making information about compliance and government 

action available to the public.3

Increased transparency is an effective tool for improving compliance. By making information on violations 

both available and understandable, EPA empowers 

citizens to demand better compliance.

End Notes:

1 An overview of the Clean Water Action Plan is available at http://www.epa.gov/oecaerth/civil/cwa/cwaenfplan.html. 

2 EPA has developed a Priority Goal for water enforcement: EPA will increase pollutant reducing enforcement actions in waters that 

do not meet water quality standards, and post results and analysis on the web.

3 Information about compliance and government action is available at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/index.html. 
25

E

PA sets goals and objectives in carrying out 

its mission to protect human health and the 

environment, but there are always factors 

outside of EPA’s control that affect our ability 

to do our work. For example, the changing economic, legal, and regulatory landscape often affects 

the Agency’s resources, anticipated activities, and 

direction. As part of a dynamic global community 

addressing technological changes, EPA is confronted 

with challenges, emerging issues, and opportunities 

every day. An oil spill, flood, hurricane, tragedy, or 

other disasters can swiftly divert the Agency’s anticipated focus. Other issues, such as climate change and 

population growth, can create long-term challenges 

that run deep and across many EPA programs. 

Additionally, EPA accomplishes much of its work 

through partnerships, particularly with states and 

tribes, and any budget shortfalls they experience can 

affect our ability to achieve our goals. 

External factors and emerging issues present both 

opportunities and challenges to EPA. Specifically, over 

the next five years, EPA will be actively engaged in a 

variety of areas:

✦ Climate Change: Energy and transportation 

policies continue to evolve and influence the 

Agency’s ability to improve air quality and address 

climate change issues. Impacts of climate change, 

such as changes in rainfall amount and intensity, 

shifting weather and seasonal patterns, and 

increases in flood plain elevations and sea levels, 

will also affect progress towards many of the 

goals. Yet other developments may have positive 

environmental impacts. The growth of alternative energy sources and increased investments 

in energy efficiency can reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions and improve local air quality. 

✦ American Reinvestment and Recovery 

Act (ARRA): We expect the long-term impact 

of ARRA1

 funding will advance assessment 

and cleanup activities at former industrial sites, 

help address local water infrastructure needs, 

and spur technological innovation, promoting 

energy efficiency, alternative energy supplies, 

and new technologies and innovation in water 

infrastructure.

✦ Water Quality: Water quality programs face 

challenges such as increases in nutrient loadings 

and stormwater runoff, aging infrastructure, and 

population growth (which can increase water 

consumption and place additional stress on 

aging water infrastructures). The Agency needs 

to examine carefully the potential impacts of 

and solutions to these issues, including effects on 

water quality and quantity that could result in 

the long term from climate change. 

✦ Waste Management: Our necessary reliance 

on private parties, state and tribal partners, the 

use of new and innovative control technologies, 

and the involvement of other federal agencies in 

remediation efforts can all affect our efforts to 

remediate contaminated sites and prevent waste. 

New waste streams are continually emerging, 

such as those from mining of rare earth elements 

which are used in clean-energy technologies, 

potentially presenting increased opportunities 

for recycling of valuable materials and challenges 

for safe disposal of new waste streams.

✦ Protective Site Cleanup: Hazardous waste 

programs are intended to provide permanent 

solutions to contaminated media at sites or facilities to the extent practicable. Complications can 

arise when new scientific information concerning contaminants at a site suggests that a risk 

assessment that was protective when a remedy 

was selected is no longer protective given the 

contaminant levels remaining at a site and their 

potential exposure pathways and uses. As appropriate, EPA must incorporate emerging science 

into decision making to maintain its commitment to provide permanent solutions. 

✦ Chemical Safety: Legislative reforms to the 

Toxic Substances Control Act in line with the 

Administration’s principles would provide EPA 

External Factors and Emerging Issues
26

with the ability to obtain and publicly disclose 

critical information on the risks posed by 

chemicals. This will strengthen our chemical risk 

assessment and management programs, and 

significantly improve federal and state ability 

to manage and mitigate risk from industrial 

chemicals. 

✦ Communities: Citizen science—individual 

citizens and community groups that monitor 

and document environmental trends—can 

expand the reach of EPA’s own field presence. 

Communities have access to more environmental, economic, and social data than ever 

before that can be synthesized and analyzed 

through varying tools and technologies. With 

this information, communities can make smarter 

management decisions which may lead to 

increasingly effective stewardship. While citizen 

science requires expert support to ensure the 

quality of environmental data and to facilitate 

knowledge-building, with the right tools, communities can spur local industry and others to 

do a better job of complying with environmental 

laws and regulations. 

The world in which EPA works continues to change 

rapidly. The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a 

catastrophic environmental problem that will have 

significant consequences and require innovative 

technological and other solutions. A wide range 

of new technologies are on the horizon in areas as 

diverse as nanotechnology catalysts and nanosolar cells, nanomaterials for rehabilitation of water 

pipes, advanced battery technologies, accurate and 

inexpensive portable and real-time sensors, and 

the application of synthetic biology to algal biofuel 

production. Emerging technologies may present new 

environmental problems that need to be understood 

and addressed, and at the same time will create 

opportunities for building an advanced technological infrastructure. EPA will continue to do its best to 

anticipate change and be prepared to address the 

inevitable challenges and opportunities that we will 

face in the future.

End Note: 

1 Information about the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act is available at http://www.recovery.gov. 
27

T

he Administration has emphasized the 

importance of using program evaluation to 

provide the evidence needed to demonstrate that our programs are meeting their 

intended outcomes. By assessing how well a program 

is working and why, program evaluation can help EPA 

identify where our activities have the greatest impact 

on protecting human health and the environment, 

provide the road map needed to replicate successes, 

and conversely, identify areas needing improvement. 

This is particularly important as EPA meets its obligations for transparency and accountability.

For the Strategic Plan, we look to the results of past 

evaluations to inform our program strategies for 

the next five years. Evaluation results may affirm 

existing strategies or identify opportunities for 

improvement and may lead to changes in policy, 

resource decisions, and program implementation. 

For example, the Government Accountability 

Office’s 2007 evaluation of the Toxic Substances 

Control Act helped frame Administrator Jackson’s 

September 2009 announcement of an integrated 

approach to chemical management and a set of 

principles for reform. Additionally, EPA commissioned 

the National Academy of Public Administration 

(NAPA) to conduct an independent evaluation of 

the Community Action for a Renewed Environment 

(CARE) Demonstration Program, a competitive 

grant program that offers an innovative way for 

a community to organize and take action to 

reduce toxic pollution in its local environment.1

Recommendations and feedback from this evaluation 

have informed EPA’s strategic changes and investment decisions in the program. 

Our plans for future program evaluations include 

cyclical reviews of our research and development programs. These are geared to ensure that 

our research priorities meet our future challenges. 

Examples of other future evaluations include 

assessing the impact of our “green” chemical labeling program on consumer purchasing habits and 

measuring the success of less resource-intensive 

remediation strategies to clean up hazardous waste 

sites across the country.

While EPA conducts a variety of design, process, and 

outcome evaluations, under the Administration’s 

government-wide evaluation initiative, EPA is working 

to evolve and expand our portfolio to conduct more 

rigorous impact evaluations that will enhance program effectiveness. Recently completed process and 

program evaluations from EPA and external organizations that informed the strategies in the Strategic Plan

and a preliminary list of future program evaluations 

EPA plans to conduct are described in more detail at 

the EPA Strategic Plan website.2

Summary of Program Evaluation

End Notes: 

1 National Academy of Public Administration, 2009. Putting Community First: A Promising Approach to Federal Collaboration for 

Environmental Improvement. Available at http://www.napawash.org/pc_management_studies/CARE/5-21-09_Final_Evaluation_

Report.pdf.

2 EPA Strategic Plan website: http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/plan.htm.
28

Cross-Cutting Fundamental Strategies

S

ince EPA’s inception over 40 years ago, we 

have focused not only on our mission to 

achieve environmental and human health 

results but also on how we work to accomplish those results. Achievement of each of these 

goals and objectives is shared across EPA. Through 

this Plan, EPA is placing an increased focus on how 

we work to achieve those results. 

We have developed a set of cross-cutting strategies 

that stem from the Administrator’s priorities and are 

designed to fundamentally change how we work, 

both internally and externally, to achieve the mission 

outcomes articulated under our five strategic goals. 

This Plan describes the vision and operating principles for each of the cross-cutting strategies:

Introduction 

✦ Expanding the conversation on environmentalism;

✦ Working for environmental justice and children’s health;

✦ Advancing science, research, and technological innovation;

✦ Strengthening state, tribal, and international partnerships; and,

✦ Strengthening EPA’s workforce and capabilities. 

The Agency will develop annual action plans with 

commitments that align with existing planning, 

budget, and accountability processes. In implementing these strategies through annual action plans, we 

are embarking on a deliberate, focused effort to take 

tangible, measurable actions to transform the way we 

deliver environmental and human health protection. 
29

We have begun a new era of outreach 

at EPA and seek to include a broader 

range of people and communities in 

our work and expand our engagement 

with communities historically under-represented in 

our decision-making processes. We will build stronger working relationships throughout the country, 

particularly with tribes, communities of color, 

economically-distressed cities and towns, young 

people, and others. 

To accomplish these goals, we will:

✦ Call for innovation and bold thinking and ask all 

employees to bring their creativity and talents 

to their everyday work to enhance outreach and 

transparency in all our programs.

✦ Ensure that our science is explained clearly and 

accessible to all communities, communicating 

and educating in plain language the complexities of environmental, health, policy, and 

regulatory issues. 

✦ Educate and empower individuals, communities, and Agency partners in decision making 

through public access to environmental information and data.

