[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 16 (Monday, January 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3962-3964]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01277]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL 9922-00-OCFO; EPA-HQ-OEI-2015-0039]
E-Enterprise for the Environment Portal
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice: request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of the Chief
Financial Officer is requesting comments on the development of an E-
Enterprise for the Environment portal and announcing three public
meetings in the form of internet webinars. E-Enterprise is a
transformative 21st- century strategy for rethinking how government
agencies deliver environmental protection in the United States. Through
joint governance at the federal, state, and tribal levels, EPA, the
states, and tribes are collaboratively modernizing business processes
and driving and sharing innovations. These changes will improve
environmental results and enhance services to the regulated community
and the public by making government more efficient and effective.
The portal, a Web site that functions as a point of access to
information and tools, may provide consolidated entry points for
businesses and citizens to efficiently locate, obtain access to, and
interact with relevant EPA, state, and tribal environmental programs
and resources. EPA and our state and tribal partners ultimately may
choose to provide a different name than ``portal'' to better
characterize the functionalities provided. The goal is to reduce
regulatory burden and optimize information technology resources across
government entities. Further detail on
[[Page 3963]]
the portal is provided in the Background section below and also at
www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/e-enterprise-portal.
EPA is seeking comment on the value of establishing a portal and
the functions that it should provide. The EPA will host a series of
webinars for the public to learn about the portal, ask questions and
learn how to provide comments. While open to any participants, the
first webinar on 2/19/15 will be oriented towards states and other co-
regulators; the second webinar on 2/23/15 will be for theregulated
community; and the third on 3/5/15 will be aimed atthe general public .
In parallel with this Federal Register notice, EPA will conduct tribal
consultation to obtain input from tribes.
DATES: Webinars will be held on February 19, 2015, February 23, 2015
and March 5, 2015 from 1 p.m. to approximately 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
Comments may be submitted 90 days from date of publication in the
Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: The webinars will be conducted via the Internet.
To register for the sessions, please visit www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/portal-scoping or the links below.
February 19, 2015 From 1-3 p.m. EST
If you are a co-regulator, please register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/1359012128777800450.
February 23, 2015 From 1-3 p.m. EST
If you are a regulated entity please register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/2565860280640724481.
March 5, 2015 From 1-3 p.m. EST
If you are a member of the public, please register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/983075909101638402.
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing
information about how to join the Webinar. Registration is strongly
encouraged but you may also join the meetings using the links above.
Comments: Submit your written comments, identified by Docket ID No.
EPA-HQ-OEI-2015-0039, by Internet: http://www.regulations.gov: Follow
the online instructions for submitting comments.
Email: epa.gov">OEI.docket@epa.gov.
Instructions: EPA's policy is that all comments will be included in
the public docket without change and may be made available online at
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be
Confidential Business Information or other information the disclosure
of which is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or by email. The http://www.regulations.gov Web
site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know
your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body
of your comment. If you send an email comment directly to EPA without
going through http://www.regulations.gov, your email address will be
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any
electronic storage media you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment
due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification,
EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should
avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be
free of any defects or viruses.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anyone interested in further
information may contact Shana Harbour at telephone number (202) 566-
2959; fax: (202) 501-0648; email address: epa.gov">harbour.shana@epa.gov;
mailing address Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Chief
Financial Officer, Mail code 2732A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20460. General information concerning E-Enterprise can
be found on the Web at www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/e-enterprise-portal.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
Consistent with Executive Orders 13571, 13576, 13563 and 13610 and
the 2012 White House Digital Government and Shared Services Strategies,
EPA seeks to transform the business of environmental protection. E-
Enterprise is a transformative 21st century strategy for rethinking how
government agencies deliver environmental protection in the United
States. Through joint governance at the federal, state, and tribal
levels, EPA, the states, and tribes are collaboratively modernizing
business processes and driving and sharing innovations. These changes
will improve environmental results and enhance services to the
regulated community and the public by making government more efficient
and effective. Additional information concerning E-Enterprise can be
found at www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/e-enterprise-portal.
