Findings and Recommendations - Science For Environmental Protection: The Road Ahead - page 178

ENHANCED SCIENCE LEADERSHIP
The committee evaluated EPA's capabilities and the needs that the agency
will face given both large and complex future environmental challenges and the
necessity of identifying, evaluating, and implementing a large number of new
scientific tools in its science and decision-making. Based on that evaluation, it
identified a need to substantially strengthen its science leadership. There has
been progress toward agency-wide science 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 Ad-
ministrator 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 coordination of science across programs and re-
gions throughout the agency. When the committee speaks of enhancing science
leadership, it is not just referring to the strengthened capacity of someone in a
higher-level position within EPA to whom the administrator has provided inde-
pendence, 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, evalu-
ated, and applied systematically throughout the agency's programs.
In the committee's analysis of the strengths and limitations of an enhanced
agency-wide leadership position, it has concluded that successful implementa-
tion of the systems-based application of emerging tools and technologies to meet
persistent and future challenges cannot be achieved under the current structure.
Success will require leadership throughout the agency, in the programs and re-
gions as well as in ORD. There will need to be clear lines of authority and re-
sponsibility, and regional administrators, program assistant administrators, and
staff members at all levels will need to be held accountable for ensuring scien-
tific quality and the integration of individual science activities into broader ef-
forts across the agency.
Finding: The need for improvement in the oversight, coordination, and man-
agement of agency-wide science has been documented in studies by the National
Research Council, the General Accountability Office, and the agency's own
Science Advisory Board as a serious shortcoming and it remains an obstacle at
EPA. The committee's own analysis of challenges and opportunities for the
agency indicates the need for integration of systems thinking, and the need for
enhanced leadership at all levels is even stronger than it has been in the past.
Recommendation 2: The committee recommends that the EPA administra-
tor continue to identify ways to substantially enhance the responsibilities of
a person in an agency-wide science leadership position. That person should
hold a senior position, which could be that of a deputy administrator for
science, a chief scientist, or possibly a substantially strengthened version of
the current science advisor position. He or she should have sufficient au-