&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Reinvention
(1801)
EPA100F-98-010
May 1998
www.epa.gov/reinvent
Reinventing Environmental
Protection—EPA's Approach
At EPA,
rom en
A MESSAGE FROM EPA's
REINVENTION ACTION COUNCIL
or nearly 3 years, EPA has worked to fulfill the Administration's commitment to rein-
venting environmental protection, which came as part of an overall effort aimed at
^making the federal government work better and cost less. During this time, our managers
I- and staff took a hard look at our programs, regulations, and relationships and ques-
tioned how we might work smarter to achieve better environmental results. We made signifi-
cant improvements in a number of important areas, and yet, too often, our staff and our stake-
holders do not fully understand what reinvention really means, how it is being managed, and
what this strategy means for the way EPA does business. As the senior leadership team responsi-
ble for guiding reinvention, we saw a need to provide answers to these questions and to promote a
better understanding of our strategy both inside and outside the Agency. This document is meant
for that purpose. While it reflects our collective positions on reinvention, it is important to note
that this is a living document—one we expect to periodically review and refine in the future.
What is reinvention?
t EPA, reinvention is a
broad-based, Agencywide
strategy for achieving clean-
-U \ \er, cheaper, smarter results
from environmental programs. By
rethinking problems and the solutions
typically used to solve them, reinven-
tion engages Agency managers and
staff in finding better ways of doing
business without imposing unneces-
sary costs and regulatory burdens on
society. In addition to strengthening
existing programs, this strategy focus-
es on developing more holistic, multi-
media approaches that move beyond
the single media focus of the past and
that better address today's environ-
mental challenges.
Why reinvent?
ver the past 3 decades, the
nation's environmental
protection system, com-
prised of environmental
programs, regulations, and policies at
the federal, state, and local level, has
dramatically improved conditions
throughout the United States. Today,
the air, land, and water are safer and
visibly cleaner despite continued pop-
ulation growth and economic expan-
sion. Despite this progress, unresolved
problems, such as polluted runoff, and
emerging risks, such as global warm-
ing, highlight limitations within the
current system. These challenges rein-
force the need to continuously pursue
new opportunities that promise to be
more effective in the future. But, a
variety of other factors underscore the
need for progressive change, too.
REINVENTION
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A wider array of policy
tools and technological
advancements allow envi-
ronmental problems to
be addressed in ways
never before possible—e.g.,
new policies allow market-
based trading as a way of
achieving environmental goals more cost-effectively;
newly developed environmental technologies pro-
vide more options in meeting environmental
standards.
The increasing knowledge about environmental
issues and the sophistication of stakeholders
means additional resources and expertise are
available for problem-solving—e.g., state programs
have increased in size and competence; many busi-
.nesses now have professional
environmental staff; concerned
citizens groups are actively
engaging in environmental
projects right in their own
neighborhoods.
The basic concept of envi-
ronmental protection has
evolved beyond just pollution
control to include broader issues, such as pollu-
tion prevention, sustainability, and environmen-
tal justice—e.g., businesses are looking to cut waste
in order to prevent pollution^
and improve profitability; gov-
ernment agencies are develop-
ing incentives that can lead
businesses and communities
to go beyond compliance and
continuously improve environ-
mental performance; citizens
demand government policies
that ensure equal protection
against environmental risks -
and create economic opportunity for present
and future generations.
These factors challenge EPA and present the Agency
with a fundamental paradox: how to maintain a system
that provides strong, consistent protection throughout
the country and simultaneously evolves in a responsi-
ble manner to accommodate diverse and rapidly chang-
ing needs, capabilities, and priorities within society.
How does reinvention affect the way
EPA does business?
response is reflected in its reinvention strat-
egy, which challenges managers and staff to
think "outside the box" and to aggressively pur-
sue opportunities that promise better results.
Every part of EPA is encouraged to identify and pur-
sue innovative improvements to its programs and activ-
ities. Through this broad-based strategy, EPA is striving
to cultivate an organizational culture that:
• Promotes creativity in developing new approaches
that promise better efficiency and effectiveness.
• Fosters learning from experience and research so
that new information is used to reform programs
and policies, as appropriate.
• Encourages testing and adopting innovative pol-
icy tools designed to achieve better protection at
less cost. By always selecting the best tool for the
problem at hand, EPA:
—.... Promotes flexibility to achieve desired ends,
while ensuring accountability for performance.
— Creates incentives for technological innova-
tion, pollution prevention, efficient use of nat-
ural resources, and superior environmental
performance.
• Works in partnership with all levels of govern-
ment, including states, tribes, local governments,
other federal agencies, and other nations.
• Expands public involvement in environmental
protection by providing improved public
access to meaningful environmental infor-
mation, increasing opportunities for
stakeholder participation, and
providing tools that can
be applied by individ-
uals and communi-
ties at the local
level.
S.
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EPA's REINVENTION ACTION COUNCIL
or Policy Advisor
Lubber
Regional Offices
REGION I MEMBER
Region 1
Region 2
Region 3
Region 4
Region 5
Region 6
Region 7
Region 8
Region 9
Region 10
565-3415 lubber.mmdy
ADDRESS
puty, Regional Administrator
illiam Muszynski
" " • - -"
|puty Regional Administrator.
fpm Voltaggio
Deputy Regional Administrator ]
K ,$tanley Meiburg ']
Deputy Regional Administrator ',
Sichelle Jordan , .-;
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Keputy Regional Administrator j
lerry Clifford j
617/565-3417
212/637-5000
215/566-2900
404/562-8357
312/886-3000
214/665-2100
[Qlputy Regional .Administrator J 913/551-7006
Sfilliam W. Rice -""•
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Deputy Regional Administrator 303/312-6308
Uack McGraw
iate Regional Administrator ^ 415/744-1091
arry Seraydarian
Beputy Regional Administrator
Sharles Findley
206/553-5811
I/637-5024 muszynski.william
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2/353-4135 jordan.michelle
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Chestnut Building
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EPA's REINVENTION ACTION COUNCIL
Headquarters
OFFICE
MEMBER
ADDRESS
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Reinvention
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•j:;4ascjciat§ Adrnjilgfljtor; * 202/260-1849
Administration and
Resources Management
Air and Radiation
Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
General Counsel
Inspector General
International Activities
Policy, Planning, and
Evaluation
Prevention, Pesticides,
and Toxic Substances
Research and
Development
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
Water
Congressional and
Intergovernmental
Relations
Chief Financial Officer
lI'Uay'Benfbrado''(Deputy)"" i'"'""i 202/260-4255
ii'Llsa Cun3 pgngtyj ' 202/260-2997
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puty General Counsel 202/260-8064
202/260-5155 : brenner.rob
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|Deguty Assistant Administrator,; 202/260-2910
!§usan Wayland
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An evolutionary approach to change
ifPA's reinvention strategy commits the Agency to acting swiftly on obvious, common sense reforms.
But it also ensures thorough testing and evaluation before any fundamentally new approaches are
adopted into the nation's environmental protection system. This evolutionary approach to reinvent-
ting environmental protection sets the stage for continued progress without-compromising the sub-
stantial gains that have been achieved through environmental programs over the past 3 decades.
Improved
system
Existing system
of environmental
protection
Develop, test, and use new tools and approaches
Our goal is better
protection at less cost
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