✦ Ensure that the Agency’s regulations, policies, 

budget, and decision-making processes are transparent and accessible through increased access to 

environmental data sources, community right-toknow tools, and direct stakeholder engagement.

✦ Address barriers to improve engagement with 

historically under-represented sectors of the 

nation. 

✦ Use traditional and new media to inform and 

educate the public about Agency activities and 

provide opportunities for community feedback. 

✦ Encourage citizens to understand the complexities and impacts of environmental issues and 

environmental stewardship, and provide avenues 

and tools that enhance their ability to participate 

in processes that could affect them.

Engage and empower communities and partners, including those 

who have been historically under-represented, in order to support and 

advance environmental protection and human health nationwide.

Expanding the 

Conversation on 

Environmentalism
30

Working for 

Environmental 

Justice and 

Children’s Health 

Work to reduce and prevent harmful exposures and health risks to 

children and underserved, disproportionately impacted low-income, 

minority, and tribal communities, and support community efforts 

to build healthy, sustainable green neighborhoods.

A

dvancing environmental justice and protecting children’s health must be driving forces 

in our decisions across all EPA programs. The 

underlying principles for this commitment 

are reducing exposures for those at greatest risk and 

ensuring that environmental justice and children’s 

health protection are integral to all Agency activities. 

All populations—including minority, low-income, 

and indigenous populations—that are vulnerable to 

environmental pollution are at risk of having poor 

health outcomes. These vulnerabilities may arise 

because of higher exposures to pollution in places 

where they work, live, and play, and/or diminished 

abilities to withstand, cope with, or recover from 

exposure to environmental pollution.1 Children 

are often most acutely affected by environmental 

stressors. Research has demonstrated that prenatal 

and early life exposures to environmental hazards 

can cause lifelong diseases, medical conditions, and 

disabilities.2

Environmental justice and children’s health protection will be achieved when all Americans, regardless 

of age, race, economic status, or ethnicity, have access 

to clean water, clean air, and healthy communities. To 

accomplish this, EPA will use a variety of approaches, 

including regulation, enforcement, research, outreach, 

community-based programs, and partnerships to 

protect children and disproportionately impacted, 

overburdened populations from environmental 

and human health hazards. Our success in advancing environmental justice and children’s health 

protection will result from fully incorporating these 

priorities into all of our activities across each of the 

strategic goals of the Agency. We anticipate that our 

leadership in advancing environmental justice and 

children’s health protection will inspire and engage a 

broad spectrum of partners in the public and private 

sector to do the same.

Specifically, EPA will:

✦ In our regulatory capacity, implement the 

nation’s environmental laws using the best 

science and environmental monitoring data to 

address the potential for adverse health effects 

from environmental factors in disproportionately impacted, overburdened populations 

and vulnerable age groups. EPA programs will 

incorporate environmental justice and children’s 

health considerations at each stage of the 

Agency’s regulation development process and in 

implementation of environmental regulations.

✦ Develop and use environmental and human 

health indicators to measure improvements in 

environmental conditions and health in disproportionately impacted communities and among 

vulnerable age groups. 
31

✦ In our work on safe management of pesticides 

and industrial chemicals, take into account 

disproportionately impacted, overburdened 

populations, and women of child-bearing age, 

infants, children, and adolescents, and encourage the use of “green chemistry” to spur the 

development of safer chemicals and production processes. 

✦ Apply the best available scientific methods to assess the potential for disproportionate exposures 

and health impacts resulting from environmental 

hazards on minority, low-income, and indigenous 

populations, women of child-bearing age, infants, 

children, and adolescents, to support EPA decision making, and to develop the tools to assess 

risk from multiple stressors. 

✦ Engage communities in our work to protect human health and the environment. EPA will align 

multiple community-based programs to provide 

funding and technical assistance to communities to build capacity to address critical issues 

affecting children’s health and disproportionately 

impacted populations. 

✦ Work with other federal agencies3 to engage communities and coordinate funding and technical 

support for efforts to build healthy, sustainable, 

and green neighborhoods, and work with residents to promote equitable development. 

End Notes:

1 See the following sources: 

World Health Organization, 2006. Principles for Evaluating Health Risks in Children. Environmental Health Criteria, 237. Available at 

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2006/924157237X_eng.pdf; 

EPA, 2003. Framework for Cumulative Risk Assessment. Risk Assessment Forum. EPA/630/P-02/001F. Available at http://cfpub.epa.

gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=54944; and, 

EPA, 2004. Ensuring Risk Reduction in Communities with Multiple Stressors: Environmental Justice and Cumulative Risks/Impacts. 

Available at http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/nejac/nejac-cum-risk-rpt-122104.pdf. 

 2 National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2008. Linking Early Environmental Exposures to 

Adult Diseases. Available at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/docs/linking-exposures.pdf.

 3 Including the Departments of Housing Urban and Development, Health and Human Services, Energy, Agriculture, Transportation, 

Interior, Labor, and Education.
32

T

he major challenges we face to human health 

and the environment are not incremental 

problems, and they do not lend themselves 

to incremental solutions. EPA will promote 

innovative solutions to environmental problems that 

reduce or eliminate pollution while avoiding unintended and/or unwanted consequences, addressing 

pollutants, chemicals, and materials throughout their 

life cycle from raw material to final disposition. 

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has 

reiterated the critical and timely need for innovation 

in science and technology, building on the President’s 

Strategy for American Innovation.

1, 2 OMB identifies priorities that include new approaches to multi-disciplinary 

research, new approaches for accelerating technology 

commercialization and innovation, interagency and 

international collaborations, and better communication 

with the public on science, technology, and innovation.

Environmental sustainability is a guidepost for science, research, and technological innovation at EPA.3

Sustainability is a broader approach to environmental 

protection that considers trade-offs in production 

processes and materials use. Sustainable solutions 

prevent chemicals from entering the environment or 

eliminate, rather than simply reduce, the production 

of waste through better materials management. 

EPA must help drive high quality research, sound science, and technology innovation to sustainably address 

air quality, climate change, water quality and quantity, 

unreasonable risks from toxic chemicals, ecosystem 

degradation, and other environmental issues. EPA will 

inform, enable, and stimulate the development of 

sustainable solutions to current and future challenges 

because sustainable and innovative environmental 

solutions can also be more economically efficient.

EPA science and research must always inform the 

decisions that are essential to the protection of 

human health and the environment and empower 

the broader community that supports our mission. 

To address challenging environmental problems in 

this manner, EPA research will:

✦ Provide timely, responsive, and relevant 

solutions: EPA’s science, research, and technological innovation depend on partnerships and 

a continuing dialogue with internal and external 

partners and stakeholders to ensure that EPA 

efforts focus on the highest priority problems 

faced by the Agency and the nation. Building on 

traditional collaboration efforts, EPA will also leverage the scientific discoveries of others to achieve 

even more responsive solutions to the environmental problems that our communities face. 

 Advance a rigorous basic and applied science research and development agenda 

that informs, enables, and empowers and delivers innovative and sustainable 

solutions to environmental problems. Provide relevant and robust scientific data 

and findings to support the Agency’s policy and decision-making needs.

Advancing Science, 

Research, and 

Technological 

Innovation
33

✦ Transcend traditional scientific disciplines: A 

broad perspective—one that integrates knowledge 

from a wide variety of sources—is key to developing sustainable solutions. In all aspects of our work, 

from problem identification, to research design 

and conduct, to implementation and adoption 

of solutions, EPA must rely on diverse disciplines. 

Environmental problems often raise complex 

scientific and technological issues that require nontraditional approaches. If EPA is to advance progress 

on these challenging problems, we must rely on 

integrated, trans-disciplinary research that complements traditional, single-discipline approaches. 

✦ Communicate widely and openly: Great work, 

done invisibly, cannot have an impact. To maximize 

the impact and utility of our research, EPA will communicate the design, definition, conduct, transfer, 

and implementation of the work we do. We will 

translate our science so that it is accessible, understandable, relevant to, and used by stakeholders and 

the general public. EPA must document our successes to maximize the value of our scientific work.

✦ Catalyze sustainable innovation: EPA’s efforts 

alone will not be enough to address the environmental challenges our nation faces. As we develop 

and promote these technology innovations, EPA 

must account for life-cycle perspectives and support technologies that fully consider environmental 

and social impacts, and collaborate with partners 

in academia, government, and industry to assess 

impacts and promote effective product stewardship. EPA must also guide sustainable solutions on 

the path from conceptual and proof-of-concept 

stages, through research and development, to 

commercialization and deployment. EPA must 

understand and engage the marketplace to ensure 

the effectiveness of these solutions. Additionally, 

EPA must be receptive to external innovations in 

science, research, and technology that can enhance 

EPA’s effectiveness in fulfilling our mission.

End Notes:

1 OMB Memorandum M-10-30, July 21, 2010. “Science and Technology Priorities for the FY2012 Budget.” Available at http://www.

whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2010/m10-30.pdf. 

2 Press Release from the White House Office of the Press Secretary, September 21, 2009. “President Obama Lays Out Strategy for American 

Innovation.” Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Lays-Out-Strategy-for-American-Innovation/. 

3 Information on the EPA Sustainability Program is available at http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/.
34

Under our federal environmental laws, EPA and the 

states share responsibility for protecting human 

health and the environment. With this relationship 

as the cornerstone of the nation’s environmental 

protection system, EPA will: 

✦ Improve implementation and consistent delivery 

of national environmental programs through 

closer consultation and transparency.

✦ Work with states to seek efficient use of resources through work-sharing, joint planning using 

data analysis and targeting to address priorities, 

and other approaches. 

✦ Play a stronger management role to facilitate the 

exchange of data with states to improve program 

effectiveness and efficiency. 

✦ Consult with state and local governments on a 

routine basis to ensure that the development 

and implementation of rules is consistent with 

EPA’s Action Development Process: Guidance on 

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism), which recognizes the division of governmental responsibilities 

between the federal government and the states.

