United States
Environmental Protection Agency
FISCAL YEAR 2022
Justification of Appropriation
Estimates for the Committee
on Appropriations
Tab 14: Annual Evaluation Plan and
Other Evidence-Building Activities
May 2021
EPA-190-R-21-002	www.epa.gov/cj

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Environmental Protection Agency
FY 2022 Annual Evaluation Plan and Other Evidence-Building Activities
Table of Contents - Program and Performance Assessment
EPA's FY 2022 Annual Evaluation Plan	729
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EPA's FY 2022 Annual Evaluation Plan
Overview
The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act) provides a framework to
promote a culture of evaluation and continuous learning to ensure Agency decisions are made
using the best available evidence. EPA's FY 2022 Evaluation Plan describes significant program
evaluations the Agency plans to undertake in FY 2022. Significant evaluations include those that
support EPA's ability to meet an Administrator Priority, is mandated by Congress, or being
highlighted as a program priority.
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP)
Title
IT Modernization of EPA Pesticide Tracking Systems
Lead National
Program
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
Planned Start
Date
4/2019
Planned completion
date
9/2024
Purpose and brief description: In April 2019, EPA kicked off Phase 1 of a multi-year digital
transformation to create a fully electronic workflow system for EPA registration and reevaluation
activities. This effort builds on the 2016 launch of the Pesticide Submission Portal, a secure, web-
based portal in EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) environment through which the public can
electronically submit applications for EPA evaluation. In advance of the launch of the new system,
EPA developed internal tracking metrics and established baselines of performance using the
current Agency systems for review of applications. These metrics measure: 1) timeliness of
review, 2) efficiencies realized as a result of the transformation effort, and 3) employee
engagement. In July/ August 2020, a pilot of the new system went live for two of the three
regulatory divisions within EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), as well as the Information
Technology and Resource Management Division (ITRMD) which in-processes all applications.
The pilot is specific to registration application workflows under Pesticide Registration
Improvement Act (PRIA) and its reauthorizations.
The next phase of this effort will be the development of additional workflows and expansion to all
of the divisions that support registration and reevaluation regulatory activities. By 2022, the focus
will shift from improving employee user experience to improving customer experience, improving
the ability of the regulated community, other stakeholders, partners, and the American public to
directly engage with the regulatory and science efforts.
The nature of a digital transformation, pace of technological advancements, and software
development lifecycle requires IT organizations to stay in a mode of continuous improvement.
Therefore, the lifecycle would mandate that EPA begin to tackle modernization of various
components of it as the Agency approaches the fifth year.
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Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: This activity will inform additional
IT systems development.
Question(s) this activity will address:
•	Will the digital transformation effort and the development and implementation of the
Salesforce workflow system result in improved timeliness and performance regarding the
review of pesticide registration and registration review activities?
•	Will the improved user experience and productivity from the IT-modernization effort result
in increased employee job satisfaction?
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: Using the information from EPA's Pesticide
Registration Information System (PRISM) and Office of Pesticide Program Information Network
(OPPIN), EPA will establish baselines for time spent at each stage of the risk assessment and
assess improvement in the overall review processes for registration and registration review cases.
The Salesforce interface currently being piloted for antimicrobial and biopesticide applications
will allow EPA to establish baselines for how much time is spent at each stage and assess
improvements in review processes supporting new active ingredients registration determinations.
The employee engagement metric will be tracked by evaluating results to specific questions and
focus areas in EPA's Employee Viewpoint Survey and comparing responses before and after
implementation of the IT-modernization effort.
In addition, the augmented intelligence and advance data analytics within Salesforce will allow
EPA to identify stages in the review process that present bottlenecks, allowing further system
development and/or resource allocation to address identified concerns. Robotic Process
Automation (RPA) will enable automation of many routine tasks allowing scientists and regulatory
specialists to focus on higher value work.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: Challenges preventing key partners from
engaging with the digitization effort are related to contract acquisition and increased workload due
to COVID-19. EPA is working to address the contract award to mitigate the contract acquisition
challenge. The Agency also is adding flexibility for its partners by lengthening the requirement
gathering to facilitate and address the increased workload.
Dissemination of findings: Process improvements relating to pesticide registration
and registration review activities, as well as information technology improvements, are
described annually in the PRIA annual report (https://www.epa.gov/pria-fees/annual-
reports-pria-implementation).