A portal is central to the E-Enterprise vision. Ultimately, the
portal could provide consolidated entry points for businesses and
citizens to efficiently locate, obtain access to, and interact with
relevant EPA, state, and tribal environmental programs and web
resources. The goal is to integrate information across government
entities to provide a seamless experience when accessing EPA or partner
portals or applications.
In the delivery of EPA's mission to protect human health and the
environment through regulatory implementation and open government
initiatives, the EPA seeks to coordinate and streamline interaction
within and across federal, state, and tribal environmental agencies.
The portal is needed to help address inefficiencies that have grown as
environmental programs developed under statutes passed over the course
of more than 40 years. The public and the regulated community
rightfully expect transactions under these programs, some of which
still employ paper-based methods or outdated technologies, to be modern
and efficient. A main purpose of the portal is to provide better
customer service to the public and to the regulated community. EPA and
state regulators will also benefit by having easier access to
comprehensive environmental information.
A goal of the portal is to reduce regulatory burden and optimize
and share information technology resources. EPA would like to develop
the portal with input from the public. This may include feedback on
needed enhancements to existing services or information on services
that are delivered inefficiently with significant overlap, redundancy,
or inconsistency across offices and agencies. Through this notice,
consideration of public comments, interaction through the
aforementioned webinars, and consultation with tribes, the EPA will
gain important information on the needs of stakeholders and how we can
best serve the American public in bringing the environmental protection
business enterprise into the 21st century.
B. Public Meeting
Does this action apply to me?
This action is directed to the general public. However, this notice
may be of particular interest to: persons who submit reporting
information to EPA,
[[Page 3964]]
such as regulated companies and facilities; academic researchers and
non-governmental organizations; information technologists; and members
of the public interested in environmental conditions. EPA has not
attempted to describe all the specific entities that may have interest
in the E-Enterprise portal. If you have any questions regarding this
notice, consult Shana Harbour, whose contact information is listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
C. Written Comments
What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?
To ensure proper receipt by EPA, please be sure to identify the
Docket ID number assigned to this action [EPA-HQ-OEI-2015-0039] in the
subject line on the first page of your response. You may also provide
the name, date, and Federal Register citation.
Your comments will be particularly helpful if you identify yourself
and your sector (regulated entity, non-governmental organization,
academic, general public, other (explain). For more information on the
E-Enterprise portal, please visit www2.epa.gov/e-enterprise/e-enterprise-portal. EPA is particularly interested in comments on the
following:
1. How frequently and for what purpose do you visit epa.gov, state
and other government environmental Web sites?
2. List the government Web sites you frequently visit for
environmental information and identify opportunities for potential
integration of information from those Web sites.
3. Cite examples of successful portals or portal-like information
systems.
4. Discuss what you consider to be significant obstacles to
business information transactions with EPA and state co-regulators.
5. Discuss what you view as significant opportunities for
streamlining transactions with EPA or states and how a portal may or
may not facilitate them.
6. Identify requirements for capabilities of the portal and for
each requirement indicate:
a. The extent to which the requirement involves transactions or
aspects of transactions that are common across organizational or
programmatic units when reporting to environmental regulatory agencies
(e.g. registration, logging in, resubmitting common contact or facility
information, etc.).
b. Relationship of the requirement to regulatory obligations.
c. Priority of the requirement, and whether the requirement is
``must-have'' or ``nice-to-have.''
d. Urgency of the requirement, as in how soon the capability is
needed.
e. Any information on how a portal could reduce the time you spend
to report environmental information or process transactions and an
estimate of this time.
7. Discuss any positive/negative impacts of using a portal as the
required or voluntary means for interacting with EPA and states for
business transactions required to fulfill environmental regulatory
obligations.
8. In order to provide a more streamlined/personalized/customized
experience in the portal for retrieving publically available
information, would you be willing to establish an electronic credential
(user ID) or reuse an existing ID such as one used on social media?
You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your
comments:
--Explain your views as clearly as possible.
--Describe any assumptions that you used.
--Provide copies of any technical information and/or data that you used
to support your views.
Dated: January 16, 2015.
David A. Bloom,
Acting Chief Financial Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-01277 Filed 1-23-15; 8:45 am]
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