Deliver on our commitment to a clean and healthy environment through 

consultation and shared accountability with states, tribes, and the global 

community for addressing the highest priority problems.

Strengthening 

State, Tribal, 

and International 

Partnerships

E

PA will strengthen its state, tribal, and international partnerships to achieve our mutual 

environmental and human health goals. As 

we work together, our relationships must 

continue to be based on integrity, trust, and shared 

accountability to make the most effective use of our 

respective bodies of knowledge, our existing authorities, our resources, and our talents. 

Successful partnerships will be based on four 

working principles: consultation, collaboration, 

cooperation, and accountability. By consulting, we 

will engage our partners in a timely fashion as we 

consider approaches to our environmental work so 

that each partner can make an early and meaningful 

contribution toward the final result. By collaborating, we will not only share information, but we will 

actively work together with our partners to use all 

available resources to reach our environmental and 

human health goals. As our work progresses, we will 

cooperate, viewing each other with respect as allies 

who must work successfully together if our goals are 

to be achieved. Through shared accountability, we will 

ensure that environmental benefits are consistently 

delivered nationwide. In carrying out these responsibilities, EPA will ensure through oversight that state 

and tribal implementation of federal laws achieves 

a consistent level of protection for the environment 

and human health. 

With States
35

✦ Strengthen state–EPA shared accountability by 

focusing oversight on the most significant and pressing state program performance challenges, using 

data and analysis to speed program improvements.

✦ Ensure a level playing field across states to improve compliance and address the most serious 

violations.

The relationship between the United States 

Government and federally-recognized tribes is unique 

and has developed throughout the course of the 

nation’s history. In strengthening this relationship, EPA 

will:

✦ Focus on increasing tribal capacity to establish 

and implement environmental programs while 

ensuring that our national programs are as effective in Indian country as they are throughout the 

rest of the nation.

✦ Enhance our effort as we work with tribes on a 

government-to-government basis, based upon 

the Constitution, treaties, laws, executive orders, 

and a long history of Supreme Court rulings.

✦ Strengthen our cross-cultural sensitivity with 

tribes, recognizing that tribes have cultural, 

jurisdictional, and legal features that must be 

considered when coordinating and implementing environmental programs in Indian country.

With Tribes

To achieve our domestic environmental and human 

health goals, international partnerships are essential. 

Pollution is often carried by winds and water across 

national boundaries, posing risks many hundreds and 

thousands of miles away. Many concerns, like climate 

change, are universal. In the international arena, EPA will:

✦ Expand our partnership efforts in multilateral 

forums and in key bilateral relationships. 

✦ Enhance existing and nurture new international 

partnerships to promote a new era of global 

environmental stewardship based on common 

interests, shared values, and mutual respect.

With Other Countries
36

Continuously improve EPA’s internal management, encourage innovation and 

creativity in all aspects of our work, and ensure that EPA is an excellent workplace 

that attracts and retains a topnotch, diverse workforce, positioned to meet and 

address the environmental challenges of the 21st century. 

Strengthening 

EPA’s Workforce 

and Capabilities

A

chieving positive environmental and human 

health outcomes through cleaner and safer 

air, water, and land, and through protection of our natural resources is the focal 

point of all our work at EPA. This compelling mission 

attracts workers eager to make a difference and drives 

employees across the Agency to work together. EPA 

fully supports the Administration’s efforts to reform 

the federal government’s hiring system to ensure 

highly qualified individuals are available to strengthen 

EPA’s workforce. EPA believes these reforms will 

improve the Agency’s ability to protect human health 

and the environment more effectively and efficiently. 

EPA is a complex organization. This is both an asset 

and a challenge. To achieve its mission, EPA is continuously building and nurturing a skilled workforce, 

finding new ways to use the power of information, 

working together through enhanced communication, 

and demanding transparency and accountability at all 

levels. With innovative and creative management and 

a talented, diverse, and highly motivated workforce, 

EPA will be positioned to meet head-on the complex 

environmental challenges of the present and future. 

To achieve this goal, EPA will:

✦ Recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and creative 

workforce, equipped with the technical skill and 

knowledge needed to accomplish the Agency’s mission and to meet evolving environmental challenges.

✦ Cultivate a workplace that values a high quality 

work life, provides employee-friendly policies and 

facilities, and invests in the information infrastructure, technology, and security essential to 

support a mobile workforce.

✦ Practice outstanding resource stewardship to 

ensure that all Agency programs operate with fiscal responsibility and management integrity, are 

efficiently and consistently delivered nationwide, 

and demonstrate results.

✦ Take advantage of existing and emerging tools to 

improve and enhance communication, transparency, and accountability.

✦ Integrate energy efficiency and environmental 

considerations into our work practices as core components of Agency business models and operations.

✦ Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the 

Agency’s acquisition function by strengthening 

requirements development, contract management, and internal review practices; maximizing 

the use of competition in contracting, reducing 

high-risk contracts; improving how contracts are 

structured; building the skills of the acquisition 

workforce; and improving management of the 

EPA acquisition workforce.
37

Strategic 

Measurement 

Framework

T

he Strategic Plan provides the foundation 

for EPA’s performance management system—planning, budgeting, performance 

measurement, and accountability. The Plan

contains EPA’s strategic measurement framework of 

long-term goals, objectives, and strategic measures, 

which describe the measurable human health and 

environmental results the Agency is working to 

achieve over the next five years. 

To achieve the long-term goals, objectives, and 

strategic measures set out in this Plan, EPA designs 

annual performance measures which are presented 

in EPA’s Annual Performance Plans and Budgets. The 

Agency reports on our performance against these 

annual measures in Annual Performance Reports, 

and uses this performance information to establish 

priorities and develop future budget submissions. The 

Agency also uses this performance data to evaluate 

our progress and develop future Strategic Plans. 

EPA’s strategic planning and decision-making benefits 

from other sources of information as well, including 

program evaluations and environmental indicators. 

A number of the strategic measures in this Strategic 

Plan are based on indicators contained in EPA’s 2008 

Report on the Environment (ROE). The ROE identifies 

a set of peer-reviewed human health and environmental indicators that allows EPA to track trends 

in environmental conditions and environmental 

influences on human health. This information also 

helps us better articulate and improve the strategic 

measurement framework in EPA’s Strategic Plan. 

The Agency continues to look for new data and 

information sources to better characterize the 

environmental conditions targeted by our programs 

and improve our understanding of the integrated 

and complex relationships involved in maintaining 

human health and environmental well-being. 

Introduction 

We have made significant changes to our measurement framework in this Plan. We revised our five 

strategic goals to sharpen and align them with the 

Administrator’s priorities, including a heightened focus 

on cross-program activities addressing climate change 

adaptation and mitigation, sustainable communities, 

and chemical safety. We revised our suite of strategic measures—the measurable environmental and 

human health outcomes we are working to achieve—

in several significant ways. First, we significantly 

reduced the number of strategic measures by focusing 

on the key outcomes most important to advance the 

Administrator’s priorities and the Agency’s mission. 

The goal was to create a smaller, more strategic, and 

more meaningful set that Agency leadership uses to 

manage. Second, for consistency purposes, we placed 

all the quantified measurable results at the lowest 

level in the framework—the strategic measures. Third, 

we updated the strategic measures to reflect targets 

and baselines appropriate for the FY 2011–2015 time 

Significant Changes in the Strategic Measurement Framework
38

horizon. Lastly, we removed the separate objectives 

and strategic measures for the Agency’s research and 

development program from the Plan and integrated 

this work into the programmatic objectives; this critical work supports many of our strategic measures and 

will continue to be tracked through annual performance measures.

Some of the new strategic directions in our measures 

are reflected in this Plan, but efforts will continue 

over the next several years to make further revisions 

in key areas. Highlights of the new measures and 

continuing efforts are described below.

✦ Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill in the Gulf 

of Mexico: While we are still assessing the 

unprecedented environmental damage from the 

Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill and the Agency 

actions necessary to address the damage and 

prevent similar disasters in the future, we have 

added a new strategic measure as a preliminary 

step to reflect the challenge ahead. This measure 

addresses efforts to conduct a thorough review 

of our oil spill program regulations to ensure that 

these regulations are up to date and effective. 

The magnitude of the impacts has yet to be fully 

understood and assessed, so further adjustments 

may be needed in the future. In addition, EPA is 

working to develop a water-oriented measure in 

response to the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill 

in the Gulf of Mexico. The measure will reflect 

efforts to assist in the restoration of the Gulf 

of Mexico ecosystem, including water, wetlands, beaches, and surrounding communities. 

Currently, EPA has two program-specific water 

measures, one that relates to Gulf of Mexico 

hypoxia and the other to regional coastal aquatic 

ecosystem health that will be reassessed for 

impact from the oil spill.

✦ Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation:

The ability of communities to respond to changes in climate over the next decade is critical to 

achieving many of the environmental outcomes 

in this Strategic Plan. We have incorporated 

consideration of climate change across all five 

goals of the Strategic Plan and will continue to 

collaborate with stakeholders, the US Global 

Change Research Program, the Interagency 

Taskforce on Climate Change Adaptation, and 

others. We have added three strategic measures 

for climate change adaptation under Goal 1. In 

addition, we have expanded the existing greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation measure to capture 

reductions Agency-wide and added a measure to 

reflect expected GHG reductions resulting from 

the light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas rule.

