Pollution Prevention: EPA Should Reexamine the Objectives and
Sustainability of State Programs (Chapter Report, 01/25/94,
GAO/PEMD-94-8).

GAO found major differences in the operations of the 105 state pollution
programs it identified nationwide. Both regulatory and nonregulatory
programs exist--the former require pollution prevention planning by
industry while the latter promote voluntary prevention via technical
assistance, education and outreach to industry. GAO discovered, however,
that many state programs claiming to conduct pollution prevention
activities were inordinately involved in waste recycling, treatment, or
disposal. These programs obtain funding from the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) that rewards their after-the-fact strategies
without examining whether prevention was possible. This is inconsistent
with the policy established by the Pollution Prevention Act. GAO also
found that many programs depend on EPA funding for their existence, even
though this funding is not expected to be permanent. Thus, the state
programs expected to implement pollution prevention were instead
concentrating on other strategies and, in any case, do not appear likely
to survive once federal money is withdrawn.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  PEMD-94-8
     TITLE:  Pollution Prevention: EPA Should Reexamine the Objectives 
             and Sustainability of State Programs
      DATE:  01/25/94
   SUBJECT:  Federal/state relations
             Program evaluation
             Reporting requirements
             Data collection operations
             Information analysis operations
             Waste management
             Pollution control
             Environmental policies
             State-administered programs
             Federal aid to states
IDENTIFIER:  EPA Source Reduction and Recycling Technical Assistance 
             Program
             EPA Pollution Prevention Incentives for States
             
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