vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Pfficeof September 1996
International Activities (2631) 160-R-96-QQ2
IRA's International
Technology Programs
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Contents
1 The Importance of
International Cooperation
2 Programs in Action
2 Technology Cooperation
3 Technical Assistance
and Training
4 Information Exchange
5 Technology Demonstrations
6 Leveraging of
Financial Assistance
6 Cooperative Research
and Development
8 Appendix
Courtesy of World Bank.
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EPA's International
Technology Programs
The United States is a world leader
in environmental protection, with
significant expertise residing in both
the public and private sectors. Exchanging
this expertise with other nations can help
solve pressing environmental problems
worldwide while also serving broader U.S.
foreign policy, economic and national
security objectives.
Highlighting a number of success stories,
this publication provides an overview of
EPA's international technology activities.
The appendix contains a more detailed
catalogue of available programs and
resources.
The importance of
International Cooperation
International cooperation is critical to achieving
EPA's mission. Air, water and waste pollution
crossing our borders with Mexico and Canada can
imperil the health, environment, and well-being
of people in the United States. Emissions of
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases
threaten to raise temperatures throughout the
global atmosphere. Pollution of the oceans and
irreversible losses of species and habitats world-
wide undermine the resource base critical to our
well-being and quality of life and deprive us of
commercially valuable and potentially life-saving
genetic materials.
EPA's international technology programs the
exchange of technology and expertise through
technical assistance, training, information and
other forms of technical cooperation play a
critical role in this effort. Exchanging environ-
mental management, regulatory and technological
expertise with other nations can help solve
environmental problems worldwide, including the
global and regional threats that directly affect
health and the environment in the United States.
Sharing the burden of environmental regulation
and research, as well as benefitting from scientific
and technological breakthroughs in other coun-
tries, can reduce the cost of environmental
protection in the United States.
In addition to environmental benefits, EPA's
international technology programs can enhance
world wide demand for environmental technolo-
gies and expertise, thus creating commercial
opportunities for U.S. business and industry.
Cooperation on technical issues can improve
relations with our foreign counterparts. Reduced
environmental pressures overseas can contribute
to political and economic stability worldwide,
thereby enhancing U.S. national security interests.
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Phasing Out Ozone-Depleting
Chemicals in Developing Countries
The multi-billion dollar U.S. invest-
ment in protecting the stratospheric
ozone layer could be completely
undone by unabated emissions of
ozone-depleting chemicals in develop-
ing countries. EPA is therefore working
with developing countries under the
U.S. Clean Air Act bilaterally and
through the Montreal Protocol Multi-
lateral Fund to reduce their produc-
tion and use of these chemicals. EPA's
work with Colombia, for example, has
helped cut that country's use of ozone-
depleting chemicals in the mobile air
conditioning sector by 28 metric tons
a year 20 percent of Colombia's
overall use in that sector.
PROGRAMS INACTION
EPA's international technology programs include:
technology cooperation, technical assistance and
training, information exchange, technology
demonstrations, leveraging of financial assis-
tance, and cooperative research and develop-
ment.
Technology Cooperation
'Technology transfer" is the traditional term used
for the dissemination of pollution prevention and
control equipment and expertise. In 1992, at the
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the international
community endorsed the concept of "technology
cooperation" as an important component of the
worldwide effort to achieve sustainable develop-
ment. Going beyond the traditional emphasis on
government-to-government cooperation, the
term puts more emphasis on the role of the
private sector and public-private partnerships.
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Fully embracing this concept, EPA is
enlisting the expertise, resources and creativity
of the private sector on behalf of environmen-
tal objectives worldwide. The primary
purpose of the U.S. Technology for Interna-
tional Environmental Solutions (U.S. TIES)
program, for example, funded from 1994 to
1996, has been to match pressing environ-
mental problems overseas with the suppliers
of proven and cost-effective environmental
technologies in the United States. U.S. TIES
funding has already led to millions of dollars
in environmental sales for American companies.
Technical Assistance
and Training
EPA's international technical assistance and
training programs are carried out on both a
programmatic and needs-driven basis.
Longer-term programs focus on the strengthen-
ing of the necessary environmental institu-
tional and human resource capabilities (i.e.,
the establishment of environmental protec-
tion laws, organizations and regulations and
the human resource capabilities needed to
implement them). In cooperation with the
U.S. Agency for International Development
(U.S. AID), this Agency is working with the
Governments of Central and Eastern Europe
and Russia and Ukraine in applying risk
assessment and economic analysis to envi-
ronmental problems.
Using a facilitated, train-the-trainer
approach, EPA's international environmental
training modules cover such environmental
issues or management techniques as environ-
mental economics; risk assessment; chemi-
cal emergency preparedness and accident
prevention; environmental compliance and
enforcement; environmental impact assess-
ment; and solid waste management plan-
ning. Initially developed for use in Central
and Eastern Europe, the modules have also
been successfully applied in Africa, Asia,
Latin America and the Middle East.
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Shorter-term assistance programs focus
on more specific environmental problems.
Under the Agency's Environmental Action
Team program, for example, EPA provided
short-term technical assistance to the Royal
Thai Government in assessing and mitigat-
ing severe health and environmental threats
posed by a lignite power plant in the Mae
Moh Valley. Coordinated closely with other
U.S. public and private sector groups, this
assistance not only helped solve a pressing
environmental problem in Thailand, but
also led to the sale of almost $200 million in
U.S. air pollution monitoring and control
equipment.
