[•!• 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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