EPA Policy for Innovative Environmental Technologies at Federal Facilities

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
AUG 19 1994

THE ADMINISTRATOR

The Federal government has a responsibility to become a leader in promoting and developing technological solutions for environmental protection. Due to the magnitude of the Federal Facilities cleanup and compliance challenge and our commitment to catalyze technological solutions for environmental needs, Federal facilities offer unique opportunities for the development and application of innovative technologies and approaches to pollution prevention, source control, site investigation, and remediation.

Federal facilities offer unique opportunities for collaborative efforts on technology innovation involving EPA, other Federal departments and agencies, and the private sector. These opportunities have become even more apparent recently as the Departments of Defense and Energy shift missions and literally "open their doors" to allow both public and private groups to take advantage of their technological capabilities for environmental purposes.

Collaboration among the Federal government, states, the public, and industry to develop technological solutions to environmental problems will address environmental needs while creating jobs and spurring economic development. EPA will also work with the Federal agencies and interested stakeholders to overcome the regulatory and institutional challenges affecting the application and commercialization of environmental technologies.

EPA is committed to actively promoting and facilitating the use of federal facilities as demonstration and testing centers for the development of innovative environmental technologies. In addition, I encourage the incorporation of innovative technology conditions in appropriate EPA/Federal Agency clean-up and compliance agreements. Such technology conditions, when carefully crafted, can provide encouragement for innovation while still holding the Federal agency and regulators accountable for environmental protection.

Therefore, today I am announcing this policy to promote and support the use of Federal facilities as demonstration and test centers for the development and application of innovative environmental technologies.

To implement this policy, EPA shall:

• Actively seek state, community and other stakeholder support and involvement in Agency policies that affect environmental technologies and in Federal facility technology development and demonstration projects;

• Focus on private sector involvement to 1) enhance technology commercialization, job development, and economic growth; and 2) highlight real application and early field work for current clean-ups and the prevention of future pollution;

• Seek opportunities to use innovative technology to reduce or eliminate waste or pollution;

• Increase cooperative efforts with the federal and private sectors to determine how technology may factor into remedy selection;

• Exercise leadership in the development of a coordinated interagency strategy implementing the concept of utilizing federal facilities as technology development and demonstration centers for pollution prevention, control and site investigation/clean-up; and

• Provide direction by sponsoring informational and policy meetings on innovative technologies this year and in the future to serve as the basis for the development of this interagency strategy.

Through environmental improvement, economic growth and international export, EPA will continue to explore and define its interagency role in coordinating leadership, development and implementation of innovative environmental technologies. I encourage your strong support for this concept as it continues to evolve and take shape in the future.

Carol M. Browner