FY 2022-2026 EPA Strategic PlanEPA’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan communicates the Agency’s priorities and provides the roadmap for achieving its mission to protect human health and the environment. In this Strategic Plan, the Agency renews its commitment to the three principles articulated by William Ruckelshaus, who served as the EPA’s first Administrator (1970 – 1973, and then again from 1983 – 1985), to follow the science, follow the law, and be transparent. EPA also adds a fourth foundational principle: advance justice and equity. It is time to include this principle to infuse the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals into all EPA policies, practices, and programs. These principles form the basis of the Agency’s culture and will guide its operations and decision making now and into the future. U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEPA_30f608d8-1095-4b0c-9f28-9bc848ed663cMichael ReganAdministratorHealthy environment, healthy humans_cdfd5e22-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea00To Protect Human Health and the Environment_cdfd5f30-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea00PrinciplesScienceFollow the ScienceLawFollow the LawTransparencyBe TransparentJusticeAdvance Justice and EquityEquityClimate ChangeTackle the Climate Crisis_cdfd6098-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea001Cut pollution that causes climate change and increase the adaptive capacity of Tribes, states, territories, and communities. ~ The impacts of climate change affect people in every region of the country, threatening lives and livelihoods and damaging infrastructure, ecosystems, and social systems. Global annually-averaged surface air temperature has increased by about 1.8°F (1.0°C) over the last 115 years (1901–2016), making this period the warmest in the history of modern civilization. The last few years have seen record-breaking, climate-related weather extremes; increased droughts, flooding, and wildfires; increasing surface, atmospheric, and oceanic temperatures; melting glaciers; diminishing snow cover; shrinking sea ice; rising sea levels; ocean acidification; and increasing atmospheric water vapor. ^ Climate change also exacerbates existing pollution problems and environmental stressors impacting the nation’s land, air, and water and the people who depend on them. Overburdened and underserved communities and individuals are particularly vulnerable to these impacts, including low-income communities and communities of color, children, the elderly, Tribes, and indigenous peoples. In addition, climate-driven famine, property loss, mass migrations, human conflict, species extinctions, and ecosystem failures have significant humanitarian and national security implications. ^ EPA will take bold steps and align its actions to respond decisively to the climate crisis. As part of a whole-of-government approach, EPA must aggressively tackle the climate crisis by helping the nation reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to or recover from the impacts of climate change. Policies to tackle climate change must address the disproportionate vulnerability of low-income communities and communities of color while also dealing with the legacy pollution those communities continue to endure. ^ Climate change is a global issue and domestic action must go hand in hand with international leadership. EPA will continue to share its expertise internationally, while learning from the expertise of others. EPA’s programs will not only drive emissions reductions and resilience across the country but will help the U.S. to lead by example on the global stage and provide the foundation for science-based national and international climate mitigation and adaptation goals. EmissionsReduce Emissions that Cause Climate Change_cdfd6160-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea001.1Aggressively reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from all sectors while increasing energy and resource efficiency and the use of renewable energy. ~ Greenhouse gases (GHGs) from human activities are the most significant driver of observed climate change since the mid-20th century. As GHG emissions from human activities increase, they build up in the atmosphere and warm the climate, leading to increasingly destructive changes around the world— in the atmosphere, on land, and in the oceans. Steep and swift reductions in GHG emissions are essential to avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change. With its regulatory authority, technical and programmatic expertise, and mission to protect human health and the environment, EPA can drive significant emissions reductions to mitigate climate change. EPA will cut emissions by exercising its authorities to regulate GHG pollutants, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), across key sectors. As a complement, EPA will accelerate private and public sector mitigation with partnership programs that address market barriers, encourage leadership, and support Tribal, state, and local governments’ efforts to drive down emissions. Tackling the climate crisis will require deep gains in energy efficiency and in decarbonization of buildings, transportation, and the power and industrial sectors. EPA will collaborate closely with stakeholders to drive energy efficiency, grid decarbonization, and zero emissions mobility. EPA publishes GHG emissions data and applies tools such as the social cost of greenhouse gases, multipollutant analysis, reviews of environmental impact statements, permitting, and technical assistance. EPA also promotes recycling and encourages reducing the use of resources. Together, these approaches will produce measurable reductions in GHG emissions. Deep emission reductions will require significant transitions in technologies and energy systems that must be informed by community-level engagement, input, and analysis. Climate change is a crisis for the United States and the world, and EPA must respond accordingly and make the transition to a less carbon-intensive existence. EPA will take all measures within its authorities to speed this transition and will do so in a just, equitable, and inclusive manner. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, promulgate final rules to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from light duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles; electric utility generating units; and the oil and gas industry. • By September 30, 2026, EPA’s climate partnership programs will reduce expected annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 545 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e). EPA’s climate partnership programs reduced 518.6 MMTCO2e of annual GHG emissions in 2019. • Phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). By September 30, 2023, annual U.S. consumption of HFCs will be 10% below the baseline of 303.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) consistent with the HFC phasedown schedule in the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act and codified in the implementing regulations. A 10% reduction would decrease the U.S. consumption limit to less than 273.5 MMTCO2e in 2023. Resilience & AdaptationAccelerate Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts_cdfd62be-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea001.2Deliver targeted assistance to increase the resilience of Tribes, states, territories, and communities to the impacts of climate change. ~ EPA is committed to taking necessary actions to anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of climate change while advancing the climate resilience of Tribes and indigenous peoples, states, territories, and communities across the nation. ^ Climate change poses significant risks to EPA’s ability to fulfill its mission and affects how the Agency designs and implements its programs. EPA will ensure its programs, policies, rulemaking processes, enforcement and compliance assurance activities, and operations consider the current and future impacts of climate change and how those impacts will disproportionately affect overburdened and underserved communities. Through adaptation planning and implementation activities, EPA will continue to protect human health and the environment even as the climate changes. ^ EPA will provide targeted assistance to Tribes and indigenous peoples, states, territories, local governments, communities, and businesses to transform their environmental programs, strengthen their adaptive capacity, and increase the resilience of the nation, with a particular focus on advancing environmental justice. This includes preparing for and responding to climate-related impacts and disasters (e.g., wildfires, extreme heat, droughts, floods, sea level rise, damage to estuaries and ecosystems, health impacts, storm surge, and melting permafrost) and ensuring that infrastructure investments increase resilience to climate change. ^ EPA’s commitments are part of a whole-of-government approach to pursue actions at home and abroad to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, implement all priority actions in EPA’s Climate Adaptation Action Plan and the 20 National Program and Regional Climate Adaptation Implementation Plans to account for the impacts of the changing climate on human health and the environment.20 • By September 30, 2026, assist at least 400 federally recognized Tribes to take action to anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, or recover from