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA)
Title
Evaluate Impact of Pre-Deadline E-reminders on Discharge Monitoring
Report (DMR) Non-Receipt
Lead National
Program
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Planned Start Date
7/2020
Planned completion
date
1/2022
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Purpose and brief description: On-time reporting is critical for effective environmental
monitoring and enforcement. Self-reporting is integral to the statutory scheme underlying the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, but compliance with DMR
submission requirements remains a challenge. DMR non-receipt accounts for about 50 percent of
Significant Non-Compliance (SNC) amongst NetDMR states. While prospective reminders hold
promise to increase DMR submissions by NPDES permittees, such efforts remain novel and
untested within this population. EPA is proposing to empirically test if reminders improve DMR
submission timeliness. Many states have already expressed interest in prospective reminders to
encourage timely DMR submissions by NPDES permittees, and Stanford and EPA aim through
this pilot to prototype and assess the efficacy of such reminders for helping achieve the long term
performance goal: by September 30, 2022, decrease the percentage of Clean Water Act NPDES
permittees in SNC with their permit limits.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: NetDMR currently notifies facilities
via email when their DMR is 7, 14, and 21 days overdue. The motivation for this trial stems from
the experience of some states and academic studies in other fields that suggest prospectively
providing recipients clear and credible information about due dates, penalties, and consequences
of non-compliance increases compliance. This work will help determine whether this holds true
for prospective reminders for DMRs.
Question(s) this activity will address:
•	What are the effects of prospective reminders on DMR Non-Receipt SNC Rate? If the
prospective notification is effective, EPA would expect to see a lower DMR non-receipt
SNC rate among the facilities that receive a reminder relative to nonrecipients.
•	What are the effects of prospective reminders on DMR Late Submission Rate and
Days Overdue? EPA also might expect to see a change in the timing of submissions, which
could provide insight into what appropriate notification windows are. If facilities notified
before the deadline remain overdue but submit their (overdue) reports more quickly than
the control group, this would suggest that an earlier pre-due date notification could help
reduce DMR non-receipt.
•	What are the effects of prospective reminders on Overall SNC Rate? The current
National Compliance Initiative aims to halve the national SNC baseline rate of 29.4 percent
by the end of FY 2022. Although prospective reminders may decrease SNC resulting from
DMR non-receipt, increased DMR submissions may reveal effluent or other SNC
violations. Even if the overall SNC rate remains unchanged because of the switch to
another classification, better understanding the revealed nature of the SNC would be an
important step towards achieving the NCI.
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: EPA will use a randomized control trial in which the
Agency sends personalized DMR submission reminders to a randomly selected set of at least 9,000
facility operators no later than three to five days before DMR due dates. EPA will use the existing
ICIS-NPDES database for determining SNC rates and will use statistical analysis to determine if
there is a difference in the rates between the treatment and control group.
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Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: In the current design, EPA assumes three to five
days may suffice to compile and submit the DMR while encouraging responsiveness. In practice,
a sufficient time window for permits to submit DMRs would depend on many factors, including
the time to obtain lab results and prepare the DMR. The behavioral science literature suggests that
optimal reminder timing depends on two key factors: the capacity for task completion and
behavioral features, such as forgetfulness and procrastination. EPA's proposed reminder window
stems from an interest in balancing these competing objectives of permitting sufficient time to
complete the reports while prompting action. The Agency can either adjust that window from the
outset, or sample size permitting, can explore the feasibility of multiple treatment arms wherein
EPA sends reminders at different periods prior to their due date (e.g., 3, 7, 14 days prior).
Additionally, EPA assumes that reducing DMR non-receipt by at least 15 percent among the
NetDMR facilities is achievable and meaningful. The proposed study sample size of 9,000
facilities in each group (or 18,000 total between the treated and control, which represents almost
all of NetDMR facilities) stems from calculations on how many facilities are needed to discern a
reduction in non-receipt from the current average DMR Non-Receipt Rate of 6.6 percent to 5.6
percent (i.e., a 15 percent reduction). Although calculations suggest the Agency would be unable
to detect changes smaller than 1 percentage point in one reporting period, effects could be
considerably larger. Alternatively, if not enough NetDMR states participate, a longer study period
may still provide sufficient power to detect a 15 percent reduction. For example, if the Agency
rolls out the study for two reporting periods, EPA need about 7,900 permits in each group to detect
a 1 percentage point effect.
Dissemination of findings: The aim of this work is a journal publication, with a
pre-publication/working papeithat would potentially be posted on EPA's website.
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FY 2022 Additional Planned Activities to Support EPA's Portfolio of
Evidence
Overview
The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act) provides a framework to
promote a culture of evaluation and continuous learning to ensure Agency decisions are made
using the best available evidence. EPA's FY 2022 Evidence-Building Plan describes significant
evidence-building activities the Agency plans to undertake for a range of program areas.
EPA's FY 2022 Evidence-Building Plan is organized by national program. Significant evidence-
building activities include those that support EPA's ability to meet an Administrator Priority, is
mandated by Congress, or being highlighted as a program priority.
