This Panel of the National Academy of Public Administration is excited to transmit this report to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and voice our support for its efforts with community-based programs. This evaluation of the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) demonstration program comes at an important juncture for EPA, while: (1) The federal government is transitioning to a new administration, which has a strong interest in civic and community action; and (2) EPA is expanding its work on energy and climate change, an issue that actively engages many local governments and communities. The Environmental Protection Agency has a long history of improving the quality of life for all communities by reducing toxic pollutants in the environment. Achieving EPA's mission has required multiple approaches. These approaches include major environmental statutes and regulations; the promotion of environmental justice for all communities and tribes; and CARE's cooperative partnerships with local community partnerships that include local governments, businesses, organizations, and residents. CARE is the most recent example in the evolution of EPA's community-based efforts to reduce toxic pollutants in the environment, and is firmly grounded in the Agency's experience with environmental justice and other place-based initiatives.