EPA's INDUSTRY SECTOR PROGRAMS FOSTER COOPERATIVE PERFORMANCE PARTNERSHIPS

An emerging theme from the political events of the last few months has been the need for conciliation and cooperation to govern effectively in the coming years. For EPA, that means a greater focus on forging partnerships to tackle unresolved issues that stand in the way of united government/industry advances in environmental protection. While non-adversarial dialogue has been a big part of EPA's innovation efforts over the last decade, we expect to see an even greater emphasis on cooperative problem-solving in the new administration, particularly when it comes to working with state and local environmental agencies. There have been many recent EPA initiatives, somewhat experimental in nature, that have laid a groundwork for more expansive innovations in the years ahead. Among these approaches have been efforts to work in closer partnership with specific industry sectors — together with state and local governments and community representatives — to find ways to reduce regulatory burdens and improve environmental performance.