Enhanced Scientific Leadership and Capacity in the US Environmental Protection Agency - Science For Environmental Protection: The Road Ahead - page 149

sial decisions and must be able to access and understand the latest scientific
techniques and approaches. There has been progress toward agency-wide sci-
ence integration with the establishment of the Office of the Science Advisor, and
further progress might be made with the shift of the science advisor position
from within ORD to the Office of the Administrator in early 2012; however, the
Office of the Science Advisor may need further authority from the administrator
or additional staff resources to continue to improve the integration and coordina-
tion of science across the programs and regions throughout the agency.
As discussed in several places in this report, EPA has made important
progress in human health and environmental science and engineering over the
last few decades, and the environment is better today because of that progress.
However, as the committee reviewed emerging challenges and scientific tools
and evaluated the capacity of the agency to respond, the need for substantially
enhanced science leadership throughout the agency became clear. When the
committee speaks of enhanced science leadership, it is not just referring to the
strengthened capacity of someone in a high-level position within EPA to whom
the administrator has provided independence, authority, and resources, but also
the internal support at all levels in the agency (including scientists, analysts,
directors, and deputy and assistant administrators) to ensure that the highest-
quality science is developed, evaluated, and applied systematically throughout
the agency's programs.
At least four independent reports in the last 20 years (EPA 1992, NRC
2000, GAO 2011, EPA SAB 2012b) have, on the basis of their own analyses
recommended enhanced science leadership. Some of the specific recommenda-
tions included the need for the position of deputy administrator for science with
sufficient resources and authority to coordinate scientific efforts in the agency
(as noted above) and to build collaboration with external agencies and expertise;
the establishment of an overarching issue-based planning process and a scien-
tific agenda for major environmental issues that integrates and coordinates sci-
entific efforts throughout the agency and that is regularly reviewed and updated;
a coordinated approach to managing and strengthening EPA's scientific work-
force that will serve as a resource for the entire agency; and a strategy that pro-
motes science integration by making it a more consistent priority, by strengthen-
ing management oversight, and by strengthening participation and support of
EPA scientists. Most recently, the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) noted
that
Narrow interpretations of legislative mandates and the organizational
structure of the EPA's regulatory programs have posed barriers, in many
cases, to innovation and cross-program problem solving. EPA managers
and staff in many interviews, especially in program offices, defined the
success of their programs in terms of meeting statutory requirements and
court-ordered deadlines. Although meeting legal mandates is essential, the
EPA needs a broader perspective that extends beyond specific program
objectives to achieve multiple environmental protection goals, including