Additionally, EPA will execute significant evidence-building activities as part of the Agency's Learning Agenda
which is currently being designed in conjunction with the development of EPA 's FY 2022 - 2026 Strategic Plan.
EPA's Learning Priorities will focus on a select set of Agency activities and operations, and will address key
issues, including but not limited to, equity, environmental justice, diversity and inclusion, and climate change.
The Agency plans to describe evidence-building activities that support Learning Priorities in the Learning
Agenda published as part of the Strategic Plan in February 2022.
Significant Evidence-Building Activities
Office of Air and Radiation (OAR)
Activity 1:
Title
Title V Permitting Program Reviews
Lead National
Program
Office of Air and Radiation
Planned Start
Date
10/2021
Planned completion
date
9/2022
Purpose and brief description: EPA periodically assesses state and local permitting programs,
including the sufficiency of fees collected, under Title V of the Clean Air Act as part of its
responsibility to oversee delegated and approved air permitting programs.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: In general, these analyses identify
good practices, document areas needing improvement, and inform how EPA can help the
permitting agencies improve their performance.
Question(s) this activity will address:
•	What are some good practices and areas of improvement in state and local permitting
programs under Title V of the Clean Air Act?
•	How can EPA help the permitting agencies improve their performance?
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Data, tools, method/analytical approach: The method for the analysis includes the gathering of
information through the use of questionnaires which are specifically tailored to the permitting
authority being reviewed, phone calls to follow up on the questionnaire and any needs for
clarification or additional information, review of permits and permit records, and overall
discussion and review of program implementation activities. This information is used by EPA to
identify potential areas for improvement such as timeliness of permitting actions, highlight any
areas where the permitting authority is doing a good job and exhibiting best practices, and to
develop a written report of the findings of the program assessment. The draft report is shared with
the permitting authority to ensure there are no misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the
collected information or erroneous conclusions. Once the report is completed, it is posted on the
EPA Region's website. Depending on the outcome of the assessment, there may be some further
interaction between the permitting authority and EPA to ensure implementation of areas for
improvement and recommended actions.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: The Agency conducts these analyses annually
and does not anticipate challenges.
Dissemination of findings: The Title V Permit analyses are posted on EPA's website.
Activity 2:
Title
Our Nation's Air: Status and Trends Through 2021
Lead National
Program
Office of Air and Radiation
Planned Start Date
1/2022
Planned completion
date
6/2022
Purpose and brief description: EPA is committed to protecting public health and the
environment by improving air quality and reducing air pollution. This annual report presents the
trends in the nation's air quality and summarizes the detailed information found at EPA's Air
Trends website and other air quality and emissions data.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: This activity provides an annual
assessment of air quality in an accessible format, allowing EPA, states, and other stakeholders to
understand how air quality is changing both in their local area and across the nation. Stakeholders
can use this information to help inform their decisions in their air quality programs.
Question(s) this activity will address:
•	Where are areas experiencing air quality above the national ambient air quality standards?
•	Are these areas trending toward improving air quality?
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: Existing data is pulled to generate the report, including
emissions data from the National Emission Inventory (NEI) and pollutant concentration data for
the National Ambient Air Quality Standards pollutants from the Air Quality System (AQS). This
data is mainly averaged and summarized. For the NAAQS, trends also are calculated to provide
additional context. EPA also collects data from IMPROVE
(http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/Improve/) to calculate visibility trends on the clearest days (based
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on the 20% best or clearest visibility days monitored) and on the most impaired days (based on the
20% worst visibility days monitored). EPA also uses data from the Ambient Monitoring Archive
(https://www3 .epa.gov/ttnamti l/toxdat.html#data) to provide air toxics concentration trends.
Specific methodological information can be found here: https://github.com/USEPA/Air-Trends-
Report/blob/master/etrends_2020/documentation/Air_Trends_Report_Methodologies.docx.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: The Agency produces this report annually and
does not anticipate challenges. This activity is contingent upon air quality data availability from
state, local, and tribal air pollution control agencies.
Dissemination of findings: This report is annually included on EPA's Air Trends website.
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP)
Title
Reducing Use of Animals in Chemical Testing
Lead National
Programs
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
Office of Research and Development
Planned Start
Date
10/2020
Planned completion
date
10/2035
Purpose and brief description: On Sept, 10, 2019, EPA issued a directive to prioritize efforts to
reduce animal testing, which included the goals of reducing mammal study requests and funding
30 percent by 2025 and eliminating them by 2035. The directive specifically charged the Agency
to establish baselines, measurements, and reporting mechanisms to track its progress. EPA's "New
Approach Methods (NAM) Work Plan: Reducing Use of Animals in Chemical Testing" was
released in June 2020 and discusses the development of metrics to measure the reduction in use of
mammalian laboratory animals.
