United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
ET/Centers
ETV Air Pollution Control
Technology Center -
RTI International
ETV Advanced Monitoring
Systems Center - Battelle
ETV Greenhouse
Gas Technology
Center - Southern Research
Institute
ETV Drinking Water
Systems Center - NSF
International
ETV Water Quality
Protection Center - NSF
International
ETV P2 Coatings and
Coating Equipment
Pilot - Concurrent Technologies
Corporation
Environmental and
Sustainable Technology
Evaluations
ET/Definitions
ETV Does Evaluate and
Verify
ver.i.fy: to establish or prove
the truth of the performance of a
technology under specific,
predetermined criteria or
protocols and adequate data-
quality assurance procedures
synonyms: confirm,
corroborate, substantiate,
validate
eval.u.ate: to carefully examine
and judge the efficacy of a
technology; to submit
technologies for testing under
conditions of observation and
analysis
synonyms: measure,
estimate, classify, test
ETV Does Not Certify
cer.ti.fy: to guarantee a
technology as meeting a
standard or performance criteria
into the future
synonyms: ensure, warrant,
guarantee
Verification Program
E
What Is ETV ?
Throughout its history, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evaluated
technologies to determine their effectiveness in monitoring, preventing, controlling, and cleaning
up pollution. Since the early 1990s, however, numerous government and private groups have
determined that the lack of an organized and ongoing program to produce independent, credible
performance data is a major impediment to the development and use of innovative environmental
technology. Such data are needed by technology buyers and permitters, both in the United
States and abroad, to make informed technology decisions. To overcome this impediment, EPA
established a program to accelerate the implementation of environmental technology through
objective verification and reporting of technology performance. Established in 1995 by EPA, the
Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program develops testing protocols and verifies
the performance of innovative technologies that have the potential to improve protection of
human health and the environment.
What Is the Goal o
The goal of ETV is to provide credible performance data for commercial-ready environmental
technologies to speed their implementation for the benefit of purchasers, permitters, vendors and
the public.
What Are the Benefits of the ElV'Program?
• Provides objective, credible performance data to purchasers
1 Facilitates technology acceptance and permitting at the state/local level
1 Reduces risk for financial investors
1 Levels the playing field among competitors through standardized tests and objective reporting
1 Facilitates export of environmental products
How Does ETYOperate?
The ETV Program operates as a public-private partnership mainly through cooperative agreements
between EPA and private nonprofit testing and evaluation organizations. These ETV verification
organizations work with EPA technology experts to create efficient and quality-assured testing
procedures that verify the performance of innovative technologies. ETV now operates six centers
which cover a broad range of environmental technology categories. Vendors and others in the
private sector, as well as federal, state and local government agencies, cost-share with EPA to
complete priority ETV protocols and verifications. In 2005, a new element of ETV was initiated,
Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluations (ESTE), in which the most important
technology categories for meeting EPA needs are verified through contracts with verification
organizations.
What Are ETvs Accomplishments, Impacts and Outcomes.
Since its inception in 1995, ETV has verified almost 400 technologies and developed more than 85
protocols. A survey of participating vendors completed in 2001 showed overwhelming support for
the ETV Program. Responses indicated that 73 percent of the vendors were using ETV information
in product marketing, and 92 percent of those surveyed responded that they would recommend
ETV to other vendors. To date, more than 65 vendors have had multiple products verified by
ETV. From 2002 to 2006, ETV conducted verification of monitoring and treatment technologies
relevant for the Nation's homeland security. In 2006, EPA published a two-volume set of 15 case
studies which document actual and projected outcomes from verifications of technologies in 15
technology categories (EPA/600/R-06/001 andEPA/600/R-06/082). Seven types of outcomes are
described; some examples include pollutant emission reductions, technology acceptance and use,
scientific advancement, and human health impacts.
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Visit the ETV Web Site and Subscribe to the ETVoice Listserv
at:
http://www.epa.go v/etv
Numerous EPA offices and state programs are being supported by ETV technology testing results.
These include technologies related to mercury, particulates, NOx and SOx, emissions control
and monitoring, stormwater control and treatment, infrastructure rehabilitation, control of runoff
and energy recovery from combined animal feeding operations, distributed energy generation for
greenhouse gas reduction, pathogen and arsenic treatment in drinking water systems, and lead
in dust monitoring. ETV's support of state drinking water programs has been documented by a
2006 Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) survey, which showed that
29 states recognize and use ETV reports in policy making, permitting decisions, and/or reducing
pilot testing. ASDWA and its members have consistently supported the NSF ETV program's
drinking water center because ASDWA understand the need for independent evaluation of
alternative drinking water treatment technologies. ASDWA relies heavily on these evaluations to
support the use of technologies and products in the drinking water industry and assure a proper
standard of care.
