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Tools and Best Practices Supporting the Recovery Act
Tools to Help Federal Agencies Comply with Environmental Requirements
Compliance Assistance - Find assistance tools for specific statutes or regulations and compliance information for specific industry and government sectors
FedCenter.gov – Find federal government resources and information pertaining to multiple program areas such as clean-up, transportation, NEPA, pollution prevention, and energy
Review and Comparison of Recovery Act Funding Potentially Impacting the Environment
Many projects receiving Recovery Act funding could impact air pollutant emissions, climate change, water pollution, land conservation, waste management, and/or release of toxics into the environment. Using publicly-available information from other agencies' Recovery Act Web sites, this December 2009 paper (PDF) (9 pp., 89K, about PDF) highlights and groups investments related to the environment. Categories include renewable energy, energy efficiency, water infrastructure, toxics and cleanup, transportation, and federal buildings.
The Recovery Act calls for investment in “environmental protection and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits.” As such, it provides unparalleled opportunities for the Federal government to demonstrate environmental leadership in energy efficiency, green building, purchasing, and other sustainability strategies.
While EPA has direct implementation responsibilities for six program areas, other federal agencies and the recipients of Recovery Act funds can also incorporate sustainable practices into their Recovery activities. On this page you will find key work that will be done by other agencies and EPA resources that can help support sustainable outcomes.
- Abandoned Mine Cleanup
- Alternative Vehicles and Fleets
- Buildings and Grounds
- Built Environment
- Green Building Materials (Procurement Guidance)
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- Environmental Cleanup
- Environmental Financial Tools
- Environmental Justice
- Information Technology (Purchasing and Recycling)
- Infrastructure (Roads, Railways, Transmission Lines, Water Systems)
- Highways and Public Transit
- Water Infrastructure
- Lead Hazard Reduction
- School Improvement
- Watershed Restoration and Flood Prevention
- Workforce Training and Development
Abandoned Mine Cleanup
- Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) - EPA's resources related to the range of environmental risks and challenges from AMLs as well as risk management approaches.
Alternative Vehicles and Fleets
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Fueleconomy.gov – EPA and Department of Energy program to provide fuel economy information on vehicles. Includes information on hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles.
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Green Vehicle Guide - Allows users to easily identify the greenhouse gas emission and fuel economy performance of all vehicles sold as well as identify the top environmental performing vehicles that receive EPA's SmartWay certification mark.
- Smartway – Products and services that reduce transportation-related air and greenhouse gas emissions.
Buildings and Grounds
Built Environment
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Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings
– Principles agreed to through a Memorandum of Understanding between 20 Federal agencies and incorporated in Executive Order 13423, applying to all Federal buildings. -
Whole Building Design Guide Sustainability Guidance
– Technical information on greening Federal buildings, developed by a consortium of Federal agencies. -
Green Building – Tools and resources to support green building
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Greening EPA – Strategies and resources EPA has used to reduce the environmental impact of its facilities and operations, from building new, environmentally sustainable structures to improving the energy efficiency of older buildings.
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Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers
- A comprehensive guide for procuring green building products and construction services within the Federal government -
Healthy Homes - Information on indoor and outdoor air quality, pesticides, toxic household products, mold, tobacco smoke, radon, drinking water contaminants and other factors in making housing “green”.
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Asbestos - Provides information on risks associated with asbestos exposure, including guidance on asbestos management in buildings. Also, includes information on OSHA asbestos standards.
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Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) – Provides information on risks associated with PCB exposure, including information on PCBs in caulk.
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Smart Growth – Resources for encouraging environmentally-sensitive development.
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Brownfields – Resources to help communities expand, reuse and redevelop properties where such actions may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
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ENERGY STAR Buildings and Plants - Tools and resources to improve the energy efficiency of the places where we live, work, and play.
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WaterSense - Information about water efficient products and services in the residential and commercial sectors.
- Recover Your Resources: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Construction and Demolition Materials at Land Revitalization Projects (PDF) (8 pp., 1.4 MB, about PDF) – Describes significant opportunities for reducing, reusing, and recycling construction and demolition materials at cleanup and redevelopment sites.
Green Building Materials (Procurement Guidance)
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Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers
- A comprehensive guide for procuring green building products and construction services within the Federal government -
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Database – Designed to help federal agencies buy greener products and services by linking to contract language, specifications, and policies created and used by federal and states governments and other institutional purchasing to buy environmentally preferable products and services. Also includes environmental standards and guidelines, and vendor lists of product brands.
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Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines – An EPA program designed to promote the use of materials recovered from solid waste. EPA designates products that are or can be made with recovered materials, and recommends practices for buying these products. Guides are available for construction, landscaping, parks and recreation, transportation, and other products.
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Environmental Technology Verification Program - Verified technologies for air quality monitoring and control of air pollution and greenhouse gases.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
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Clean Energy – Information to help state policy makers, electric and gas utilities, energy customers, and other key stakeholders identify, design and implement clean energy policy and technology solutions.