From page 12 of NAM workplan (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/202Q-
06/documents/epa nam work plan.pdf): Within OCSPP, EPA will initially use the number of
animals required for testing under the 40 C.F.R. Part 158 as a baseline to measure and track
mammalian use for pesticide actions. As guideline requirements vary based on the type of
pesticide, specific baselines are as follows: 510 animals for biochemical pesticides, 3,430 animals
for microbials, 4,920 animals for antimicrobials and 6,260 animals for conventional pesticides.
EPA also will establish a specific baseline for chemicals that fall under TSCA once the ATAEPI
analysis is completed. For EDSP, the baseline is 1,800 animals based on the number required to
complete the Tier I battery of assays. Within ORD, the average number of mammals used for
research purposes between 2016 and 2018 was 8,600 per year. This number will be used as a
baseline to provide both a stable and relatively recent estimate of use. OCSPP and ORD will work
with EPA's other offices to establish specific baselines and calculation methods. As additional
baselines and metrics are established, EPA will distribute these estimates through the established
communication mechanisms.
Additionally, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report to Congress in
2019 recommending that Federal agencies develop metrics to assess the progress made toward
reducing, refining, and replacing animal use in testing. EPA implemented activities and policies
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over the past several years that demonstrate significant reductions in the number of animals used
in testing and saving resources for the Agency and stakeholders.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: EPA primarily uses laboratory
animal data for assessing the risks of pesticides and industrial chemicals under FIFRA and TSCA.
This effort will support metrics that show progress towards replacing animal studies with new
approach methods that are more efficient and human relevant.
Question(s) this activity will address:
•	What progress is being made towards reducing mammal study requests and funding 30
percent by 2025?
•	What progress is being made towards eliminating mammalian study requests and funding
by 2035?
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: EPA tracks the reduction and replacement metrics
through internal committees, primarily the Hazard and Science Policy Council (HASPOC) and the
Chemistry and Acute Toxicology Science Advisory Council (CATSAC), and division-level
processes.
EPA is in the process of an Analysis of TSCA Available, Expected and Potentially Useful
Information (ATAEPI) that will provide the foundation for developing metrics for TSCA-specific
activities in this area.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: Under TSCA, there is no defined set of
toxicology data requirements which makes establishing baselines difficult. In addition, EPA needs
to develop the processes for tracking and working towards publicly accessible metrics where the
submitted data are protected as TSCA Confidential Business Information (CBI).
Accelerating progress towards adopting new methods requires the availability of approaches that
are "equal to or better than" the typically used animal studies. Other activities described in the
June 2020 Plan will address this challenge.
Dissemination of findings: EPA efforts to reduce use of animals in chemical testing is
reported in the Annual Reports on PRIA Implementation (https://www.epa.gov/pria-fees/
annual-reports-pria-implementation). In the future, EPA also will publish metrics on its website.
Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM)
Activity 1:
Title
Population Analysis
Lead National
Program
Office of Land and Emergency Management
Planned Start Date
5/2022
Planned completion
date
7/2022
Purpose and brief description: This is a descriptive study. The purpose is to conduct a bi-annual
analysis to support evidence-based descriptions of who benefits from EPA's cleanup and
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prevention work, by collecting data on the population living within three and one mile(s) of a
Superfund site, Brownfields site, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective
Action (CA) site, Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) site, and Underground Storage
Tank (UST) facility that exist in thousands of communities across the United States ranging from
remote to large urban settings.
This analysis also supports EPA's America's Children and the Environment Report, by estimating
the number of children and their socioeconomic/demographic characteristics who live within one-
mile of a RCRA CA or Superfund site that may not have had all human health protective measures
in place at the time of the analysis.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: Results are included in EPA's
annual budget reviews with OMB, and in budget justifications for Congress. Results also are used
in general communications with press, other government agencies, and the public.
Question(s) this activity will address: This analysis estimates the population living within three
and one mile(s) of a Superfund site, Brownfield site, RCRA CA site, LUST site and UST facility
by:
•	Race: people who self-identify as white, black, Asian, Native American, Hawaiian/pacific
islander, or other
•	Ethnicity: people of all races who self-identify as hispanic or non-hispanic
•	Minority: all race and ethnicity combinations except "non-hispanic whites"
•	Income: below poverty level, and incomes twice or more above poverty level
•	Education: less than high school education
•	Age: Under 5, Under 18, over 64
•	Linguistically isolated: households where all members do not speak English as a first
language or "very well"
Populations that are more minority, low income, linguistically isolated, or less likely to have a
high school education than the U.S. population as a whole, may have fewer resources with which
to address concerns about their health and environment. EPA includes these factors in population
analyses to understand the potential for these vulnerabilities in relation to cleanup sites at the
national level.
