FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Additional FY 2018 Contributions to EPA's Portfolio of Evidence
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance
Office of the Administrator
National Environmental
Justice Advisory Council
(NEJAC) Report on
Financing for Water
Infrastructure in Low-
Income Communities
Office of the Administrator
(OA)
Completed: August 2018
NEJAC finalized its report in
August 2018 to answer the
charge from the Office of
Water to provide
recommendations on ideas
and improvements for the
financing of water
infrastructure projects in
low-income communities
which typically struggle to
attain the resources, capacity
and expertise to secure
reliable clean sources of
drinking water and
wastewater systems.
NEJAC's Water Infrastructure
Work Group provided
research, community-based
information, and examples
about the most significant
challenges experienced by
many communities. NEJAC
offered eight goals to enable
all communities to achieve
access to clean, affordable
water and sanitation. Each
goal corresponds to the
charge questions:
•	Governments treat water
as a human right.
•	Request Congress to
allocate more funding to
help communities with
infrastructure building,
oversight and public
health protection.
•	Promote affordable water
and wastewater rates.
•	Prioritize issues in EJ
communities.
•	Involve EJ communities
meaningfully in
infrastructure decisions.
•	Build community capacity
in water systems.
•	Support innovative
technologies.
•	Be accountable and
rebuild public confidence
and trust in regulations.
EPA's Office of Water
will work with the Office
of Environmental Justice
to assess the NEJAC
recommendations and
determine which of
them can be pursued for
integration or adoption
within EPA water
infrastructure business
practices.
i

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance
Annual Update of
EJSCREEN
Office of the Administrator
(OA)
Completed: August 2018
www.epa.gov/eiscreen
EJSCREEN provides a
nationally consistent GIS-
based platform to screen for
environmental justice issues
and communities with
environmental justice
concerns by presenting an
easy-to-use interface where
users can access multiples
indices on potential for
environmental risk/impact,
demographic factors, and the
combination of the two.
EJSCREEN is updated
annually and is available
publicly.
EJSCREEN continues to be
improved with each annual
update. Improvements are
based upon the continuous
feedback received by users
internal and external to EPA.
This past year this feedback
was supplemented through
the execution of user surveys
and an analysis of user
responses.
Based on this year's
feedback, several
changes were made to
improve the user
interface and one of the
major indices was
substantially changed
and the dataset
modified by working
with OLEM to include
Large Quantity Waste
Generators (LQGs). The
inclusion of LQGs
significantly improves a
user's ability to screen
for vulnerable
communities potentially
impacted by hazardous
waste.
Office of Administration anc
Resources Management
Space Reduction
Office of Administration
and Resources
Management (OARM)
Completed: Initial internal
study completed as the
Real Property Efficiency
Plan in FY 2016; ongoing
annual reviews
The purpose of this study
was to report on EPA's
efforts to reduce EPA's
owned and leased space
footprint.
Between FY 2018 and FY
2022, EPA will have released
over 850,000 square feet of
space nationwide, resulting
in a cumulative annual rent
avoidance of nearly $28
million. In FY 2018, EPA
released 149,278 square feet.
Ongoing reports on
EPA's efforts to reduce
the Agency's owned and
leased space footprint
are critical for senior
management to remain
engaged and conscious
of the agency's progress
on reducing space. To
ensure continued
success, senior
managers must be
willing to adapt the
physical footprint of
their organizations so
EPA can reduce facility
space and save on lease
and operations and
maintenance costs.
With the information in
this study, Agency
senior managers remain
committed to priorities
outlined in the Agency's
space reduction plan.
2

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance
Strategic Sourcing
Office of Administration
and Resources
Management (OARM)
Completed: Ongoing
internal annual
assessments
The purpose of this study
was to assess EPA's annual
buying patterns and report
on information that will help
EPA determine services and
products most conducive to
strategic sourcing, thereby
improving the Agency's
buying power.
In FY 2018, OARM identified
$2.7 million avoided costs
using data analysis tools to
monitor specific, measurable
data related to print services,
cellular services, shipping,
Microsoft software, voice
services, office supplies, lab
supplies, PCs, and furniture.
EPA has achieved $14.5
million in cost avoidance
from FY 2013 to FY 2018.
EPA consistently assesses
buying patterns annually to
identify more efficient
procurement solutions.
While these trends inform
strategic sourcing planning
decisions, many services and
products possess unique
features that require
nuanced approaches. EPA
adopts uniform strategic
sourcing when applicable.
OARM added two new
categories, PCs and
furniture, in the FY 2018
analysis. PCs were
identified as an OMB-
mandated category,
under Category
Management Policy 15-
1: Improving the
Acquisition and
Management of
Common Information
Technology: Laptops
and Desktops. Pursuant
to this OMB policy, EPA
began tracking savings
for PC purchases using
BIC contract solutions in
FY 2016. In FY 2018, EPA
began efforts to align PC
purchasing with its
Strategic Sourcing
Program.
Building on the Strategic
Sourcing success, OARM
plans to add new
categories in FY 2019:
PCs, Oracle services,
Furniture,
Administrative Support
Services, Facility
Operations Support
Services,
Education/Training
Services, and Package
Delivery Services.
3

