EMPACT Metropolitan Areas
Albany-Soheneotady-Troy, NY
Albuquerque, NM
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA
Anchorage, AK
Atlanta, GA
Austin-San Marcos, TX
Bakersfield, CA
Billings, MT
Birmingham, AL
Boise, ID
Boston, MA
Bridgeport, CT
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY
Burlington, VT
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Charleston.WV
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC
Cheyenne, WY
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI
Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN
Cleveland-Akron, OH
Columbus, OH
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Dayton-Springfield, OH
Denver-Boulder-Greenley, CO
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, Ml
El Paso, TX
Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN
Fresno, CA
Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland,
Ml
Greensboro-Winston Salem-High
Point, NC
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson,
SC
Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, PA
Hartford, CT
Honolulu, HI
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Jackson, MS
Jacksonville, FL
Kansas City, MO-KS
Knoxville, TN
Las Vegas, NV-AZ
Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange
County, CA
Louisville, KY-IN
Memphis, TN-AR-MS
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mjlwaukee-Racine, Wl
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Nashville, TN
New Orleans, LA
New York-Northern New Jersey-
Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA
Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport
News, VA-NC
Oklahoma City, OK
Omaha, NE-IA
Orlando, FL
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic
City, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
Pittsburgh, PA
Portland, ME
Portland-Salem, OR-WA
Providence-Fall River-Warwick,
RI-MA
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Richmond-Petersburg, VA
Rochester, NY
Sacramento-Yolo, CA
Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT
San Antonio, TX
San Diego, CA
San Francisco-Oakland-San
Jose, CA
San Juan, PR
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton, PA
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA
Sioux Falls, SD
Springfield, MA
St. Louis-E. St. Louis, MO-IL
Stockton-Lodi, CA
Syracuse, NY
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Toledo, OH
Tucson, AZ
Tulsa, OK
Washington-Baltimore,
DC-MD-VA-WV
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL
Wichita, KS
Youngstown-Warren, OH
For more information on the
EMPACT Program
Internet: www.epa.gov/empact
Telephone : 202-564-6791
Facsimile: 202-565-1966
Mailing Address:
EMPACT Program
U.S. EPA (8722R)
401 M Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20460
U.% |Hv(rojjnMi>tel Protection Agency
Negjon 5* Library (PL-12J)
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A NEW APPROACH
TO PROVIDING TIMELY
ENVIRONMENTAL
INFORMATION TO
COMMUNITIES ACROSS
THE NATION
i\B
i
&*>
"We are committed to the vision of
providing timely, useful, and accurate
environmental and public-health
informatibn..to..alJAmerJcans. We are
confident that, working tdgethef,
we can make this vision a reality."
Carol Browner
J.S. EPA Administrator
What 1$ EMPACT?
It stands for Environmental Monitoring for Public
Access and Community Tracking. It is a new
approach to working with communities to collect,
manage, and present environmental information.
What Will EMPACT! Do?
It aims to work with communities to make timely,
accurate, and understandable environmental
information available to million? of people in the
largest metropolitan areas acrqss the country (see list
of EMPACT metropolitan areas) so that commun ties
and individuals can make informed, cay-to-day
decisions about their lives.
WlW EMPACll?
EPA Projects
What is the ozone level today? Last weekend the
beach was closed. Have the conditions at the beach
changed? What is in tljie soil in the park where our kids
will play this afternoon!? Tom just brought in string
of peich from the lake] Are there any local fish
advisories?
Answers to these and dozens of other questions about
the environment are important because theyjaffect our
daily lives. In the past, the answers to these questions
were unavailable or often slow in coming. Knd when you
did get them, chances! are the answers were outdated
and difficult to understand. i '
To address this problern, in 1996 President Clinton
directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to cr^at a new program—EMPACT—to bring to
people up-to-date environmental information they could
understand and use eVery daiy. Giant leap? in modern
technology can now rriake thijs daily environmental'
information possible.
How Will EMPACIi Work?
