The
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) mission is to: enable access to clean air, land, and water; reduce environmental risks; develop laws and regulations to protect human health and the environment; integrate environmental stewardship into U.S. policies; provide access to accurate information dealing with environmental risks; clean up and revitalize contaminated lands; and review chemicals in the marketplace for safety. While many EPA programs may address compatibility as a secondary benefit, several efforts are targeted to improve community resiliency and compatibility, such as supporting outreach and coordination with stakeholders, including military installations, and providing funding, training, and resources to accomplish these objectives.
Compatibility Factors relevant to the Environmental Protection Agency: Air Quality, Biological Resources, Dust/Smoke/Steam, Land Use, Marine Environments, Scarce Natural Resources, Water Quality/Quantity.
Relevant Programs and Plans
EPA's Cross-Agency Strategy 4 is focused on collaboration and effective partnerships across all levels of government, successful oversight of federally delegated programs, and robust engagement with NGOs, national and community organizations, industry, and the general public. EPA's Strategy 4 goals and objectives for improving the effectiveness of stakeholder partnering include – strengthening the nation-to-nation relationship with sovereign tribal partners; fostering tribal, state, and local partnerships; improving on-the-ground community engagement; enhancing private sector engagement; promoting environmental education; and increasing public trust and transparency.
The Community-Based Water Resiliency Guide allows communities to assess whether they are resilient to water service interruptions. The guide also provides tools and resources that can be used to enhance resiliency, including Water Sector Interdependencies and Community-Based Water Resiliency Training, which promote proactively preparing for community-level water emergencies. The guide targets water and wastewater utilities, state agencies, emergency response organizations, elected officials, and concerned citizens and should be among the resources that communities and military installations use for resiliency planning.
EPA's Community Revitalization Assistance programs include a broad suite of grants, tools, guides, and resources covering topics such as brownfields, environmental justice, urban waters, and smart growth. The various grant program and technical assistance funds can be used to implement Compatible Use Study recommendations and plan and execute other military and community compatibility projects. Working with an EPA Regional Office is the best way to become familiar with the assistance these programs can provide when planning around military installations.