the impacts of climate change. • By September 30, 2026, assist at least 450 states, territories, local governments, and communities, especially communities that are underserved and disproportionally at risk from climate change, to take action to anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, or recover from the impacts of climate change.Intergovernmental EffortsAdvance International and Subnational Climate Efforts_cdfd63fe-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea001.3Tribal PartnersState PartnersLocal PartnersInternational PartnersCollaborate with Tribal, state, local, and international partners and provide leadership on the global stage to address climate change. ~ Climate change is a global issue that has far-reaching human health, social, economic, and biodiversity impacts on the planet, with direct adverse effects in the United States. EPA is prioritizing efforts to help countries respond to the climate crisis by reducing domestic GHG emissions as well as increasing equitable adaptation and resiliency to climate change impacts. Building on EPA’s responsibilities for protecting human health and the environment, EPA plays a critical role internationally by providing technical expertise, guidance, and capacity building to help countries set and meet ambitious GHG reductions, improve adaptive capacity, and strengthen climate governance. ^ E.O. 14008 directs federal agencies to develop plans for integrating climate considerations into their international work, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law. In response, EPA developed an International Climate Strategy Plan to advance climate assistance internationally at the national, city, and local levels, including climate assistance to indigenous peoples, and provide leadership on the global stage to address climate change. ^ EPA support will increase partner countries’ ability to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation actions and information into their relevant domestic policy and engagement decisions. This is consistent with the Agency’s domestic climate work and its mission to protect human health and the environment, including from transboundary pollution sources. ^ Long-Term Performance Goal • By September 30, 2026, implement at least 40 international climate engagements that result in an individual partner commitment or action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, adapt to climate change, or improve resilience in a manner that promotes equity.Environmental Justice & Civil RightsTake Decisive Action to Advance Environmental Justice and Civil Rights_cdfd64f8-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea002Achieve tangible progress for historically overburdened and underserved communities and ensure the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income in developing and implementing environmental laws, regulations, and policies. ~ EPA will center its mission on the integration of justice, equity, and civil rights across the nation’s environmental protection enterprise. This will hold as true for communities within the contiguous 48 states as it will for communities in the non-contiguous states and all other territories and protectorates of the United States. By doing so, EPA will advance the promise of clean air, clean water, and safe land to the many communities across the country that have not received the full benefits from EPA’s decades of progress. Centering its work on justice is especially important in an era when EPA must simultaneously break the cycle of historic environmental injustices while maximizing protection for these same communities as they are too often hit worst and first from the impacts of a changing climate. ^ EPA’s ultimate goal of centering its mission on these priorities is to achieve measurable environmental, public health, and quality of life improvements in the most overburdened, vulnerable, and underserved communities. Achieving this goal will require significant transformations in how EPA understands and implements its work, including how EPA prioritizes program resources, allocates funding, implements statutory authorities, and engages the communities most affected by environmental and public health threats, especially as the climate changes. Critical to achieving this goal is for EPA to proactively engage with Tribes, states, and local governments to discuss and address disproportionate impacts through their implementation of EPA authorities and engage in meaningful joint planning with communities to advance community visions and priorities. ^ The vigorous enforcement of civil rights is also key to addressing historical and systemic barriers. These efforts lead to more responsible and equitable siting and permitting decisions by recipients of EPA funding; reductions in racial and ethnic disparities in levels of air pollutants and exposure to toxins; reductions in racial and ethnic disparities in access to clean and reliable water infrastructure that are free of lead and other toxins; reductions in racial and ethnic disparities among communities enduring mismanaged solid waste programs and processes; reductions of harmful exposures in communities by assessing and cleaning up contaminated sites; better health outcomes in impacted communities; and increased public participation in critical decision making. ^ This goal includes three objectives that focus EPA on: (1) increasing the capacity of Tribes, states, and communities working to address environmental justice and civil rights concerns; (2) embedding environmental justice and civil rights in the Agency’s core work; and (3) strengthening civil rights enforcement in communities overburdened by pollution. The first focuses on EPA’s ability to advance this priority outside of EPA — through the support the Agency provides directly to communities, EPA’s direct implementation of federal environmental programs, and the implementation of these programs by co-regulators. The second objective focuses on advancing equity, justice, and civil rights through EPA’s internal program activities such as permitting actions, responding to emergencies, and cleaning up contamination. EPA recognizes that environmental justice and external civil rights programs and their authorities are distinct and they share a deep connection and ability to reinforce and leverage one another to make significant progress in addressing disproportionate adverse impacts burdening communities. For example, civil rights laws, taken together with EPA’s environmental justice efforts, can effectively target disparities in exposure to pollution on the basis of race, color, national origin, and other characteristics such as disability. The final objective focuses on EPA’s commitment to strengthen the EPA’s External Civil Rights Office and its ability to enforce federal civil rights laws to their fullest extent, including by fully implementing its authority to conduct affirmative investigations in overburdened communities, issue policy guidance, and secure timely and effective resolutions to address discrimination. ^ Furthermore, this goal sets targets that align closely with Administration priorities set forth in Executive Orders (E.O.s) 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government and 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Both E.O.s require that EPA develop implementation plans to ensure that underserved communities and individuals have full, fair, and equitable access to the benefits of the Agency’s programs. The actions in these upcoming plans will be developed to help achieve those objectives. The E.O.s also provide the platform for interagency collaboration since many objectives benefit from actions by other federal agencies. EPA will take these and any other opportunities to use the Administration’s whole-of-government approach to implementing environmental justice.PromotionPromote Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at the Federal, Tribal, State, and Local Levels_cdfd65e8-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea002.1Empower and build capacity of underserved and overburdened communities to protect human health and the environment. Introduction EPA has the potential to make transformative progress on environmental justice and civil rights at the Tribal, state, and local levels, through a whole-of-government approach that involves communities as authentic partners. This is evidenced by increasing commitments, innovations, and capacities at the state level. In addition, communities are increasingly well organized and equipped to develop their own visions of well-being and resilience, advocate for change, and influence public policy. ^ Fulfilling the promise of these opportunities requires pursuing three strategies: • Building capacity and climate resilience and maximizing benefits to overburdened and underserved communities. • Engaging and supporting federal, state, and local governments to achieve results in communities. • Integrating environmental justice principles into the implementation of federal environmental programs in Indian country23 and in other areas of interest to Tribes, in partnership with federally recognized Tribes. