Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only. Although the information provided here was accurate and current when first created, it is now outdated.

Every region of America has something that makes it unique. The characteristic that most clearly sets New England apart from the rest of the country is its rich blend of tradition and modernity, pressing against one another in the context of a fragile, strikingly beautiful natural setting. We as New Englanders define ourselves by that tension, in a way -- our desire to grow and to thrive without sacrificing the environment we hold in common. For more than three centuries, we have worked hard to preserve New England's natural resources. Today, we must work harder than ever to protect that environment. Our population continues to grow, hitting new record highs every day. As a consequence, we drive more miles in our cars, we consume more resources, we create more waste, and we place greater pressure on the land on which we live. Last year, EPA's New England office issued the first State of the New England Environment report, which detailed the many environmental successes we have achieved over the last quarter century, provided a glimpse of the environmental challenges we face today, and offered some new directions in environmental protection policy to meet those challenges. We promised to update that report every year -- to give the hard-working taxpayers of New England an analysis of where we are in the ongoing effort to preserve and enhance our environment and a justification of how we are spending the federal money they have entrusted to us. The State of the Environment Report for 1996 is another step toward making good on that commitment. Between its covers, we offer an update on where we are and where we're headed -- and, importantly, how we plan to get there. Our goal at EPA in New England remains the same as it was when the agency was created in 1970, but our approaches, as they must, are changing to keep up with changing times. We are focused more on places and industries rather than on rules; on people and communities rather than on regulations. And, most important, we are keenly committed to building partnerships and camaraderie rather than dictating outcomes from on-high. This report catalogues some of these new directions. Our ongoing efforts to turn EPA's New England office into a laboratory for bold experimentation in environmental protection -- the "how we plan to get there" part -- fall into three thematic areas: bringing about cultural and organizational change at EPA to make our operation more efficient and more accountable; introducing sounder science and smarter economics to our decision-making, with a greater understanding of the real-world impacts and effectiveness of our efforts; and, transforming the agency into a force for education and empowerment of others, realizing that none of us -- much less the federal government -- can get the job done alone. In each of these areas, we have set a standard higher than we can comfortably reach -- but nonetheless we intend to reach it. The sentiment behind what Woodrow Wilson once said of America is also true of our work to protect New England's public health and her environment. "America is not anything if it consists of each of us. It is something only if it consists of all of us," President Wilson said. In that spirit, I welcome your thoughts on how we're doing. I intend for you to hold us accountable for meeting the goals we have set forth in this report. And, most important, I invite everyone who lives, works and plays here to join us in protecting the natural resources that make up the unique corner of America that we call New England.   John P. DeVillars Administrator EPA's New England Office