✦ Land Cleanup: EPA has begun an Integrated 

Cleanup Initiative, a multi-year effort to better use assessment and cleanup authorities to 

address a greater number of sites, accelerate 

cleanups, and put those sites back into productive use while protecting human health and the 

environment. The Agency is working to develop 

a suite of measures that will allow for comprehensive management across cleanup programs 

and across the cleanup life cycle, with a focus 

on three critical points in the cleanup process—starting, advancing, and completing site 

cleanups. As a first step in this process, we are 

shifting our definition of success at a Superfund 

site from where the construction of a remedy is 

complete, to when the site is actually “ready for 

anticipated use” in a community. In addition, a 

new site assessment measure has been developed that fully captures the entire assessment 

workload at the beginning of the Superfund 

process, a measure which also may be expanded 

to include progress of other cleanup programs in 

the future.1 

✦ Chemical Safety: One of EPA’s highest priorities over the next five years is to ensure the 

safety of chemicals and pesticides used in this 

country. As part of this effort, EPA is taking a 

more integrated approach to managing chemical 

and pesticide risk reduction and, in coordination 

with other relevant federal agencies, is focusing 

on consumers, workers, and sensitive subpopulations like children. EPA is enhancing its ability to 

measure the effects of chemicals and pesticides 

on human health and the environment by 

introducing new measures to reduce the concentration of targeted chemicals and pesticides in 

the general population and children. 

✦ Enforcement and Compliance Assurance:

The Agency’s enforcement and compliance 

assurance program is moving from a tool-based 
39

(e.g., assistance, incentives, monitoring, and 

enforcement) to an environmental problembased (e.g., air, water) approach to addressing 

noncompliance and environmental harms. 

Our current approach, rooted largely in the 

traditional inspection and enforcement model, 

has shown substantial environmental and 

human health benefits, but will not be able to 

keep up with expanding universes of regulated 

sources. For example, the universe of National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 

sources has expanded from about one hundred 

thousand when the Clean Water Act (CWA) 

was passed to almost one million today. This is 

especially true in light of the current economic 

challenges faced by states, which perform the 

majority of inspections and enforcement actions. 

For those programs and sectors that have been 

the focus of EPA and state attention, the level of 

noncompliance shows us that serious violations 

are likely widespread, all but ensuring that there 

are areas across the country where basic health 

protections for Americans are in jeopardy.

EPA is adopting new strategic approaches to deal 

with these challenges that do not solely depend on 

inspections and enforcement to address serious violations, including:

✦ Building self-monitoring and reporting requirements into rules, which will allow government 

to better understand the compliance status at 

regulated facilities.

✦ Using 21st century 

technologies to facilitate the electronic 

transmission of data 

directly from regulated sources and 

states that generate 

the data, to government agencies that 

receive the data, 

which will improve 

the quality and 

timeliness of data 

available to make 

decisions.

✦ Making more information available to the public 

in an easy-to-use, understandable format so the 

public can demand better facility and government performance. 

As part of this new approach, the Agency’s enforcement program is developing a suite of measures that 

expand its ability to communicate to the public. As 

part of this suite, the Agency is including measures 

for its criminal enforcement program for the first 

time in the Strategic Plan. The suite of measures 

addresses:

✦ Enforcement Presence/Level-of-Effort 

Measures: The extent of the general enforcement and compliance assurance presence in 

communities; 

✦ Case-Linked Outcome Indicators: The annual 

and long-term trends in environmental benefits 

resulting from EPA enforcement actions; and

✦ Strategic Enforcement Measures: The 

results of EPA’s focused efforts to address specific, 

high-priority problems that make a difference to 

communities.

When viewed together, this suite of measures 

provides a more comprehensive understanding of 

the program than has been available previously. This 

suite of measures is captured in the figure on the 

next page.
40

The Strategic Plan includes five-year measures for 

EPA’s enforcement presence and outcome indicators for which EPA will develop annual performance 

measures for inclusion in the Annual Plan and Budget, 

similar to all strategic measures included in this Plan.

The Agency has historically relied on enforcement 

presence or level-of-effort measures to communicate its enforcement and compliance presence to 

the public and regulated industry. These measures 

illustrate that the Agency is actively and consistently 

performing the activities necessary to find polluters, 

take appropriate action, and monitor defendants’ 

compliance with settled enforcement cases. The 

Agency targets these activities toward the most 

serious human health and environmental problems 

across a variety of regulatory programs. 

The Agency uses case-linked outcome indicators to 

communicate the environmental benefits gained 

from completed enforcement and compliance 

activities such as compliance assistance, compliance 

incentives, and enforcement cases. While linked, there 

is not a linear or proportional relationship between 

the activities and the outcomes. 

Unlike level-of-effort results, which tend to be 

relatively consistent on a yearly basis, these outcome 

measures are dominated by very large enforcement 

cases and will typically vary widely over time depending on the pollution problems being addressed. 

For example, the measure of pounds of pollution 

reduced by enforcement actions varies widely from 

year to year and is not expected to trend upwards 

from one year to the next. In fact, as the most 

Suite of Strategic Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Measures

Enforcement Presence/

Level of Effort Measures 

• Inspections & evaluations

• Initiated & concluded civil 

judicial & administrative 

enforcement cases

• Compliance status of open, 

non-Superfund consent 

decrees

• Address cost recovery 

statute of limitations cases 

with total past costs above 

$200,000 

• Reaching settlement with 

potentially responsible 

parties (PRPs)

• Criminal cases with 

charges filed

• Criminal cases with 

defendants convicted 

Case-Linked 

Outcome Indicators 

AIR

• Air pollutants reduced

WATER

• Water pollutants reduced

WASTE

• Hazardous waste reduced 

• Contaminated media 

reduced

CHEMICALS

• Toxic and pesticide 

pollutants

CRIMINAL

• Criminal cases with most 

significant impacts

• Criminal cases with 

individual defendants

Strategic Enforcement Measures 

(under development) 

AIR

• Air toxics

• Criteria air pollutants

WATER

• Raw sewage

• Animal waste

• Water compliance

WASTE

• Wastes from mineral 

processing

• Clean up hazardous waste 

sites in communities

CHEMICALS

• Reduce exposure to pesticides

• Enforce chemical management 

rules

Measures in the FY 2011–2015 Strategic Plan Measures under Development
41

significant pollution sources are addressed, the 

amount of pollution reduced by enforcement in a 

particular industrial sector should go down over time. 

Over the next five years, the Agency will develop a 

new category of measurement—strategic enforcement measures—designed to demonstrate progress 

toward achieving its national enforcement goal of 

aggressively going after specific pollution problems 

that matter to communities. In addition, the strategic 

enforcement measures will illustrate the work done in 

Goal 5 to support Goals 1-4 of this Strategic Plan. 

To launch this effort, the Agency’s enforcement 

program will focus initially on developing measures 

that demonstrate progress toward the goals of its 

six national enforcement initiatives.2

 These initiatives 

target nationally important pollution problems where 

enforcement can play an important role to address 

serious noncompliance. We will develop strategic 

measures that chart our progress in addressing these 

significant compliance problems, recognizing that 

the measures, like the solutions, will vary with the 

problem. Two examples include: (1) targeting the 

sectors that contribute the largest amount of serious 

air pollution that causes significant harm to human 

health, which include coal-fired utilities and acid, 

glass, and cement plants; and (2) working to improve 

compliance by the tens of thousands of animal 

feeding operations that contribute to water pollution in many communities. We need both aggressive 

enforcement actions and new creative strategies to 

tackle sector compliance issues for these important, 

but very different, problems. Our measures will reflect 

those strategies, and attempt to do a more complete 

job of providing meaningful information to the public about our progress than the traditional measures 

alone can do. What we learn from measures developed for the national enforcement initiatives will be 

applied in setting measures for our other national 

enforcement goals.

One of the challenges in improving compliance and 

reducing pollution is the lack of solid information 

about facility releases and compliance. These information gaps make it harder to target facilities for 

enforcement, to understand and develop measures 

for compliance performance, and for communities 

to know what pollution is occurring in their own 

neighborhoods. EPA recognizes that we need to 

improve facility monitoring of pollution and make 

that information available to the public using 21st 

century technologies including more comprehensive electronic reporting. These efforts will increase 

transparency and create incentives to reduce pollution and to comply with the law, while also giving 

state and federal governments the information they 

need to target enforcement and track progress. Over 

the longer term, as efforts to increase electronically 

reported facility information take effect, consistently 

reported, sector-wide data may enable us to generate realistic compliance rates for some sectors. These 

efforts will help us to strengthen both performance 

and measures in the years ahead. 

Where data, baselines, and targets are available to 

support the measures, EPA will include new measures 

for the national initiatives in the FY 2012 Annual Plan 

and Budget in February 2011 and will amend the 

Strategic Plan to include those that are suitable strategic measures. For those measures where EPA does 

not have existing data, EPA will identify necessary 

data sources and begin to collect the information 

with the intention of developing baselines and 

targets for additional strategic enforcement measures 

to be included in future Annual Plans. 

The Agency will also work closely with its state partners to explore how to be more transparent regarding 

our joint accountability to protect the environment 

and public health by showing to the public, before FY 

2015, both federal and state progress and problems 

in enforcement and compliance programs, as well as 

compliance monitoring coverage levels. 
42

In addition to the long-term strategic measures, EPA 

established six near-term Priority Goals in FY 2010 with 

18- to 24-month operational targets that advance our 

strategic goals and serve as key indicators of our work.

EPA will report progress on these Priority Goals in the 

Annual Plan and Budget and through the Office of 

Management and Budget, with results regularly available to the public at www.performance.gov.

EPA’s High Priority Performance Goals (Priority Goals)

EPA’s Priority Goals

EPA will improve the country’s ability to measure and control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Building 

a foundation for action is essential.

• By June 15, 2011, EPA will make publicly available 100 percent of facility-level GHG emissions data 

submitted to EPA in accordance with the GHG Reporting Rule, compliant with policies protecting 

confidential business information (CBI).

• In 2011, EPA, working with DOT, will begin implementation of regulations designed to reduce the 

GHG emissions from light-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. starting with model year 2012.