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American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009: State and Local Guide to U.S. EPA Climate and Energy Program Resources (PDF) (29 pp., 835K, About PDF) – Designed to help state and local governments see which EPA programs could be leveraged to expand or develop clean energy initiatives in their locality.
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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: A Guide to Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Opportunities for Local and Tribal Governments (PDF) (18 pp., 148K, About PDF) – Provides an overview of funding sources in ARRA that local governments can use to implement clean energy programs and EPA resources that can support clean energy efforts. The guide covers funding and resources for energy, energy in water treatment, schools, affordable housing, transportation, and green jobs.
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Using EPA Resources to Maximize Clean Energy in Economic Recovery Spending – Webcast featuring a crosswalk of available funds and EPA resources, including an overview of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants and an overview of clean energy opportunities in the state water revolving
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Rapid Deployment Energy Efficiency (RDEE) Toolkit (under development) – Detailed program design and implementation guides for 5 to 10 broadly applicable energy efficiency programs that have extensive, proven field experience with documentation on program design, cost, and results.
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ENERGY STAR – Products and practices for improving energy efficiency.
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Indoor Air Quality – Resources to protect air quality inside homes and other buildings during weatherization, renovation, maintenance and other activities.
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Green Power Partnership – Offers expert advice, technical support, tools and resources to support organizational procurement of electricity generated from renewable resources.
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Development of Renewable Energy on Contaminated Land and Mining Sites - Information and resources applicable to renewable energy development on formerly contaminated land and mining sites.
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Environmental Technology Verification Program - Verified technologies for air quality monitoring and control of air pollution and greenhouse gases.
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Great American Wood Stove Change-out - Provides tools and resources to help local, state, tribal and federal partners encourage replacement of non-EPA certified wood stoves with more efficient models that save energy and improve health protection.
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Hydronic Heaters Voluntary Program - Promotes the development and sale of cleaner, more efficient biomass-fueled hydronic heaters.
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Tribal Energy and Environmental Information – Clearinghouse that provides information about the environmental effects of energy development on tribal lands.
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Combined Heat and Power Partnership – Information on how wastewater treatment facilities can use biogases generated from anaerobic digesters to generate electricity and thermal energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Methane to Markets Program – An international initiative to advance cost-effective, near-term methane recovery and use as a clean energy source. Designed to facilitate methane reduction projects in agriculture, coal mines, landfills and oil and gas systems.
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Renewable Energy Maps – Opportunities for renewable energy generation on contaminated lands and mining sites in all 50 states.
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Smart Energy Resources Guide (PDF) (200 pp., 5.1 MB, About PDF) - Opportunities to reduce diesel emissions from energy use during remediation activities. Includes information on solar, wind, landfill gas-to-energy and other renewable energy technologies that may be applicable in cleanup activities.
Environmental Cleanup
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Green Remediation - Tools to help site cleanup and reuse stakeholders make informed decisions about "green cleanup" strategies.
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Environmental Technology Verification Program - Verified technologies for environmental measurement and monitoring.
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Smart Energy Resources Guide (PDF) (200 pp., 5.1 MB, About PDF) - Opportunities to reduce diesel emissions from energy use during remediation activities. Includes information on solar, wind, landfill gas-to-energy and other renewable energy technologies that may be applicable in cleanup activities.
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Cleanups in My Community - A mapping and listing tool that shows sites where pollution is being or has been cleaned up throughout the United States.
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Brownfields Sustainability Pilots – The Brownfields Sustainability Pilots are an EPA effort to promote environmental sustainability at local brownfields projects. EPA is providing communities with technical assistance to help them achieve greener assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment at their brownfields.
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Ecological Revitalization - Tools and resources for returning polluted or otherwise disturbed lands to a functioning and sustainable use by increasing or improving habitat for plants and animals.
Environmental Financial Tools
- Center for Environmental Finance (CEF) - The CEF and other EPA programs provide a number of tools, including the Guidebook of Financial Tools, to assist state and local communities with finding the means of financing environmental protection initiatives.
Environmental Justice
- Executive Order 12898 (PDF) (6 pp., 122K, About PDF) – Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations
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EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model (PDF) (44 pp., 1.3 MB, About PDF) – A handbook for addressing environmental and public health issues in distressed communities.
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The Environmental Justice Strategic Enforcement Assessment Tool (EJSEAT) - Uses 18 select federally recognized or managed databases and a simple algorithm to consistently identify areas with potentially disproportionately high and adverse environmental and public health burdens.
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Consulting with Indian Tribes at Superfund Sites - A basic primer on how to consult with Indian tribes at Superfund sites, but could be used in any site cleanup scenario.
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Public Health and Health Monitoring – Information on how cleaning up contaminated sites can improve community health, from a Brownfields perspective.
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Environmental Justice: Guidance Under the National Environmental Policy Act (PDF) (40 pp., 2.4 MB, About PDF)- Guidance for Federal agencies on how environmental justice concerns can be effectively assessed during NEPA reviews.