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, all EPA programs that seek feedback and comment from the public will provide capacity-building resources to communities with environmental justice concerns to support their ability to meaningfully engage and provide useful feedback to those programs. • By September 30, 2026, include commitments to address disproportionate impacts in all written agreements between EPA and Tribes and states (e.g., grant work plans) implementing delegated authorities. • By September 30, 2026, EPA programs with direct implementation authority will take at least 100 significant actions that will result in measurable improvements in Indian country. • By September 30, 2026, all state recipients of EPA financial assistance will have foundational civil rights programs in place. • By September 30, 2026, increase by 40% the number of Office of Research and Development (ORD) activities related to environmental justice that involve or are applicable to Tribes, states, territories, local governments, and communities.Programs, Policies & ActivitiesEmbed Environmental Justice and Civil Rights into EPA’s Programs, Policies, and Activities_cdfd66ec-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea002.2Integrate environmental justice and civil rights in all of the Agency’s work to maximize benefits and minimize impacts to underserved and overburdened communities. ~ Commitments to achieving change on the ground and accountability for such change will be the ultimate measure of the Agency’s success in advancing justice, civil rights, and equity, including the implementation of E.O.s 13985 and 14008. These efforts include incorporating feedback from impacted communities while analyzing and addressing disproportionate impacts. EPA must not only better support community efforts to engage with the Agency but also advance the Agency’s ability to engage in community-driven work through the regions and across all programs. EPA must follow and implement the Civil Rights Act as equally as environmental statutes. Agency strategies to achieve this include the following elements: • Making commitments on measurable environmental and public health improvements in overburdened and underserved communities. • Ensuring that EPA decision making incorporates meaningful community involvement and analyses that identify disproportionate impacts. • Building EPA capacity to support community-driven approaches to developing healthy, sustainable, and climate-resilient communities. • Ensuring consideration of civil rights by EPA programs (as distinct from civil rights enforcement under Objective 2.3). ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, reduce disparities in environmental and public health conditions represented by the indicators identified through the FY 2022-2023 Agency Priority Goal.28 • By September 30, 2026, 80% of significant EPA actions with environmental justice implications will clearly demonstrate how the action is responsive to environmental justice concerns and reduces or otherwise addresses disproportionate impacts.29 • By September 30, 2026, all EPA programs that work in and with communities will do so in ways that are community-driven, coordinated and collaborative, support equitable and resilient community development, and provide for meaningful involvement and fair treatment of communities with environmental justice concerns. • By September 30, 2026, all EPA programs and regions will identify and implement areas and opportunities to integrate environmental justice considerations and achieve civil rights compliance in their planning, guidance, policy directives, monitoring, and review activities. • By September 30, 2026, all EPA programs and regions will implement program and region-specific language assistance plans. • By September 30, 2026, all EPA programs and regions will implement program and region-specific disability access plans. ^ FY 2022-2023 Agency Priority Goal (APG) • Deliver tools and metrics for EPA and its Tribal, state, local, and community partners to advance environmental justice and external civil rights compliance. By September 30, 2023, EPA will develop and implement a cumulative impacts framework, issue guidance on external civil rights compliance, establish at least 10 indicators to assess EPA’s performance in eliminating disparities in environmental and public health conditions, and train staff and partners on how to use these resources. EnforcementStrengthen Civil Rights Enforcement in Communities with Environmental Justice Concerns_cdfd68b8-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea002.3Communitieswith Environmental Justice ConcernsStrengthen enforcement of and compliance with civil rights laws to address the legacy of pollution in overburdened communities. ~ To address the legacy of pollution in overburdened communities that results from discriminatory actions, whether direct or indirect, intentional, or unintentional, EPA must use the full extent of its authority and resources to vigorously enforce federal civil rights laws. EPA is required to enforce federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency), disability, gender, and age, in programs or activities that receive Agency financial assistance. To ensure EPA financial assistance is not being used in a manner that discriminates and subjects already overburdened communities to further harm, EPA must support and promote a robust and mature external civil rights compliance program for execution of EPA responsibilities and to provide a strong partner to its environmental justice program. As stated earlier, robust enforcement of civil rights law coupled with EPA’s environmental justice efforts provides EPA with the strongest ability to address disparities. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, initiate 45 proactive post-award civil rights compliance reviews to address discrimination issues in environmentally overburdened and underserved communities. • By September 30, 2026, complete 305 audits to ensure EPA financial assistance recipients are complying with nondiscrimination program procedural requirements. • By September 30, 2026, complete 84 information sharing sessions and outreach and technical assistance events with overburdened and underserved communities and environmental justice advocacy groups on civil rights and environmental justice issues.Environmental LawsEnforce Environmental Laws and Ensure Compliance_cdfd6a3e-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea003Improve compliance with the nation’s environmental laws and hold violators accountable. Introduction A robust compliance monitoring and enforcement program is necessary to ensure communities get the environmental and human health benefits intended by environmental statutes and EPA’s regulations. EPA regulates more than 1.2 million facilities adhering to a variety of environmental statutes that protect human health and the environment. Likewise, EPA regulates a wide range of products including automobiles and pesticides. EPA, Tribes, states, and territories work cooperatively to achieve compliance, with delegated or authorized states conducting most enforcement activities across the country. EPA collaborates with Tribes in Indian country, by both directly implementing compliance monitoring and enforcement programs and through oversight of programs implemented by Tribes. ^ EPA will collaborate with Tribes, states, and territories to focus federal enforcement resources on the most serious environmental problems where noncompliance with environmental statutes and regulations is a significant contributing factor and where federal enforcement can have a significant impact on the nation’s air, water, and land. In addition to EPA’s other core work, this will include targeting and screening to prioritize inspections in communities facing substantial burdens from environmental noncompliance. EPA will continue to identify a small number of key areas, called National Compliance Initiatives, where focused EPA attention will be especially value-added. EPA will seek to increase inspections, prioritize enforcement cases, identify remedies with tangible benefits for impacted communities, and increase engagement with communities about enforcement cases. EPA will continue to initiate enforcement actions to protect against children’s health hazards in areas such as exposure to lead paint, the presence of lead and other contaminants in drinking water, and particulate air emissions that aggravate asthma. ^ The Agency will address climate change by directing resources to ensure effective enforcement responses for those sources with noncompliant emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and develop remedies that are consistent with GHG mitigation and climate resilience. In addition, EPA will enforce against the illegal import, distribution and use within the United States of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are chemicals with potent global warming potential, and pursue violators of the Renewable Fuel Standard.AccountabilityHold Environmental Violators and Responsible Parties Accountable_cdfd6b6a-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea003.1Use vigorous and targeted civil and criminal enforcement to ensure accountability for violations and to clean up contamination. ~ Enforcement is essential to ensuring that everyone is protected by the nation’s environmental laws and regulations. EPA strives to not only return violators to compliance but also to obtain the relief needed to address the underlying causes of the violations, to prevent reoccurrence and, in appropriate cases, mitigate the harm to the communities impacted by noncompliance. ^ Long-Term Performance Goal • By September 30, 2026, reduce to not more than 93 the number of open civil judicial cases more than 2.5 years old without a complaint filed.Violations & ComplianceDetect