Information Exchange
With over 25 years of experience, EPA is
widely recognized as a leading source of
environmental information. Exchanging this
information that is, sharing U.S. informa-
tion as well as benefitting from information
generated abroad is a cost-effective way
for reducing environmental risks worldwide
The Global Market for
Environmental Technology
Environmental Business International
(EBI) estimates the current global
market for environmental goods and
services at $408 billion, with growth
rates between 7 and 17 percent in
developing countries and somewhat
slower growth rates in more devel-
oped countries. The U.S. market
accounts for approximately $170
billion of that total, with the domes-
tic market expected to grow to more
than $210 billion by the turn of the
century.
while lowering the cost of environmental
protection in the United States. The
Agency's international information pro-
grams focus on both the kind of information
needed (for example, information on
environmental conditions and regulations
or the performance and cost of technologies)
and the mechanisms for delivering the
information (from low-tech newsletters and
workshops to on-line computer technolo-
gies).
EPA offers Technical Information Pack-
ages (TIPs) on environmental issues of most
concern to developing countries and
economies in transition. These mini-
resource libraries cover issues such as safe
drinking water, mining waste management,
environmental impact assessments, rural
wastewater systems, and pesticide waste
disposal. EPA and the U.S. Information
Agency circulated the TIPs to information
centers throughout the world. EPA is now
updating and digitizing the TIPs to make
the information available through the
Internet.
4
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The Agency also played the leading role in
establish ing the Regional Environmental
Center for Central and Eastern Europe in
Budapest Hungary. Including business
information services and Internet links to 13
countries, the Center is a major source of
information for non-governmental organiza-
tions, local authorities, national governments,
academic institutions and private interests
throughout the region. It has also served as a
model for application in other parts of the
world.
Technology Demonstrations
EPA's in-country technology demonstrations
showcase the performance capabilities of
U.S. technologies in real-time, country-
specific settings, thereby helping to promote
broader application of these technologies
worldwide. One of EPA's projects in Poland,
for example, is demonstrating the use of
sewage sludge (biosolids) in revegetating and
detoxifying land contaminated by coal
mining and smelter waste. This project not
only solves a pressing health and environ-
mental problem in Poland; it also expands
our understanding of an innovative approach
that could be used in the United States.
Under the Murmansk Initiative, EPA is
working with the Governments of Russia and
Norway to upgrade and expand a prototype
low-level liquid radioactive waste (LLW)
processing facility in Murmansk, Russia.
Designed to help avoid possible ocean
dumping of LLW from the decommissioning
of Russia's nuclear submarine fleet, the
project includes application of an innovative
U.S. technology employing special filtering,
containment and processing techniques.
With the design phase now complete,
construction will begin soon. The U.S.
Department of Energy is also exploring the
possible transfer to the United States of an
innovative Russian technology used at the
Murmansk facility.
Leveraging of Funds for
Environmental Protection in
Russia and the Czech Republic
Through the Agency's environmental
capacity-building program in Russia
and Czech Republic, EPA has
leveraged $21 million in funding
from the U.S. Agency for Interna-
tional Development (U.S. AID) into
more than $620 million for environ-
mental protection in those two
countries. The funds are leveraged
through the country's own public
funds and multilateral development
banks, such as the World Bank, as
well as through private sector
investment.
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Other technology demonstrations now
underway include drinking water projects in
Mexico, China and Ecuador; air pollution
control projects in Poland, Russia, Ukraine,
China, India and Korea; a waste project in
Russia; a site characterization/remediation
project in the Czech Republic; and renewable
energy projects in Mexico, Chile and Argen-
tina.
Leveraging of Financial
Assistance
Identification of, and assistance in securing,
the funds needed to deal with a specific
environmental problems is an important
component of EPA's international technology
programs. Multilateral development banks
and other international financial institutions
have played a particularly important role in
this regard. In the early 1990's, for example,
EPA worked with Chinese authorities in
developing and implementing a plan for
capturing and using the methane that escaped
from coal mines throughout the country.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that, if
vented to the atmosphere, contributes to the
warming of the earth's atmosphere. Captured
methane can serve as a valuable source of
energy.
The Agency assisted the Chinese Govern-
ment in winning a $10 million grant from the
Global Environment Facility (GEF), a joint
funding program run by the World Bank, the
United Nations Environment Program and
United Nations Development Program. As a
result of this project, China expects to in-
crease its coal-bed methane recovery from
mines from an estimated 400 million cubic
meters in 1990 to more than 1 billion cubic
meters by the year 2000. The project has
also led to the creation of a quasi-private
corporation in China to facilitate foreign
investment in coal-bed methane recovery
projects in the future, and a number of U.S.
companies have signed contracts with
Chinese authorities for follow-on projects.
Cooperative Research and
Development
In addition to sharing U.S. expertise with
other countries, EPA benefits from joint
research programs and from scientific and
technological advances achieved in other
countries. Cooperative research with
Canada, Germany, Sweden, Japan, China,
and India has yielded extremely valuable
information to the United States at a fraction
of the cost of what it would have cost to
collect and analyze the data here.
In a cooperative study with China, EPA was
able to assess the loss of lung function in
children due to their exposure to coarse and
fine air-borne particulates. Similarly, EPA
and the Government of India have just
initiated a three-year research project on the
health effects of lead exposure on puberty
and adolescent development. With large
residential areas adjoining lead smelter sites,
lead exposure levels in India are much higher
than in the United States. The information
drawn from the medical examinations carried
Reducing Lead Risks
Internationally
Lead in air, water, soil and some
manufactured products such as
gasoline is a major threat to the
health of children worldwide.
Focusing on technical assistance,
training and information, EPA is
working with policy makers around
the world to develop and implement
lead reduction strategies. In
addition to the immediate health
benefits of these programs, low-cost,
clean-up strategies developed in
these countries could eventually
find use in the United States.
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out under the study will improve our
understanding on the health effects of lead
on children. The results will buttress policy
decisions on the regulation of lead-related
products and abatement practices not only
in India and the United States but ultimately
around the world.
EPA is also working with many developed
countries in sharing environmental manage-
ment expertise on new, non-regulatory
mechanisms for protecting the environment.
