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PERFORMANCE METRICS: AN OVERVIEW OF ECOLOGICAL "OUTCOME" MEASUREMENT AT EPA
Citation:
BENSON, W. H., N. BIRCHFIELD, N. STIBER, A. CALVERT, AND J. K. SUMMERS. PERFORMANCE METRICS: AN OVERVIEW OF ECOLOGICAL "OUTCOME" MEASUREMENT AT EPA. Presented at Estuarine Research Federation 2007 Biennial Conference, Providence, RI, November 04 - 08, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
Conference Abstract
Description:
The terms "Accountability" and "Outcome" are becoming ubiquitous in government agencies. The impetus for demonstrating results from government-sponsored research and regulation comes from Congress (e.g., statutes like the Government Performance Results Act of 1993 and reports from the Government Accountability Office)and the Executive Branch (e.g., guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and the President’s Management Agenda). The basic message is: regulatory and research programs must demonstrate positive outcomes that justify their costs. Although this is conceptually simple, demonstrating causation from research and regulations (that are intended to protect or improve the environment) to measurable changes in environmental quality is complex. For example, it is a challenge to link (national or regional scale) EPA-related changes in water inputs, reductions of emissions, and change sin land use to indicators of estuarine quality. While recent EPA publications, including Draft Reports on the Environment (2003, 2007) and the National Coastal Condition Reports (2001, 2005, 2007) document the Agency’s commitment to quantify environmental trends, it is also necessary to link trends to environmental activities and programs. This presentation will review research and approaches to develop performance metrics being considered by EPA.