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance
OIG Report: EPA Paid
$14.5 Million to Foreign
Fellows that Could Have
Funded Research by U.S.
Citizens or Permanent
Residents
Office of the Inspector
General (OIG)
Office of Administration
and Resources
Management (OARM)
Office of Research and
Development (ORD)
Completed: September
2018
https://www.epa.gov/sites
OIG conducted this audit to
determine: (1) whether EPA's
non-competitive awards to
nonprofit organizations for
fellowships are in the public's
best interest and an effective
use of taxpayer dollars; (2)
whether EPA's execution of
the fellowship program
maximizes the environmental
research results and meets
EPA's mission; and (3) the
accuracy and allowability of
costs reported by nonprofit
organizations from fellowship
cooperative agreements.
OIG recommended that EPA
stipulate in future applicable
grants and cooperative
agreements that fellowships
can only be awarded to U.S.
citizens or those holding a
visa permitting permanent
residence in the United
States. OIG also
recommended that EPA
develop a policy for
fellowships awarded under
cooperative agreements.
Further, OIG recommended
that EPA perform advanced
administrative monitoring
reviews for the two audited
cooperative agreement
recipients that reported
inaccurate expenses to
ensure the recipients comply
with cooperative agreement
terms and conditions.
EPA agreed with the OIG
recommendations and
provided planned
corrective actions and
completion dates that
are acceptable and
meet the intent of the
recommendations.
/production/files/2018-
09/documents/ epaoig 20
180926-18-p-
Office of Air and Radiation
Our Nation's Air
Office of Air and Radiation
(OAR)
Completed: July 2018
https://gispub.epa.gov/air/
trendsreport/2018/
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.
Nationally, concentrations of
the criteria air pollutants
have dropped significantly
since 1990. Between 1970
and 2017, the combined
emissions of the six common
pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10,
S02, NOx, VOCs, CO and Pb)
dropped by 73%. This
progress occurred while the
U.S. economy continued to
grow (262% growth in GDP),
Americans drove more miles
and population and energy
use increased.
Annual emissions
estimates are used as
one indicator of the
effectiveness of the air
program. EPA and states
track direct emissions of
air pollutants and
emissions that
contribute to the
formation of key
pollutants, also known
as precursor emissions.
Emissions data are
compiled from many
different organizations,
including industry and
state, tribal and local
agencies. Understanding
emission sources helps
EPA and states control
air pollution.
4

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Significance
Project in Brief
2014 National Air Toxics
Assessment (NATA)
Office of Air and Radiation
(OAR)
Completed: August 2018
https://www.epa.gov/natio
nal-air-toxics-
assessment/2014-national-
air-toxics-assessment
Purpose and Brief
Description
NATA helps assess which air
toxics and emission source
types may pose health risks.
NATA also helps EPA and
other agencies determine
which places may need
further study to better
understand risks.
List of Results and
Conclusions
The 2014 version of NATA,
released in August 2018 is
based on emissions for the
calendar year 2014. It
includes estimates of
exposure and risk for 180 air
toxics that EPA regulates
under the Clean Air Act. It
also estimates exposure and
risks for diesel particulate
matter (noncancer effects
only). Nationwide, total
emissions of air toxics are
declining, and air quality
monitoring data show that
concentrations of many
toxics in the air, such as
benzene, also are trending
downward. The 2014 NATA
estimates that the
nationwide average cancer
risk from air toxics exposure
is 30 in 1 million. About half
of that risk comes from the
formation of formaldehyde -
produced when other
pollutants chemically react in
the air. This is known as
secondary formation, and
comes from emissions from
industries, mobile sources,
and natural sources. The
other half of the nationwide
cancer risk comes from
pollution that is directly
emitted to the air. Despite
improvements, some local
areas still face challenges.
The 2014 NATA results
indicate that some census
tracts (less than 1% of all
tracts) may have elevated
risks of cancer from air toxics
exposure. Industrial
emissions of three pollutants
- ethylene oxide,
NATA is a screening
tool, intended to help
EPA and state, local and
tribal air agencies
determine if areas,
pollutants or types of
pollution sources need
to be examined further
to better understand
risks to public health.
EPA uses NATA results in
many ways, including to:
help communities
design their own local
assessments; improve
emissions inventories;
and learn where EPA
can expand and improve
the air toxics monitoring
network.
The 2014 NATA shows
that several areas could
have elevated cancer
risks from long-term
exposure to the
chemical ethylene
oxide. The elevated risks
are largely driven by an
EPA risk value that was
updated in late 2016.
Based on the NATA
result, EPA is using its
tools under the Clean
Air Act to address
emissions of ethylene
oxide from certain types
of industries.
5

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance


chloroprene and coke oven
emissions - contribute to
most of the risk in these
tracts.

Lean Project: State
Implementation Plans
(SIPs) Review and
Approval Process
Improvement Project
Office of Air and Radiation
(OAR)
Completed: February 2018
with ongoing
implementation
OAR and the regions
conducted a multi-office Lean
event in February 2018,
which included state and
local officials to assess the
SIP process.
Post-event implementation is
focused on: improving
efficiency of review and
approval of newly submitted
SIPs with an emphasis on
early engagement with
state/local air agencies;
reducing the backlog of
pending SIPs; and
implementing visual
management tools.
Process improvements
along with a new
electronic SIP submittal
and tracking system are
expected to result in
strengthened
collaboration across EPA
and between EPA and
state/local air agencies,
more efficient review
and approval of newly
submitted SIPs,
reduction in the number
of pending SIPS, and
better reporting data.
Lean Project: Process
Improvement Project for
Title V and New Source
Review (NSR)/Prevention
of Significant Deterioration
(PSD) Permits
Office of Air and Radiation
(OAR)
Completed: Spring 2018
with ongoing
implementation
OAR and the regions
conducted several Lean
events in Spring 2018 to
make the air permitting
process more efficient and
effective while fulfilling Clean
Air Act statutory
responsibilities.
Post-event implementation is
underway focused on
developing best practices and
other tools and providing
technical assistance before
and during the permitting
process.
Improvements are
expected to streamline,
and in some cases,
accelerate the air
permitting process.
Lean Project: Performance
Evaluation Program (PEP)
and National Performance
Audit Program (NPAP)
Process Re-Engineering
Project
Office of Air and Radiation
(OAR)
Completed: NPAP -
February 2016; PEP -
ongoing implementation
EPA began a multi-year Lean
project in March 2015 to re-
engineer two audit processes
to make them more efficient
and reduce/eliminate the
manual steps in the
process. The goal is to
facilitate the timely (in weeks
for NPAP, months for PEP)
reporting of audit data by
state, local, and tribal air
pollution control agencies
into the Air Quality
System. The National
NPAP was addressed first,
and the new process was
successfully implemented in
February 2016. EPA
continues to work out the
complex field and mainframe
computing details needed to
implement the new PEP
process. Based on available
programming resources, EPA
projects a preliminary launch
in early 2019. Full
deployment is expected to
take about a year to
This multi-year Lean
project has led to the re-
engineering of two audit
processes resulting in
significant efficiency
improvements as well as
streamlining manual
steps in the audit
process leading to
improved processes for
EPA and state, local, and
tribal air pollution
control agencies.
6