Other countries are extremely interested in
our experience with such voluntary, non-
regulatory programs as the Common Sense
Initiative, Project XL, Energy Star Buildings,
Green Lights and Waste Wise. Similarly, as
EPA moves away from the medium-by-medium
approach of the past toward a more integrated
view of the environment, it can learn much
from the experience of other countries that
have already applied such techniques. Swed-
ish and Dutch authorities, for example, have
been implementing multi-media systems of
environmental protection for many years.
Environmental Protection in the U.S.-Mexico Border Area
Technology cooperation and assistance plays a key role in protecting and restoring
environmental quality in the U.S.-Mexico border area. Examples of EPA's programs in
this region include: development of emission inventories for border sister cities;
training for the operators of wastewater treatment plants; monitoring of water quality;
and the development of pollution prevention manuals for key industrial sectors, such
as metal finishing and electronics.
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APPENDIX
Selected Programs and Information Resources
PROGRAMS:
International Pollution
Prevention Partnerships
Contact: Ted MacDonald,
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202) 260-7394
Fax: (202) 260-0532
EPA is working through
several international initia-
tives to encourage public
and private sector adoption
of cleaner production
policies, practices and
technologies. Regional
commitments on pollution
prevention include activities
under the Summit of the
America's Partnership for
Pollution Prevention, the i
Asia-Pacific Economic j
Cooperation Cleaner j
Production Initiative, the
North American Commission
for Environmental Coopera-
tion and several priority
bilateral programs. Key «
activities include guidance to |
governments on pollution
prevention policies, waste
minimization in key industry \
sectors, training and work- I
shops, international informa- [
tion networking and research
cooperation. EPA partner- ;
ships include cooperative '
programs under the U.S. |
Agency for International '.
Development's Environmen-
tal Pollution Prevention
Project and the U.S.-Asia j
Environmental Partnership, ;
as well as with the World «
Bank, World Health Organi- i
zation and the United
Nations Environment !
Program.
U.S.-Asia Environmental
Partnership (US-AEP)
Contact: Mark Kasman
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202)260-0424
Fax: (202)260-4470
Under the United States-Asia
Environmental Partnership,
EPA employs Environmental
Action Teams, short-term
technical assistance, training
programs, and fellowships to
build environmental capacity
in Asia.
Environmental Action
Teams undertake short-term
assignments in response to
specific problems. EPA
experts lead the teams,
which may include profes-
sionals from other federal
agencies, international
organizations, businesses,
and non-profit organizations.
Requests for teams must
have host government
support at local and national
levels. The team works with
government officials to
isolate the causes of the
problem and to devise
immediate, medium and
long-term strategies.
Short-term technical
assistance is appropriate in
cases where a country
requests an EPA expert for a
specific and one-time
activity. Past activities in this
area have included a
technical review of a
pending solid waste regula-
tion; a visit to a village to
conduct an arsenic poison-
ing health risk assessment;
and participation at a World
Bank mobile source air
pollution workshop.
Training programs are
available both off-the-shelf
and as hands-on practitioner
workshops. An example of
the latter is the recently
completed multimedia
enforcement inspector
training that took place in
Indonesia. Four EPA experts
used a combination of
classroom and site instruc-
tion to train Indonesia's first
15 enforcement inspectors.
Overall, the team visited 40
industrial sites in less than a
month. The newly trained
inspectors are now using
their skills to train others
throughout the country as
the Environment Ministry
opens new regional offices.
Fellowships at EPA are
available to applicants with
designated funding and a
precise programmatic goal.
Most fellows are placed in
one of EPA's ten regional
offices, with their stay
limited to one month.
Fellowships are most useful
when connected to other
related activities under US-
AEP, such as the Action
Teams.
Montreal Protocol
Implementation
Contact: Paul Horwitz,
Office of
Atmospheric Programs/
Office of Air and Radiation
Tel: (202)233-9109
Fax: (202)233-9665
EPA represents the United
States on the Executive
Committee to the Multilat-
eral Fund for the Implemen-
tation of the Montreal
Protocol (Fund), established
by the Parties to assist
developing Parties phase out
ozone depleting substances.
The goal of the Fund is to
enable a global elimination
of the major ozone depleting
substances by the year 2010.
The Fund covers the "incre-
mental costs" associated with
information exchange and
training, capital costs of
conversions, and for a short
transition period, incremen-
tal operational costs incurred
by national governments or
industries to achieve global
environmental benefits.
Over the five years of its
operation, the Multilateral
Fund's Executive Committee
has approved funding of
approximately $400 million
for over 1200 activities in 90
developing countries. This
figure includes the develop-
ment of over 60 country
specific phaseout strategies,
50 of which have already
been approved by the
Executive Committee, as
well as conversions at over
200 industrial facilities.
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Methane Emission
Reduction from Coal
Mines
Contact: Dina Kruger,
Global Change Division/
Office of Air and Radiation
Tel: (202)233-9039
Fax: (202)233-9569
Methane is emitted when
coal is mined and frequently
vented to the atmosphere,
where it becomes a potent
greenhouse gas. In many
mines, methane emissions
can be profitably red.uced
through the application of
existing technologies for gas
recovery and use. Methane
recovery can also have other
benefits, including improved
coal mine safety and
productivity, production of a
new energy source, and
reduced local air pollution
through displacement of
poor quality coal with
coalbed methane.
This EPA program identi-
fies and encourages the
development of profitable
projects to reduce methane
emissions from coal mining
in China, Russia, Ukraine,
Poland and the Czech
Republic. The project is
designed to identify profit-
able opportunities to reduce
methane emissions, raise
awareness of coal-bed
methane as an alternative
energy resource currently not
being tapped, and remove
the barriers to the develop-
ment of these projects.
