$
\
w
L
LLJ
o
/
"Environmental Indicators Initiative"
and "Draft Report on the Environment
•>•>
"'My goals for the
Agency are to make our
air cleaner, our water
\ purer and our land better
\ protected. These are the
results that we are
working hard to achieve.
Our progress towards
these goals will be the
measure of our success. To know whether we
are making progress toward these goals, we
need high quality information about the state of
the environment. It is also important that we
are accountable to the American public and
report to them on our progress in reaching the
goals we have set for ourselves.
The 'Indicators Initiative ' and "Draft
Report on the Environment' are critical steps in
our more comprehensive approach to
identifying priorities, focusing resources on
areas of greatest concern, and managing our
work to achieve measurable results. "
— Christine Todd Whitman, November, 2001
"Indicators" Initiative Launched
On November 13, 2001, EPA Administrator
Christine Todd Whitman announced an
"Environmental Indicators Initiative" to
improve EPA's ability to report on the status of
and trends in environmental conditions and
their impacts on human health and the nation's
natural resources. The Administrator directed
the Office of Environmental Information (OEI)
and the Office of Research and Development
(ORD) to lead this multi-year, Agency-wide
Initiative.
"Draft Report on the Environment"
Developing and publishing a "Draft Report on
the Environment," using available national
level data and indicators to describe
environmental conditions and human health
concerns will be one of the key products of this
effort. A "Draft Report" will be released
during Spring 2003 for broad public
discussion. It will:
• describe current environmental
conditions and trends using existing
data and indicators
• identify data gaps and research needs
• discuss the challenges government and
our partners face in filling those gaps
and
be accompanied by supporting technical
information.
-------
Five "theme areas" will be covered in the "Draft For further information, please visit our web
Report": cleaner air; purer water; better site at: www.epa.gov/indicators. If you would
protected land; human health; and, ecological like to be notified when the "Draft Report"
condition. To establish a national baseline for becomes publicly available, go to the
"cleaner air, " the "Draft Report" will address comments section of our web site and add your
the status and effects of outdoor air quality and name to our "Indicators" mailing list.
indoor air quality. The "purer water" theme
will examine the condition of the nation's water
resources, drinking water, recreational water,
and the condition of waters supporting fish and For further information, please contact:
shellfish. To ensure "better protected land" the Dawn Banks-Waller
"Draft Report" will explore land use and effects US EPA
on the environment, chemicals used or released Office of Environmental Information
on land, wastes, and land contamination. Under 202/566-0625 banks-waller.dawn(q),epa.gov
"human health" the "Draft Report" will explore or
human health and disease trends in the United Michelle A. Hiller
States, the role of the environment in disease, US EPA
and how exposure to environmental pollutants is Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental
measured. The theme about the nation's Relations
"ecological condition" will present information 202/564-3702 killer.michelle(q),epa.gov
on ecosystems and work towards the
development of ecological indicators. The
"Draft Report" will also include specific
information on cropping practices, waste
management, emergency response and
preparedness, and recycling.
Working with Our Partners and
Stakeholders Is Key to Our Success
Through our outreach efforts, EPA is inviting
governmental entities, non-governmental
organizations, and the public to be our partners
in the longer- term "Environmental Indicators
Initiative." Data from other federal agencies
and departments, EPA regional offices, state
and local governments, tribes, and other
partners will be vital to sustaining a long-term
effort to improve the way we develop indicators
that can help us measure and report on
environmental conditions and the results we
achieve.
Publication no. 260-F-02-005
June 23, 2003
------- |