How Do the ETV Centers and ETV-ESTE Operate?
Stakeholder Guidance - The efforts of ETV centers are guided by the expertise of stakeholder
groups. These groups consist of representatives of verification customers for a particular
technology sector: buyers and users of technology, technology developers and vendors, state and
federal regulatory personnel, consulting engineers, environmental organizations, financiers, and
underwriters. More than 500 individuals are active in ETV stakeholder groups. Their primary
functions are assisting the centers in developing protocols for testing, prioritizing the types of
technologies to be verified, and implementing outreach activities to the customer groups they
represent. In ETV-ESTE stakeholder groups are critical to developing balanced test plans,
reviewing reports, and helping to disseminate results.
Performance Verification Objectives and Reporting - ETV is a voluntary program that makes
objective performance information available to help decision-making. ETV does not rank
technologies, label or list technologies as acceptable or unacceptable, determine "best available
technology," or approve or disapprove technologies. Verification activities are announced in
relevant publications, and on the ETV Web site and ETV listserv. Appropriate quality assurance
procedures are incorporated into all aspects of the process and all reports are subjected to peer
review. Verification statements of three-to-five pages, based on the performance data in the
reports, are signed by EPA and the verification organization, and are posted on the ETV Web
site.
What Is the International Interest in 1
Strong international interest in technology verification has bolstered ETV's impact abroad. To
date, over 65 technologies from international vendors have been verified by the ETV Program.
Approximately 10 percent of the visits to the ETV Web site are from foreign nations, and ETV
protocols are being used worldwide to verify technologies. In 2005, ETV hosted an Environmental
Technology Verification International Forum, at which representatives from verification
programs operating or planned in Canada, Korea, Japan, Singapore, and the European Union
(EU) discussed the potential for collaborating internationally on verification. ETV participated
in a second international forum in Canada in 2006, and a third forum is being planned for 2007,
possibly in the EU. ETV continues to work with international partners to find global acceptance
of verification results. ETV, with co-sponsors—EPA Office of International Affairs, U.S. Agency
of International Development, and U.S. Asian Environmental Partnership—has conducted
workshops on technology verification in India, Thailand, and Taiwan, and in the United States for
Malaysia and the Philippines.
Want to Know More About the ETY Program?
With over 3 million hits per year, the ETV Web site, at www.ep a. go v/etv. provides users with up-
to-date information on the ETV Program. The site contains descriptions of each ETV Center, as
well as ETV verification reports/statements, protocols and test plans, stakeholder lists, fact sheets,
meeting summaries, and other publications. The ETVoice listserv informs subscribers about the
availability of new information on technology testing procedures, upcoming testing events,
vendor solicitations, the performance of ETV-verified technologies, upcoming meetings and
events, and general news related to the ETV Program. Subscribe to the ETVoice on the Internet
at http://www.epa. gov/etv/etvoice/subscribe.html.
ETv Program
Contacts
ETV Director
Teresa Marten, EPA
(513)569-7565
ETV Coordination Staff
Abby Waits, EPA
(513)569-7884
Evelyn Hartzell, EPA
(513)569-7728
Julius Enriquez, EPA
(513)569-7285
ET/Center
Managers
ETV Air Pollution Control
Technology Center
Mike Kosusko, EPA
(919)541-2734
DrewTrenholm, RTI
(919)316-3742
ETV Advanced Monitoring
Systems Center
Robert Fuerst, EPA
(919)541-2220
Amy Dindal, Battelle
(561)422-0113
ETV Greenhouse Gas
Technology Center
David Kirchgessner, EPA
(919)541-4021
Jeffrey Barghout, SRI
(919)806-3456
ETV Drinking Water Systems
Center
Jeff Adams, EPA
(513)569-7835
Bruce Bartley, NSF
(734)769-5148
ETV Water Quality Protection
Center
Ray Frederick, EPA
(732)321-6627
Tom Stevens, NSF
(734) 769-5347
ETV P2 Coatings and Coating
Equipment (pilot)
Mike Kosusko, EPA
(919)541-2734
Rob Fisher, CTC
(814)269-6847
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with vegetable-based ink on
paper that contains a minimum of
50% post-consumer fiber content
processed chlorine free.
EPA/600/F-07/005
May 2007
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