Violations and Promote Compliance_cdfd6cb4-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea003.2Ensure high levels of compliance with federal environmental laws and regulations through effective compliance tools – including inspections, other monitoring activities, and technical assistance supported by evidence and advanced technologies. ~ Effective targeting of compliance monitoring, including inspections in communities with environmental justice concerns, plays a critical role in achieving the goals EPA has set forth for protecting health and the environment. Achieving high rates of compliance with environmental laws and regulations requires the use of a wide range of compliance tools, including compliance monitoring. EPA and Tribal, state, and territorial co-regulators conduct inspections, investigations, and review of self-reported compliance monitoring information to determine if regulated entities are complying with environmental statutes as well as applicable regulations and permit conditions. These activities help identify conditions that may present imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment and thereby warrant immediate response. EPA works with co-regulators to achieve the shared goals of considering environmental justice concerns in its enforcement and compliance work and timely returning violators to compliance with environmental laws. ^ Achieving high rates of compliance with environmental laws and regulations is aided by the use of other compliance tools, including technical assistance to the regulated community (e.g., Enforcement Alerts and Compliance Advisories), and sharing information with affected communities to help them monitor compliance. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, send 75% of EPA inspection reports to facilities within 70 days of inspection. • By September 30, 2026, conduct 55% of annual EPA inspections at facilities that affect communities with potential environmental justice concerns.AirEnsure Clean and Healthy Air for All Communities_cdfd6dea-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea004All people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income deserve to breathe clean air outdoors and indoors, and it is especially important that the health of vulnerable and sensitive populations, such as children and persons adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality, be protected. Levels of pollutants linked to health impacts continue to decline as the economy has grown significantly over the long term. Between 1970 and 2020, the combined emissions of six key pollutants dropped by 78 percent, while the U.S. economy remained strong — growing 272 percent over the same time. EPA will continue to build on this progress and work to assure clean air for all Americans, with a particular focus on those in underserved and overburdened communities, who are impacted disproportionately. ^ Numerous scientific studies have linked air pollution and specific pollutants to a variety of health problems and environmental impacts. Long-term exposure to elevated levels of certain air pollutants is associated with increased risk of cancer, premature mortality, and damage to the immune, neurological, reproductive, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. Over the next four years, EPA will work to ensure clean and healthy air for communities by reducing emissions of ozone-forming pollutants, particulate matter, and air toxics. EPA will also work to address high-risk indoor air quality pollutants in homes, schools, and workplaces. EPA will rely on proven approaches including regulatory tools, innovative market-based techniques, public and private-sector partnerships, community-based approaches, technical assistance programs that promote environmental stewardship, and programs that encourage adoption of cost-effective technologies and practices.Quality, Pollution & HealthImprove Air Quality and Reduce Localized Pollution and Health Impacts_cdfd6f2a-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea004.1Reduce air pollution on local, regional, and national scales to achieve healthy air quality for people and the environment. ~ The United States is continuing to see strong improvement in air quality on the national level as the combined emissions reductions efforts by EPA and Tribal, state, and local air agencies have proven to be very effective. Between 1970 and 2020, the combined emissions of the six common National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) pollutants (particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and lead (Pb)) dropped by 78 percent. Also, the number of days each year reaching the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” level or above on the Air Quality Index has continued to trend downward since 2000. ^ Despite this national record of success, air quality disparities due to disproportionate pollution impacts exist in multiple areas across the country. Approximately 97 million Americans lived in counties with air quality concentrations above the level of one or more NAAQS in 2020. Studies show substantial disparities exist in PM2.5-related risk between groups. Nonwhites, particularly blacks, are at increased risk for PM2.5-related health effects, in part due to disparities in exposure. One study estimated people of color were exposed to 25 percent higher PM2.5 (as compared to the rest of the population) in 2014 from domestic anthropogenic sources. Neighborhoods with the highest poverty rates had 14 percent higher PM2.5 levels in 2016 compared with neighborhoods with the lowest poverty rates. Multiple areas are disproportionately impacted by local sources emitting air toxics, and the scientific understanding of health risks related to exposure to air toxics continues to emerge. ^ All people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income deserve to breathe clean air, and it is especially important that the nation’s laws protect the health of vulnerable and sensitive populations, such as children and those with preexisting respiratory conditions. Over the next four years, EPA will work collaboratively with air agencies to maintain and improve the nation’s air quality. EPA will particularly focus on advancing environmental justice by engaging with communities on key activities including technical assistance, regulation development, and financial assistance. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, reduce ozone season emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from electric power generation sources by 21% from the 2019 baseline of 390,354 tons. • By September 30, 2026, improve measured air quality in counties not meeting the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) from the 2016 baseline by 10%. • By September 30, 2026, strive to ensure all people with low socio-economic status (SES) live in areas where the air quality meets the current fine particle pollution (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). • By September 30, 2026, ensure U.S. consumption of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) is less than 76.2 tons per year of ozone depletion potential.Radiation & Indoor AirReduce Exposure to Radiation and Improve Indoor Air_cdfd7088-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea004.2Limit unnecessary radiation exposure and achieve healthier indoor air quality, especially for vulnerable populations. ~ To improve indoor air and reduce exposure to radiation, EPA leads programs that educate the public about radiation and indoor air quality concerns, including radon, asthma triggers, and poor ventilation. These programs promote public action to reduce potential risks in homes, schools, and workplaces. Included among the people most exposed to indoor air pollutants are those most susceptible to the effects—the young, the elderly, and the chronically ill. Recognizing the potential hazards of radiation, Congress charged EPA with the primary responsibility for protecting people and the environment from harmful and avoidable exposures. ^ Because Americans spend most of their time indoors, where pollutant levels are often significantly higher than outdoors, poor indoor air is a major health concern. For example, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for 21,000 lung cancer deaths annually. Nationally, one in 15 homes is estimated to have elevated radon levels. In many communities, this ratio is much higher. Low-income families often lack resources to test for and mitigate radon in their homes. As another example, nearly 24 million Americans have asthma. Low-income communities of color suffer disproportionately from asthma and substandard housing and lack of access to care underlie this disparity. Indoor allergens and irritants play a significant role in making asthma worse and triggering asthma attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the importance of healthy indoor air quality and ventilation in homes, schools, and other buildings. ^ To address these and other hazardous indoor air pollutants, EPA collaborates with Tribal and state organizations; environmental and public health officials; housing, energy, and building organizations; personnel who manage school environments; and health care providers who treat children prone to or suffering disproportionately from asthma. The focus of these non-regulatory efforts is to create, expand, and leverage policy, systems, and individual action to promote healthy indoor environments and reduce exposure to harmful indoor air pollutants. ^ Long-Term Performance Goal • By September 30, 2026, prevent 2,250 lung cancer deaths annually through lower radon exposure as compared to the FY 2020 baseline of 1,684 prevented lung cancer deaths. WaterEnsure Clean and Safe Water for All Communities_cdfd71fa-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea005Provide clean and safe water for all communities and protect our nation’s waterbodies ~ Clean and safe water is a vital resource that is essential to the protection of human health. Without clean water, communities and economies cannot thrive. EPA is committed to ensuring clean and safe water for all, especially for vulnerable communities of color, underserved communities, and Tribal communities. EPA has made significant progress in protecting water resources since the enactment of the Clean Water Act (CWA);58 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA); and Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act. As a result, most communities enjoy and depend upon reliable sources of clean and safe water. Many formerly impaired waters have been restored and now support recreational and public health uses. Still, the nation faces significant challenges, including water equity and affordability, aging infrastructure, legacy lead pipes, nutrient pollution, per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) contamination, cybersecurity threats, and the climate crisis. ^ Many communities need upgrades in both drinking water and wastewater infrastructure as well as greater capacity to comply with new and existing risks and standards. Tens of thousands of homes, primarily in Tribal communities and underserved communities and territories, lack access to basic sanitation and drinking water. EPA is committed to prioritizing equity, environmental justice, and the lived experience of those most impacted by water pollution in the Agency’s policy and regulatory development. Climate change compounds these problems. For example, warmer temperatures are exacerbating harmful algal blooms in freshwater lakes and storms of increasing intensity are further stressing aging infrastructure. These challenges highlight the need to work with EPA’s partners to evaluate options and implement programs for protecting and improving the resilience of both built and natural infrastructure. ^ Over the next four years, EPA will work to protect and improve the quality of groundwater, surface waters, and drinking water. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law directs significant investments in the health, equity, and resilience of American communities. With unprecedented funding to support upgrades to our aging national infrastructure, and in alignment with Justice40, EPA will improve people’s health and safety, help create good paying jobs, and increase climate resilience throughout the country. ^ EPA is committed to strengthening collaborative problem-solving with federal agencies, Tribal, state, and local governments, communities, and nongovernmental partners; advancing science; completing key rulemakings (e.g., Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, definition of “waters of the United States,” Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification); protecting underground sources of drinking water; providing technical assistance; improving data accessibility and risk communication; facilitating innovative program action; and using its authority to help protect the health of all people and the nation’s waterbodies. EPA will ensure that science is respected, elevated, and prioritized in all decisions and is released to the public in a timely and transparent manner. EPA will also address a critical public health issue by working with states and water utilities to remove lead service lines that contribute to high lead levels in drinking water. EPA will help utilities identify their lead service lines and work with federal and state funding authorities to help utilities remove the lines.Infrastructure & Drinking WaterEnsure Safe Drinking Water and Reliable Water Infrastructure_cdfd738a-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea005.1Protect public health from the risk of exposure to regulated and emerging contaminants in drinking and source waters by improving the reliability, accessibility, and resilience of the nation’s water infrastructure to reduce the impacts of climate change, structural deterioration, and cyber threats. ~ The United States enjoys one of the world's most reliable and safest supplies of drinking water. More than 93 percent of the population receives safe drinking water from approximately 50,000 community water systems. Similarly, the use of sewage collection systems has provided dramatic improvements in public health. Today, approximately 15,000 municipal wastewater treatment facilities operate nationwide, serving more than 76 percent of the population. ^ Some communities across the country, however, face the challenge of aging or inadequate drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. Many marginalized, underserved, or Tribal communities lack crucial access to clean and safe water and are the most vulnerable to exposure to contaminants such as lead and PFAS. The COVID-19 pandemic, cyber-attacks, and climate change have compounded these challenges and heightened the urgency to reinvest in water infrastructure (i.e., gray and green infrastructure, or natural systems such as wetlands). EPA is committed to investing in water infrastructure improvements to address these challenges so that all communities have access to clean and safe drinking water. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, reduce the number of community water systems still in noncompliance with health-based standards since March 31, 2021 from 752 to 500. • By September 30, 2026, reduce the number of community water systems in Indian country still in noncompliance with health-based standards since March 31, 2021 from 110 to 70. • By September 30, 2026, leverage an additional $45 billion in non-federal dollars through EPA’s water infrastructure finance programs (CWSRF, DWSRF and WIFIA). • By September 30, 2026, in coordination with other federal agencies, provide access to basic sanitation for an additional 36,500 American Indian and Alaska Native homes. • By September 30, 2026, provide 2,203 Tribal, small, rural, or underserved communities with technical, managerial, or financial assistance to improve operations of their drinking water or wastewater systems. • Clean up contaminated sites and invest in water infrastructure to enhance the livability and economic vitality of overburdened and underserved communities. By September 30, 2023, EPA will provide technical assistance to at least 10 communities to help achieve clean and safe water and reduced exposures to hazardous substances.Waterbodies & WatershedsProtect and Restore Waterbodies and Watersheds_a0a38494-e420-11ec-91b1-98b1f382ea005.2Address sources of water pollution and ensure water quality standards are protective of the health and needs of all people and ecosystems. ~ Clean and safe water is an essential resource that provides for healthy ecosystems, communities, and economies across the nation. Pollution and degradation of lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands endangers aquatic ecosystems, threatens the safety of drinking water, compromises water quality planning and flood protections, impacts commercial and recreation opportunities (e.g., fishing, hunting, kayaking, swimming), and reduces the natural benefits these resources provide to communities. EPA needs to protect these resources against threats such as climate change, drought, sea level rise, invasive species, plastics, and nutrient pollution. ^ EPA’s water programs will maintain, restore, and improve water quality and availability and ecosystem services. EPA is focused on its core mission to protect the nation’s waters and reiterates the principles of science, equity, environmental justice, and Tribal sovereignty as fundamental standards that should be woven throughout its programs. ^ Long-Term Performance Goal • By September 30, 2026, increase by 41,000 square miles the area of watersheds with surface water meeting standards that previously did not meet standards.CommunitiesSafeguard and Revitalize Communities_cdfd76e6-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea006CommunitiesRestore land to safe and productive uses to improve communities and protect public health. ~ EPA works directly with, in, and for thousands of communities across the country, protecting their health and the environment by cleaning up contaminated land, managing the safe disposal of solid, industrial, and hazardous waste, and planning for and responding to environmental emergencies. Sixtyone percent of the United States population, including 62 percent of children under the age of five, live near sites where EPA assesses and restores contaminated land. While there is no single way to characterize communities located near contaminated sites, the legacy of pollution disproportionally affects communities of color, low-income, linguistically isolated populations, and those without a high school education. EPA will engage early and collaborate with Tribal, state, local partners, and affected communities to improve the livelihood of all Americans by cleaning up and returning these sites to productive use, especially in underserved and overburdened communities. ^ Uncontrolled releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants impact air, land, and water and threaten healthy ecosystems. Nationally, there are thousands of contaminated sites with challenging and complex environmental problems, including soil, sediment, and groundwater contaminated by chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Over the next four years, EPA will prioritize the cleanup of legacy contamination and emerging pollutants and facilitate site redevelopment in collaboration with communities, local governments, businesses, and other stakeholders. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), implemented in alignment with Justice40, advances these efforts by investing in the health, equity, and resilience of American communities. With unprecedented funding to clean up Superfund sites, scale-up community-led brownfields revitalization, and support local waste management infrastructure and recycling programs, EPA will improve people’s health and safety, help create good paying jobs, and increase climate resilience throughout the country. ^ As it addresses existing contamination, EPA also will focus on reducing waste and preventing pollution. EPA and states manage the safe disposal of 2.96 billion tons of solid, industrial, and hazardous waste every year. This includes protective standards for the roughly 60,000 facilities in the United States that annually generate and manage more than 30 to 40 million tons of hazardous waste. EPA, in partnership with Tribes, states, local governments, and other organizations, will work to prevent releases of contaminants, reduce waste by increasing materials recovery and recycling, and support sustainable materials management practices. Through prevention activities, EPA protects groundwater from releases from underground storage tanks (USTs). Through materials recovery and recycling, EPA also provides direct, measurable reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since natural resource extraction and processing make up more than 50 percent of total GHG emissions. ^ EPA also has mission-essential functions to prepare for and respond to environmental emergencies, which are growing in frequency and risk because of climate change. EPA strives to prevent emergencies through inspections of high-risk facilities and maintains the capabilities to respond to emergencies through planning and preparedness efforts. EPA follows the government-wide National Response Framework (NRF) in responding to large-scale emergencies that involve chemicals, oil, biological agents, radiation, or natural disasters. As part of the framework, EPA supports other federal agencies on significant incidents, and works with Tribes, states, and local planning and response organizations. Due to their proximity to facilities, fenceline communities, often with environmental justice concerns, bear a disproportionate risk of exposure to releases. Over the next four years, EPA will work to find solutions for these disproportionately impacted communities by prioritizing inspection of high-risk facilities.LandClean Up and Restore Land for Productive Uses and Healthy Communities_cdfd7844-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea006.1Clean up and restore contaminated sites to protect human health and the environment and build vibrant communities, especially in underserved and overburdened areas. ~ Contaminated soil, sediment, mine waste, groundwater, and sub-slab vapor intrusion into indoor air space expose communities across the United States to dangerous pollution. Twenty-two percent of the U.S. population lives within three miles of a Superfund site. Similarly, within a half mile of a brownfields site receiving EPA funding, 21 percent of people live below the national poverty level, 17 percent have less than a high school education, 69 56 percent are people of color, and seven percent are linguistically isolated. Children are disproportionately exposed to health risks and safety hazards, especially from lead in soil. At Superfund residential lead sites, 18 percent of the population live below the national poverty level, 15 percent do not have a high school degree, and 51 percent are people of color. By cleaning up and returning contaminated land to productive use, EPA will improve the health and livelihood and reduce the environmental and health effects of exposure to contamination in communities, especially overburdened communities. This includes lowering the risk of elevated blood lead levels for children living near lead-contaminated sites. ^ Together with federal, Tribal, and state partners, EPA’s cleanup programs will reduce risks to human health and the environment while also returning them to productive reuse and providing economic and additional environmental benefits. Thousands of sites across the country have been transformed— from abandoned, contaminated industrial sites into parks, landfills into solar farms, and former smelters into health clinics. By assessing and cleaning up brownfields properties, EPA will bring direct economic and environmental gains to communities. Through FY 2020, on average, $20.13 was leveraged for each EPA brownfields dollar, and 10.3 jobs were leveraged per $100,000 of EPA brownfields funds expended on assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements. 71 Several studies have shown that environmental benefits accrue when brownfields sites are used for redevelopment, such as reduction of paved surfaces and vehicle miles traveled. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, bring human exposures under control at an additional 60 Superfund sites. • By September 30, 2026, complete 225 Superfund cleanup projects that address lead as a contaminant. • By September 30, 2026, clean up an additional 650 brownfields properties. • By September 30, 2026, make an additional 425 RCRA corrective action cleanups Ready for Anticipated Use. • By September 30, 2026, conduct an additional 35,000 cleanups at Leaking Underground Storage Tank facilities.Waste & ContaminationReduce Waste and Prevent Environmental Contamination_a0a3882c-e420-11ec-91b1-98b1f382ea006.2Prevent environmental pollution by preventing releases, reducing waste, increasing materials recovery and recycling, and ensuring sustainable materials management practices. ~ To prevent future environmental contamination and protect the health of the approximately 5.3 million people living within one mile of a hazardous waste facility, EPA and its state partners issue RCRA permits for approximately 6,700 hazardous waste units (such as incinerators and landfills) at 1,300 facilities. EPA will ensure that permit decisions, including decisions to issue, renew, or deny permits, reflect the latest technology and standards, and remain protective under changing conditions, such as climate change. EPA will also ensure that all communities, including those who are marginalized and overburdened, have an equitable opportunity to engage in the permitting process. ^ Through its National Recycling Strategy, EPA is working to develop a stronger, more resilient, and cost-effective U.S. municipal solid waste recycling system. Recycling has been a long-standing critical component of EPA’s waste management efforts and is the foundation for Sustainable Materials Management, which aims to reduce the environmental impacts of materials across their lifecycle. Recycling is an important part of a circular economy, which refers to a system of activities that is restorative to the environment, enables resources to maintain their highest values, and designs out waste. A circular economy approach provides direct, measurable reductions in GHG emissions as natural resource extraction and processing make up approximately 50 percent of total global GHG emissions. Reducing waste helps alleviate burdens on populations that bear the brunt of poorly run waste management facilities and transfer stations and underinvestment in waste management infrastructure. When applied to critical minerals, a circular economy approach facilitates end-of-life recycling and the recovery of critical minerals in order to support a secure supply chain. ^ To protect groundwater sources from releases of petroleum from USTs, EPA will continue to work with Tribal and state partners to prevent these releases. This work will help mitigate the negative environmental impacts to communities that are historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. As of September 2020, approximately 53 million people live within one-quarter mile of an active UST facility, and they tend to be minority populations and have lower income than the average U.S. wage earner. ^ Long-Term Performance Goal • By September 30, 2026, increase the percentage of updated permits at RCRA facilities to 80% from the FY 2021 baseline of 72.7%. Environmental EmergenciesPrepare for and Respond to Environmental Emergencies_a0a38a3e-e420-11ec-91b1-98b1f382ea006.3Prevent, prepare, and respond to environmental emergencies and support other agencies on nationally significant incidents, working with Tribes, states, and local planning and response organizations. ~ Environmental emergencies are caused by both natural and anthropogenic effects. Those emergencies caused by natural forces are growing in frequency and in the risks they pose. EPA will strive to prevent such emergencies and be ready to respond when they occur, in coordination with and through the support of partner organizations. EPA’s leadership for national preparedness for emergency responses is designated as a Primary Mission Essential Function. Agency coordination with Tribes, states, local communities, and industry