Data, tools, method/analytical approach:
•	Data
o Site location and status data from the Assessment, Cleanup and Redevelopment
Exchange System (ACRES), Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS)
and RCRA Info for Brownfields, Superfund and RCRA CA, respectively,
o Site location and status data for LUST sites and UST facilities from ORD's state
LUST/UST database
o Population data from the most recent American Community Survey 5-Year
Estimates
•	Methods/Analytical approach:
o Latitude and longitude coordinates are used to map site locations. Then 1- and 3-
mile buffers are drawn from the site location. Depending on data availability, the
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site location is either a point, a modeled circular site boundary based on site acreage
around a point or the actual site boundaries,
o Using census block group centroids and the 1- and 3- mile buffers, the population
and characteristics are estimated. If the census block centroid falls within the buffer,
then the population of that census block is included in the estimation of the near
site population.
o We compare the near site populations to the overall U.S. population to identify
differences in the characteristics listed above.
• We follow the methods used in the America's Children and the Environment Report
Indicators E10 and Ell. For more details on the methods, see
https://www.epa.gov/americaschildrenenvironment/ace-environments-and-contaminants-
contaminated-lands#MethodsTools.
o This spatial analysis is done using ArcGIS and R software suites
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: Geospatial data available to map site
boundaries is limited. EPA continues to work to improve geospatial data on Superfund and RCRA
Corrective Action site boundaries. The LUST/UST data used was obtained from the USTFinder.
The USTFinder is a new web map application containing a comprehensive, state-sourced national
map of underground storage tank (UST) and leaking UST (LUST) data. USTFinder was made
possible by a large ORD data collection effort. Ability to update estimates for LUST/UST in the
future depends on whether ORD updates data in the USTFinder.
Dissemination of findings: EPA will share the results of these analyses on EPA's website
and include the information in Agency documents that are available to the public.
Activity 2:
Title
Annual Evidence Literature Search
Lead National
Program
Office of Land and Emergency Management
Planned Start Date
5/2022
Planned completion
date
8/2022
Purpose and brief description: EPA collects and maintains evidence on many programs,
including programs that implement regulations and efforts under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA), the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
and portions of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Each year, EPA uses a literature search protocol to
identify any new research (conducted by researchers not at the Agency) that documents and
describes the effectiveness, efficiency or impact of these programs.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: Results of the evidence literature
search are used to better understand the effectiveness, efficiency and impacts of EPA's programs,
which may inform decision-making about program structure or policies. Results also may be used
for communication to our stakeholders.
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Question(s) this activity will address: The evidence literature search identifies new external
research that analyzes EPA's program effectiveness, efficiency, or impacts. Studies identified are
assessed for robustness, and if of high quality and relevance to an EPA's program will be shared
for consideration for further evaluation or action.
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: For the search, EPA uses Scopus, Google Scholar,
Science Direct, ProQuest Energy and Environment, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and Open
Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD) along with a standard list of search terms that EPA
developed for each of the following eight programmatic categories. Initial results are catalogued
in an EndNote library, and then further assessed for relevance and robustness. Those of high
quality and relevance are shared, and then catalogued in OLEM's Evidence Portfolio and Learning
Agenda Tool.
1.	Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI): Superfund
Program
2.	Office of Emergency Management (OEM): Superfund Removal
3.	Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR): Brownfields Program
4.	Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST): Underground Storage Tanks Program
5.	Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR): RCRA Program: RCRA Subtitle
C and RCRA Subtitle D
6.	ORCR: RCRA Program: Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Practices EPA
Voluntary SMM Programs
7.	RE-Powering America's Land
8.	OEM: Oil Spill Prevention: Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasures (SPCC),
Regulation and Facility Response Plan (FRP) Program, and the Risk Management Plan
(RMP) Regulation
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: There are no anticipated challenges.
Dissemination of findings: EPA does not post literature search results as a standalone
document; however, EPA does cite the literature in public documents.
Activity 3:
Title
Redevelopment Economics at Remedial Sites (non-federal facility)
Lead National
Program
Office of Land and Emergency Management
Planned Start
Date
10/2021
Planned completion
date
9/2022
Purpose and brief description: Cleaning up contaminated sites can serve as a catalyst for
economic growth and community revitalization. The Superfund Remedial Program facilitates the
redevelopment of sites across the country while protecting human health and the environment.
