Whether called 'performance-based methods' (emphasizing the products) or 'criteria-based methods acceptance' (the process), the topic currently is a hot one for the U.S. EPA. The EPA's Environmental Monitoring Management Council (EMMC) is considering approaches to pilot or implement the process in conjunction with a comprehensive strategy to reduce the confusing array of similar measurement methods adopted under various regulatory programs. This was the topic of a special session at the EPA's annual Solid Waste Testing and QA Symposium in July 1992. In September 1992, the Sixth Annual Interagency Workgroup Meetings on QA for Environmental Measurements (QAEM) featured the topic as one of its four major sessions.