Project Purpose

The purpose of this project is:

to assist state environmental agencies in improving their environmental management capabilities by providing procedural, technical and limited financial assistance in the development of environmental goals and indicators and in integrating such goals and indicators into their environmental management systems.

Project Objectives

The objectives of this project are to:

• increase the number of state environmental agencies that are effectively utilizing environmental goals and indicators,
• enhance the quality of state agency environmental indicator systems,
• improve the integration of environmental goals and indicators with other environmental management tools, techniques and methodologies, and
• establish a network of policymaking and technical professionals from all state environmental agencies who have a broad interest in environmental management and a specific interest in goals and indicators.

Strategy

Project objectives will be met by providing states with procedural, technical and financial support and assistance. Specifically, support will be provided through:

• the identification of indicators drawn from all available sources that all states can use in the development of their individual indicator systems,
• provide support and assistance for development of goal-driven environmental planning management strategies at the state and national levels,
• the development of a network of policymaking and technical environmental management professionals from state and federal government agencies and non-governmental organizations specifically interested in environmental goals and indicators,
• the facilitation of a variety of state and regional forums for state environmental agency policymaking and technical staff to meet and discuss issues concerning the development and use of environmental management, and
• the provision of technical assistance to state environmental agencies in a variety of forms to include on-site technical assistance; peer-to-peer assistance, publications, newsletters and the maintenance of an Internet address.