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This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

Science Advisor Programs

Current Scientific Coordination Projects

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Promoting Environmental Technology and Innovation

EPA promotes innovation that eliminates or significantly reduces the use of toxic substances and exposure to pollutants in the environment and that also promotes growth of the American economy. The Agency seeks out prospective technological advances that have the greatest potential to achieve environmental benefits. The Agency’s goal is to speed the design, development and deployment of the next generation of environmental technologies, creating a cleaner environment and a stronger economy for our nation and the world.

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Evaluating The EPA Laboratory Enterprise

In 2010, the President announced the need to reduce the ‘footprint’ and increase the efficient use of federal facilities. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) also published reports on EPA managing its laboratories (July 2011) and streamlining government (May 2012). These reports and others recommended that EPA undertake initiatives to strengthen and streamline its laboratory enterprise. 

Congress provided funding for the evaluation of the EPA laboratory enterprise, and in December 2012, EPA began an evaluation to identify opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness while ensuring the Agency’s ability to provide the preeminent research, science and technical support critical to advance EPA's mission.

In 2013 EPA collected data from all of its laboratories:

  • Facility 
  • Operating cost 
  • Workforce
  • Science contribution

Using this data, EPA worked with Smith Group, a nationally-recognized consultant with expertise in architecture, engineering and strategic planning for laboratory portfolios, to develop metrics, criteria and a framework to help EPA analyze options to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its current portfolio. EPA also requested a report from an independent expert committee of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the EPA laboratory enterprise.

Learn more about the Smith Group and NAS:

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