Collaborative efforts among state, local, and tribal partners, redevelopers and other federal agency
programs encourage restoration of sites. Since Superfund sites often encompass buildings, roads,
and other infrastructure, their effective and efficient cleanup and reuse can play a pivotal role in a
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community's economic growth. EPA has initiated efforts to collect economic data at a subset of
Superfund sites.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: Economic data are included in
budget justifications to Congress and are used in general communication with key stakeholders
and the public.
Question(s) this activity will address: The analysis will provide current, reliable business-related
information for a subset of Superfund sites in reuse and continued use. Some innovative business
owners and organizations reuse Superfund sites for a variety of purposes. These uses can help
economically revitalize communities near Superfund sites.
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: The study estimates economic activity at Superfund
sites in reuse from reputable sources based on methodology developed by EPA's Superfund
Redevelopment Initiative and outlined on the public webpage: Redevelopment Economics at
Superfund Sites. Information on the number of employees and sales volume for on-site businesses
typically comes from Hoovers/Dun & Bradstreet, the ReferenceUSA and Manta databases.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: The contract supporting this project ends July
2021 which may impact collection of the data. The new contract is expected to be awarded in July
2021. Should there be a delay in awarding the contract, a proposed solution may be a justification
for other than full and open competition (JOFOC).
Dissemination of findings: The summary of the results will be shared on EPA's website.
Activity 4:
Title
Redevelopment Economics at Federal Facilities
Lead National
Program
Office of Land and Emergency Management
Planned Start
Date
10/2021
Planned completion
date
9/2022
Purpose and brief description: Cleaning up contaminated sites at federal facilities can serve as
a catalyst for economic growth and community revitalization. The Superfund Federal Facilities
Program facilitates the redevelopment of federal facility sites across the country by assisting other
federal agencies (OFAs) expedite activities related to CERCLA response actions, while protecting
human health and the environment. Collaborative efforts among OF As; developers; and state,
local, and tribal partners encourages restoration of sites. Since federal facility Superfund sites often
encompass thousands of acres with buildings, roads, and other infrastructure, their effective and
efficient cleanup and reuse can play a pivotal role in a community's economic growth. EPA has
initiated efforts to collect economic data at a subset of federal facility Superfund sites which is
outlined on the public webpage Redevelopment Economics at Federal Facilities.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: Economic data are included in
budget justifications to Congress and are used in general communication with other Federal
agencies and the public.
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Question(s) this activity will address: The analysis will provide current, reliable business-related
information for a subset of federal facility Superfund sites in reuse and continued use. Some
innovative business owners and organizations reuse Superfund sites for a variety of purposes.
These uses can help economically revitalize communities near Superfund sites. EPA has initiated
efforts to collect economic data at a subset of federal facility Superfund sites.
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: The study estimates economic activity at federal
facilities Superfund sites in reuse from reputable sources based on methodology developed by
EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative, which is outlined in more detail at Redevelopment
Economics at Federal Facilities. Information on the number of employees and sales volume for
on-site businesses typically comes from Hoovers/Dun & Bradstreet, the ReferenceUSA and
Manta databases.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: There are no anticipated challenges.
Dissemination of findings: The summary of the results will be shared on EPA's website.
Office of Mission Support (OMS)
Activity 1:
Title
EPA Space Reduction - Annual Review
Lead National
Program
Office of Mission Support
Planned Start
Date
10/2021
Planned completion
date
9/2022
Purpose and brief description: This annual assessment is a continuation of the Real Property
Efficiency Plan completed in FY 2016 and it supports the Long-Term Performance Goal of
releasing over 850,000 square feet of space by the end of FY 2022. The purpose of the assessment
is to measure the square footage of unused EPA space released each fiscal year. EPA reports space
release each year, this activity helps assess and inform results.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: Results from this evidence-building
activity will inform EPA's leadership in assessing and evaluating challenges associated with
consolidation and space release efforts and establishing annual targets for releasing unused office
and warehouse space.
Question(s) this activity will address:
•	What is EPA's progress toward meeting the LTPG?
•	What are the specific challenges associated with accomplishing each space release?
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: As space is released, EPA tracks the square footage of
the space release in EPA's Office of Administrative Services Information Systems (OASIS).
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Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: Milestones in space release plan are subject to
change due to a number of environmental factors outside of EPA's control (e.g. lease terms, GSA
actions, delays in associated consolidation efforts, funding level reductions). EPA will use findings
from this activity to identify logistical challenges and assess opportunities for advancing other
milestones and close the gap needed to meet the LTPG.
Dissemination of findings: This activity is considered a key component of a management
strategic decision-making process and its findings will not be shared publicly. The results of
this activity will be shared with internal stakeholders, including senior leaders in EPA.