Methane Emission
Reduction from Large
Ruminant Livestock
Contact: Mark Or|ic,
Atmospheric Pollution
Prevention Division/
Office of Air and Radiation
Tel: (202)233-9043
Fax: (202)233-9569
By promoting better use of
available technologies
coupled with sound manage-
ment practices, this EPA
program achieves large
reductions of methane
emissions per unit of meat or
milk produced. Livestock
producers benefit from
reducing methane emissions
because methane produced
by their animals represents a
loss of dietary energy.
Converting feed into animal
products more efficiently
also results in greater profit
for farmers from savings in
feed per unit of production.
Projects are mainly focused
on dairy cattle improvement.
Initially, scientists and
development workers from
the U.S. convene with their
counterparts in developing
countries to carefully
analyze potential dietary
improvements and design
specific projects. Once a
project design is completed,
reviewed and approved by
all participants, it is mar-
keted to prospective donors.
Programs such as the U.S.
Initiative on Joint Implemen-
tation offer opportunities for
funding these types of
projects. Livestock improve-
ment projects are currently
underway in India and
Zimbabwe and activities are
being planned for Ukraine,
Tanzania, Bangladesh,
Nepal, Indonesia, and Brazil.
U.S. initiative on joint
implementation (USIJI)
Contact; Elmer Holt,
Director, (202) 426-1628
www.ji.org/usiji/usiji.htm
The United States Initiative
on Joint Implementation
(USIJI) is a voluntary pilot
program contributing to the
international knowledge
base of joint implementation
through projects designed to
reduce or sequester green-
house gas emissions in
different geographic regions.
Introduced in negotiations
leading up to the 1992 Earth
Summit, the concept of joint
implementation was
formally adopted in the text
of the U.N. Framework
Convention on Climate
Change. Two or more
countries can work together
in,implementing cooperative
development projects,
thereby reducing emissions
at a lower cost than would
be possible if each country
acted alone. USIJI will
provide public recognition
and selected technical
assistance to approved
projects.
U.S. Country Studies
Program
Contact: Ron Benioff,
Director, (202)426-1628
www.gcrio.org/CSP/
webpage.html
The U.S. Country Studies
Program provides financial
and technical assistance to
developing and transition
countries in carrying out
national studies on climate
change. Regional and
sectoral oversight for this
program is provided by the
U.S. Country Studies
Management Team, in which
EPA participates. Fifty-five
countries currently partici-
pate in the program. These
countries are developing
inventories of their anthropo-
genic emissions of green-
house gases, assessing their
vulnerabilities to climate
change, evaluating response
strategies for mitigating and
adapting to climate change,
formulating national climate
change action plans, and
performing technology
assessments. A new phase of
the program, Support for
National Action Plans
(SNAP), provides technical
and financial support for
preparation of national
action plans, in-depth
evaluations of climate
change technology needs
and opportunities to promote
technology diffusion.
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PROGRAMS
Caribbean Environment &
Development institute
Contact: Paulo Almeida,
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202) 260-6653
Fax:(202)401-0140
The Caribbean Environment and
Development Institute (CEDI) is a
non-profit organization dedicated to
fostering public-private sector
cooperation on environmental
management, for the purpose of
promoting the sustainable develop-
ment of the Wider Caribbean
Region. Under a cooperative
agreement with EPA and in coopera-
tion with public and private sector
experts in Puerto Rico, CEDI has
undertaken projects to: promote
improved solid waste management
and inter-island recycling with
Antigua; develop low-cost, low-
maintenance alternative technolo-
gies for drinking water treatment in
small communities in Trinidad; and
demonstrate industrial pollution
prevention techniques in the
Dominican Republic. CEDI has also
promoted the hemispheric Partner-
ship for Pollution Prevention, one of
the principal components of the
1994 Summit of the Americas
Action Plan. For example, hosted
by the Government of the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico, CEDI and the
Pan American Health Organization
and Organization of American
States, co-sponsored a meeting a
Technical Experts in November
1995. The meeting brought together
representatives from 25 government
agencies, international and regional
organizations, private associations
from 20 countries in the Americas to
plan the implementation of this
Partnership. For additional informa-
tion, please contact:
Ramon Daubon,
Executive Director
Caribbean Environment &
Development Institute
Tel: (809) 759-6684
Fax: (809) 759-6872
U.S./GAZPROM Working Group
Contact: Andrea Clark,
Atmospheric Pollution Prevention
Division/Office of Air and Radiation
Tel: (202)233-9044
Fax: (202)233-9569
The U.S.-Gazprom Working Group is
a cooperative public-private initiative
with the Environmental Protection
Agency, the Department of Energy, the
Russian natural gas transmission and
production company, RAO Gazprom,
and U.S. equipment and services
providers to improve the efficiency
and environmental soundness of the
Russian natural gas sector. By improv-
ing the production and transmission of
natural gas systems in Russia, emis-
sions of methane (a potent greenhouse
gas) can be significantly reduced.
Reductions of local air pollutants such
as nitrogen oxides and carbon
monoxide as well as groundwater or
soil contamination associated with
natural gas production can also be
achieved. The group strives to
achieve these goals through U.S.-
Russian commercial cooperation.
Activities include demonstration
projects on valve sealing and pipeline
corrosion control, a Conference on
Natural Gas Pipeline Standards and
Project Finance in September 1995,
and U.S. study tour in April 1995 for
Gazprom technical experts on
technologies used in the U.S. to
reduce emissions of methane from
U.S. natural gas systems. Upcoming
activities include demonstration
projects on pipeline coating, geo-
graphic information systems used to
prioritize transmission pipeline
maintenance, and improved removal
of hydrogen sulfide from pipeline
natural gas. EPA is also working with
Gazprom on a joint leak measurement
program at Gazprom compressor
stations and on a Joint Report on
Opportunities to Reduce Methane
Emissions in the Russian Natural Gas
Sector.