•• | ! ; |
: To improve the delivery of accurate, timely, and useful
environmental and public-health information directly to
'{communities and individuals, EPA will work with EMPACT
communities to:
i •! Put the latest technology to work in keeping
i i track of erivironmjental conditions.
; » Present in plain la'nguage the infoffnatioh the
communities wan't to know, j
i • Ensure that information is not only accurate
i l but also useful.
EPA and the communities wil
use a variety of methods
to provide bnvironmental information, Depending on
comm,unityj preferences, these may include: Internet,
compact disks, television, radio, newspaper^ fliers/flaps,
billboards, jtown-hall meetings, community!'organizations,
persqh-to-person communications; knd environmental
"teller machines'." ' .1 " J1 ' • ; i " '""
I i ' !, I i - - [I • i !',.
,' ! *" !
EPA plans jto reach itsjEMPApT goals by using two
distin'ct approaches: EPA projects, and pilot projects
initiated by EMPACT Metropolitan areas.
EPA has started a number of pilot projects that working
with communities will provide environmental information to
communities and individuals by means of the latest mea-
i surement, information management, and communications
1 technologies. These initial EPA projects, for example, will:
•/Develop improved air quality tracking systems
I for the Cleveland; area. /
•f Provide immediate clean-water information
at Los Angeles beaches.
• Provide daily ultraviolet index information to /
| help children avoid harmful exposure. /
• Keep better track of water quality in selected /
urban areas. ', | /
' Provide iup-to-date air quality information in ;
a clear,; understandable format. ,;
I • Keep trabk of water 'quality in Long Island Sound.
• Reduce the risk of lead exposure to children in
their o\km backyards'in the Boston area. i
1 Provide information on contamination at i
hazardous-waste sites. !
• Keep track of toxic air pollutants in the San !
Franciscojarea. ; :
> Provide information on violations of ;
clean-water laws. 1 j
/EPA will work with communities and local s akeholders to
ensure that environmental information is communicated!
in a way that mepts the, community's needs for up-to-date
and reliable information.
Processing and managing information—
\ interpreting environmental variables and
^characteristics by means of new or
innovative [technology.
Communicating—delivering easily undestood,
useful, and timely information to the public.
Who Is Eligible for
—Community Pilot Projects?
Local governments representing^any of the EMEACJ__.
U.sAmetropolitanjareas are eligible to apply for pilot
projects. Projects 'must be located in one or more of
the EMPACT metropolitan areas.
The deadline for applications for 1998 projects was jMay 15,
1998. AwardS-wilLbe announced in the fall of 1998, and will
range from $250,000 to $600,00. An opportunity to apply
for 1999 awards will be announced by the end of 1998.
The most competitive proposals fcjr pilot projects
will be developed in association with others. Th;ese
could include State or local governments, comrhunity
groups, universities, private corporations, and EPA.
Whatever the combination, these groups would stay
with a project from start to finish. J
Pilot Projects Initiated by \
ErrlPACT Communities 1
ERA has earmarked $3.5 million for locally sponsored
pilot projects in 1998. These projects may deal with clean j
air, clean water, lead assessment, ocean pollution, overall
ecosystem quality, or other important environmental
aspects where Americans live, work, learn and\play.
EPA will support local projects that show innovative and
Effective ways Wkeep track of—and deliver on time-
important and useful environmental information. This
involves three key activities: ' \
• Measuring—usi'pg up-to-date or innovative
technology to kesep track of the latest \
information on environmental, quality. \
Partnerships! !
I i
I ! I
As mentioned aboye, EPA will coordinate EMPACT
activities among Federal, State, Indian tribal, and local
governments. Additionally, stakeholders, such a$ com-
munity health officials, businesses, [industries, schools,
and/environmental organizations will be involved.
/ ! : :
To help make EMPACT work, EPAjwill work closely
with two other Federal agencies: the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and th;e
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Tfhe resources and
expertise of these two agencies will help EPA achieve
nationwide consistency in measuring environmental
data, managing that data, and effectively delivering
it to the public. Data obtained frorrf both NOAA and
USGS will also help EPA get a truer, more complete
picture of our environment, coast tb coast.
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