Activity 2:
Title
Strategic Sourcing
Lead National
Program
Office of Mission Support
Planned Start Date
10/2021
Planned completion
date
9/2022
Purpose and brief description: The purpose of the annual assessment is to measure EPA's
progress toward the implementation of Category Management and adoption of Federal Strategic
Sourcing vehicles and Best-in-Class acquisition solutions, and to provide information that will
help EPA determine the services and products most conducive to strategic sourcing.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: Results from this evidence-building
activity will inform EPA's Strategic Sourcing plan and decision-making. Based on the results from
this annual assessment, EPA expects to deploy new strategic sourcing initiatives that will improve
the Agency's buying power.
Question(s) this activity will address: What are the services and products most conducive to
strategic sourcing that EPA can implement to maximize efficiencies and improve the Agency's
buying power?
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: This annual internal assessment will build on current
data provided by the General Service Administration (GSA). Methods of analysis are spend
analysis, trend analysis, and data visualization.
Data is collected in the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG),
obligations are categorized in accordance with OMB's Category Management guidelines and
presented in the D2D.gov (data-to-decisions) Dashboards.
Internally, EPA tracks and displays this data in the Agency's Savings Tracker Qlik Dashboard.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: Data is contingent on GSA reporting. EPA
relies on FPDS data and the D2D data to track, validate, and confirm the information that is shared
with and reported by OMB. EPA will continue to work with GSA to verify the information
reported by GSA.
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Dissemination of findings: Data used for this analysis is already accessible by the public
here: https://d2d.gsa.gov/report/public-category-management-dashboards-analytics.
Office of Research and Development (ORD)
Activity 1:
Title
Research Area: Assessment and Management of Harmful Algal Blooms
Lead National
Program
Office of Research and Development
Planned Start Date
10/2019
Planned completion
date
09/2022
Purpose and brief description: Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasing in frequency,
intensity, and geographic range. Potential impacts from blooms and associated toxins include
health risks to humans, pets, livestock, wildlife, and other biota; restricted recreational activities;
increased treatment costs; and decreased economic revenue. HABs are complex ecological
processes that are affected by various conditions (i.e., physical, chemical, biological, hydrological,
and meteorological) and therefore are difficult to predict. This research area focuses on toxicity
and impacts to humans and biota, mitigation of blooms and their effects in source and drinking
waters, and the characterization of bloom-impacted environments.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: EPA, states, and tribes need tools
to predict toxic bloom occurrence, characterize bloom development, increase effectiveness of
cyanotoxin monitoring techniques, and understand the impacts of shifting temperature patterns and
hydrologic regimes on blooms. This research will inform best management practices of HABs
including but not limited to refining Drinking Water Health advisories and informing Recreational
Criteria for cyanotoxin exposures.
Question(s) this activity will address: This research area, under EPA's Safe and Sustainable
Water Resources research program (SSWR), supports the current planned activities in the StRAP,
and will expand the state of scientific understanding and best management approaches for
nutrient/harmful algae bloom reduction.
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: This research area will produce a large amount of data,
methods, and tools to advance the understanding of adverse health impacts among people, other
animals, and plants that are associated with exposure to HABs. The data, tools, and method/
analytical approaches used to produce individual outputs and products in this research area may
include, but are not limited to:
•	Development and evaluation of water treatment technologies and toxin exposure levels
•	Whole organism toxicity studies, computational toxicology, pharmacokinetic studies, and
epidemiological studies
•	Collection and analysis of satellite data, surveillance datasets, environmental, human
health, and decision support work, existing data, and/or review of new literature
•	Observational or field research, laboratory experiments, and modeling
methods/measurements of water quality processes and nutrient management
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Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: This research area will produce a large volume
of scientific deliverables which will require complex research planning, facilitation, review
coordination, task prioritization, and regular interactions with the program customer to ensure
deliverables/products address the customer needs. In FY 2022, EPA will continue to develop more
efficient methods of project implementation and tracking.
Dissemination of findings: Research area findings will take a variety of publicly available
forms including journal publications, open-access tools and models, and technical fact sheets.
Activity 2:
Title
Research Area: Waste Recovery and Beneficial Use
Lead National
Program
Office of Research and Development
Planned Start Date
10/2018
Planned completion
date
09/2022
Purpose and brief description: Many existing materials considered as waste for disposal could
potentially be reused, recycled, or reprocessed to reduce the consumption of natural resources,
decrease waste generation, and reduce the volume of materials disposed into hazardous and non-
hazardous landfills. This project will contribute to providing methodologies that can be used to
determine whether the potential for adverse impacts to human health and the environment from a
proposed beneficial use is comparable to or lower than that posed by an analogous product, or at
or below relevant health-based and regulatory benchmarks.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: This research will enhance
scientific understanding of material recycling, waste remediation, and potential for adverse human
health and environmental impacts of beneficial material reuse.