helps to ensure national safety and security during responses. ^ EPA will continue to develop and implement regulations and policies that aim to prevent environmental emergencies and enhance the ability of communities and facilities to prepare for and respond to emergencies. EPA’s highly trained corps of on-scene coordinators and special teams will prepare for the possibility of significant incidents by maintaining and providing guidance and technical assistance to Tribal, state, and local planning and response organizations to strengthen their preparedness. ^ Long-Term Performance Goal • By September 30, 2026, ensure that 40% of annual emergency response and removal exercises that EPA conducts or participates in incorporate environmental justice.ChemicalsEnsure Safety of Chemicals for People and the Environment_cdfd798e-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea007Increase the safety of chemicals and pesticides and prevent pollution at the source. ~ EPA is responsible for ensuring the safety of chemicals and pesticides for people at all life stages and the environment, improving access to information, and preventing pollution at the source before it occurs. The Agency focuses on assessing, preventing, and reducing releases and exposures resulting from the manufacture, processing, use and disposal of chemicals and pesticides, and advancing community right-to-know. Through risk evaluation/assessment and management, encouragement of safer alternatives, and effective data management, EPA strives to ensure protection of communities and the environment from unsafe exposures, especially to children, the elderly, and those with environmental justice concerns (including low income, people of color, and Indigenous peoples) who may already be disproportionately impacted by and at risk from exposure to other stressors. In addition, EPA works to ensure public access to chemical and pesticide data, analytical tools, and other sources of information and expertise; and promotes source reduction, integrated pest management, and other pollution prevention strategies by organizations and businesses. SafetyEnsure Chemical and Pesticide Safety_cdfd7af6-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea007.1Protect the health of families, communities, and ecosystems from the risks posed by chemicals and pesticides. ~ Chemicals are ubiquitous in the products Americans use daily and are present in the environment and people’s bodies. EPA has significant responsibilities under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for ensuring the safety of chemicals in or entering commerce and addressing unreasonable risks to human health and the environment. This work will play an important role in enhancing environmental justice and tackling the climate crisis as described in Executive Orders 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government and 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Also, under TSCA, EPA is responsible for collecting and managing vast amounts of chemical data/information, securely managing Confidential Business Information, and reducing exposure to lead in paint and dust, especially in disproportionately affected communities. ^ The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended TSCA in 2016, introduced far-reaching improvements to America’s chemical safety scientific, regulatory, and information infrastructure and enhanced EPA’s ability to protect human health and the environment from chemical risks. Under Section 5,81 EPA assumed responsibility for making safety determinations in its review of hundreds of new chemical submissions annually. Under Section 6, EPA assumed new responsibilities for systematically prioritizing and comprehensively evaluating at least 20 chemicals at a time, assessing additional chemicals at manufacturers’ request, and managing identified unreasonable risks—all under statutory deadlines. ^ Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA), and the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2018 (PRIA 4), EPA is charged with protecting people and the environment from the risks that pesticide use can pose. EPA reviews and makes determinations on whether to register new pesticides andnew uses for existing pesticides and other registration requests in accordance with statutory requirements. EPA also makes sure exposure to subgroups and sensitive life stages, including infants and children, are reflected in the human health risk assessments supporting these regulatory determinations and that pesticides do not pose unreasonable adverse effects to the environment. In addition, under the registration review process the Agency reevaluates pesticides that are already in the market against current scientific standards for human health and the environment. Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA),83 EPA is charged with ensuring that pesticide registration and registration review decisions do not jeopardize the continued existence of federally-listed threatened and endangered species or adversely modify designated critical habitat. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, complete at least eight High Priority Substance (HPS) TSCA risk evaluations annually within statutory timelines compared to the FY 2020 baseline of one. • By September 30, 2026, initiate all TSCA risk management actions within 45 days of the completion of a final existing chemical risk evaluation. • By September 30, 2026, review 90% of past risk mitigation requirements for TSCA new chemical substances decisions compared to the FY 2021 baseline of none. • By September 30, 2026, recertify before the expiration date 36% of lead-based paint Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) firms whose certifications are scheduled to expire compared to the FY 2021 baseline of 32%. • By September 30, 2026, complete 78 pesticide registration review cases with statutory due dates that fall after October 1, 2022. • By September 30, 2026, consider the effects determinations or protections of federally threatened and endangered species for new active ingredients in 90% of the risk assessments supporting pesticide registration decisions for new active ingredients compared to the FY 2020 baseline of 50%. • By September 30, 2026, consider the effects determinations or protections of federally threatened and endangered species in 50% of the risk assessments supporting pesticide registration review decisions compared to the FY 2020 baseline of 27%. • By September 30, 2026, support Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) pesticide safety training for 20,000 farmworkers annually compared to the FY 2018-2020 annual average baseline of 11,000.PollutionPromote Pollution Prevention_cdfd7c40-e3a0-11ec-9f05-94ea1f83ea007.2Encourage the adoption of pollution prevention and other stewardship practices that conserve natural resources, mitigate climate change, and promote environmental sustainability. ~ EPA’s implementation of pollution prevention (P2) practices under the Pollution Prevention Act of 199093 is one of the Agency’s primary tools for advancing environmental stewardship and sustainability by federal, Tribal, and state governments, businesses, communities, and individuals. These practices focus on reducing the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering a waste stream or released into the environment prior to recycling of discarded material, treatment, or disposal, as well as conserving the use of natural resources. P2 grants contributed to the elimination of 16.9 million metric tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs) between 2011 and 2019. ^ Through these approaches, the Agency helps business, consumers, procurement officials, organizations, and others reduce costs and access market opportunities while achieving significant reductions in hazardous releases to air, water, and land; hazardous materials use; GHG generation; and water use. EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)94 tracks implementation of pollution prevention activities by reporting releases from facilities and serves as a critical source of public chemical release, management, and P2 information to support community-right-to-know and advance EPA’s chemical safety goals. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, reduce a total of 6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) released attributed to EPA pollution prevention grants. • By September 30, 2026, EPA’s Safer Choice program will certify a total of 2,300 products compared to the FY 2021 baseline of 1,950 total certified products.Cross-Agency Strategies_a0a38f5c-e420-11ec-91b1-98b1f382ea008Scientific IntegrityEnsure Scientific Integrity and Science-Based Decision Making_a0a39254-e420-11ec-91b1-98b1f382ea00Strategy 8.1Deliver rigorous scientific research and analyses to inform evidence-based decision making. ~ EPA’s ability to protect human health and the environment depends on the integrity and quality of the information, data, and evidence that provide the scientific foundation for Agency decisions. EPA is committed to restoring the public’s trust in government through scientific integrity and science-based decision making. As both a producer and user of scientific information, data, and evidence, EPA is responsible for delivering scientific research and analyses to inform science-based decision making and for using the best available scientific information, data, and evidence to inform decisions and develop environmental policies, guidance, and regulations. EPA’s cross-agency strategy will strengthen EPA’s culture of scientific integrity, advance the delivery of rigorous and independent scientific evaluation and analyses, and ground EPA’s actions in the best available science. ^ Science touches all parts of EPA, from regional laboratories that analyze scientific data to inform immediate and near-term decisions on environmental conditions, emergency response, compliance and enforcement, to national program scientists and engineers who conduct and use science to inform regulations and national compliance and enforcement initiatives. A major component of EPA’s science enterprise is the research and development program, which focuses on delivering leading-edge research to meet near-term and long-term science needs of the Agency, informing EPA decisions, and supporting the emerging needs of Tribal, state, and community partners. