Environmental Indicators Initiative
                    and Draft Report on the Environment
 " I subscribe to an environmental philosophy that
rewards results, not programs.  To reward results,
we must measure outcomes. The 'Environmental
Indicators Initiative' measures outcomes by
providing the first-ever systematic, comprehensive
and national accounting of U.S. environmental
progress.  EPA is committed to continuing and
refining this effort."

              — Administrator Mike Leavitt
               June 21, 2004
EPA's Draft Report on the Environment

In June 2003, EPA published its first-ever national
Draft Report on the Environment, using available
data and indicators to describe national
environmental conditions and human health
concerns.  Two companion documents - one for
readers with a general interest in the environment
and another for more technical readers - describe:
•      current environmental conditions and
       trends;
•      data gaps and  research needs; and,
       the challenges that government, EPA, and
       our partners face in filling these gaps and
       research needs.
EPA's next Report on the Environment is planned
for release during Spring 2006.

Our Draft Report uses indicators such as the
number of people living in areas not meeting
national air quality standards, numbers of days that
beaches are closed or under advisory conditions,
and children's exposures to environmental
pollutants. The  indicators measure the results that
EPA, our partners and stakeholders are achieving in
protecting human health and the environment
nationwide.

Managing for Results

Our "Indicators  Initiative" moves EPA toward a
performance-based - rather than process-based,
environmental protection  system. We are
examining the connection among the strategic goals
we set and how national reporting and indicators
can help us improve our performance and manage
for results in the future. Environmental indicators
also offer us the opportunity to track and anticipate
environmental and health issues that may not
currently, but could be of future concern.
                                             Our Environmental Indicators Initiative

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Launched in November, 2001, EPA's Environmental
Indicators Initiative responds to the President's call
to have all agencies and departments manage for
results. Developing indicators that can be used to
report on and measure environmental conditions at
the national, regional, state, and local level will help
everyone manage for results in the future. In
addition our Initiative will:  publish regular reports
on the state of the environment;  advance the
development of scientifically-sound indicators;
foster data-sharing partnerships; and, provide the
technology and support that enables us to exchange
and access data and indicators.
Collaboration is Key to Our Success

Collaborating with all of our partners and
stakeholders is critical to our success. Sharing data
and indicators with our federal, tribal, state, and
local partners and engaging all of our stakeholders
are important first steps. Our on-going efforts to
examine a full range of environmental and human
health activities at different levels requires insight
and data from many other agencies and
organizations.  Our national dialogue sessions
(October, 2003 - June, 2004) and the comments that
we have received on our Draft Report so far, have
been very helpful in helping us develop the next set
of indicators, fill data gaps and research needs and
shape our next Report on the Environment.

Our future Reports on the Environment will be
available in both electronic and print formats. Our
electronic Report on the Environment (e-ROE) is
intended to:
               help our partners make decisions,
               develop and use indicators and
               measure their results, and,
        •       help the public access information,
               data, maps and graphs about
               environmental conditions and trends
               where they live, study, work and
               play.
For further information, please visit our Indicators
web site at:  www.epa.gov/indicators. Notices of
new publications or upcoming EPA indicator
events are posted on our web site.

For additional information please contact:

Ms. Dawn Banks-Waller
U.S. EPA
Office of Environmental Information
202/566-0625 banks-waller. dawn(a),epa. gov
or
Ms. Michelle A. Hitter-Purvis
U.S. EPA
Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental
Relations
202/564-3702 hitter-purvis.michette(a),epa.sov
Publication no. 260-F-04-003
June 22, 2004
Further Information

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