Question(s) this activity will address: This research area, under EPA's Sustainable and Healthy
Communities research program (SHC), supports the planned activities in the StRAP, and will
answer questions concerning potential for recycling materials and quantify the risks and associated
adverse impacts of beneficial reuse of materials. Planned FY 2022 specific topic areas include, but
are not limited to, studying advanced separation technologies for recovery and reuse of industrial-
use solvents, engineering soil amendments for remediation of lead and other contaminants, and
remediation of industrial by-products.
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: This research area will produce numerous tools,
models, and peer reviewed journal articles. These outputs and products produced will use a variety
of data, tools, and method/analytical approaches including, but not limited to:
•	Evaluation and characterization of emerging technologies, policies, sorting, and
identification trends in reuse, recycling, and demolition activities.
•	Collection and analysis of data from ORD colleagues, existing data, and/or review of new
literature to address issues related to leaching of organics into groundwater
•	LEAF methods and software (i.e., LeachXS-Lite) to measure organic and inorganic
Constituents of Potential Concern (COPCs)
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• In situ laboratory experiments on soil amendments, including implementation of screening
tools and engineered soil amendment mixtures
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: This research area will produce a large volume
of scientific deliverables which will require complex research planning, facilitation, review
coordination, task prioritization, and regular interactions with the program customer to ensure
deliverables/products address the customer needs. In FY 2022, EPA will continue to develop more
efficient methods of project implementation and tracking.
Dissemination of findings: Research area findings will take a variety of publicly available
forms including journal publications, open access tools, and models
Office of Water (OW)
Activity 1:
Title
Drinking Water Infrastructure Revolving Fund State Reviews
Lead National
Program
Office of Water
Planned Start
Date
10/2021
Planned completion
date
9/2022
Purpose and brief description: Annually, EPA completes reviews of each State Drinking Water
Revolving Fund Program.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: These reviews assess if states are
effectively implementing the Drinking Water Revolving Fund Categorical Grant program to
facilitate community water system compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Question(s) this activity will address:
• Are states effectively implementing the Drinking Water Revolving Fund Categorical Grant
program to facilitate community water system compliance with the Safe Drinking Water
Act and complying with the EPA's State and Tribal Assistance Grant program
requirements?
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: Data are provided from each state Drinking Water
State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program review conducted by EPA headquarters and regions.
The review includes elements such as state fund usage and utilization rates, financial transaction
reviews, and state compliance rates with drinking water standards.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: There are no anticipated challenges.
Dissemination of findings: EPA makes publicly available an annual report on the status of
the national DWSRF program. EPA also shares project and financial data at the national and
state level.
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Activity 2:
Title
Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) Program Reviews
Lead National
Program
Office of Water
Planned Start
Date
10/2021
Planned completion
date
9/2022
Purpose and brief description: EPA annually conducts reviews of agencies with Public Water
System Supervision (PWSS) primacy (55 reviews).
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: These reviews assess if primacy
entities are effectively implementing the PWSS program to oversee community water system
compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Question(s) this activity will address:
• Are primacy entities effectively implementing the range of activities in the PWSS program
to oversee community water system compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act?
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: Data are provided via program review reports by
agencies with primacy for the PWSS program. The reports are reviewed by EPA and it includes
elements such as state use of the funds and the associated impact, compliance and implementation
of SDWA regulations, alignment of program with national enforcement and compliance priorities,
and public communication efforts.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: There are no anticipated challenges.
Dissemination of findings: EPA's regional offices engage and share results with
primacy agencies under their purview. EPA shares PWSS information on water system
compliance rates across and within states.
Activity 3:
Title
Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) National Regulation
Non-Compliance Review
Lead National
Program
Office of Water
Planned Start
Date
10/2021
Planned completion
date
9/2022
Purpose and brief description: EPA will conduct a review of the SDWIS National Public Water
System Regulation Non-Compliance data.
Programmatic or policy decisions this activity will inform: The review assesses what drinking
water regulation or technical, managerial, and financial state and public water system capacity-
building training in support of drinking water standard compliance should be emphasized for the
future term.
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Question(s) this activity will address:
• Is the Agency getting the data it and the public need to understand compliance with
drinking water standards?
Data, tools, method/analytical approach: Data are provided from EPA's SDWIS-Fed and states'
SDWIS-State data systems, along with state program reviews mentioned above in Activity 2.
Anticipated challenges and proposed solutions: There are no anticipated challenges.
Dissemination of findings: SDWIS Fed is a publicly available database and SDWIS State,
with compliance information, is managed by individual primacy agency.
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