Clean water is essential for our quality of life and the health of our communities. EPA will take actions 

over the next two years to improve water quality. 

• Chesapeake Bay watershed states (including the District of Columbia) will develop and submit 

Phase I watershed implementation plans by the end of CY 2010 and Phase II plans by the end of 

CY 2011 in support of EPA’s final Chesapeake Bay total maximum daily load (TMDL) and consistent 

with the expectations and schedule described in EPA’s letters of November 4 and December 29, 

2009, and June 11, 2010.3

• Increase pollutant reducing enforcement actions in waters that do not meet water quality standards, 

and post results and analysis on the web.

• Over the next two years, EPA will initiate review/revision of at least four drinking water standards to 

strengthen public health protection.

EPA will ensure that environmental health and protection is delivered to our communities.

• By 2012, EPA will have initiated 20 enhanced brownfields community level projects that will include 

a new area-wide planning effort to benefit under-served and economically disadvantaged communities. This will allow those communities to assess and address a single large or multiple brownfields 

sites within their boundaries, thereby advancing area-wide planning to enable redevelopment of 

brownfields properties on a broader scale. EPA will provide technical assistance, coordinate its 

enforcement, water, and air quality programs, and work with other federal agencies, states, tribes, 

and local governments to implement associated targeted environmental improvements identified in 

each community’s area-wide plan.

End Notes: 

1 EPA will continue to report site construction completions as an annual performance measure in its Annual Plan and Budget.

2 Information about EPA’s National Enforcement Initiatives for Fiscal Years 2011–2013 is available at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/planning/initiatives/initiatives.html. EPA solicited feedback on its FY 2011–2013 national enforcement initiatives in a 

Federal Register Notice in January 2010 and in an on-line discussion forum (see http://blog.epa.gov/enforcementnationalpriority). 

3 EPA letters available at http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/pdf/pdf_chesbay/tmdl_implementation_letter_110409.pdf, 

http://www.epa.gov/region03/chesapeake/bay_letter_1209.pdf, and

http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/pdf/pdf_chesbay/TMDLScheduleLetter.pdf. 
43

Objective 1.1: Address Climate Change. Reduce the threats posed by climate 

change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and taking actions that help 

communities and ecosystems become more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Goal 1: Taking Action on Climate Change and 

Improving Air Quality. Reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions and develop adaptation strategies to address 

climate change, and protect and improve air quality.

Reduce Criteria Pollutants and Regional Haze 

✦ By 2015, the population-weighted average 

concentrations of ozone (smog) in all monitored 

counties will decrease to 0.073 ppm compared to 

the average of 0.078 ppm in 2009.

✦ By 2015, the population-weighted average 

concentrations of inhalable fine particles in all 

monitored counties will decrease to 10.5 μg/m3 

compared to the average of 11.7 μg/m3 in 2009.

Objective 1.2: Improve Air Quality. Achieve and maintain health-based air pollution 

standards and reduce risk from toxic air pollutants and indoor air contaminants.

Address Climate Change

✦ By 2015, the light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas 

rule will achieve reductions of 99 MMTCO2Eq. 

(Baseline FY 2010: 0 MMTCO2Eq.)

✦ By 2015, additional programs from across EPA 

will promote practices to help Americans 

save energy and conserve resources, leading 

to expected greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 740.1 MMTCO2

Eq. from a baseline 

without adoption of efficient practices. This 

reduction compares to 500.4 MMTCO2Eq. 

reduced in 2008. (Baseline FY 2008: ENERGY 

STAR 140.8 MMTCO2Eq., Industrial Programs1

314.2 MMTCO2Eq., Smartway Transportation 

Partnership 4.2 MMTCO2Eq., Pollution 

Prevention Programs 6.5 MMTCO2Eq., 

Sustainable Materials Management Programs2

34.3 MMTCO2Eq., WaterSense Program 0.4 

MMTCO2Eq., Executive Order 135143 GHG 

Reduction Program 0.0 MMTCO2Eq.) 

✦ By 2015, EPA will integrate climate change science trend and scenario information into five 

major scientific models and/or decision-support 

tools used in implementing Agency environmental management programs to further EPA’s 

mission, consistent with existing authorities 

(preference for one related to air quality, water 

quality, cleanup programs, and chemical safety).4

(Baseline FY 2010: 4 scientific models)

✦ By 2015, EPA will account for climate change by 

integrating climate change science trend and 

scenario information into five rule-making processes to further EPA’s mission, consistent with 

existing authorities (preference for one related to 

air quality, water quality, cleanup programs, and 

chemical safety).4 (Baseline FY 2010: 0)

✦ By 2015, EPA will build resilience to climate 

change by integrating considerations of climate 

change impacts and adaptive measures into five 

major grant, loan, contract, or technical assistance 

programs to further EPA’s mission, consistent with 

existing authorities (preference for one related to 

air quality, water quality, cleanup programs, and 

scientific research).4 (Baseline FY 2010: 0)

Strategic Measures:

Strategic Measures:
44

✦ By 2015, reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides 

(NOx) to 14.7 million tons per year compared to 

the 2009 level of 19.4 million tons emitted.

✦ By 2015, reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) 

to 7.4 million tons per year compared to the 

2009 level of 13.8 million tons emitted.

✦ By 2015, reduce emissions of direct particulate 

matter (PM) to 3.9 million tons per year compared to the 2009 level of 4.2 million tons emitted.

✦ By 2018, visibility in scenic parks and wilderness 

areas will improve by 15 percent in the East 

and 5 percent in the West, on the 20 percent 

worst visibility days, as compared to visibility on the 20 percent worst days during the 

2000–2004 baseline.

✦ By 2015, with EPA support for developing 

capability including training, policy, and administrative and technical support, 15 additional 

tribes will possess the expertise and capability to 

implement the Clean Air Act in Indian country 

(as demonstrated by successful completion of 

an eligibility determination under the Tribal 

Authority Rule), for a cumulative total of 62 from 

the 2009 baseline of 47 tribes.

Reduce Air Toxics

✦ By 2015, reduce emissions of air toxics (toxicityweighted for cancer) to 4.2 million tons from the 

1993 toxicity-weighted baseline of 7.2 million tons.5

Reduce the Adverse Ecological Effects of Acid 

Deposition

✦ By 2015, air pollution emissions reductions will 

reduce the number of chronically acidic water 

bodies and improve associated ecosystem health 

in acid-sensitive regions of the northern and eastern United States by approximately 10 percent 

below the 2001 baseline of approximately 500 

lakes and 5,000 kilometers of stream length.

Reduce Exposure to Indoor Air Pollutants 

✦ By 2015, the number of future premature lung 

cancer deaths prevented annually through lowered radon exposure will increase to 1,460 from 

the 2008 baseline of 756 future premature lung 

cancer deaths prevented.

✦ By 2015, the number of people taking all essential 

actions to reduce exposure to indoor environmental asthma triggers will increase to 7.6 million from 

the 2003 baseline of 3.0 million. EPA will place special 

emphasis on children at home and in schools, and 

on other disproportionately impacted populations.

Strategic Measure:

Reduce Consumption of Ozone-Depleting Substances

✦ By 2015, U.S. consumption of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), chemicals that deplete the 

Earth’s protective ozone layer, will be less than 

1,520 tons per year of ozone depletion potential 

from the 2009 baseline of 9,900 tons per year. By 

this time, as a result of worldwide reduction in 

ozone-depleting substances, the level of “equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine” (EESC) in the 

atmosphere will have peaked at 3.185 parts per billion (ppb) of air by volume and begun its gradual 

decline to less than 1.800 ppb (1980 level).

Objective 1.3: Restore the Ozone Layer. Restore the earth’s stratospheric ozone 

layer and protect the public from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
45

Strategic Measure:

Prepare for Radiological Emergencies

✦ Through 2015, EPA will maintain a 90 percent 

level of readiness of radiation program personnel and assets to support federal radiological 

emergency response and recovery operations, 

maintaining the 2010 baseline of 90 percent.

Objective 1.4: Reduce Unnecessary Exposure to Radiation. Minimize 

unnecessary releases of radiation and be prepared to minimize impacts should 

unwanted releases occur.

End Notes:

1 Industrial Programs include ENERGY STAR for Industry, Natural Gas STAR, Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP), 

Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), Green Power Partnership, Combined Heat and Power Partnership (CHP), Voluntary 

Aluminum Industry Partnership (VAIP), HFC-23 Emission Reduction Partnerships, Mobile Air Conditioning Climate Protection 

Partnership (MAC), Environmental Stewardship Initiative, Significant New Alternatives Policy Program (SNAP), Responsible 

Appliance Disposal Program (RAD), GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership, and Landfill Rule. 

2 Sustainable Materials Management Programs include WasteWise, National Waste Recycling, and Coal Combustion Products 

Recycling (C2P2).

3 The Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance Executive Order was signed on October 5, 2009. The 

Executive Order sets sustainability goals for federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy, 

and economic performance.

4 The climate is changing and this can impact EPA’s ability to achieve its mission and strategic goals. EPA is currently participating in 

an Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force which will develop recommendations towards a national climate change 

adaptation strategy in the fall of 2010. EPA’s adaptation measures provide a snapshot of EPA’s overall effort to integrate climate 

change adaptation into mainstream decision making within EPA. As the work of the Task Force continues, future measures may 

be developed that assess the effectiveness of adaptation actions or that reflect a more refined set of climate change adaptation 

priorities. 

5 The 2015 target is an estimate based on the 2005 National Emissions Inventory (NEI) released in 2008, which does not include the 

impacts of post-2007 rulemakings. Updated estimates that do include the impacts of more recent rulemakings will be available 

after the release of the 2008 NEI in 2011.
46

Objective 2.1: Protect Human Health. Reduce human exposure to contaminants in 

drinking water, fish and shellfish, and recreational waters, including protecting source waters. 