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance

Ambient Monitoring Program
uses two audit processes to
ensure the stability and
reliability of the national
ambient air monitoring
network. Both processes, the
PEP and the NPAP, were
manual in nature and
required considerable quality
assurance to ensure
accuracy.
complete. Tools required to
support the new process
were developed in-house and
will be maintained by EPA.

Office of Chemical Safety arid Pollution Prevention
OIG Report: EPA's June
2018 Issuance of the
Delayed Notice of
Availability of Farm
Worker Protection
Training Materials Will
Reduce Risks of Injury and
Illness
Office of Inspector General
(OIG)
Office of Chemical Safety
and Pollution Prevention
(OCSPP)
Completed: August 2018
https://www.epa.gov/offic
e-inspector-general/report-
epas-iune-2018-issuance-
OIG conducted this audit to
determine how the lack of a
Notice of Availability (NOA)
of required Agricultural
Worker Protection Standard
(WPS) training materials
affected implementation of
the revised rule. EPA
established the WPS in 1974,
expanded it in 1992, and
revised it in 2015.
Compliance with most of the
2015 revisions was required
by January 2, 2017;
compliance with all other
2015 revisions—including
expanded training—was
required by January 1, 2018.
Per the 2015 rule, EPA was to
publish a NOA in the Federal
Register to inform
stakeholders when expanded
training materials were
available. Employers were
then to include this material
in their WPS training
programs within 180 days of
the NOA's publication. EPA's
Office of Pesticide Programs
is responsible for regulatory
activities associated with the
Agricultural WPS.
EPA did not publish a NOA
when expanded training
materials for the 2015
revised Agricultural WPS
were available. As a result,
although there were
expanded training materials
available, EPA allowed
employers to continue to use
the "old" pesticide safety
training materials. These
"old" training materials did
not include the revised 2015
WPS requirements, which
were designed to reduce the
risk of injury and illness from
pesticide exposure.
In addition, in a notice of
proposed rulemaking
published December 21,
2017, the Agency announced
its intention to further revise
the WPS. In this notice, EPA
said it would not issue a NOA
for the expanded training
materials until the additional
rulemaking process was
completed. However, EPA
also said that the original
compliance dates for the
revised standard would
remain in effect.
After the start of this
audit, EPA published an
NOA on June 22, 2018,
notifying its
stakeholders through
the Federal Register that
the expanded WPS
training materials were
available. By publishing
the NOA, EPA is
advancing its mission to
provide agricultural
workers, handlers and
employers with the
most recent training
materials to help
mitigate the risk of
pesticide exposure.
delaved-notice-availabilitv-
farm-worker
7

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance
OIG Report: EPA's
Chemical Data Reporting
Rule Largely Implemented
as Intended, but
Opportunities for
Improvement Exist
Office of Inspector General
(OIG)
Office of Chemical Safety
and Pollution Prevention
(OCSPP)
Completed: July 2018
https://www.epa.gov/offic
OIG conducted this audit to
determine: (1) how EPA is
ensuring that companies are
compliant with Chemical
Data Reporting (CDR) Rule
requirements under the Toxic
Substances Control Act
(TSCA); and (2) whether EPA
is using CDR data to prioritize
chemicals for the purpose of
identifying their potential
risks to human health and
the environment.
Under the CDR Rule, EPA
collects information about
the types, quantities and
uses of chemical substances
produced domestically and
imported into the United
States. EPA uses this
information, which
manufacturers and importers
are required to submit every
four years, to screen and
prioritize chemicals for the
purpose of identifying
potential human health risks
and environmental effects,
per the methodology
outlined in the Agency's TSCA
Work Plan.
As required by TSCA, EPA is
using CDR data to help assess
the risks of chemicals in U.S.
commerce. OIG determined
that EPA is implementing the
risk evaluation process as
outlined in its TSCA Work
Plan to assess chemicals for
human health and
environmental risks (in 2016,
TSCA was amended by the
Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical
Safety for the 21st Century
Act, providing a new
framework for chemical risk
evaluation and
management).
In addition, EPA uses tools
such as on-site inspections to
monitor companies'
compliance with the CDR
Rule, and the Agency takes
enforcement action when
violations are identified.
However, OIG noted that
while EPA conducts data
quality checks of the
chemical information
submitted by companies
every four years, the Agency
lacks documented policies
and procedures that specify
how to select and conduct
these data quality checks.
EPA developed a
standard operating
procedure document
that describes roles and
responsibilities and the
process to ensure that
quality CDR information
is received and used by
the Agency. This
document was
completed on October
25, 2018.
e-inspector-general/report-
epas-chemical-data-
reportinE-rule-largely-
implemented-intended
OIG Report: EPA Can
Better Manage State
Pesticide Cooperative
Agreements to More
Effectively Use Funds and
Reduce Risk of Pesticide
Misuse
Office of Inspector General
(OIG)
OIG conducted this review to
determine whether EPA's
negotiations, review and
approval of state work plans
for compliance inspections—
which are required as part of
FIFRA cooperative
agreements—support the
achievement of Agency goals
and requirements. Under
FIFRA, EPA has the authority
to regulate how pesticides
EPA cannot ensure that its
FIFRA cooperative agreement
funding achieves Agency
goals and reduces risks to
human health and the
environment from pesticide
misuse. OIG identified
weaknesses in the processes
that underlie the
development and monitoring
of FIFRA compliance
In order to further
improve program
performance and
oversight, EPA is
developing an electronic
database to streamline
work plan submission
and enhancing the
communication and
collaboration between
EPA and grantees
8

