E-Enterprise for the Environment aims to enhance the business of environmental protection using collaborative e-program modernization, process streamlining, and transformative information technologies. The principles embedded in the E-Enterprise Conceptual Blueprint lay the foundation for that vision. Building on the blueprint, the recently published E-Enterprise Digital Strategy sets a framework to help environmental agencies voluntarily coordinate their technology...
In November, EPA, state, and tribal leaders gathered in Washington, DC for an E-Enterprise Leadership Council (EELC) meeting. The meeting focused on the E-Enterprise Digital Strategy (see next story), information system modernization, continuous process improvement, and priority initiatives. Among other deliberations, the EELC members had an opportunity to consider how information is collected, managed, shared, and used to implement environmental programs. A session on system modernization resulted in a council discussion on opportunities to update the State Drinking...
Meet E-Enterprise Management Board member Frank Harjo of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Harjo discusses his longtime involvement in E-Enterprise and the valuable lessons he has learned along the way. What roles do you fill on behalf of the E-Enterprise/Exchange Network initiative? I participate on the E-Enterprise Management Board and the Portal Workgroup as a tribal representative. I also participate in the Tribal Governance Group (TGG) that focuses more on...
E-Enterprise recently published a second edition of the Essential Information for New Members of the E-Enterprise Governance Groups, a core recommended reading for all E-Enterprise members, especially if they have recently joined the community. The document provides an overview of E-Enterprise principles, goals, projects, member expectations, and more.
State, tribal, and EPA leadership have identified risk communication as a joint priority and an area where enhanced coordination would improve the way we share information about emerging environmental threats. Nancy Grantham, Principal Deputy Associate Administrator for EPA’s Office of Public Affairs, discussed risk communication with the E-Enterprise Leadership Council (EELC) at its Spring Meeting...
Undertaking a new approach to an old problem, the Exchange Network Tribal Governance Group and Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals are collaborating with training and technical experts to develop a mentorship event for tribes working on environmental data management projects. Specific topics are still being planned, but the event will boast multiple hands-on workshops of...
E-Enterprise topics figured prominently in the ECOS 2019 State Environmental Protection (STEP) Meeting convened in July in Washington, DC. The meeting, From the Flintstones to the Jetsons: How Technology is Transforming Environmental Protection, brought together state, federal, industry, and nonprofit environmental professionals for a look at use of innovative technologies that can help them tackle regulatory...
Following discussions at the May EELC meeting among EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Henry Darwin and other state and tribal E-Enterprise leaders, the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) hosted lean experts from EPA’s Office of Continuous Improvement (OCI) for training on, and deployment of, the EPA Lean Management System (ELMS). This June gathering introduced Maryland’s Industrial...
Like many states, Rhode Island found itself grappling with how to meet the requirements of EPA’s 2015 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Electronic Reporting Rule. Under the rule, permittees must submit discharge monitoring reports (DMRs), notices of intent (NOIs), and program reports electronically rather than on paper. The rule established two deadlines: the Phase...
For complex Clean Air Act rules, the regulated community and government agencies require assistance in understanding specific rule applicability and requirements. As part of an E-Enterprise initiative, EPA developed a suite of online Regulation Navigation (Reg Nav) tools to help owners and operators of facilities in certain industries easily determine the requirements of specific regulations...
Scientists and staff at environmental agencies frequently require critical and current water or air data from other agencies or jurisdictions. Even if staff are able to access this external data, it can be burdensome to manage multiple accounts and navigate between online platforms in which data are stored. To address this challenge, the New Mexico...
Facility data are at the core of environmental regulatory processes at all levels of government. Knowing a facility’s name, ownership, location, and characteristics is key to gaining a comprehensive picture of environmental impacts. Together with critical environmental data such as ambient air and water quality data, census figures, and other demographic information, facility data can...