How EPA Manages the Quality of its Environmental Information

The EPA Quality Program provides oversight and requirements for quality management activities at the Agency.  It guides all environmental information collection, production, evaluation, or use by EPA as well as environmental technology programs performed by or for the Agency. Collectively these activities are referred to as Environmental Information Operations. The Program also provides the framework for planning, implementing, documenting, assessing, and reporting on work for required quality assurance (QA) and quality control activities.  Overall, the Program ensures that the Agency’s environmental decisions are supported by information of known and documented quality.

• EPA Regions and Program Offices describe their processes and procedures for implementing the Agency's Quality Program in their Quality Management Plans (QMPs).  Work performed by EPA, States, Tribes or others including those who work for or receive resources from the Agency for environmental information operations must have a QA Project Plan (QAPP) before work covered by that plan can begin.  QAPPs are reviewed and approved by EPA QA Managers or by designated officials as described in an organization’s QMP.
• The Quality Program also includes implementation of the EPA Information Quality Guidelines. These Guidelines ensure consistency with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines to ensure the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information (including statistical information) disseminated by Federal agencies. In addition, EPA’s Guidelines describes the Agency’s administrative mechanisms for enabling affected persons to seek and obtain, where appropriate, correction of information disseminated by EPA that they believe does not comply with the EPA or OMB Guidelines.
• The Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information in the Office of Mission Support (OMS) delegated the responsibility for the Agency’s Quality Program from the EPA Administrator. In turn certain aspects of the Program are redelegated to the Office of Enterprise Information Programs (OEIP) Director. National program management responsibility for Quality resides in the Enterprise Quality Management Division (EQMD) within the OMS/OEIP.  EQMD implements the Program with partners and stakeholders across EPA Regions, Program Offices, States, and Tribes.