\ UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D C. 20460
July 17.2009
Otlice ot
Cooprative Environmental
Karen Slieffer Management
ASRC Management Services
I:PA Headquarters Repository (Library)
MC 3404T
Washington, DC 20460
Dear Ms Sheffcr
Enclosed are copies of reports prepared by or for the National Advisory Council for
Environmental Policy and Technology (NACIZPT) under the Federal Advisory Comnuilcc Act
(FACA) NACRPT is managed by EPA's Office of Cooperative Environmental Management
1 NACIZPT Advice Letter NACEPTs Role (April 2009)
2 NACIZPT Report" Encouraging Regional Solutions lo Sustaining Water Sector Utilities
(March 2009)
3 NACEPT Report Outlook lor ihe EPA (March 2009)
4 NACEPT Advice Letter EPA's Draft 2009-2014 Strategic Plan Change Document
(December 2008)
5 N ACEPT Advice Letter to the Administrator on Biofuels (December 2008)
h N ACEPT Review of EPA's Strategy for Improving Access To Environmental
Information (November 2008)
7 NACF.PT Advice Letter Integrated Modeling (September 2008)
If you have any questions, please contact me al 202-564-0243 or aHicn soma^cpa gov
Sincerely,
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"Soma Atfrerf
Designated Federal Officer
NACEPT
Internet Address (URL) • http //www epa gov
Recycled/Recyclable • Pnnied vwih Vegeiable Oil Based Inks on 100% Posiconsumer, Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper
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NACEPT
Shaping the Nation's Environmental Policy
National Advisory Council for
Environmental Policy and Technology
April 8, 2009
Administrator Lisa Jackson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Dear Administrator Jackson:
Robert Sussman, your Senior Policy Counsel, provided an excellent briefing on your
priorities at the March meeting of the National Advisory Council for Environmental
Policy and Technology (NACEPT). The entire Council was enthusiastic about your
emphasis on making science the backbone of the Agency's work, following the rule of
law, and increasing transparency. Subsequently, we discussed the Council's own role
and would like to offer our thoughts on ways we believe that NACEPT can be most
useful to the Agency and to you.
Compared to other Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) groups, NACEPT has a
mission and a diverse composition that allows it to take a broad and interdisciplinary
perspective on a wide array of issues within EPA. For example, the Science Advisory
Board, which also can look broadly throughout the Agency, does so through the lens of
science. Other federal advisory committees (FACs) typically advise on a particular
aspect of EPA such as a program or a regulation. NACEPT, through its mission and
through its history, can provide advice on cross-cutting issues of technology and policy
with few structural limitations.
NACEPT typically offers advice in response to requests from your office or from others
in the Agency. To make the best use of NACEPT, it is important that these requests
match the capabilities of the Council. NACEPT generally works best when it focuses on
broad environmental issues and their economic, social and technological implications.
Narrower issues may sometimes be addressed through NACEPT subcommittees.
In reviewing our past experience, it seems clear that NACEPT works best when the
composition of the Council reflects a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, and the
types of charges best suited for the Council are those that require diverse perspectives.
NACEPT's particular advantage is its ability to integrate across disciplines and program
areas to address cross cutting issues involving science, technology and policy; multiple
levels of government; and broad national interests. It can help provide a long-term, big
picture perspective that sees the interrelationships between issues and program areas.
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As such, NACEPT is particularly well suited to exploring emerging issues and addressing
fledgling innovative programs that may merit more internal attention or support. It is well
suited to provide advice on how EPA can play a catalytic, leadership role where it may
need to engage with multiple agencies and institutions. Recent NACEPT products such as
Outlook for EPA, Everyone's Business, several reports on environmental technology, the
series of advice letters on biofuels, and reviews of the Agency's Strategic Plan and its
Report on the Environment illustrate the types of topics where NACEPT can make its
best contributions.
We believe our nation is at a point of rare opportunity to reset the conversation about the
environmental, economic, and social progress and that you can provide leadership by
pursuing your priorities through innovative, integrative policy initiatives.
While NACEPT does not normally initiate its own projects, the Council felt that it may
be helpful to suggest illustrative topics that could be appropriate for future NACEPT
work:
Cross-Cutting Management Issues
Science and Policy. How can the use of scientists and scientific data best be
integrated into EPA's diverse management and programmatic responsibilities?
Emerging Environmental Issues. How can EPA equip itself to be more
forward looking in order to identify emerging environmental problems early and
deal with them before they become difficult and expensive to solve? Are there
technologies in the early stages of R&D that offer the possibility of providing
major breakthroughs in environmental quality and, if so, what should EPA's role
be in relation to these technologies?
Integration and Collaboration. What leadership and management strategies
could be most effective for improving integration and active collaboration
between programs and between programs and regions?
Life Cycle Assessment. How could EPA improve its capacity to do LCAs and
apply them more effectively in many programs?
Workforce Development. What organizational changes and personal skills are
needed to insure diversity, address issues EPA is likely to face in the future, and
provide adequate training and opportunities for career development?
Action on Environmental Priorities
Public Engagement on Climate Change, Water Resources Sustainabiliry and
Ecosystem Integrity. How can EPA best communicate with and engage the
public on what people can do on the ground in their personal lives and local
communities to effectively address these critical challenges?
The Future of EPA's Water Programs. Are they addressing the right issues
and are they structured to be most effective, including consideration of
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transboundary issues associated with water resources management and ecosystem
decline?
Global Issues. How can EPA contribute to policy development on global
environmental issues as they relate to other concerns such as energy, trade and
finance?
This list of potential topics is too lengthy to be taken up at once, but working with you
and the OCEM staff, we are certain we could establish a feasible schedule for the Council
to address your priorities. In whatever projects it undertakes, NACEPT works best when
there is sufficient communication and interaction with the EPA program offices, when
charges are well focused with clear goals, and when there is continual and informal, open
discussions with EPA throughout the process. When charges are developed, one of the
first steps should always be to identify any overlap between FACs and ensure
coordination between them. Some topics may warrant adding one or more adjunct
members or creating a subcommittee.
On behalf of the Council, I want to express our appreciation for the opportunity to
provide this input and assure you that we stand ready to provide support in whatever
ways that we can. I would be glad to meet with you to answer any questions you have
and discuss priorities for NACEPT activity.
Sincerely,
//Signed//
Erik J. Meyers
NACEPT Chair
cc: Scott Fulton, Acting Deputy Administrator
Ray Spears, Deputy Chief of Staff
Robert Sussman, Senior Policy Counsel to the Administrator
Robert Goulding, Director of Operations
Rafael DeLeon, Director, Office of
Cooperative Environmental Management
Sonia Altieri, NACEPT Designated Federal Officer
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