94-1953. Environmental Leadership Program: Update

[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 19 (Friday, January 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-1953]


[Federal Register: January 28, 1994]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-4831-1]


Environmental Leadership Program: Update

    EPA announces the next steps in the development of the 
Environmental Leadership Program (ELP). After reviewing many possible 
options, the Agency has decided to proceed with pilot projects to test 
the feasibility of a voluntary program to recognize industrial 
facilities. The pilots will explore ways to encourage facilities to 
develop innovative audit and compliance programs and to reduce the risk 
of non-compliance through pollution prevention practices.
    The wide variety of public comments on the original ELP proposal 
(published in the Federal Register on January 15, 1993) clearly 
indicated an interest in a program to recognize and encourage 
``environmental excellence.'' While no true consensus emerged on the 
best structure or goals for the program, several themes were common to 
the majority of the comments:
     EPA should encourage companies and facilities of all sizes 
and from all industries to participate in the program.
     EPA should focus its program on individual facilities 
rather than on entire corporations.
     Any EPA-developed statement of environmental principles 
would duplicate existing private-sector efforts and would be difficult 
to enforce.
    In response to these comments, EPA has decided to continue 
developing a voluntary, facility-based program. The Agency will develop 
pilot projects with specific industries and states to evaluate the many 
unresolved issues raised during the comment period. These include a 
possible multiple-tier structure to encourage broad participation, 
determining the role of compliance, self-reporting of violations, 
public accountability, the role of incentives in encouraging companies 
to exceed minimum requirements, and how pollution prevention practices 
can help facilities reduce or avoid the risk of non-compliance.
    EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Sussman and Steve Herman, the 
Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance 
Assurance (OECA) have been asked to coordinate this effort. The Agency 
will provide more information on the process for selecting pilot 
participants and on the development of test projects in the early 
spring of 1994. The Office of Compliance within OECA will be 
responsible for this process. Please call Mike Schiavo at (202) 260-
2824 for more information.
    Also in response to the comments, the Agency has concluded that it 
will not issue its own guidelines for corporate environmental 
principles, but rather work cooperatively with the many other 
organizations that have developed corporate and industry-wide codes of 
environmental conduct. The Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics 
will take responsibility for representing the Agency in this area, and 
for ensuring the involvement of other EPA offices where appropriate. 
Please call David Kling at [phone] for more information. EPA 
thanks all of those who have expressed an interest in the ELP concept 
and looks forward to making this program an exciting and effective 
approach to pollution prevention and compliance.

    Dated: January 14, 1994.
Carol M. Browner,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-1953 Filed 1-27-94; 8:45 am]
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