U.S. Technology for
International
Environmental Solutions
Contacts: Mark Kasman &
Sarita Hoyt,
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202)260-2404
(202) 260-0051
Fax: (202)260-4470
The U.S. Technology for
International Environmental
Solutions (U.S. TIES) initia-
tive is an inter-agency
technology diffusion pro-
gram designed to enlist
greater participation of the
U.S. private sector in
achieving U.S. environmen-
tal objectives overseas. Led
by EPA, the public-private
partnership uses interna-
tional technical assistance
and training, information
exchange and technology
demonstrations to match
pressing environmental
problems abroad with the
suppliers of proven and cost-
effective technologies in the
United States. By enlisting
the cooperation of other
Federal agencies and the
U.S. private sector in
disseminating U.S. environ-
mental technologies and
expertise overseas, the U.S.
TIES initiative reduces
environmental problems at
the global, regional, and
national levels.
10
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Air Pollution Training
Institute
Contact: Howard Wright,
Leader, Education &
Outreach Group
US EPA, MD-7
Research Triangle Park,
NC 27711
Tel: (919)541-5584
FAX: (919)541-5678
The Air Pollution Training
Institute (APTI), a component
of the Education and
Outreach Group, provides
instructional materials,
technical assistance and
training in support of U.S.
regulatory air pollution
abatement programs. The
Institute offers courses
ranging from two to five days
and workshops at sites across
the US as well as via
satellite. In addition, APTI
also has various self-study
courses for training in the
home or in the place oiP
employment. Foreign
countries which meet certain
requirements may request
status as a Training Resource
Center and be eligible to
receive selected courses and
materials. APTI courses
include such topics as:
Principles and Practice of
Air Pollution Control
Introduction to Air Toxics
Control of Paniculate
Emissions
Control of Gaseous
Emissions
Motor Vehicle Emission
Control
Combustion Evaluation
Air Pollution Field
Enforcement
Advanced Inspection
Techniques
Environmental Management Training
Modules and Training Centers
Contact: Orlando Gonzalez,
Office of International Activities
Tel: (202)260-4174
Fax: (202)260-8512
The International Environmental Management
Training Program seeks to strengthen the environ-
mental management capabilities of developing
countries and countries undergoing economic
restructuring. Serving as facilitators in the delivery
of these modules to foreign audiences, EPA employ-
ees prepare foreign facilitators to carry on this
training without further EPA assistance. Initially
developed for use in Central and Eastern Europe and
Russia and the New Independent States, the mod-
ules have now been adapted and successfully
applied in other parts of the world, including Asia,
Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. The
modules also serve as core elements of the training
programs offered by the Environmental Management
Training Centers (EMTCs) and Centers for Environ-
mental Training and Information (CETI) which EPA
helped establish across Central and Eastern Europe
and Russia. Current offerings include:
Introductory Courses:
Principles of Environmental Policy
Principles of Pollution Prevention
Principles of Environmental
Compliance and Enforcement
Principles of
Environmental Impact Assessment
Principles Of
Solid Waste Management Planning
Principles of
Hazardous Waste Site Ranking
Principles of Government Contracting
Managing in an
Environmental Organization
Communications:
Public Outreach
Technical Courses:
Economics of Environmental Decision-Making
Environmental Audit
Evaluation of Revenue Raising Mechanisms to
Fund Environmental Investments
Risk Assessment
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and
Prevention
Hazardous Materials Emergency Response
United States
Environmental Training
Institute
Contact: Mark Kasman,
Office of International Activities
Tel: (202)260-0424
Fax: (202)260-4470
EPA launched the U.S. Environ-
mental Training Institute (USETI) to
link providers of U.S. environmen-
tal technologies and management
strategies with professionals from
industrializing countries in need of
appropriate, effective solutions.
By providing comprehensive
environmental management
training and continuous opportu-
nities for information exchange,
USETI seeks to form long-term ,
productive relationships between
industrializing countries and the
U.S. private sector, U.S. Govern-
ment, international agencies and
non-governmental organizations
in order to generate positive,
sustainable, environmental change
throughout the world.
USETI has sponsored over 75
training programs for nearly 1400
government and private sector
professional worldwide. USETI
alumni represent over 44 coun-
tries in regions such as Asia,
Mexico, Eastern Europe, Latin
America and the Caribbean.
USETI provides targeted, short-
term training programs in a variety
of environmental topic areas
including wastewater treatment
technologies, municipal solid
waste management, and cleaner
production processes and tech-
nologies to name a few. There is
no tuition charged for USETI
training courses. The USETI
Catalogue of Courses is available
at U.S. Embassies and USAID
Missions abroad or by contacting
USETI directly at:
USETI
1000 Thomas Jefferson Street,
NW, Suite 308
Washington, DC 20007
Tel: (202)338-3400
Fax: (202)333-4782
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PROGRAMS
EPA Assistance Programs
in Central and'Eastern
Europe and the NiS
Contact: Anna Phillips,
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202) 260-6341
Fax: (202) 260-4506
EPA's approach to environ-
mental cooperation in Central
and Eastern Europe and the
New Independent States (NIS)
recognizes the need to help
alleviate some acute prob-
lems in the near term, while
addressing the long-term
need to develop management
capacity and more effective
environmental institutions
through provision of training
and technical assistance.
Institution-building
activities strengthen public
and non-governmental
institutions by providing
information on legislative/
regulatory frameworks,
various environmental
assessment tools, and
pollution mitigation and
prevention policies.
Demonstration projects
address high priority environ-
mental issues in key
geographic areas or "hot spots"
where large populations are
at risk from exposure to
numerous pollutants, or
where unique natural
resources are threatened.
Such projects demonstrate
innovative, cost-effective,
and appropriate technologies
and/or focus on pollution or
environmental problems
common to the region.
