r/EPA FISCAL YEAR 2014 CONFERENCE SPENDING REPORT January 31, 2015 EPA-190-R-15-002 ------- EPA Fiscal Year 2014 Conference Spending Report Table of Contents A. Background 3 B. Activities and Internal Controls Undertaken by the EPA 3 C. Overall size and scope of conference spending throughout the year 4 D. "Conferences" above $100,000 4 2013 National Executive Leadership Development Conference 4 Science Advisory Board Panel Meeting on Water Body Connectivity 4 11th Annual EPA Small Drinking Water Systems Workshop 5 2014 National Sustainable Design Expo and P3 Awards Ceremony 5 2014 Energy Star Partner of the Year Awards Ceremony 5 National Training Conference on the Toxics Release Inventory and Environmental Conditions in Communities 6 Air Sensors 2014: A New Frontier Potentially Responsible Party National Training Conference 6 National Association of Remedial Project Managers 7 Science Advisory Board and Board of Scientific Counselors Strategic Research Action Plan Meeting 7 National Conference on Mine-Influenced Waters and Pit Lakes (Hardrock Mining) National Ambient Air Monitoring Conference National Contaminants Forum in Fish ------- EPA Fiscal Year 2014 Conference Spending Report A. Background Building on the Administration's efforts to eliminate wasteful and inefficient spending, the Office of Management and Budget issued Memorandum-12-12, "Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations," in May 2012, which established additional controls over conference spending.1 This memorandum included a requirement for reporting of conference expenses on each agency's website starting January 31,2013. This report provides information on conference expenses in excess of $100,000 during the fiscal year.2 In this report, the agency provides a description of all conferences where the net expenses for the agency, in excess of $100,000 includes: • the total conference expenses incurred by the agency for the conference; • the location of the conference; • the date of the conference; • a brief explanation how the conference advanced the mission of the agency; and • the total number of individuals whose travel expenses or other conference expenses were paid by the agency. In addition, this report provides information on the EPA's overall conference activities throughout the year, efforts taken to reduce conference spending, and the controls the agency has enacted to ensure conference spending is reviewed and approved at an appropriate management level. Section 3003 of the FY 2013 Continuing Resolution (CR), P.L. 113-6, lowered the reporting threshold on conference spending to $20,000 and included language with new requirements for conference spending. For conferences occurring April 15, 2013 and after, Agencies are required to notify their Inspector General of any conference exceeding $20,000 within 15 days from the conclusion date of the conference for any conference taking place in FY 2013 and beyond. B. Activities and Internal Controls Undertaken by the EPA 1. The EPA requires Assistant Administrator or Regional Administrator approval of all conference- related activities above $20,000. The approval must be completed prior to obligating any funds for a conference-related activity requiring resources above $20,000. 1 "Conference expenses" are defined in OMB M-12-12 as "all direct and indirect conference costs paid by the Government, whether paid directly by agencies or reimbursed by agencies to travelers or others associated with the conference, but do not include funds paid under Federal grants to grantees. Conference expenses include any associated authorized travel and per diem expenses, hire of rooms for official business, audiovisual use, light refreshments, registration fees, ground transportation, and other expenses as defined by the [Federal Travel Regulations]. All outlays for conference preparation and planning should be included, but the Federal employee time for conference preparation should not be included. Conference expenses should be net of any fees or revenue received by the agency through the conference and should not include costs to ensure the safety of attending governmental officials." 2 The EPA uses the same definition provided in OMB M-12-12: a "conference" is defined as " [a] meeting, retreat, seminar, symposium or event that involves attendee travel. The term 'conference' also applies to training activities that are considered to be conferences under 5 CFR 410.404." ------- EPA Fiscal Year 2014 Conference Spending Report 2. The EPA's Office of the Chief Financial Officer made a review of conference-related activities part of the annual A-123 review beginning in FY 2012. The FY 2014 review did not uncover any non-compliance with newly implemented approval processes. 3. The EPA requires Senior Resource Officials or their designee to report conferences for their organization with net expenses greater than $20,000 to the OIG within 15 calendar days of the conference conclusion date. This information will include the: name of the conference, conference location, conference date(s), and number of agency employees that attended. 4. For conferences with net expenses greater than $100,000, EPA organizations must track and report the methodology to determine which costs relate to a conference and provide a description of the contracting procedures used. 5. The EPA is utilizing video conferencing in lieu of in person meetings to conserve resources. If in person meetings are required, all EPA organizations are required to attest that no adequate federal space was available prior to obligating federal funds for meeting space. C. Overall size and scope of conference spending throughout the year During FY 2014, the EPA spent $2,455,508 for 13 "conferences" above $100,000. Below is a complete listing of conference-related activities above $100,000. D. "Conferences" above $100,000 1. 2013 National Executive Leadership Development Conference • Date: 12/3/2013-12/4/2013 • Location: Washington, DC • Cost: $296,340 • Total Attendees: 311 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 118 EPA travelers • How the conference advances the agency mission: The National Executive Leadership Development Conference is an annual meeting for the EPA's senior leaders to hear from the EPA's Administrator, obtain leadership training, and provides an opportunity to network. The NELDC also provides an opportunity for the EPA senior leaders to discuss building strengthened relationships, seeking out diverse views and tools to provide integrated solutions, and aligning understandings of problems to provide synchronized efforts to implement solutions. 