In the environmental arena, both the public and private sectors are exploring technologies, techniques, and information sources which allow them to monitor environmental conditions with fast, comprehensive, and credible methods. However, the technologies are not the only factor limiting application. Institutional issues, such as management practices, agency policies, and legal precedents, pose barriers to the development, transfer and adoption of technologies between the sectors. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently begun the Advanced Measurement Initiative (AMI) to advance the agency's measurement capabilities, taking into account these institutional barriers. The AMI program sponsors projects that (1) adapt existing technologies (from the public or private sectors) that can meet an identified EPA need, and (2) identify and address institutional barriers to their use and acceptance. AMI projects are primarily focused on fulfilling EPA's measurement needs. However, EPA recognizes that increased capabilities can improve its ability to provide the private sector greater flexibility in regulatory reporting, which, in turn, can increase the search for new monitoring and measurement technologies that the private sector can use and supply. This paper examines EPA's AMI program in the context of institutional barriers to technology application and implementation. AMI projects provide a broad view of issues to address and approaches to take to resolve institutional barriers. One AMI project, involving the use of remote sensing to characterize a hazardous waste site, is examined in depth. Lessons learned are placed in the context of technology transfer.