Regional Central
American Environmental
Project (PROARCA, i.e.:
Proyecto Atnbiental
Regional Centroamericano)
Contact: Paulo Almeida,
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202) 260-6653
Fax:(202)401-0140
The Proyecto Ambiental
Regional Centroamericano
(PROARCA) is funded and
managed by the U.S. Agency
for International Develop-
ment s Central America
Regional Office (USAID/G-
CAP) in Guatemala City.
The purpose of this project is
to support the Central
America Commission on
Environment and Develop-
ment (CCAD, e.g.: Comision
Centroamericano de
Ambiente y Desarrollo) with
the development of a
regional model for sustain-
able development. EPA has
entered into a four-year
cooperative agreement with
the U.S. Agency for Interna-
tional Development to
provide technical assistance
to strengthen legislative and
regulatory regimes, which is
one of the three goals of
PROARCA. Other goals are
protecting biodiversity and
improving coastal zone
management.
United States EPA -
PAHO Risk Assessment
and Risk Management
Training for Latin
America
Contact: Paulo Almeida,
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202) 260-6653
Fax:(202)401-0140
U.S. EPA and the Pan
American Health Organiza-
tion (PAHO) cooperate in a
training program on the
assessment and management
of environmental risks to
public health. A five-person
team from EPA and the
PAHO Center for Health and
the Environment (PAHO-
ECO) have developed a five-
day seminar that introduces
the methodology and criteria
for risk assessment; provides
guidance in establishing
priorities and norms for
environmental health;
discusses risk assessment and
management strategies; and
identifies local needs for
future risk management
capacity-building projects.
The team has presented this
training course five times
since 1993; three times for
regional audiences in Central
America & the Caribbean
islands, the Southern Cone of
South America, and the
Northern Andean Region,
and twice for national
audiences in Mexico and
Brazil. The team has trained
197 environmental experts
from a variety of agencies
and technical disciplines.
The course materials
developed especially for this
training have been revised to
include the preparation of
new local instructors to
present this course, in a low-
cost and sustainable fashion.
US-Mexico
Environmental Border
Cooperation
Contact: Pam Teel &
Patrick Whelan,
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202) 260-4896;
(202) 260-0769
Fax:(202)401-0140
Many of EPA's technical
assistance programs with
Mexico are focused on
protecting health and
environmental quality in the
border area. Binational
working groups under the
1983 La Paz agreement and
the new Border XXI plan
bring together technical
experts from both countries
to exchange information and
develop joint action pro-
grams related to air, water,
hazardous and solid waste,
enforcement, pollution
prevention, emergency
response, and information
management. In addition,
the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
and the Interior support
working groups on environ-
mental health and natural
resources. Specific activi-
ties currently underway
include: development of
emissions inventories for
border sister cities, training
for operators of wastewater
treatment plants, water
quality monitoring, develop-
ment of pollution prevention
manuals for key industrial
sectors such as metal
finishing and electronics etc.
(For a detailed listing of
activities conducted by each
work group see the Border
XXI, released for public
comment in June 1996).
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INFOTERRA
Contact: Emma J. McNamara,
Enterprise Information
Management Division
Tel: (202) 260-1522
Fax: (202) 260-3923
EPA serves as the U.S.
national focal point for the
United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP)
INFOTERRA program, which
serves as an international
liaison between those who
are seeking environmental
information and those who
have the knowledge and
expertise. The INFOTERRA
network consists of over 170
member countries, with a
National Focal Point (NFP)
in each country responding
to specific requests for
environmental information.
Using e-mail, fax, phone,
letters and other vehicles,
INFOTERRA provides
documents, bibliographies
or referrals to experts. In
addition, the NFPs register
environmental experts in
each country for inclusion in
the INFOTERRA Interna-
tional Directory of Sources.
The following are examples
of additional functions
available through
INFOTERRA/USA:
Distribution of non-
technical EPA publications
Access to EPA, interna-
tional and commercial data
bases
Referral of international
clients to U.S. experts
Provision of EPA and other
government agency reports
Access to EPA library and
INFOTERRA International
Network
The Regional Training
Center for Centra! and
Eastern Europe
Contact: Joanne McKernan,
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202) 260-9451
Fax (202) 260-4470
Located in Budapest, Hun-
gary, the Regional Environ-
mental Center (REC) for
Central and Eastern Europe
(CEE) addresses major
environmental problems in
the region by engaging non-
governmental organizations,
local authorities, national
governments, academic
institutions and the private
sector. The Center's pro-
grams include NGO grant
making, worldwide environ-
mental information exchange
and Internet linkages to 13
CEE countries (including its 5
local offices), initiatives to
assess and share regional
experiences in addressing
crucial environmental issues,
and business information
and services. The REC
performs market surveys and
provides consultation
services for a fee. Currently,
the Business Information
Service, working with the
Foreign Commercial Service
and the Commerce Depart-
ment, is performing a survey
in Central and Eastern
Europe to identify environ-
mental technologies most
needed in the region, and in
assessing where the US has
the competitive edge.
Electronic Information
on Remediation of Soil
and Ground Water
Contact Walter W.Kovalick, Jr.,
Technology Innovation
Office
Tel: (703)603-9910
Fax: (703)603-9135
U.S. EPA/NCEPI,
P.O. Box 42419,
Cincinnati, OH 45242-
2419
Tel: (513)489-8190
Fax: (513)489-8695
Clean-up Information
(CLU-IN) Homepage
The "CLU-IN" homepage on
the World Wide Web pro-
vides information about
innovative treatment tech-
nologies for hazardous waste
site remediation. It describes
programs, organizations,
publications, and other tools
related to innovative technol-
ogy use. The information is
accessible on-line, or in
computer files or data bases.
The CLU-IN Bulletin Board
(BBS) also is available via
modem by calling (301) 589-
8366 (8 data bits, 1 stop bit,
no parity, VT-100 or ANSI).