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, increase the annual percentage of Office of Research and Development (ORD) research products meeting partner needs to 95% from a baseline of 93% in FY 2021. • By September 30, 2026, implement 126 actions for scientific integrity objectives that are certified by Deputy Scientific Integrity Officials in each EPA program and region.HealthConsider the Health of Children at All Life Stages and Other Vulnerable Populations_a0a3948e-e420-11ec-91b1-98b1f382ea00Strategy 8.2Vulnerable PopulationsChildrenFocus on protecting and improving the health of children at all life stages and other vulnerable populations in implementing our programs. ~ By being able to live, learn, and play free from environmental exposures that contribute to harmful health effects, children and vulnerable populations are given the best opportunity to thrive throughout their lives. Protecting children against toxic exposures is essential to human health protection and therefore, must be included in all relevant EPA decisions and programs, both regulatory and voluntary. Throughout its programs, EPA strives to apply and promote the use of science, policy, partnerships, communications, and action to protect children at all life stages and vulnerable populations from adverse health effects resulting from harmful environmental exposures. EPA also will take actions to protect children and vulnerable populations in underserved communities who suffer disproportionately from the effects of exposures enhanced by socio-economic determinants of health, and to address any impacts that are exacerbated by climate change. ^ Children's environmental health refers to the effect of the environment on an individual’s growth, wellness, development, and risk of disease at all life stages. EPA actions will be informed by two important considerations: (1) the scientific understanding of childhood as a sequence of life stages, from conception through infancy and adolescence to early adulthood (age 21); and (2) the recognition that protecting children’s health at all life stages is necessary to achieve the Agency’s mission. Children may be at greater risk to environmental contaminants than adults if exposure occurs during windows of enhanced toxicological susceptibility. Children may also experience greater exposure than adults as they eat more, drink more, and breathe more in proportion to their body size and due to their unique behaviors, such as breast feeding, crawling, and hand-to-mouth activity. Children can be exposed to environmental contaminants that their caregivers may inadvertently bring home from their workplace, while adolescent workers may be directly exposed to harmful chemicals in the workplace. Finally, the effects of early life exposures may become apparent during childhood and/or may not arise until adulthood or in later generations. ^ Long-Term Performance Goal • By September 30, 2026, assess and consider environmental health information and data for children at all life stages for all completed EPA actions that concern human health. Excellence & EquityAdvance EPA’s Organizational Excellence and Workforce Equity_a0a39998-e420-11ec-91b1-98b1f382ea00Strategy 8.3Foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce within an effective and mission-driven workplace. ~ To support its mission to protect human health and the environment, EPA will advance organizational excellence and equity through a workforce that reflects the diversity of the American public and maintains and promotes a culture of inclusion and accessibility. The Agency will remove barriers that may prevent small and underserved businesses from doing business with EPA and focus on developing a workforce and workplace of the future that will meet the demands of the 21st century. ^ In support of Executive Order 14035: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce, the Agency will strengthen workforce planning of mission-critical positions and continue to prioritize equity and diversity across all aspects of work life at EPA including recruitment, hiring, development, and succession management for the next generation of workers. Additionally, the Agency will work to implement the Agency’s Gender Equity and Equality Action Plan to create a more gender equitable workforce. ^ In support of the President’s Management Agenda, EPA will modernize information technology systems, improve Agency permitting efficiencies by developing and implementing automation solutions, enhance the physical workplace for a hybrid workforce, support employee-friendly work policies, and transition to a paperless work environment. EPA will implement efficient and effective processes across the Agency. The use of proven techniques and training will equip staff to solve problems, make improvements, and enhance EPA’s ability to accomplish its mission. Additionally, EPA will continue to safeguard against cybersecurity risks to protect Agency assets and infrastructure from potentially malicious attacks. Further, EPA will be a leader in the Federal Government in advancing the sustainability of facilities and operations while developing resiliency to respond to the risks of climate change. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, EPA will be in full compliance with the five high-priority directives in Executive Order 14028: Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity. • By September 30, 2026, award 4% of EPA contract spending to small businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZones) compared to the FY 2018-2020 average annual baseline of 2.2%. • By September 30, 2026, initiate all priority climate resiliency projects for EPA-owned facilities within 24 months of a completed facility climate assessment and project prioritization. • By September 30, 2026, EPA will achieve the highest Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Maturity Level of “Leading and Sustaining” as defined by the November 2021 Governmentwide Strategic Plan to Advance DEIA in the Federal Workforce and achieve all EPA goals identified in the Agency’s Gender Equity and Equality Action Plan. • By September 30, 2026, automate all priority internal administrative processes. • By September 30, 2026, automate the major EPA permitting programs. • By September 30, 2026, improve 1,000 operational processes.Engagement & PartnershipsStrengthen Tribal, State, and Local Partnerships and Enhance Engagement_a0a39ca4-e420-11ec-91b1-98b1f382ea00Strategy 8.4Tribal PartnersState PartnersLocal PartnersCollaborate and engage effectively with Tribal nations in keeping with the Federal Government’s trust responsibilities, state and local governments, regulated entities, and the public to protect human health and the environment. ~ Protecting human health and the environment is a shared responsibility of EPA and its Tribal, state, and local government partners. State and local governments provide the majority of on-the-ground environmental protection in this country, implementing federal environmental laws as well as their own. In Indian country EPA directly implements the majority of federal programs. Many innovative and effective public health and environmental programs are initiated at the Tribal, state, and local levels. Environmental outcomes are best achieved through collaborative and effective partnerships across all levels of government, successful oversight of federally delegated programs, and robust engagement with non-governmental organizations, national and community groups, industry, and the public, built on a foundation of public trust and transparency, including through timely responses to information requests. Through a renewed focus on intergovernmental relationships, improving on-the-ground community engagement, enhancing collaboration with the business community, delivering high-impact environmental education programs, and increasing public trust and transparency, EPA will forge stronger partnerships. As a result, EPA will advance durable policies to its most pressing challenges and ensure the equitable protection of all communities, including those who have historically been underserved and overburdened. ^ Long-Term Performance Goals • By September 30, 2026, consider Tribal treaty rights as part of all EPA Tribal consultations that may affect Tribal treaty rights. • By September 30, 2026, eliminate the backlog of overdue Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) responses, compared to the FY 2021 baseline of 1,056. 2022-03-282026-09-302022-06-04https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-03/fy-2022-2026-epa-strategic-plan.pdfOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net