[•!• I r: I
Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Comprehensive
Local Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) Community Challenge
(2004 Competition)
ie innovation urani rrogram 10 support
efforts led by state environmental agencies to test innovative approaches
for achieving better environmental results and improved efficiency in
permitting programs. Between 2002 and 2007, the State Innovation Grant
program competition awarded over six million dollars to support 35 state
projects that test permitting innovation for a variety of regulated entities
including several small business sectors. Asummary of the awards by year
appears in the table below.
State Innovation Grant Program Statistics, 2002-2007
Competition Proposals Proposals Total Program
Year Submitted Selected Funding ($)
2002/2003
$618,000
$1.425 Million
$1.479 Million
Cumulative
$1.243 Million
$1.611 Million
$6.376 Million
"Innovation in Permitting" has been the theme of the State Innovation Grant
competition since its inception. In the last three competition cycles states
received awards for projects in the following three categories:
• The Environmental Results Program (ERP) is an innovative
approach to improving environmental performance based on a system
of the interlocking tools of compliance assistance, self-certification
(sometimes, where permissible, in lieu of permitting), and
statistically-based measurement to gauge the performance of an entire
business sector. The program utilizes a multimedia approach to
encourage small sources to achieve environmental compliance and
pollution prevention. (See: http://www.epa.gov/permits/erp/)
• Environmental Management System (EMS) is a system involving a
continual cycle of planning, implementing, reviewing and improving the
processes and actions that an organization undertakes to meet its
business and environmental goals. EMSs provide organizations of all
types with a structured system and approach for managing
environmental and regulatory responsibilities to improve overall
environmental performance and stewardship.
(See: www.epa.gov/ems/info/index.htm)
• Performance Track is a partnership that recognizes top
environmental performance among participating US facilities of all types,
sizes, and complexity, both public and private.
(See: http://www.epa.gov/performancetrack/)
NCEI has provided awards also for projects testing watershed-based
permitting, and for permit process streamlining in past competitions. For
more information on the history of the programs, including information on
solicitations, state proposals, and project awards, please see the EPA State
httD://www.eDa.aov/innovation/statear
Project Background:
In January 2005, the Indiana Department of
Environmental Management (IDEM) was awarded a
State Innovation Grant to develop and implement a
voluntary program designed to encourage positive
environmental actions from municipalities called the
Indiana Comprehensive Local Environmental Action
Network (CLEAN) Community Challenge. I OEM's
Office of Pollution Prevention and Technical
Assistance (OPPTA) devised a multi-agency
program to reward municipalities for their voluntary
environmental and public outreach achievements.
The CLEAN Community Challenge encourages
municipalities and units of local government to take
steps to plan, develop, and implement an
environmental management system (EMS) that
includes input and support from the community and
local businesses.
The goals of the Indiana CLEAN Community
Challenge include:
1. Creating a voluntary recognition program for the
local government sector
2. Providing increased state consideration for local
concerns through improved communication,
planned compliance and technical assistance efforts
3. Fostering local government pollution prevention
successes in Indiana
4. Promoting high quality environmental project
implementation at the local level
5. Offering valuable rewards in proportion to projects
implemented
6. Improving overall environmental performance and
quality of life for Hoosier citizens
7. Tracking environmental performance associated
with EMS implementation
8. Providing cleaner water, improved waste
management, reduced toxics
9. Encouraging municipalities to develop cross-media
EMS plans
NCE
NATIONAL CENTER FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION
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Project Description
OPPTA staff met with various communities throughout
the state and asked for feedback during program
development to create CLEAN program requirements.
Because OPPTA staff had limited experience with
EMSs in the public sector, OPPTA hired the Clean
Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI) at Purdue
University to assist with municipal EMS development
and implementation. Eight communities applied for
piloting the CLEAN program of which three were
selected: The Town of Ogden Dunes and the cities of
Lawrence and Muncie. The remaining cities of Elkhart,
Greencastle, Indianapolis, La Porte, and Madison
expressed commitment to the program by participating
as demonstration pilots rather than full pilots.
During the Program's first year, the selected
communities began focusing on creating stakeholder
committees and writing Quality of Life Plans (QLP).
The Quality of Life Plan refers to the implemented
EMS.
During the second year the pilot communities of
Ogden Dunes and Lawrence received their CLEAN
Community designation while Muncie stopped
participating in the program because of time constraints
and a loss of mayoral commitment. In that same year
the cities of Greencastle, Elkhart, and Vincennes
decided not to finish developing their QLPs for various
reasons. The city of Madison was also unable to be
designated due to issues of non-compliance.