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance
Office of Chemical Safety
and Pollution Prevention
(OCSPP)
Completed: February 2018
https://www.epa.gov/offic
e-inspector-general/report-
epa-can-better-manaee-
are registered, distributed
and sold, and whether they
are used appropriately.
Through cooperative
agreements, EPA's pesticides
compliance monitoring
program awards states
approximately $19 million
annually. As part of the
cooperative agreements,
grantees must submit annual
work plans that commit to
performing a certain number
of inspections.
inspection work plans.
Specifically:
•	EPA FIFRA Project
Officers did not
consistently assess
whether the funding
requested by states for
compliance inspections
was reasonable. OIG
found that EPA funding
per planned inspection
can vary significantly
among state cooperative
agreements. Moreover,
EPA guidance for
assessing whether the
funding requested is
reasonable was not well
defined.
•	EPA did not use the
performance of
completed state pesticide
enforcement work plans
to improve successive
work plans or to
demonstrate whether
compliance inspections
achieved Agency goals
and requirements.
throughout the process
by November 30, 2019.
state-pesticide-
cooperative-agreements-
more
Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
Lean Project: Civil
Inspector Credential
Process
Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
(OECA)
Completed: July 2018
In July of 2018, EPA
conducted a Lean event to
streamline the inspector
credentialing process, which
when implemented, will
ensure greater integrity in
the inspector credentialing
process while increasing
efficiency.
The goals of the event were
to: (1) shorten the amount of
time for credentials to be
processed; (2) establish and
maintain integrity in the
process; and, (3) minimize
The event found that there
was great variation among
the regions and HQ in the
inspector credentialing
process, and that processing
time varied from 26-127 days
depending on the request.
The event identified nine
common steps in the current
process which could be
streamlined, and also found
that many of those steps
involved paper records which
could be digitized.
EPA used the findings to
develop a new,
paperless electronic
credentialing process,
which, when launched,
will reduce the
credentialing process
time by 81% to a
maximum of 25 days.
This will be achieved by
reducing the number of
steps in the
credentialing process
from nine to six and
reducing the number of
people involved from as
9

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance

vulnerabilities and reduce
risk.

many as 38, to a
maximum of seven
persons (82%
reduction).
Office of International and Tribal Affairs
General Assistance
Program (GAP) Guidance
Evaluation
Office of International and
Tribal Affairs (OITA)
Completed: Ongoing
throughout 2018
EPA is evaluating
implementation of GAP
under the current GAP
guidance to identify
improvements.
EPA is consulting with and
reaching to tribes across the
country for comments. The
Agency began evaluating
comments in September
2018.
The GAP Guidance Evaluation
is a process (not a single
report) initiated by OITA to
assess the GAP program as
implemented under the
current GAP guidance. OITA
worked out a process with
national tribal caucus
representatives for
conducting the evaluation.
OITA's desired outcomes of
the evaluation are: (1) to
build improved shared
understanding with tribes of
the purpose of GAP program,
its implementation
mechanisms, and associated
guidance; and (2) to enable
OITA to make decisions about
improving the GAP Guidance
and implementation of the
Guidance that are informed
by the full range of tribal and
EPA perspectives.
EPA will use the results
of the GAP Guidance
Evaluation to improve
the current guidance
and its
implementation. EPA
anticipates releasing a
draft revised GAP
guidance for tribal
review in Summer 2019.
A new version of GAP
Online is customizable
for better reports and
should prepare the
office to input data into
a performance
management system.
Office of Land and Emergency Management
Property Value Study of
High-Profile Underground
Storage Tank (UST)
Release Sites
Office of Land and
Emergency Management
(OLEM)
The purpose of the study was
to determine the impact of
high-profile UST releases on
housing prices.
The study found that high
profile UST releases decrease
nearby property values 2% -
6%. Once a cleanup is
completed, nearby property
values rebound by a similar
margin.
The findings will be used
to help EPA
demonstrate the value
of preventing releases
(to avoid decreases in
property value, as well
to clean up any releases
that do exist).
10

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FY 2018 Annual Performance Report
Environmental Protection Agency
Project in Brief
Purpose and Brief
Description
List of Results and
Conclusions
Significance
Completed: March 2018
https://doi.org/10.1016/iJ



eem.2017.12.003
Lean Project: Backlog of
Open Work Packages in
the Assessment Cleanup
and Redevelopment
Exchange System (ACRES)
Office of Land and
Emergency Management
(OLEM)
Completed: February 2018
The purpose of the weeklong
Lean event in February 2018
was to reduce the backlog of
open work packages in
ACRES. The Brownfields
Program provides grant
funding to support
assessment and cleanup
activities and needs effective
grant reporting to learn when
sites are made Ready for
Anticipated Use. The Lean
event focused on reporting
data into ACRES, how to
improve "work package"
review when a grantee
initiates a work package, and
how to encourage grantees
to report after the EPA grant
has closed out.
The event resulted in the
recommendation that the
Office of Brownfields Land
and Revitalization (OBLR) will
begin tracking progress on
closing ACRES work packages
that have been open more
than 90 days. The event also
resulted in EPA establishing
targets to reduce the backlog
by 50% by December 31,
2018,	and 100% by June 30,
2019.
OBLR started tracking
progress on closing
ACRES work packages in
May 2018. By December
2018, OBLR developed
standard operation
procedures for closing
out work packages that
have been open greater
than 90 days.
OIG Report: EPA
Needs to Finish
Prioritization and
Resource Allocation
Methodologies for
Abandoned Uranium
Mine Sites on or Near
Navajo Lands
Office of the Inspector
General (OIG)
Office of the Land and
Emergency
Management (OLEM)
Completed: August
2018
https://www.epa.gov/
OIG conducted this audit
from December 2017 to June
2018 to determine whether
EPA had a method for
prioritizing cleanup of the
approximately 50 abandoned
uranium mine (AUM) sites on
or near Navajo Nation lands
covered under a special
account established in 2015
totaling approximately $1
billion; and whether EPA has
a resource allocation
methodology for the special
account funds that accounts
for estimated cleanup cost,
timeframe for cleanup, and
scope of cleanup for the 50
sites.
EPA has taken steps to
develop a prioritization
methodology for cleaning up
AUM sites on or near Navajo
Nation lands that are part of
a 2015 settlement with a
chemical company, Tronox
Incorporated. In conjunction
with Tronox AUM cleanup
stakeholders, EPA has
developed a system for
identifying immediate risks
and has taken the removal
actions needed. EPA follows
the National Contingency
Plan for assigning risk to the
sites and is gathering the
data needed to complete
prioritization for all Tronox
AUM sites covered by the
settlement. EPA is tracking
the estimated cleanup costs,
Regions 6 and 9 have
agreed on a timeline to
complete the key
activities necessary to
finalize their
prioritization
methodology by
December 31, 2020.
Also, by the end of
calendar year 2021, EPA
agreed to complete
development and
implementation of the
resource allocation
methodology following
the cost analysis of the
preferred remedies. The
regions' efforts will help
result in the effective
use of the Tronox
special account and will
help provide continued
sites/produ ct ion /f i 10 s/
2018-
08/documents/ epaoi
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g 20180822-18-p-
0233.odf