2. Science Advisory Board (SAB) Panel Meeting on Water Body Connectivity • Date: 12/16/2013-12/18/2013 • Location: Washington, DC • Cost: $101,103 • Total Atten dees: 210 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 32 (30 EPA travelers, 2 non-EPA travelers) • How the conference advances the agency mission: This conference is held by the Science Advisory Board (SAB), which is a Federal Advisory Committee established pursuant to the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Act and chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The SAB provides independent advice and peer review to the EPA Administrator on the scientific and technical aspects of environmental issues. The EPA's Office of Research and Development has requested that the SAB conduct a peer review on a draft of the EPA report, Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and ------- EPA Fiscal Year 2014 Conference Spending Report Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence (September 13, 2013 External Review Draft, EPA/600/R- 11/0908B). Due to the complexity of this review, it was necessary for the SAB panel to hold this meeting to discuss and deliberate their comments as required under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). 3. 11th Annual EPA Small Drinking Water Systems Workshop • Date: 3/20/2014 • Location: Cincinnati, OH • Cost: $108,252 • Total Attendees: 225 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 1 EPA traveler • How the conference advances the agency mission: In 2001, the EPA announced an initiative for additional research and development for cost-effective technologies to help small systems meet the new arsenic standard set at 0.010 mg/L and to provide technical assistance to operators of small systems to reduce compliance costs. As a result of this initiative, the EPA's Office of Research and Development began a series of yearly workshops to assist operators of small community water systems and states to comply with the new standard. As a result, this conference has become invaluable in disseminating the EPA's research to state primacy agency personnel responsible for drinking water regulations compliance and treatment. Attendees are able to build strong working relationships which allow the EPA and stakeholders from across the Nation to deliver safer drinking water. Through this workshop, the EPA gains a better understanding of regulatory and compliance challenges that states face, and the states benefit from the in-depth training and updated information the EPA provides. 4. 2014 National Sustainable Design Expo and P3 Awards Ceremony • Date: 4/25/2014 • Location: Washington, DC • Cost: $379,568 • Total Attendees: Approximately 5,000 (public expo) • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 8 non-EPA travelers • How the conference advances the agency mission: The EPA's People, Prosperity & the Planet (P3) Program is designed to develop the next generation of environmental scientists and engineers. The National Sustainable Design Expo is a public showcase of the designs of the P3 teams which have competitively received a P3 Phase 1 grant coupled with a public expo highlighting sustainable technologies and initiatives from the non-profit, public, and private sectors. The annual National Sustainable Design Expo promotes the agency's mission of developing a world-class science base in the United States for environmental and public health issues and is sponsored by the agency's Office of Research and Development and the National Center for Environmental Research. 5. 2014 Energy Star Partner of the Year Awards Ceremony • Date: 4/29/2014 • Location: Washington, DC • Cost: $163,614 • Total Attendees: 833 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 1 non-EPA traveler • How the conference advances the agency mission: This is a large showcase event for the ENERGY STAR program and its partners. This conference advances the mission of the EPA to protect the environment by encouraging innovation by honoring private industry partners who have gone above and beyond their commitment to protecting the environment through energy ------- EPA Fiscal Year 2014 Conference Spending Report efficiency. Approximately 800 (out of more than 20K total) partners come together to network and learn from each other about more ways to improve energy efficiency, learn more about ENERGY STAR, and highlight the achievements of the past year. Held since 1993, the annual awards ceremony is a major highlight for many partners, who strive to increase their participation in the program year after year with the hope of receiving this recognition. 6. National Training conference on the Toxics Release Inventory and Environmental Conditions in Communities • Date: 5/7/2014-5/9/2014 • Location: Arlington, VA • Cost: $164,764 • Total Attendees: 314 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 20 EPA travelers • How the conference advances the agency mission: Over 20 years ago, the EPA implemented a flagship community right-to-know regulatory program - the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program. The goal of this program is to provide communities with information about toxic chemical releases and waste management activities. Since implementation, the TRI program has been tracking the management of certain toxic chemicals that may pose a threat to human health and the environment. The National Training on TRI and Environmental Conditions in Communities conference augments existing online training provided throughout the year and fosters the exchange of information between the EPA, localities, states, tribes, federal agencies, industry stakeholders, community groups, researchers, and non-governmental organizations. 7. Air Sensors 2014: A New Frontier Conference • Date: 6/9/2014-6/10/2014 • Location: Research Triangle Park, NC • Cost: $114,688 • Total Attendees: 291 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 26 (23 EPA travelers, 3 non-EPA travelers) • How the conference advances the agency mission: The 2014 Air Sensors: A New Frontier Conference addressed the opportunities and challenges associated with the next generation of air quality monitoring technology and data. This conference brings together a wide range of stakeholders to discus, share, and communicate air sensor monitoring topics in direct support of meeting the EPA challenges by: making a visible difference in communities across the country by actively engaging community representatives, addressing climate change and improving air quality, launching a new era of state, tribal, and local partnerships by engaging stakeholders, and allows the EPA to take advantage of new tools and technologies to embrace next generation tools and processes. 8. Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) National Training Conference • Date: 6/9/2014-6/13/2014 • Location: Denver, CO • Cost: $108,663 • Total Atten dees: 116 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 49 EPA travelers • How the conference advances the agency mission: The PRP National Training Conference is a national training conference conducted by the EPA's Office of Site Remediation Enforcement. This training discusses potentially responsible party search topics, and is held in response to request from the EPA Regional offices and state counterparts. Identifying liable and viable ------- EPA Fiscal Year 2014 Conference Spending Report potentially responsible parties is critical to the Superfund Program's Enforcement First principle that polluters pay for the cleanup rather than the taxpayer. 9. National Association of Remedial Project Managers • Date: 6/16/2014- 6/20/2014 • Location: Atlanta, GA • Cost: $407,229 • Total Attendees: 439 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 239 EPA travelers • How the conference advances the agency mission: The National Association of Remedial Project Managers (NARPM) conference provides annual training for Superfund Remedial Project managers on key skills that support their ability to manage complex environmental cleanups, including the dynamic nature of the technologies, policies, and issues surrounding cleanups, to protect human health and the environment. The training provided at the NARPM conference also fulfills the EPA's statutory responsibility for technology transfer and training, as well as the requirements under the National Contingency Plan to train Remedial Project Managers, and fulfills certification and training requirements, such as training to maintain Contracting Officer Representative certification. 10. Science Advisory Board and Board of Scientific Counselors Strategic Research Action Plan Meeting • Date: 7/24/2014-7/25/2014 • Location: Washington, DC • Cost: $110,825 • Total Attendees: 163 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 78 (76 EPA travelers, 2 non-EPA travelers) • How the conference advances the agency mission: The Science Advisory Board (SAB) is a Federal Advisory Committee established pursuant to the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Act and chartered under the Federal Advisory Act Committee. The SAB provides independent advice and peer review to the EPA Administrator on the scientific and technical aspects of environmental issues. The EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) requested the SAB to hold a joint public meeting with ORD's Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) to provide advice to guide the development of six Strategic Action Plans for ORD's six major research programs for 2016-2019. A joint SAB and BOSC meeting provides BOSC with the benefit of SAB's strategic thinking, allows the SAB to better understand ORD's operational challenges and the BOSC perspective, gives ORD advice on shaping new directions for the six research programs, and addresses questions of integration across all ORD programs. 11. National Conference on Mine-Influenced Waters and Pit Lakes (Hardrock Mining) • Date: 8/12/2014-8/14/2014 • Location: Albuquerque, NM • Cost: $106,280 • Total Attendees: 269 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 5 EPA travelers • How the conference advances the agency mission: The National Conference on Mine- Influenced Waters and Pit Lakes provided a forum for the exchange of scientific information on current approaches for assessing the characterization, monitoring, treatment and/or remediation impacts on aquatics ecosystems, including pit lakes from mining-related contamination in the Western United States. The information exchange serves to improve monitoring approaches that quantify ecological condition and assessment techniques to establishing causality among multiple ------- EPA Fiscal Year 2014 Conference Spending Report stressors. The information provided through this forum will also create a stronger foundation for risk-reduction and habitat restoration decisions by improving the means of identifying and prioritizing aquatic ecosystems impacted by mining and establishing ecologically-credible cleanup goals. 12. National Ambient Air Monitoring Conference • Date: 8/11/2014-8/14/2014 • Location: Atlanta, GA • Cost: $118,428 • Total Attendees: 595 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 81 (79 EPA travelers, 2 non-EPA travelers) • How the conference advances the agency mission: The National Ambient Air Monitoring Conference provides a forum for the EPA, state, local, tribal, international, and other federal agencies to discuss implementing criteria and hazardous air pollutant monitoring programs. Attendees also discuss changes to monitoring networks as a result of revisions to the national Ambient Air Quality Standards and ambient air monitoring regulations, and are given the opportunity to share and discuss information learned as a result of data analyses. This conference also provides training on the Air Quality System (AQS), the EPA's repository for all ambient air monitoring data collected across the nation. 13. National Contaminants Forum in Fish • Date: 9/22/2014 - 9/24/2014 • Location: Arlington, VA • Cost: $333,838 • Total Attendees: 201 • Individuals traveling on agency funds: 84 (6 EPA travelers, 78 non-EPA travelers) • How the conference advances the agency mission: The National Contaminants Forum in Fish is a national forum hosted by the EPA every two to three years, and demonstrates the EPA's support and commitment to the fish advisory community. This forum provides the opportunity for the dissemination of relevant science, health policy, and public health advice to the fish advisory community. Through this forum, the EPA is able to promote national consistency among state fish advisory programs, help build and maintain relationships between the EPA and state fish advisory programs, and provide a platform for state programs to meet on a regional basis to discuss issues such as approaches to advisory development on shared waters. ------- |