Pollution Prevention: EPA Should Reexamine the Objectives and Sustainability of State Programs

Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed federally-aided state pollution prevention programs, focusing on: (1) the indicators that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses to evaluate program effectiveness; and (2) how well these programs are implementing federal pollution prevention policy.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Environmental Protection Agency	The Administrator, EPA, should ensure, by strengthening the state grant program evaluation requirements, that state pollution prevention programs are in fact emphasizing source reduction, rather than the recycling, treatment, and disposal of waste.	Closed – Implemented EPA is now advising states that the grants are solely for pollution prevention purposes.
Environmental Protection Agency	The Administrator, EPA, should encourage state programs to combine various attributes of regulatory and nonregulatory state pollution prevention programs to achieve more proactive and energetic outreach.	Closed – Not Implemented EPA does not intend to implement this recommendation.
Environmental Protection Agency	The Administrator, EPA, should improve data collection processes so that state program efforts can be evaluated.	Closed – Not Implemented EPA does not intend to implement this recommendation.
Environmental Protection Agency	The Administrator, EPA, should strengthen the evaluation requirements of the Pollution Prevention Incentives for States (PPIS) grant program.	Closed – Not Implemented EPA does not intend to implement this recommendation.
Environmental Protection Agency	The Administrator, EPA, should reinforce the presence of pollution prevention program efforts at the 10 EPA regional offices.	Closed – Not Implemented EPA believes that pollution prevention presence is adequate.
Environmental Protection Agency	The Administrator, EPA, should encourage state programs to promote changes in industry culture that will foster the adaptation and evaluation of pollution prevention efforts.	Closed – Not Implemented This is a standard component of the EPA program.
Environmental Protection Agency	The Administrator, EPA, should seek to substitute state prevention activities for enforcement actions.	Closed – Not Implemented EPA does not intend to implement this recommendation.
Environmental Protection Agency	The Administrator, EPA, should establish criteria within the PPIS grant program for measuring the success of source reduction efforts undertaken by businesses.	Closed – Not Implemented EPA does not intend to implement this recommendation.

See All 8 Recommendations

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Topics

Natural Resources and Environment

Data collectionEnvironmental policiesFederal aid to statesstate relationsPollution controlProgram evaluationReporting requirementsState-administered programsWaste managementPollution prevention