timeframe for cleanup, and
scope of cleanup for some of
the Tronox AUM sites where
work has already been
conducted.
protection of human
health and the
environment.
Office of Research and Development
Lean Project:
Onboarding/Deprovisionin
g Non-Federal Employees
Office of Research and
Development (ORD)
Completed: December
2017
The purpose of this Lean
event was to improve the
onboarding and
deprovisioning of ORD non-
federal employees.
The Lean event identified a
number of countermeasures
including the establishment
of an ORD deprovisioning
(dPROV) policy, standardizing
the ORD out-processing
checklist, developing training
on the new policy and
procedures, and developing a
dPROV dashboard.
Process improvements
will result in a reduction
to Working Capital Fund
cost due to timely
account cancellations.
The ongoing effort
identifies approximately
five Working Capital
Fund user registrations
per month that should
be cancelled, avoiding
about $3,000 per month
of unnecessary costs.
Lean Project: Unliquidated
Obligation (ULO)
Management
Office of Research and
Development (ORD)
Completed: May 2018
The purpose of this Lean
event was to improve the
tracking, monitoring, and
accountability of expiring
ULOs and improve planning
to ensure that contracts and
grants are not overfunded
and that obligated funds can
be expended quickly and
efficiently.
The Lean event identified a
number of countermeasures
including development of
budget/extramural planning
forums to be held with each
Lab, Center, or Office (LCO),
creation of standard
reporting and tracking
requirements for all
extramural vehicles, and
development of COR training
focused on monitoring and
managing ULOs.
Process improvements
will create a framework
for enhanced fiscal
accountability and a
significant reduction in
dollars lost in expired
appropriations.
OIG Report: EPA Needs a
Comprehensive Vision and
Strategy for Citizen Science
that Aligns with Its
Strategic Objectives on
Public Participation
Office of the Inspector
General (OIG)
Office of Research and
Development (ORD)
Completed: September
2018
OIG conducted this audit to
determine whether EPA has
developed controls to
manage the use of citizen
science results to meet the
Agency's mission.
OIG recommended that EPA
establish a strategic vision
and objectives for citizen
science, and direct
completion of an assessment
to identify the data
management requirements
for using citizen science data
and an action plan. Further,
OIG recommended that ORD
finalize a draft handbook for
citizen science and build the
capacity for managing the
use of citizen science.
EPA is convening an
agency-wide workgroup
to oversee the
implementation of OIG
recommendations on
improvements to the
citizen science program.
EPA is on track to fulfill
these recommendations
by December 31, 2020.
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https://www.epa.gov/sites



