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Piloting Innovation Through Partnership:U.S. EPA and the WIRED Program

David Widawsky, Ph.D.Associate Director

Office of Environmental Policy InnovationU.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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Short Outline for Very Short Presentation

Innovation at EPA

EPA Partnerships and Programs: Grounded in Performance

Discussion: Collaborative Pilots

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EPA’s 10 Regions: Local Partnerships

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WIRED Regions: 3 Generations

Finding linkages to EPA regions and partnerships

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Tools

Solar

NaturalGas

MechanicalEfficiency

ElectricalEfficiency

Cellulosic

Future Fuels

Plastics

Water

MaterialsCoal

Efficiency

Oil

Corn/Sugar Fuels

Wind

BuildingMaterials

Geothermal

What do we mean by Clean Tech?

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Support for Clean Tech and Energy:Leveraging Along Entire R&D Continuum

Research/Proof of Concept

Development Demonstration VerificationCommercialization/

Diffusion, Utilization

EPA &

Partners

EPA &

Partners

EPA &

Partners

EPA &

Partners

EPA &

Partners

Basic R&D Grants Small Business Innovation Research

Cooperative Research and Development

Technology verification and validation

Commercial scale grants/loans

Export programs, trade promotion, trade financing

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EPA’s Partnership Programs: Improving economics results and environment performance

Partnership programs enable flexible, collaborative, market-driven solutions that can deliver measurable environmental results.

• improve access to technical advice

• provide industries a framework and strategy for increasing their environmental performance

• create networks of businesses and industries interested in becoming better environmental stewards

Agriculture

Air Quality

Energy Efficiency and Global Climate Change

Pollution Prevention

Regulatory Innovation

Sector Programs

Technology

Transportation

Waste Management

Water

www.epa.gov/partners

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Sector Strategies Program

Agribusiness

Cement Manufacturing

Chemical Manufacturing

Colleges and Universities

Construction

Forest Products

Iron and Steel

Metal Casting

Metal Finishing

Oil and Gas

Paint and Coatings

Ports

Shipbuilding and Ship Repair

http://www.epa.gov/sectors/

At present, there are 13 manufacturing and service sectors participating in Sector Strategies:

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Ports: An Opportunity of Growing Importance

Key Environmental Opportunities

Reduce air emissions

Improve water quality

Managing dredge material

Minimizing impacts of growth

Key Economic Opportunities

Improve efficiency of diesel engines

Replace diesel-based on-shore electricity with grid-based energy

Educate truckers and equipment operators about strategies to reduce engine idling

Green building design elements

http://www.epa.gov/opispdwb/ports/

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Lean Manufacturing

EPA Lean Activities Partnerships, Tool Development, and Outreach

Lean & Pollution Prevention Network

U.S. EPA Wins International Prize in Lean Manufacturing

Lean & EMS Integration in the Shipbuilding Sector

http://www.epa.gov/lean/

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Smart Growth

Technical assistance

Tools

The EPA smart growth program helps communities improve their development practices and get the type of development they want.

The program works with local, state, and national experts to discover and encourage successful, environmentally sensitive development strategies through:

http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/

Partnerships

Grants and other funding

2007 Grantees:California Department of Transportation City of Denver, Colorado City of Greensboro, North Carolina Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky Valley Metro Transit with the cities of Phoenix and Mesa, ArizonaAtlanta Regional Commission, Georgia

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Green Buildings

Environmental benefits

Enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems

Improve air and water quality

Reduce waste streams

Conserve and restore natural resources

Economic benefits

Reduce operating costs

Create, expand, and shape markets for green product and services

Improve occupant productivity

Optimize life-cycle economic performance

http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/

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Biofuels: Environment and Economy

Large landscape of issues and opportunities:

• Major current federal players (DoE, USDA, DoT)

EPA role: sustainable production of biofuels and biofuel infrastructure

Numerous initiatives assessing long- and short-term sustainability of biofuel systems

Information integration is key element of National Biofuels Action Plan

Mapping resources, facilities, infrastructure, and workforce is critical to future success

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Mapping Assets, Resources, and Vulnerabilities

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Where Does Innovation Happen at EPA?

Cross-Media Programs

Single-Media Programs

EPA Regions

Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation

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Discussion Questions

1. What are the most promising “win/win” opportunities for collaboration? Green Buildings, Ports (other sector), Biofuels, Technology?

2. What is the right combination of national and local coordination? How local is local?

3. Who are the appropriate partners at federal and local level? Public and private partners?

4. What are the desired outcomes and timeframes for collaborations? How do we add value? How do we measure success?