STATEMENT OF
KIMBERLY TERESE NELSON
NOMINEE FOR
ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
UNITED STATES SENATE
October 17, 2001
Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee. It is a privilege and a pleasure to appear
before you as the nominee to be the Assistant Administrator for Environmental
Information and Chief Information Officer for the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). I am honored
that President Bush has nominated me to serve with Administrator Whitman in
this Administration. I am pleased to be
joined today by my husband, Kevin Cadden, my two daughters, Kelsey and
Mackenzie, my father, George Nelson, and my aunt, Florence Bodziak.
As the former first Chief Information Officer for the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania=s Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP), I understand firsthand the critical role that environmental information
plays in sound environmental decision making.
I also understand how rapid, sweeping, and profound information
technology advancements are creating expectations for government to keep pace
with the private sector.
The need for strong public administrators has never been more evident
than during the past month, when our country experienced such devastating
loss. The events since September 11th
have crystallized the nation=s understanding of its reliance on technology for basic operations,
human communications, and comprehension of the disaster experienced. This reliance now causes all public
administrators, and particularly those in the technology and information arena,
to reexamine and strengthen our programs, our security systems, and the quality
of our information. I am both honored
and challenged to contribute to our Nation=s preparedness in these areas.
I believe it is the obligation of all government officials to create
and manage organizations that allow our citizens to access information and
services with minimal bureaucratic barriers.
The information that we provide must be of exceptional quality and
supported with analytical tools which facilitate its use for assessing and
managing risk, and for measuring our environmental improvements. The services that we provide must be fast
and error free. Most important, these
services must be convenient for the public, even if that means crossing
traditional organizational lines.
Today, EPA and the States are working hard to provide consistently high
quality environmental information. EPA=s strong commitment to public access must
always be balanced by the need to protect privacy and maintain the integrity
and security of our information policies.
The events of September 11th also underline that our
commitment to public access carries the responsibility to review carefully our
publicly available products to ensure that, while benefitting the public, they
do not contribute to compromising sensitive or vulnerable resources or
facilities.
We know that the environmental challenges of the 21st century cannot be
solved by EPA alone - they will require us to partner and cooperate with many
others. We must join with States,
Tribes, local governments, businesses, and communities to design and disseminate
user-focused information products that provide a clear understanding of
environmental conditions and solutions.
If confirmed, I intend to
promote the President=s
principles for government reform to make EPA more citizen-centered, results-oriented,
and market-based. I will assist
Administrator Whitman in this effort by helping to sharpen the focus of EPA=s environmental information strategies,
reduce burden on industries, promote intergovernmental cooperation, and apply
best practices to achieve internal efficiencies.
I am fortunate that EPA has
many important building blocks in place.
I hope to use these solid efforts as a springboard to accomplish lasting
change. And, by continuing to build
partnerships between the Federal government and those concerned with
environmental protection, I believe we can achieve a goal that we all share B to leave the air cleaner, the water purer,
and the land better protected than we found it.
I will work to lead the Agency
to make technology investments that will provide long-term value for the
Agency, investments that will be good for all EPA programs. However, I recognize that the application of
technology is the easy part. Far more
important is achieving transformation using technology as the enabler for
meeting the needs of citizens and employees alike, and using information as a
strategic resource for environmental decisions at all levels.
It is my vision that one day EPA staff, the Agency=s partners, and the general public will be
able to:
easily access
all relevant non-sensitive environmental information about regulated
entities regardless of program or regulating agency;
easily access
all relevant non-sensitive environmental information about a physical location,
even when that information is gathered by different government agencies;
improve
interaction with, and understanding of, the regulated community including
changing the way information is reported;
more effectively
measure environmental conditions; and
enhance
understanding of the interrelationship between EPA activities, compliance behavior, pollution prevention,
and environmental improvements.
Of course, achieving this vision will require extensive collaboration
with my fellow Assistant Administrators, Federal agencies and departments,
State and tribal partners, the regulated community, and others.
I believe these activities will
contribute significantly toward burden reduction, improved data quality and
security, more informed environmental decision making, and greater flexibility
for States to manage environmental programs.
And we can do this while continuing to meet the public=s demands for better environmental
information in a more secure environment.
I am a strong believer in the commitment it takes to work in government
service. My family has a long history
of government service. My father
retired from the Navy Department with forty years of service. Earlier this year, my younger brother
retired from the Air Force with 20 years of service, and my two older brothers
served during the Vietnam conflict.
After 28 years in State government, my husband is now Director of
External Affairs at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
I, too, have served in government --
22 years with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. More than half of my career has been spent
in a State environmental protection department. During that time I helped develop and implement a blueprint for
integrating DEP=s program-specific computer systems. I managed several Process Improvement Teams
that significantly changed the department=s permitting and compliance processes and made information about these
activities available to the public in an award-winning system. Finally, I created the first Office of
Information Technology, the first executive level CIO in the department.
I am now both ready and
enthusiastic to join public service at the Federal level as the Assistant
Administrator for Environmental Information and the Chief Information Officer
for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
I am confident that I can bring the necessary vision, leadership, and
experience to work with our partners to achieve those things I have addressed today.
Should I be confirmed by the Senate, I
look forward to working with this Committee, Members of Congress, Administrator Whitman, and the entire
Administration to make the environment better for all Americans and to be
responsive to the citizens we serve.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I would be
happy to answer any questions you may have.