During the third year OPPTA used workshops, smaller
meetings, and site visits to guide the communities of
Beverly Shores, Crown Point, Michigan City, Hobart,
Gary, and La Porte through the development of their
QLPs. Toward the end of the year Indianapolis, Crown
Point, La Porte, and Michigan City received their
CLEAN designation. Ogden Dunes provided data in
their annual performance report showing measurable
improvements and significant benefits from
participating in the CLEAN program. The city of
Richmond was able to resolve non-compliance issues
and was designated a CLEAN Community after the
project closed.
OPPTA learned several lessons along the way in the
program and used them to enhance program
implementation. An example of a program
enhancement was implementing compliance checks
on communities at the time the community expressed
interest in the CLEAN program instead of waiting for the
community to develop its QLP and submit the
application. This particular program revision has
proven to be beneficial for potential participating
communities as it identified potential problems to be
addressed prior to community selection of QLP goals.
It was also beneficial to OPPTA by allowing a more
streamlined and efficient use of resources and staff
time.
Results:
The Indiana CLEAN Community Challenge created a
compliance and technical assistance program
specifically for the needs of municipalities. Throughout
the pilot project period, participants appeared to
understand the value of identifying objectives and
targets, action steps, and methods for measuring and
monitoring progress to ensure the success of their
environmental management approaches. They also
showed a commitment to carefully documenting the
process so that their findings could be transferable to
other communities that could learn from CLEAN.
The CLEAN Community Challenge demonstrated the
central role that states play in ensuring compliance at
the local level while also providing the support and
resources that allow communities to implement an
EMS tailored to local needs and interests.
The Indiana communities that received CLEAN
designation were the cities of Crown Point,
Indianapolis, La Porte, Lawrence, Michigan City,
Richmond, and the town of Ogden Dunes.
Through this project, OPPTA found several incentives
for municipalities to implement an EMS, including
assurance to the public about the superior
environmental performance of their communities as
well as public acknowledgement that communities had
met their regulatory requirements and were addressing
public concern for the environment, growth
management, and efficient use of public funds. OPPTA
used such incentives to promote and market the
program.
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OPPTA received feedback from participating
communities indicating QLP implementation
established commitment from all levels and functions
to achieve community goals, assigned responsibility
and accountability for achieving goals, and assisted
with competence, awareness, and management of
potential environmental problems.
A flagship community, Ogden Dunes, received its
CLEAN designation in 2006 and represents one of
the greatest successes of the program. As of
September 2007, Ogden Dunes had increased its
recycling rate from 0% to 24%, recycled 884 pounds
of batteries, implemented a standard operating
procedure for recycling, and developed a leaf
composting program resulting in the composting of
over 1,500 cubic yards of leaves. Ogden Dunes'
QLP resulted not only in measurable environmental
improvement as described in their annual
performance report, but provided ancillary benefits
like improved interdepartmental communication as
well.
Lessons learned from the implementation of the
CLEAN Community Challenge include OPPTAs
conclusion that QLP implementation will be slow or
nonexistent without top management and political
support in the participating community. Many
communities experienced delays or halts in
progress because of internal circumstances such as
personnel changes, pending enforcement actions, or
changes in the level of commitment brought about by
political changes within community government. This
pilot program will allow other states and localities
considering developing voluntary municipal
recognition programs based upon community EMS
approaches such as this one to implement them
more efficiently.
To find out more about Indiana's CLEAN Community
Challenge go to the Final Report at http://
www.epa.gov/innovation/stategrants/PDFs/
CLEANFinalRepoitpdf
Project Contacts:
For more specific information on the Indiana
State Innovation Grant, please contact one of
the individuals below:
Stacey Martindale
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
OPPTA Mail Code 64-00
100 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2251
317.233.5554
smartind@jdem.in.gov
Sharleen Getschman
US EPA Region 5
Air & Radiation Division
State & Tribal Planning Section
US EPA Region 5
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
312/353-3486
getschman.sharleen@epa.gov
Gerald Filbin
US Environmental Protection Agency- Headquarters
National Center for Environmental Innovation (1807T)
1200 PennsylvaniaAve., NW
Washington, DC 20460
202-566-2182; 202-566-2220 fax
Filbin.gerald@epa.gov
Program Contact:
Sherri Walker
State Innovation Grant Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460 (MC1807T)
(202)-566-2186; FAX (202) 566-2220
walker.sherri@epa.gov
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Policy,
Economics and Innovation
(1807T)
June 2008
EPA-100-F-08-049
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