/production/files/2018-
09/documents/ epaoig 20
180905-18-p-
0240 Elance.pdf
Office of Water
Great Lakes Restoration
Initiative (GLRI): FY 2017
Report to Congress and
the President
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: December
2018
The EPA Administrator is
required by Clean Water Act
Section 118 (c)(7)H)(iii) to
provide this report to the
Committee on
Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House
of Representatives and the
Committee on Environment
and Public Works of the
Senate. The report is
provided annually and
includes a detailed
description of the progress of
the Initiative and amounts
transferred to participating
Federal departments and
agencies. The report also
satisfies the Action Plan II
Measure of Progress for
issuance of annual GLRI
reports to Congress and the
President.
The document reports on
actions the program has
taken, provides an overview
of progress, and includes a
program evaluation by
means of a chart
summarizing progress under
the 34 measures of progress
and explanations of results
under those measures.
The GLRI, led by EPA, has
been a catalyst for
unparalleled federal agency
coordination. This
coordination has produced
unprecedented results. GLRI
resources have
supplemented agency base
budgets, and together these
resources have funded over
4,000 projects that improve
water quality, protect and
restore native habitats and
species, prevent and control
invasive species, and address
other additional Great Lakes
environmental problems. The
report provides an overview
of progress during FY 2017
for each Focus Area under
GLRI Action Plan II. The
results and conclusions
include:
-	Highlights of achievements
under each of the GLRI
Action Plan focus areas.
-	Financial progress in
obligating funds.
-	Quantitative or qualitative
results achieved for each of
the 34 measures of progress
under the GLRI Action Plan.
-	Agencies met or exceeded
targets for 9 of the 10
measures with targets.
EPA is using results to
influence outyear
planning and funding
decisions. Results are
also informing measures
and targets for a new
GLRI Action Plan.
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Lean Project: National
Aquatic Resource Surveys
(NARS)
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: Throughout
2018
EPA's state and tribal
partners, as well the public,
value accuracy, integrity and
quality of the data and
information provided by the
NARS program. EPA
conducted a Lean event to
identify improvements in the
time it takes to QA/QC data
and analyze results that will
enable the Agency to provide
information to partners and
other customers more
timely.
Through the Lean exercise,
EPA identified several areas
where processes could be
improved or streamlined
including distributing Task
Order Contracting Officer's
Representative (TOCOR)
responsibilities from
managing laboratory data
deliverables among more
staff to eliminate backlog in
reviewing data, providing
feedback to labs within two
weeks, enforcing data
templates for labs,
consolidating Standard
Operating Plans (SOPS) for
data review and developing
Quality Assurance (QA)
guides for preparation of
final datasets.
EPA is now
implementing
recommendations from
the Lean event. The
TOCORs have weekly
huddles, spending 15-30
minutes updating data
status and identifying
corrective actions. The
Data Lead updated the
data review SOPs and
the QA SOPs.
Lean Project: New Jersey
Department of the
Environment Lean Event
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: February 2018
In February 2018, the New
Jersey Department of the
Environmental Protection (NJ
DEP), with the support of
EPA, conducted a Lean event
to identify improvements to
the 303(d)/305(b) Integrated
Reporting process.
Using Lean methodologies,
NJ DEP identified several
areas of improvement,
including modifying their
data solicitation process,
streamlining the
development of listing of
impaired waterbodies
methodologies, automating
the assessment process and
incorporating Water Quality
Assessment and Total
Maximum Daily Loads
Information into their
reporting, and streamlining
their report.
EPA and NJ are
developing an
implementation plan
and there will be
opportunities for other
states to learn from NJ's
progress in reducing
waters not meeting
standards.
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Lean Project: Issuing
National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) Permits
More Quickly
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: January 2018
The Agency conducted a Lean
event in January 2018 and a
pilot study of visual
management tools in July
2018 to identify
opportunities to improve the
timeliness of EPA issuance of
individual NPDES permits to
meet the goal of issuing
permits within six months.
EPA's FY 2018-2022 Strategic
Plan includes a Strategic
Measure stating the goal: "By
September 30, 2022, reach
all permitting-related
decisions within six months."
Decisions on permit
applications for new EPA-
issued individual NPDES
permits often take longer
than six months. Data from
the past three years indicate
that it took an average of
1,072 days from permit
application submission to
permit issuance/denial. EPA
needs to reduce the time for
issuing new permits to six
months.
The NPDES Kaizen team
has identified and begun
to implement
countermeasures that
will streamline the
permit issuance process.
Countermeasures
include modifying public
notice and permit
application regulations,
modifying existing
permit applications and
streamlining
consultation processes.
Biennial Strategy Review
System
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: November
2018
www.chesapeakeprogress.
com.
The Chesapeake Bay
Program's (CBP) Biennial
Strategy Review System is
the adaptive management-
based review process by
which the Partnership seeks
to meet the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed Agreement
commitment of biennially
evaluating and updating
strategies to address
changing environmental and
economic conditions.
The System establishes a
consistent method for
evaluating progress towards
the 31 Outcomes of the
Agreement based on the
adaptive management logic
of the Partnership's Decision
Framework. Groups evaluate
progress on actions intended
to fill gaps in managing
factors, and whether those
actions are having an effect
and/or still warranted.
The Program's Management
Board held quarterly reviews
with groups of
interconnected Outcomes to
encourage cross-program
collaboration and tie
discussion to release of
recent indicator data for
decision-making. Progress
meetings focus on
overcoming barriers using
the collective knowledge and
experience of the
Management Board.
All 31 outcomes have now
gone through the first cycle
of this review process and a
two-day meeting will be held
in March 2019 to review
what has been learned and
apply it to the second cycle of
this process.
Discussions and action
items informed the next
iteration of
Management Strategies
and Work Plans, and
thus the next two years
of work. Progress
toward Outcomes can
be assessed in the
interim using indicator
data. Many, but not all,
of the program's
indicators are updated
on an annual basis.
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2017 Progress Run Using
Phase 5.3.2 of the
Watershed Model
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: July 2018
http://www.chesapeakepr
oeress.com/clean-
water/water-
qualitv/watershed-
implementation-plans
Each annual progress run
uses reported wastewater
data, air deposition data for
Nitrogen Oxide (Nox) and
best management practice
(BMP) implementation data,
incorporated into a
calibrated model, to estimate
the percentage of the
reduction goal (Bay TMDL)
met for each jurisdiction for
nitrogen, phosphorus and
sediment.
As of 2017, pollution-
reducing practices are in
place to achieve 40% of
nitrogen reductions, 87% of
phosphorus reductions and
67% of sediment reductions
necessary to attain applicable
water quality standards as
compared to 2009, the year
before EPA established the
Bay TMDL.
The Chesapeake Bay TMDL
and the 2014 Chesapeake
Bay Watershed Agreement
call for practices to be in
place to reduce both nutrient
and sediment loads by 60%
by 2017 and 100% by 2025.
Therefore, the nitrogen
reductions missed the target,
but the phosphorus and
sediment reductions have
exceeded their respective
targets for this midpoint
(2017).
Under the
accountability
framework, EPA
committed to conduct
oversight of Bav
jurisdictions' programs
to ensure they are on
track to meet the goals
of their Watershed
Implementation Plans
(WIPs) and two-year
milestones.
The Chesapeake Bay Total
Maximum Daily Load
(TMDL) Midpoint
Assessment
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: July 2018
https://mpa.chesapeakeba
v.net/
Recognizing that change is
inevitable over a 15-year
period in a dynamic
environment like the Bay, the
2017 midpoint assessment
has three primary objectives:
•	Gather input from the
partnership on issues and
priorities to be addressed
in order to help meet the
goal of all practices in
place by 2025 to meet
water quality standards.
•	Based on these priorities,
review the latest science,
data, tools and BMPs,
incorporate as appropriate
into the decision-support
tools that guide
As part of the midpoint
assessment toward Water
Quality goals, the CBP
partnership has incorporated
additional/more recent local
land use data, refined
information on the transport
of loads through the Bay
watershed, and better
predicted future impacts of
population growth and
climate change in the Bay
watershed for incorporation
into the modeling tools to
improve implementation
planning in Phase III.
The Phase 6 suite of
decision support tools
has been refined in
many ways, including
the addition of
simulation years,
monitoring stations and
updated BMP
efficiencies. This Phase 6
suite of models is being
used by the CBP
partnership to set
reduction targets for
each of the seven
jurisdictions and to help
the jurisdictions set
local area goals. This
information will inform
the development of the
Phase III WIPS and two-
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implementation, and
consider lessons learned.
• Help jurisdictions prepare
Phase III WIPs, which will
guide milestones and
implementation from
2018 to 2025.