Voice help is available by
calling (301) 589-8368.
Vendor FACTS System
The Vendor Field Analytical
and Characterization Tech-
nologies System (Vendor
FACTS), is an electronic data
base which provides informa-
tion on 80 technologies
provided by 71 U.S. compa-
nies who offer innovative
technologies that measure or
monitor hazardous contami-
nants at contaminated sites.
Technologies address air,
water, and soil sampling and
analysis, and include cone
penetrometers, fiber optic
sensors, portable gas chroma-
tography and mass spectrom-
etry, ground penetrating radar,
and immunoassay. This
database can be downloaded
from CLU-IN or obtained
free from U.S.EPA/NCEPI.
VISITT System
The Vendor Information
System for Innovative
Treatment Technologies
(VISITT) is an electronic data
base that contains informa-
tion provided by companies
that offer innovative tech-
nologies for cleanup of soil
and ground water contami-
nated by hazardous and
petroleum waste, technolo-
gies include soil vapor
extraction, thermal desorp-
tion, and bioremediation.
VISITT 4.0 has data on 325
technologies offered by 204
companies, most based in
the U.S. This database can
be downloaded from CLU-IN
or obtained free from
U.S.EPA/NCEPI.
Bioremediation in the Field
Search System (BFSS).
BFSS is an electronic data
base of information on over
400 waste sites across the
U.S. where bioremediation is
being tested or implemented,
or has been completed.
BFSS allows users to search
the database electronically,
view data on specific types
of bioremediation sites, and
print reports of selected
information. BFSS is avail-
able for downloading from
CLU-IN or free from
U.S.EPA/NCEPI.
13
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RESOURCES
Environ mental Software
Programs
Contact: Jon Grand
EPA Region 5
Tel: (312) 353-8270
Fax:(312)353-3433
Developed through a
cooperative agreement with
Purdue University, this high
quality and interactive
software covers a wide range
of environmental topics.
There are tutorials, examples
of regulatory programs,
expert systems and risk
assessment programs. The
software has been used for
risk evaluation in the field,
public outreach, environ-
mental education and
training new employees; it
has become an active tool in
the mission of environmental
practitioners. All 43 PC-
based programs are public
domain software and may be
copied and given (not sold)
to other interested users. Six
of the programs (*) have
been translated into Spanish.
Water
Groundwater Education
System
Surface Water Education
System
Water Efficient Landscape
Planner*
Residential Water Conserva-
tion Techniques*
Wetlands Education System
National Primary Drinking
Water Regulations
U1C Class V Injection Wells
Wellhead Protection
Fish Contamination and Fish
Consumption Advisories
Private Water (Well) Systems
Education System*
Wastewater
Alternatives for Unsewered
Communities
Wastewater Treatment and
Disposal with Septic Systems
Compliance Maintenance
Annual Report (CMAR 2.0)
Sustainable Agriculture
Agricultural Pollution
Prevention
Best Management Practices
for Soil Erosion
Soil and Geologic Site
Evaluation
Petroleum Storage Practices
on the Farm
Pesticide Usage Guidelines
Fertilizer Storage and
Handling Practices on the
Farm*
Livestock Yards Management
Livestock Waste Manage-
ment
Milking Center Wastewater
Management
Pesticide Storage and
Handling Practices on the
Farm*
Solid Waste and Toxics
Lead in the Environment
The Lead Contamination
Information System
RCRA Corrective Action
Programs
Municipal Solid Waste Fact
book(W)
RCRA Boiler & Industrial
Furnace Waste Disposal
Air and Radiation
Indoor Air Quality
Residential Energy
Efficiency(W)
Stratospheric Ozone Deple-
tion
Habitat and Miscellaneous
Environmental Assessment
Resource Guide(W)
Wetlands Education System
Electronic Wetlands
Herbarium(W)
Pollution Prevention
Comparative Risk Assess-
ment
Heart to Heart (Personal
Health & Diet)
(W)= Program requires
Windows (TM) 3.1 or better.
International Cleaner
Production Information
Clearinghouse (ICPIC)
Contact: Miles Morse,
Office of Research
and Development
Tel: (202)260-3161
Fax: (202)260-4524
The International Cleaner
Production Information
Clearinghouse (ICPIC) is a
computerized information
exchange system of the
United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP) Cleaner
Production Program, based
on U.S. EPA's Pollution
Prevention Information
Exchange System (PIES).
ICPIC is designed to transfer
technical policy, program,
legislative, and financial
expertise on cleaner
production.
14
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National Small Flows
Clearinghouse
Contact: Peter Casey,
Program Coordinator
West Virginia University/
P.O. Box 6064
Morgantown, WV 26506-
6064
Tel: (304) 293-4191
Fax:(304)293-3161
The National Small Flows
Clearinghouse (NSFC)
collects, classifies, and
distributes information on
innovative alternative
wastewater treatment
technologies for rural
residents and small commu-
nities. The NSFC produces
two quarterly newsletters
and a refereed journal,
offers more than 250
informational products,
operates a technical
assistance and referral
information line, and
maintains a computer
bulletin board system called
the Wastewater Treatment
Information Exchange. An
information packet that
more fully describes the
program is available at no
cost.
03 Partnerships Program
Contact: Gary McNeil,
Director
OB Partnerships Program
Office of Air and Radiation
Tel: (202) 233-9173
Fax: (202) 233-9637
The O3 Partnerships Prgram,
part of EPA's Stratospheric
Protection Division, works
with developing country
governments and industry
countries in reducing their use
of ozone-depleting chemicals
(ODS). The program has four
key goals: (1) focus assistance
on the priorities of the
national government officials
responsible for implementing
the Montreal Protocol on
Substances that Deplete the
Ozone Layer, and on the
requirements of each indus-
trial enterprise selected by the
government to receive
assistance, (2) achieve
measurable, cost-effective
reductions in ODS use, (3)
reduce ODS use through
sustained efforts in the context
of comprehensive strategies
for each industrial application,
and (4) foster relationships
among EPA, the host govern-
ment and other agencies to
assure the success of the
program. The Program's work
in a country begins with the
needs of the government.