Goal 2: Protecting America’s Waters. Protect and 

restore our waters to ensure that drinking water is safe, and 

that aquatic ecosystems sustain fish, plants and wildlife, 

and economic, recreational, and subsistence activities. 

Water Safe to Drink

✦ By 2015, 90 percent of community water systems 

will provide drinking water that meets all 

applicable health-based drinking water standards through approaches including effective 

treatment and source water protection. (2005 

baseline: 89 percent. Status as of FY 2009: 89 

percent.) 

✦ By 2015, 88 percent of the population in Indian 

country served by community water systems will 

receive drinking water that meets all applicable 

health-based drinking water standards. (2005 

baseline: 86 percent. Status as of FY 2009: 81 

percent.)

✦ By 2015, in coordination with other federal 

agencies, provide access to safe drinking water 

for 136,100 American Indian and Alaska Native 

homes. (FY 2009 baseline: 80,900 homes. 

Universe: 360,000 homes.)

Fish and Shellfish Safe to Eat

✦ By 2015, reduce the percentage of women of 

childbearing age having mercury levels in blood 

above the level of concern to 4.6 percent. (2002 

baseline: 5.7 percent of women of childbearing 

age have mercury blood levels above levels of 

concern identified by the National Health and 

Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).)1

Water Safe for Swimming 

✦ By 2015, maintain the percentage of days of 

the beach season that coastal and Great Lakes 

beaches monitored by state beach safety 

programs are open and safe for swimming at 95 

percent. (2007 baseline: Beaches open 95 percent 

of the 679,589 days of the beach season (beach 

season days are equal to 3,647 beaches multiplied by variable number of days of beach season 

at each beach). Status as of FY 2009: 95 percent.)2

Strategic Measures:

Objective 2.2: Protect and Restore Watersheds and Aquatic Ecosystems.

Protect the quality of rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands on a watershed basis, and 

protect urban, coastal, and ocean waters. 

Improve Water Quality on a Watershed Basis

✦ By 2015, attain water quality standards for all 

pollutants and impairments in more than 3,360 

water bodies identified in 2002 as not attaining 

standards (cumulative). (2002 universe: 39,798 

water bodies identified by states and tribes as 

not meeting water quality standards. Water bodies where mercury is among multiple pollutants 

causing impairment may be counted toward 

this target when all pollutants but mercury 

attain standards, but must be identified as still 

needing restoration for mercury; 1,703 impaired 

water bodies are impaired by multiple pollutants 

including mercury, and 6,501 are impaired by 

mercury alone. Status as of FY 2009: 2,505 water 

bodies attained standards.)

Strategic Measures:
47

✦ By 2015, improve water quality conditions in 

330 impaired watersheds nationwide using the 

watershed approach (cumulative). (2002 baseline: Zero watersheds improved of an estimated 

4,800 impaired watersheds of focus having one 

or more water bodies impaired. The watershed 

boundaries for this measure are those established 

at the “12-digit” scale by the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS). Watersheds at this scale average 

22 square miles in size. “Improved” means that 

one or more of the impairment causes identified 

in 2002 are removed for at least 40 percent of 

the impaired water bodies or impaired miles/

acres, or there is significant watershed-wide 

improvement, as demonstrated by valid scientific 

information, in one or more water quality parameters associated with the impairments. Status as 

of FY 2009: 104 improved watersheds.)

✦ Through 2015, ensure that the condition of the 

Nation’s streams and lakes does not degrade 

(i.e., there is no statistically significant increase 

in the percent rated “poor” and no statistically 

significant decrease rated “good.”) (2006 baseline 

for streams: 28 percent in good condition; 25 

percent in fair condition; 42 percent in poor 

condition. 2010 baseline for lakes: 56 percent in 

good condition; 21 percent in fair condition; 22 

percent in poor condition.)

✦ By 2015, improve water quality in Indian country 

at 50 or more baseline monitoring stations in 

tribal waters (cumulative) (i.e., show improvement in one or more of seven key parameters: 

dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature, 

total nitrogen, total phosphorus, pathogen 

indicators, and turbidity) and identify 

monitoring stations on tribal lands that are 

showing no degradation in water quality 

(meaning the waters are meeting uses). 

(2006 baseline: 185 monitoring stations on 

tribal waters located where water quality has been depressed and activities are 

underway or planned to improve water 

quality, out of an estimated 2,037 stations 

operated by tribes.)

✦ By 2015, in coordination with other federal 

agencies, provide access to basic sanitation 

for 67,900 American Indian and Alaska 

Native homes. (FY 2009 baseline: 43,600 homes. 

Universe: 360,000 homes.)

Improve Coastal and Ocean Waters

✦ By 2015, improve regional coastal aquatic ecosystem health, as measured on the “good/fair/poor” 

scale of the National Coastal Condition Report. 

(FY 2009 baseline: National rating of “fair” or 2.8 

where the rating is based on a 4-point system 

ranging from 1.0 to 5.0 in which 1 is poor and 

5 is good using the National Coastal Condition 

Report indicators for water and sediment, coastal 

habitat, benthic index, and fish contamination.)

✦ By 2015, 95 percent of active dredged material 

ocean dumping sites, as determined by 3-year 

average, will have achieved environmentally 

acceptable conditions (as reflected in each site’s 

management plan and measured through onsite 

monitoring programs). (2009 baseline: 99 percent. 

FY 2009 universe is 65.) (Due to variability in the 

universe of sites, results vary from year to year (e.g., 

between 85 percent and 99 percent). While this 

much variability is not expected every year, the results are expected to have some change each year.)

✦ By 2015, working with partners, protect or 

restore an additional (i.e., measuring from 2009 

forward) 600,000 acres of habitat within the 

study areas for the 28 estuaries that are part of 

the National Estuary Program. (2009 baseline: 

900,956 acres of habitat protected or restored, 

cumulative from 2002–2009. In FY 2009, 125,437 

acres were protected or restored.)
48

Increase Wetlands

✦ By 2015, working with partners, achieve a net 

increase of wetlands nationwide, with additional 

focus on coastal wetlands, and biological and 

functional measures and assessment of wetland 

condition. (2004 baseline: 32,000 acres annual net 

national wetland gain.)

Improve the Health of the Great Lakes

✦ By 2015, prevent water pollution and protect 

aquatic systems so that the overall ecosystem 

health of the Great Lakes is at least 24.7 points 

on a 40-point scale. (2009 baseline: Great Lakes 

rating of 22.5 (expected) on the 40-point scale 

where the rating uses select Great Lakes State of 

the Lakes Ecosystem indicators based on a 1 to 5 

rating system for each indicator, where 1 is poor 

and 5 is good.)

✦ By 2015, remediate a cumulative total of 10.2 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment in the 

Great Lakes. (2009 baseline: Of the 46.5 million 

cubic yards once estimated to need remediation 

in the Great Lakes, 6.0 million cubic yards of 

contaminated sediments have been remediated 

from 1997 through 2008.)

Improve the Health of the Chesapeake Bay 

Ecosystem

✦ By 2015, achieve 50 percent (92,500 acres) of the 

185,000 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation 

necessary to achieve Chesapeake Bay water quality 

standards. (2008 baseline: 35 percent, 64,912 acres.)

Restore and Protect the Gulf of Mexico

✦ By 2015, reduce releases of nutrients throughout 

the Mississippi River Basin to reduce the size 

of the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico to 

less than 5,000 km2, as measured by the 5-year 

running average of the size of the zone. (Baseline: 

2005–2009 running average size is 15,670 km2.)

Restore and Protect the Long Island Sound

✦ By 2015, reduce the maximum area of hypoxia in 

Long Island Sound by 15 percent from the preTMDL average of 208 square miles as measured 

by the 5-year running average size of the zone. 

(Baseline: Pre-total maximum daily load (TMDL) 

average conditions based on 1987–1999 data 

is 208 square miles. Post-TMDL includes years 

2000–2014. Universe: The total surface area of 

Long Island Sound is approximately 1,268 square 

miles; the potential for the maximum area of 

hypoxia would be 1,268 square miles.)

Restore and Protect the Puget Sound Basin

✦ By 2015, improve water quality and enable the 

lifting of harvest restrictions in 4,300 acres of 

shellfish bed growing areas impacted by degraded or declining water quality in the Puget Sound. 

(2009 baseline: 1,730 acres of shellfish beds with 

harvest restrictions in 2006 had their restrictions 

lifted. Universe: 30,000 acres of commercial shellfish beds with harvest restrictions in 2006.)

Sustain and Restore the U.S.–Mexico Border 

Environmental Health

✦ By 2015, provide safe drinking water or adequate 

wastewater sanitation to 75 percent of the homes 

in the U.S.–Mexico Border area that lacked access 

to either service in 2003. (2003 Universe: 98,515 

homes lacked drinking water and 690,723 homes 

lacked adequate wastewater sanitation based on 

a 2003 assessment of homes in the U.S.–Mexico 

Border area. 2015 target: 73,886 homes provided 

with safe drinking water and 518,042 homes with 

adequate wastewater sanitation.)

End Notes:

1 EPA is in the process of developing a consistent methodology for analyzing the data from Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reports. The baseline and target may be reset when 

the analysis is complete at the end of CY 2010.

2 In 2007, EPA added Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Marianas, which resulted in a lower baseline and target.
49

Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing 

Sustainable Development. Clean up communities, 

advance sustainable development, and protect 

disproportionately impacted low-income, minority, 

and tribal communities. Prevent releases of harmful 

substances and clean up and restore contaminated areas.

Promote Sustainable Communities

✦ By 2015, reduce the air, water, land, and human 

health impacts of new growth and development 

through the use of smart growth and sustainable 

development strategies in 600 (cumulative) communities, which includes local municipalities, 

regional entities, and state governments, through 

activities resulting from EPA and federal partner 

actions. (Baseline: In FY 2010, an estimated 34 

communities will be assisted.)1

Assess and Cleanup Brownfields

✦ By 2015, conduct environmental assessments 

at 20,600 (cumulative) brownfield properties. 