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Final Guidance For Incorporating Environmental Justice Concerns in EPA's NEPA Compliance Analyses (PDF) (76 pp., 303K, About PDF) – Guidance for EPA on how to effectively assess how environmental justice is addressed in the Agency’s NEPA reviews. Developed for EPA, but may also be helpful for other agencies subject to EPA NEPA review.
Information Technology (Purchasing and Recycling)
- EPEAT – Electronic tool helping institutional purchasers select and compare computer desktops, laptops and monitors based on their environmental attributes.
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E-cycle – Basic information about recycling electronics
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Responsible Recycling (R2) Practices - A set of guidelines for accredited certification programs to assess electronics recyclers’ environmental, worker health and safety, and security practices.
Infrastructure (Roads, Railways, Transmission Lines, Water Systems)
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Green Infrastructure – Guidance to help communities improve water quality while providing wildlife habitat and opportunities for outdoor recreation.
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Low Impact Development –Provides information on innovative techniques and strategies to manage stormwater as close to its source as possible employing principles, such as preserving natural landscape features and minimizing imperviousness.
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Clean Construction USA – Resources for reducing diesel emissions from construction equipment and vehicles.
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Construction Initiative – Provides technical assistance to transportation officials, building owners, real estate developers, architects, and general contractors to increase the recycling and reuse of industrial materials in building and transportation construction projects.
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Coal Combustion Products Partnership - Resources to foster beneficial use of coal combustion products in transportation, building and infrastructure projects
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Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) – Provides information on risks associated with PCB exposure, including information on PCBs in transformers and capacitors.
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Smart Growth – Resources for encouraging environmentally-sensitive development
- Sustainable Skylines Initiative - Tools and resources to help States and local governments achieve immediate air quality benefits by integrating transportation, climate, energy, land use and other nontraditional strategies into air quality planning.
Highways and Public Transit
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Evaluation of Ecological Impacts from Highway Development (PDF) (74 pp., 5.1 MB, About PDF) - Guidance for the analysis of ecological impacts from highway development activities and the evaluation of related ecosystem mitigation measures.
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Green Highways – Partnership with the Federal Highway Administration and State of Maryland to improve sustainability of the national highway system, focusing on wetlands, ecosystems, and use of recycled materials.
- Using Coal Ash in Highway Construction: A Guide to Benefits and Impacts (PDF) (50 pp., 2.3 MB, About PDF) - Provides basic information, cost and performance benefits, environmental benefits, health concerns, and case studies on the use of coal ash in constructing highways.
Water Infrastructure
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Sustainable Infrastructure for Water and Wastewater – Information to help water utilities shift the utility management model beyond compliance to sustainability and improved performance.
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Wastewater Management – Resources on wastewater technologies, financing and management strategies. Includes information for small communities, Tribes, and US/Mexico border communities.
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Ground Water and Drinking Water –Tools and information on public drinking water systems, source water protection, and other safe water strategies.
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Environmental Technology Verification Program - Verified technologies for drinking water and waste water treatment and measurement and monitoring.
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Combined Heat and Power Partnership – Information on how wastewater treatment facilities can use biogases generated from anaerobic digesters to generate electricity and thermal energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Lead Hazard Reduction
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Lead - Basic information about lead health effects and how to protect against lead poisoning during renovation, repair and painting. Includes safe work practices for contractors.
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Environmental Technology Verification Program - Verified technologies for air quality monitoring and control of air pollution and greenhouse gases.
School Improvement
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Healthy Schools Initiative – An EPA website designed to provide one-stop access to the many programs and resources available to help prevent and resolve environmental issues in schools.
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Clean School Bus USA – Resources to help reduce children's exposure to diesel exhaust and the amount of air pollution created by diesel school buses.
Watershed Restoration and Flood Prevention
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Watershed Central - Designed to provide state, local, and voluntary watershed management entities with a variety of tools and information that will aide in successful watershed management.
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Wetlands - Resources to support wetlands restoration, creation, and enhancement, including information on flood management, shoreline erosion, recreation, and other wetland benefits.
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Nonpoint Source Pollution – Practical tips and resources to help communities and citizens address nonpoint source pollution.
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Protecting Water Resources with Higher-Density Development – Helps communities better understand the impacts of higher and lower density development on water resources.
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Environmental Technology Verification Program - Verified technologies that protect groundwater and surface water from contamination.
Workforce Training and Development
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Clean Energy Workforce Development: Growing Green Jobs to Achieve Climate and Energy Goals (PDF) (24 pp., 256K, About PDF) – Includes an extensive resource list for states pursuing clean energy workforce development.
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Green Jobs Training: A Catalog of Training Opportunities for Green Infrastructure Technologies (PDF) (32 pp., 265K, About PDF) – A central link to a wide variety of training opportunities that can support the implementation of green infrastructure in wet weather management programs.
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Brownfields Toolbox
– Knowledge and tools necessary to undertake activities that will maximize environmental job development, education, and employment opportunities for residents living in Brownfields communities.