Based on these needs, the
Program tailors its services to
help develop individual
projects and industry-wide
comprehensive plans to
reduce ODS emissions in
specific applications, such as
foam-blowing or solvent
cleaning. Often the Program
can help companies locate
appropriate vendors of ozone-
safe technologies. In most
instances, EPA can also work
directly with ODS-firms in the
country.
Pollution Prevention
Information
Clearinghouse (PPIC)
Contact: Beth Anderson,
Pollution Prevention
Division
or Documents,
Reference and Referral
Tel: (202)260-1023
Fax: (202)260-0178
The Pollution Prevention
Information Clearinghouse
(PPIC) is dedicated to
reducing or eliminating
industrial pollutants
through technology transfer,
education, and public
awareness. The Clearing-
house is a free,
nonregulatory service of the
U.S. EPA, and provides the
following services: tele-
phone reference and
referral, document distribu-
tion for selected EPA
documents and a special
collection available for
interlibrary loan.
Technical Guidance
Documents
Contact:
Dr. James E. Smith, Jr.,
Senior Environmental
Engineer
EPA Center for Environ-
mental Resarch Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Tel: (513)569-7355
Fax: (513)569-7585
The purpose of these docu-
ments, prepared by EPA
experts in consultation with
the international scientific
community and end use
customers, is to provide brief
and easy-to-read information
on a range of different
environmental issues,
including:
Metal Processing Wastes
Tannery Wastes
Waste Oils
Spent Solvents
Lead-Acid Batteries
Seafood Processing
Design and Operation of
Common Effluent Treatment
Plants
Design and Operation of
Hazardous Waste
Treatment Centers
15
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RESOURCES
Technical Information
Packages
Contact: Mark Kasman,
Office of
International Activities
Tel: (202)260-0424
Fax: (202)260-4470
EPA offers a set of Technical
Information Packages (TIPs)
on environmental issues of
most concern to developing
countries and economies in
transition. Consolidating
some of the Agency's best
information into mini-
resource libraries, each TIP
begins with a cover brochure
providing an overview of the
particular issue along with a
list of EPA experts, a more
extensive bibliography, and
information on accessing
existing databases and
training opportunities.
Accompanying the cover
brochure are some of the
most important source
document provided more
detailed information on
environmental and health
effects, relevant standards
and regulations, and appro-
priate technologies and
management options.
TIPs has been placed in
120 countries. A Directory
of TIPs is available to locate
the sets placed around the
world. Each full set of TIPs
weighs 250 pounds. A
limited number of sets are
available for placement in
Information centers overseas.
These sets will only be
donated to information series
willing to accept the full
series, provide wide access,
and able to pay for the
shipment. EPA is currently
converting TIPS to a compact
disk format.
EPA has prepared TIPs on:
Ensuring Safe Drinking
Water
Water Quality
Mining Waste
Management
Risk Assessment
Pesticide Waste Disposal
Pesticide Usage
Guidelines
Air Quality Management
Pollution Prevention
Small Community
Wastewater Systems
Hazardous Waste
Management
EPA Information Sources
Solid Waste Disposal
Environmental Impact
Assessments
Environmental
Management
Country and Region-
Specific Programs
EPA's bilateral and regional
work is a critical component
of its international technol-
ogy programs. Below are
the EPA contact points for
specific countries and
regions.
Australia/New Zealand
Program Manager:
George Patrick
Tel: (202) 260-4886
Fax:(202)260-8512
Canada
Program Manager:
Pete Christich
Tel: (202) 260-4893
Fax:(202)260-8512
Caribbean Islands/Central
America
Program Manager:
Paul Almeida
Tel: (202) 260-6653
Fax:(202)401-0140
Central and Eastern Europe
Program Manager:
Anna Phillips
Tel: (202) 260-6341
Fax: (202) 260-4506
Program Manager:
Dan Thompson
Tel: (202) 260-5224
Fax: (202) 260-4506
China/Hong Kong/Taiwan
Program Manager
Jentai Yang
Tel:(202) 260-6508
Fax:(202) 260-0053
Program Manager
Marianne Bailey
Tel:(202) 260-5237
Fax:(202) 260-4470
Egypt
Program Manager:
Dave Strother
Tel: (202) 260-6513
Fax:(202)260-8512
India
Program Manager:
George Patrick
Tel: (202) 260-4886
Fax:(202)260-8512
Japan
Program Manager:
David H. Strother
Tel: (202) 260-6513
Fax:(202)260-8512
Korea
Program Manager:
Jentai Yang
Tel: (202) 260-6508
Fax: (202) 260-0053
Mexico
Program Manager
Pam Teel
Tel: (202) 260-4896
Fax:(202)401-0140
Program Manager:
Patrick Whelan
Tel: (202) 260-0769
Fax:(202)401-0140
Russia/New Independent
States
Program Manager:
Bill Freeman
Tel: (202) 260-3508
Fax: (202) 260-4470
South Africa
Program Manager:
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo
Tel: (202) 260-3826
Fax:(202)260-8512
South America
Program Manager:
Cam Hill-Macon
Tel: (202) 260-6009
Fax: (202) 260-4470
Southeast Asia
Program Manager:
Mark Kasman
Tel: (202) 260-0424
Fax: (202) 260-4470
Western Europe
Program Manager:
Kelly Jacobs Mudd
Tel: (202) 260-6506
Fax:(202)260-8512
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The Office of International Activities would like to thank Martin Dieu,
Maria Gonzalez and Sarita Hoyt for their work in putting this brochure together.
World Bank photos on pages 1,3,4 and 7.
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