(Baseline: As of the end of FY 2009, EPA assessed 

14,600 properties.)

✦ By 2015, make an additional 17,800 acres of 

brownfield properties ready for reuse from the 

2009 baseline. (Baseline: As of the end of FY 2009, 

EPA made 11,800 acres ready for reuse.)

Reduce Chemical Risks at Facilities and in 

Communities

✦ By 2015, continue to maintain the Risk 

Management Plan (RMP) prevention program 

and further reduce by 10 percent the number of 

accidents at RMP facilities. (Baseline: There was 

an annual average of 190 accidents based on 

RMP program data between 2005 and 2009.)

Objective 3.1: Promote Sustainable and Livable Communities. Support sustainable, 

resilient, and livable communities by working with local, state, tribal, and federal partners 

to promote smart growth, emergency preparedness and recovery planning, brownfield 

redevelopment, and the equitable distribution of environmental benefits. 

Strategic Measures:

Objective 3.2: Preserve Land. Conserve resources and prevent land contamination 

by reducing waste generation, increasing recycling, and ensuring proper management 

of waste and petroleum products. 

Waste Generation and Recycling

✦ By 2015, increase the amount of municipal solid 

waste reduced, reused, or recycled by 2.5 billion 

pounds. (At the end of FY 2008, 22.5 billion 

pounds of municipal solid waste had been 

reduced, reused, or recycled.)

✦ By 2015, increase beneficial use of coal combustion ash to 50 percent from 40 percent in 2008.

✦ By 2015, increase by 78 the number of tribes covered by an integrated waste management plan 

compared to FY 2009. (At the end of FY 2009, 94 

of 572 federally recognized tribes were covered 

by an integrated waste management plan.)

✦ By 2015, close, clean up, or upgrade 281 open dumps 

in Indian country and on other tribal lands compared to FY 2009. (At the end of FY 2009, 412 open 

dumps were closed, cleaned up, or upgraded. As 

of April 2010, 3,464 open dumps were listed in the 

Strategic Measures:
50

Indian Health Service Operation and Maintenance 

System Database, which is dynamic because of the 

ongoing assessment of open dumps.)

Minimize Releases of Hazardous Waste and 

Petroleum Products

✦ By 2015, prevent releases at 500 hazardous 

waste management facilities with initial approved controls or updated controls resulting 

in the protection of an estimated 3 million 

people living within a mile of all facilities with 

controls. (Baseline: At the end of FY 2009, it 

was estimated that 789 facilities will require 

these controls out of the universe of 2,468 

facilities with about 10,000 process units. The 

goal of 500 represents 63 percent of the facilities needing controls.)

✦ Each year through 2015, increase the percentage of 

underground storage tank (UST) facilities that are in 

significant operational compliance (SOC) with both 

release detection and release prevention requirements by 0.5 percent over the previous year’s target. 

(Baseline: This means an increase of facilities in SOC 

from 65.5 percent in 2010 to 68 percent in 2015.)

✦ Each year through 2015, reduce the number of 

confirmed releases at UST facilities to 5 percent 

fewer than the prior year’s target. (Baseline: 

Between FY 1999 and FY 2009, confirmed UST 

releases averaged 8,113.)

Objective 3.3: Restore Land. Prepare for and respond to accidental or intentional 

releases of contaminants and clean up and restore polluted sites. 

Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill: Oil Spill 

Program Review

✦ By 2015, in response to the Deepwater Horizon 

BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, EPA will conduct 

a thorough assessment of its rules, guidelines, and 

procedures relating to all relevant aspects of EPA’s 

oil spill program, including prevention of, preparedness for, response to, and recovery efforts, 

and update them as needed, and ensure that the 

Agency has the appropriate tools to respond to 

environmental disasters of this scale.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

✦ By 2015, achieve and maintain at least 80 percent 

of the maximum score on the Core National 

Approach to Response (NAR) evaluation criteria. 

(Baseline: In FY 2009, the average Core NAR 

Score was 84 percent for EPA headquarters, 

regions, and special teams prepared for responding to emergencies.)2

✦ By 2015, complete an additional 1,700 Superfund 

removals through Agency-financed actions and 

through oversight of removals conducted by 

potentially responsible parties (PRPs). (Baseline: 

In FY 2009, there were 434 Superfund removal 

actions completed including 214 funded by the 

Agency and 220 overseen by the Agency that 

were conducted by PRPs under a voluntary 

agreement, an administrative order on consent, 

or a unilateral administrative order.)

✦ By 2015, no more than 1.5 million gallons will be 

spilled annually at Facility Response Plan (FRP) 

facilities, a 15 percent reduction from the annual average of 1.7 million gallons spilled from 2005–2009.

Cleanup Contaminated Land 

✦ By 2015, complete 93,400 assessments at potential hazardous waste sites to determine if they 

warrant Comprehensive Emergency Response, 

Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) 

remedial response or other cleanup activities. 

(Baseline: As of 2010, the cumulative total number of assessments completed was 88,000.)3

✦ By 2015, increase to 84 percent the number of 

Superfund final and deleted NPL sites and RCRA 

facilities where human exposures to toxins from 

contaminated sites are under control. (Baseline: As 

of October 2009, 70 percent Superfund final and 

deleted NPL sites and RCRA facilities have human 

exposures under control out of a universe of 5,330.)4

✦ By 2015, increase to 78 percent the number 

of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 

(RCRA) facilities with migration of contaminated 

groundwater under control. (Baseline: At the 

Strategic Measures:
51

end of FY 2009, the migration of contaminated 

groundwater was controlled at 58 percent of all 

3,746 facilities needing corrective action.)

✦ By 2015, increase to 56 percent the number of 

RCRA facilities with final remedies constructed. 

(Baseline: At the end of FY 2009, all cleanup 

remedies had been constructed at 32 percent of 

all 3,746 facilities needing corrective action.)

✦ Each year through 2015, reduce the backlog of LUST 

cleanups (confirmed releases that have yet to be 

cleaned up) that do not meet risk-based standards 

for human exposure and groundwater migration by 

1 percent. This means a decrease from 21 percent in 

2009 to 14 percent in 2015. (At the end of FY 2009, 

there were 100,165 releases not yet cleaned up.)

✦ Each year through 2015, reduce the backlog of 

LUST cleanups (confirmed releases that have 

yet to be cleaned up) in Indian country that do 

not meet applicable risk-based standards for 

human exposure and groundwater migration by 

1 percent. This means a decrease from 28 percent 

in 2009 to 22 percent in 2015.

✦ By 2015, ensure that 799 Superfund NPL sites are 

“sitewide ready for anticipated use.” (Baseline: As 

of October 2009, 409 final and deleted NPL sites 

had achieved “sitewide ready for anticipated use.”)5

Objective 3.4: Strengthen Human Health and Environmental Protection 

in Indian Country. Support federally-recognized tribes to build environmental 

management capacity, assess environmental conditions and measure results, and 

implement environmental programs in Indian country. 

Improve Human Health and the Environment in 

Indian Country

✦ By 2015, increase the percent of tribes implementing federal regulatory environmental 

programs in Indian country to 18 percent. (FY 

2009 baseline: 13 percent of 572 tribes)

✦ By 2015, increase the percent of tribes 

conducting EPA-approved environmental 

monitoring and assessment activities in Indian 

country to 50 percent. (FY 2009 baseline: 40 

percent of 572 tribes)

Strategic Measures:

End Notes:

1 Included in the cumulative number are communities receiving assistance from: (1) direct EPA technical assistance programs; (2) 

EPA-funded grants and cooperative agreements to non-governmental organizations; and (3) in a limited number of communities 

(i.e., 6 of the total 34 communities in the FY 2010 baseline), technical assistance done in collaboration with other EPA programs 

(such as EPA’s brownfields program) and other federal agencies (such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. 

Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development).

2 Consistent with the government-wide National Response Framework (NRF), EPA will work to fully implement the priorities under 

its internal NAR so that the Agency is prepared to respond to multiple nationally significant incidents. Core NAR builds upon the 

Core Emergency Response concept while integrating the priority elements of EPA’s NAR Preparedness Plan, and the Homeland 

Security Priority Workplan, to reflect an Agency-wide assessment of progress. 

3 This new strategic measure accounts for all remedial assessments performed at sites addressed under the Superfund program, whereas 

the measure in the previous (2006–2011) Strategic Plan captured only a subset of these assessments (i.e., the final assessments completed 

at sites). By capturing the assessment work leading to final assessment decisions, including the initial screening assessments to determine 

Superfund eligibility, the new measure more fully accounts for the work performed during the Superfund site assessment process. 

4 EPA is currently revising its dioxin risk assessment which may affect the targets and baselines for the human exposures under 

control and sitewide ready for anticipated use measures.

5 As part of the Integrated Cleanup Initiative, EPA is evaluating “sitewide ready for anticipated use” across all cleanup programs and 

may modify the above Superfund measure in the future to include corresponding brownfields, RCRA corrective action, and leaking underground storage tank program goals.
52

Protect Human Health from Chemical Risks

✦ By 2015, reduce by 40 percent the number of 

moderate to severe exposure incidents associated with organophosphates and carbamate 

insecticides in the general population. (Baseline 

is 316 moderate and severe incidents reported to 

the Poison Control Center (PCC) National Poison 

Data System (NPDS) in 2008 for organophosphate and carbamate pesticides.)

