September 11, 2002—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $25 million in environmental information grants to 44 states, 17 tribes, and 1 US territory to work with EPA in developing the National Environmental Information Exchange Network. The Network is a joint project for sharing environmental data between EPA, states, and other partners over the Internet. The grants will fund the development of hardware and software to enable network participants’ computer systems to communicate and exchange data with EPA’s computers.
The EPA says completion of this Network will simplify reporting by industry and greatly improve the quantity and quality of the environmental information EPA provides to US citizens. It is also an important step in the President’s E-Government Initiative, which uses Internet technology to improve the delivery of government services to citizens, streamline businesses’ paperwork, and increase cooperation among federal, state, and local authorities.
According to the EPA, completion of the Network will consolidate air, water, waste, and toxics data; simplify industry’s reporting requirements; and provide the public with meaningful, real-time access to environmental information. By combining different types of data, citizens will have access to a complete picture of environmental conditions where they live and work.
The grant funds will be used for environmental information projects that promote:
- Exchanging environmental information with other states and partners using common formats.
- Integrating different types of data within states, including air, water, waste and toxics.
- Reconciling inconsistencies between different data reporting sources.
- Creating a single node for submission of data to EPA Headquarters. (A “node” is one central computer network location for exchange of environmental information).
The Network Grant Program includes four types of grants. For more information or a complete list of grants visit the EPA.