year milestones and will
help EPA perform its
oversight role to ensure
progress toward
meeting the 2025 goal
of having practices in
place to achieve the
necessary nutrient and
sediment reductions
necessary to meet tidal
Bay water quality
standards. This
information was also
used to inform EPA's
expectations of the
states and federal
facilities in the
development of the
Phase III WIPs.
Water Quality Standards
Attainment Indicator:
Annual Update
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: October 2018
http://www.chesapeakepr
oeress.com/clean-
water/water-aualitv/water-
aualitv
Each year the Chesapeake
Bay Program uses available
monitoring information from
the 92 segments of the
Chesapeake Bay to estimate
whether each segment is
attaining certain criteria for
one or more of its designated
uses.
Results of the 2014 to 2016
assessment period indicate
that 40% of the Chesapeake
Bay and its tidal tributaries
met water quality standards
for Dissolved Oxygen,
clarity/Submerged Aquatic
Vegetation (SAV), and
Chlorophyll a during this
time. These results mark a
3% increase from the
previous assessment period,
during which 37% of the Bay
and its tidal tributaries met
water quality standards.
EPA, and its other
federal, state and
academic partners are
using this information to
explain progress toward
meeting water quality
standards and the Bay
TMDL. This includes
assessing changes in
nutrients and sediment
in the Bay watershed
and analyzing water
quality trends in the
estuary and tidal
tributaries. Further
incorporation and use of
monitoring information
to assess progress is
critical to better
understanding how on-
the-ground actions have
an impact toward
meeting the 2017 and
2025 WIP outcomes,
particularly since
monitoring assessments
will ultimately
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determine when the
jurisdictions' water
quality standards are
achieved.
OIG Report: Management
Weaknesses Delayed
Response to Flint Water
Crisis
Office of the Inspector
General (OIG)
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: July 2018
https://www.epa.gov/offic
e-inspector-general/report-
management-weaknesses-
delaved-response-flint-
water-crisis
OIG conducted an
investigation of the
circumstances and response
to Flint's drinking water
contamination.
EPA should strengthen its
oversight of state drinking
water programs to improve
the efficiency and
effectiveness of the Agency's
response to drinking water
contamination emergencies.
OIG made several
recommendations that the
Office of Water is working to
implement, including:
•	EPA headquarters and EPA
Region 5 should use
lessons learned from Flint
to improve oversight of
Safe Drinking Water Act
compliance.
•	EPA headquarters should
revise the Lead and
Copper Rule (LCR) to
improve the effectiveness
of monitoring
requirements.
EPA Region 5 issued a
memo to GAO in
December of 2019,
confirming that all the
recommendations they
had the lead on have
been completed.
EPA is currently working
on the Long-Term
Revisions to the LCR.
EPA expects to publish
proposed revisions in
2019.
GAO Report: Drinking
Water and Wastewater
Infrastructure:
Opportunities Exist to
Enhance Federal Agency
Needs Assessment and
Coordination on Tribal
Projects
Government Accountability
Office (GAO)
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: May 2018
https://www.gao.gov/asset
s/700/691757.pdf
This May 2018 report
examines the extent to which
selected federal agencies: (1)
identified tribes' drinking
water and wastewater
infrastructure needs; and (2)
funded tribal water
infrastructure projects,
including tribes' most severe
sanitation deficiencies.
GAO's recommendations in
the report are for EPA, along
with other members of the
tribal infrastructure task
force, to review the 2011
task force report and identify
and implement additional
actions to help increase the
task force's collaboration at
the national level; and should
direct EPA regional offices to
identify and pursue
additional mechanisms to
increase their collaboration.
To help increase the
tribal infrastructure task
force's collaboration on
a national level, EPA is
developing a matrix of
past, ongoing and
proposed activities of
the five task force
member agencies
related to the 2011 task
force report. The
infrastructure task force
has discussed ways to
improve regional
interagency
coordination and agreed
to formally
communicate with the
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regions, areas or states
(as appropriate) on this
issue in the near future.
GAO Report: Columbia
River Basin: Additional
Federal Actions Would
Benefit Restoration Efforts
Government Accountability
Office (GAO)
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: August 2018
https://www.gao.gov/asset
s/700/694084.pdf
The August 2018 GAO report
provided a synthesis of a
review of restoration efforts
in the Columbia River Basin
that focused on an
examination of: (1) efforts to
improve water quality in the
Basin from FY 2010-2016; (2)
approaches to collaboration
that entities have used for
selected efforts; (3) sources
of funding and federal
funding expenditures; and (4)
the extent to which EPA and
the Office of Management
and Budget have
implemented Clean Water
Act Section 123.
In the report, GAO makes
recommendations for the
EPA Administrator to develop
a program management plan
that includes a schedule of
the actions EPA will take and
the resources and funding it
needs to establish and
implement the Columbia
River Basin Restoration
Program, including formation
of the associated Columbia
River Basin Restoration
Working Group and
submission of a plan to the
appropriate Congressional
authorizing committees as a
part of the FY 2020 budget
process.
EPA convened the
Columbia River Toxics
Reduction Working
Group on October 30,
2018, to kick off
implementing Clean
Water Act Section 123,
the Columbia River
Basin Restoration Act.
Action items which
came out of the meeting
include: (1) convene the
Working Group under
the Act requirements;
and (2) develop a
program management
plan as requested by
GAO in August 2018.
Two additional action
items coming out of the
meeting include:
•	An EPA led effort to
develop a report
card on the
implementation of
the 61 actions
identified in the
2010 Columbia River
Basin Toxics
Reduction Action
Plan;
•	A re-examination of
the 2007
contaminants of
concern developed
for the State of the
River Report, led by
U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS).
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GAO Report: Approaches
for Identifying Lead
Service Lines Should be
Shared with All States
Government Accountability
Office (GAO)
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: September
2018
https://www.gao.gov/prod
ucts/GAO-18-620
In this September 2018
report, GAO examined: (1)
what is known about the
number of existing lead
service lines among states
and water systems; and (2)
states' responses to EPA's
February 2016 request to
work with water systems to
publicize inventories of lead
service lines and any steps
EPA has taken to follow up
on these responses. GAO
reviewed existing studies of
lead service lines, reviewed
the websites of the 100
largest water systems, and
interviewed EPA officials in
headquarters and its 10
regional offices.
GAO recommends that EPA
share information about the
successful approaches states
and water systems use to
identify and publicize
locations of lead service lines
with all states. GAO also
recommends for EPA to
encourage states to be more
transparent to the public and
support the Agency's
objectives for safe drinking
water.
EPA agreed with GAO's
recommendations and
they are now part of our
workplan. The Office of
Water recently
developed a website
(https://epa.maps.arcgis
.com/apps/Cascade/ind
ex.html?appid=989f006
al5fl4256ad8bdfd8370
16453) that showcases
leading efforts by states,
public water systems,
and communities to
identify and replace lead
service lines. The
interactive map allows
states and public water
systems to explore
communities across the
country and learn about
programs to identify and
replace lead service
lines. EPA will continue
to ensure states and
public water systems
are aware of this
resource.
EPA also will work to
create additional
opportunities for raising
national awareness of
the approaches states
and public water
systems are using to
successfully identify and
publicize information on
lead service lines. The
Agency will work to
develop material that
can be used across
multiple outreach
venues (e.g., workshops,
webinars, and
conferences), and that