✦ By 2014, reduce the percentage of children with 

blood lead levels above 5 μg/dl to 1.0 percent 

or less. (Baseline is 3.0 percent in the 2005–2008 

sampling period.)1

✦ By 2014, reduce the percent difference in the 

geometric mean blood lead level in low-income 

children 1 to 5 years old as compared to the geometric mean for non-low income children 1 to 5 

years old to 10.0 percent. (Baseline is 23.4 percent 

difference in the geometric mean blood lead 

level in low-income children 1 to 5 years old as 

compared to the geometric mean for non-lowincome children 1 to 5 years old in 2005–2008.)1

✦ By 2014, reduce the concentration in the general 

population for the following chemicals: nonspecific organophosphate metabolites by 75 

percent; chlorpyrifos metabolite (TCPy) by 75 

percent; and perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA) in 

serum by 2 percent. (Baselines are derived from 

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 

National Health and Nutrition Examination 

Survey (NHANES) concentration data in the 

general population and results are reported 

biennially. Pesticide baselines are based on 

2001–2002 95th percentile data for non-specific 

organophosphate metabolites (0.45 μmol/L) and 

chlorpyrifos metabolite (TCPy) (12.4 μg/L). PFOA 

baseline is based on 2005–2006 geometric mean 

data in serum (3.92 μg/L).)

✦ By 2014, reduce concentration for the following 

chemicals in children: non-specific organophosphate metabolites by 75 percent and chlorpyrifos 

metabolite (TCPy) by 75 percent. (Baselines are 

derived from the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition 

Examination Survey (NHANES) metabolite 

concentration data in children and results are 

reported biennially. Pesticide baselines are based 

on 2001–2002 data for non-specific organophosphate metabolites (0.55 μmol/L) and chlorpyrifos 

metabolite (TCPy) (16.0 μg/L).)

✦ By 2015, complete endocrine disruptor screening program (EDSP) decisions for 100 percent of 

chemicals for which complete EDSP information 

is expected to be available by the end of 2014. 

(Baseline is no decisions have been completed 

through 2009 for any of the chemicals for which 

complete EDSP information is anticipated to be 

available by the end of 2014. EDSP decisions for 

a chemical can range from determining potential to interact with the estrogen, androgen, or 

thyroid hormone systems to otherwise determining whether further endocrine related testing 

is necessary.)

Protect Ecosystems from Chemical Risks

✦ By 2015, no watersheds will exceed aquatic life 

benchmarks for targeted pesticides. (Based 

on FY 1992–2001 data from the watersheds 

sampled by the USGS National Water Quality 

Objective 4.1: Ensure Chemical Safety. Reduce the risk of chemicals that enter our 

products, our environment, and our bodies. 

Goal 4: Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and 

Preventing Pollution. Reduce the risk and increase the 

safety of chemicals and prevent pollution at the source.

Strategic Measures:
53

Assessment (NAWQA) program, urban 

watersheds that exceed the National Pesticide 

Program aquatic life benchmarks are 73 

percent for diazinon, 37 percent for chlorpyrifos, and 13 percent for carbaryl. Agricultural 

watersheds that exceed the National Pesticide 

Program aquatic life benchmarks are 18 percent for azinphos-methyl and 18 percent for 

chlorpyrifos.)

Ensure Transparency of Chemical Health and 

Safety Information

✦ Through 2015, make all health and safety studies 

available to the public for chemicals in commerce, to the extent allowed by law. (Baseline is 

21,994 confidential business information (CBI) 

cases of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) 

health and safety studies as defined in TSCA 

Section 3(6) that were submitted for chemicals 

potentially in commerce between the enactment 

of TSCA and January 21, 2010.)

Objective 4.2: Promote Pollution Prevention. Conserve and protect natural 

resources by promoting pollution prevention and the adoption of other stewardship 

practices by companies, communities, governmental organizations, and individuals. 

Prevent Pollution and Promote Environmental 

Stewardship

✦ By 2015, reduce 15 billion pounds of hazardous 

materials cumulatively through pollution prevention. (Baseline is 4.8 billion pounds reduced 

through 2008.)

✦ By 2015, reduce 9 million metric tons of carbon 

dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2Eq.) cumulatively 

through pollution prevention. (Baseline is 6.5 

MMTCO2Eq. reduced through 2008. The data 

from this measure are also calculated into the 

Agency’s overall GHG measure under Goal 1.)

✦ By 2015, reduce water use by an additional 24 

billion gallons cumulatively through pollution 

prevention. (Baseline is 51 billion gallons reduced 

through 2008.) 

✦ By 2015, save $1.2 billion through pollution prevention improvements in business, institutional, 

and government costs cumulatively. (Baseline is 

$3.1 billion saved through 2008.)

✦ Through 2015, increase the use of safer chemicals cumulatively by 40 percent. (Baseline: 476 

million pounds of safer chemicals used in 2009 

as reported to be in commerce by Design for the 

Environment program.)

Strategic Measures:

End Note:

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data are collected in 

2-year samples and released incrementally with the data typically becoming available 2 to 3 years after the sampling period ends.
54

Maintain Enforcement Presence

✦ By 2015, conduct 105,000 federal inspections and 

evaluations (5-year cumulative). (FY 2005–2009 

baseline: 21,000 annually)

✦ By 2015, initiate 19,500 civil judicial and administrative enforcement cases (5-year cumulative). 

(FY 2005–2009 baseline: 3,900 annually)

✦ By 2015, conclude 19,000 civil judicial and administrative enforcement cases (5-year cumulative). 

(FY 2005–2009 baseline: 3,800 annually)

✦ By 2015, maintain review of the overall compliance status of 100 percent of the open consent 

decrees. (Baseline 2009: 100 percent) 

✦ Each year through 2015, support cleanups and 

save federal dollars for sites where there are no 

alternatives by: (1) reaching a settlement or 

taking an enforcement action before the start 

of a remedial action at 99 percent of Superfund 

sites having viable responsible parties other than 

the federal government; and (2) addressing all 

cost recovery statute of limitation cases with 

total past costs greater than or equal to $200,000. 

(Baseline: 99 percent of sites reaching a settlement or EPA taking an enforcement action (FY 

2007–2009 annual average); 100 percent cost 

recovery statute of limitation cases addressed 

(FY 2009))

✦ By 2015, increase the percentage of criminal cases 

with charges filed to 45 percent. (FY 2006–2010 

baseline: 36 percent)

✦ By 2015, maintain an 85 percent conviction rate 

for criminal defendants. (FY 2006–2010 baseline: 

85 percent)

Support Taking Action on Climate Change and 

Improving Air Quality

✦ By 2015, reduce, treat, or eliminate 2,400 million estimated pounds of air pollutants as a 

result of concluded enforcement actions (5-year 

cumulative). (FY 2005–2008 baseline: 480 million 

pounds, annual average over the period) 

Support Protecting America’s Waters

✦ By 2015, reduce, treat, or eliminate 1,600 million estimated pounds of water pollutants as a 

result of concluded enforcement actions (5-year 

cumulative). (FY 2005–2008 baseline: 320 million 

pounds, annual average over the period)

Objective 5.1: Enforce Environmental Laws. Pursue vigorous civil and criminal 

enforcement that targets the most serious water, air, and chemical hazards in 

communities. Assure strong, consistent, and effective enforcement of federal 

environmental laws nationwide. 

Goal 5: Enforcing Environmental Laws. Protect 

human health and the environment through vigorous 

and targeted civil and criminal enforcement. Assure 

compliance with environmental laws.

Strategic Measures:

Note: The enforcement measures in this Plan reflect: (1) the enforcement presence and level-of-effort measures that 

reflect the Agency’s continued and strong investment in enforcement work; and (2) the reductions in pollution achieved 

through enforcement cases (i.e., case-specific outcome indicators) which are dominated by the very largest cases and will 

typically vary widely over time depending on the pollution problems being addressed. EPA is also developing enforcement 

measures for work done to support the strategic outcomes under each of the media-specific goals in this Plan; these 

measures will be described in future Annual Plans and Budgets and Annual Performance Reports.
55

Support Cleaning Up Communities and 

Advancing Sustainable Development

✦ By 2015, reduce, treat, or eliminate 32,000 

million estimated pounds of hazardous waste 

as a result of concluded enforcement actions 

(5-year cumulative). (FY 2008 baseline: 6,500 

million pounds)

✦ By 2015, obtain commitments to clean up 1,500 

million cubic yards of contaminated soil and 

groundwater media1 as a result of concluded 

CERCLA and RCRA corrective action enforcement actions (5-year cumulative). (FY 2007–2009 

baseline: 300 million cubic yards of contaminated 

soil and groundwater media, annual average over 

the period)

Support Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and 

Preventing Pollution

✦ By 2015, reduce, treat, or eliminate 19.0 million 

estimated pounds of toxic and pesticide pollutants as a result of concluded enforcement actions 

(5-year cumulative). (FY 2005–2008 baseline: 3.8 

million pounds, annual average over the period) 

Enhance Strategic Deterrence through Criminal 

Enforcement

✦ By 2015, increase the percentage of criminal 

cases having the most significant health, environmental, and deterrence impacts to 50 percent. 

(FY 2010 baseline: 36 percent)2

✦ By 2015, maintain 75 percent of criminal cases 

with an individual defendant. (FY 2006–2008 

baseline: 75 percent)

End Notes:

1 Contaminated groundwater media, as defined for the Superfund and RCRA corrective action programs, is the volume of physical 

aquifer (both soil and water) that will be addressed by the response action.

2 EPA collects data on a variety of case attributes to describe the range, complexity, and quality of our criminal enforcement 

national docket. Cases are tiered depending on factors such as the human health (death, injury) and environmental impacts, the 

nature of the pollutant and the its release into the environment, and the characteristics of the subject(s). This measure reflects 

the percentage of cases in the upper tiers. 
Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Office of Planning, Analysis, and Accountability (2721A)

United States Environmental Protection Agency

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20460

http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/plan.htm

EPA-190-R-10-002

September 2010