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will showcase
approaches that have
proven to be successful
for states and public
water systems, explain
the challenges those
approaches posed, and
describe how states and
public water systems
addressed those
challenges. To
supplement the
webinar, EPA will also
develop a factsheet that
highlights the key
messages. The webinar
will be hosted in
Winter/Spring 2019.
GAO Report: Lead Testing
of School Drinking Water
Would Benefit from
Improved Federal
Guidance
Government Accountability
Office (GAO)
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: July 2018
https://www.gao.gov/prod
ucts/GAO-18-382
In this July 2018 report, GAO
examined the extent to
which: (1) school districts are
testing for, finding, and
remediating lead in drinking
water; (2) states are
supporting these efforts; and
(3) federal agencies are
supporting state and school
district efforts. GAO
administered a web-based
survey to a stratified, random
sample of 549 school
districts, the results of which
are generalizable to all school
districts. GAO visited or
interviewed officials with 17
school districts with
experience in lead testing,
spread among five states,
selected for geographic
variation. GAO also
interviewed federal and state
officials and reviewed
relevant laws and
documents.
GAO recommends EPA
update its guidance on how
schools should determine
lead levels requiring action
and that EPA and
Department of Education
collaborate to further
disseminate guidance and
encourage testing for lead.
EPA agreed with GAO's
recommendations and
they are now part of our
workplan. EPA is also
collaborating with the
Department of
Education, Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention, Department
of Agriculture,
Department of Health
and Human Services
(Administration for
Children and Families,
Indian Health Service)
and other non-federal
partners to renew the
existing memorandum
of understanding (MOU)
to reaffirm the
partnership and add
new partners to the
MOU to reach child care
programs and tribes.
The Office of Water
continues to work with
the Office of Children's
Health Protection

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(OCHP) to incorporate
additional case studies
and lead in drinking
water prevention
information for schools
and child care programs
to be available online.
OW and OCHP host
collaborative
conference calls with
regional water and
OCHP Healthy Schools
Coordinators to discuss
new lead in drinking
water activities and
opportunities for
coordination.
GAO Report: Puget Sound
Restoration: Additional
Actions Could Improve
Assessments of Progress
Government Accountability
Office (GAO)
Office of Water (OW)
Completed: July 2018
https://www.ga0.g0v/p
roducts/GAO-18-453
Puget Sound is the nation's
second-largest estuary and
serves as an important
economic engine in
Washington State. GAO was
asked to review efforts to
restore Puget Sound. This
July 2018 report examined:
(1) Puget Sound restoration
efforts related to
expenditures for FYs 2012-
2016; (2) how federal and
nonfederal entities
coordinated their restoration
efforts; and (3) the
framework for assessing
progress toward Puget Sound
restoration.
GAO made two
recommendations in the
report. The first is for EPA to
work with the management
conference to help ensure
that measurable targets are
developed, where possible,
for the highest priority
indicators currently lacking
such targets; and the second
is for EPA to work with the
federal partners to better
connect the Puget Sound
Federal Task Force Action
Plan to the Comprehensive
Conservation Management
Program (CCMP).
EPA agreed with GAO's
recommendations and
highlighted steps the
Agency has begun taking
and plans to take to
address the
recommendations.
EPA has been actively
working with
Washington State's
Puget Sound
Partnership to develop
and include in their
updated CCMP a
process for evaluating
and improving
indicators and targets
that will begin winter of
2019. EPA, with the
Puget Sound Federal
Task Force, has begun
connecting federal
actions to the new
Puget Sound CCMP and
will complete that
crosswalk in spring of
2019.
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