97 



generation to hand down undiminished to those who come after us, as was handed 

 to us by those who went before, the natural wealth and beauty which is ours. " This 

 is really another way of stating the goal of sustainable development, a term that 

 has gained popular usage since the Brundtland Ck)mmission's 1987 report, Our 

 Common Future, and the Earth Summit of last summer. 



Federal Organizational Changes Are Needed Now 



What is the responsibility of the United States in furthering the objective of sus- 

 tainable development while protecting public health? Twenty years ago most of 

 EPA's efforts were directed to problems within our own borders such as clean air 

 and water. Today we are still working on these goals, but the Nation and the world 

 are facing additional and even more complex problems such as stratospheric ozone 

 depletion, climate change, and the loss of biodiversity. Environmental policy makers 

 are also increasingly concerned about the more subtle health and ecological risks 

 posed by a broad range of toxic substances at relatively low levels. Unfortunately, 

 our Federal efforts are organized in the context of the problems of the past, not the 

 problems of today and the anticipated challenges of the future. 



Some may question the usefulness of expending time, resources, and political cap- 

 ital on organizational and procedural reforms. One can point to occasions in the 

 past when government officials have devoted considerable resources to developing 

 and trying to implement organizational proposals to no avail, but there are also in- 

 stances in which inattention to organization and decisionmaking processes has im- 

 peded and continues to undermine the Federal Government's ability to respond to 

 societal needs. I think we are in the latter situation now with respect to environ- 

 mental protection. 



The Federal Government is simply not organized to respond to the problems 

 facing the Nation and the world. And the failure to align government programs to 

 address these problems effectively will continue to restrict our capacity to respond 

 to them. Public health, environmental quality, and economic performance are all at 

 risk unless we take decisive steps and develop a strategy that improves our national 

 capacity to respond to the challenges facing us. We ne«l to make substantial organi- 

 zational and procedural changes if the United States is to achieve its domestic goals 

 and provide leadership in furthering international efforts to protect the global envi- 

 ronment. 



In considering organizational and procedural changes, we should take into ac- 

 count the evolution of our environmental policies. We are moving from a command 

 and control regulatory strategy to a more economic incentive-based approach, from 

 end-of-the pipe treatment to pollution prevention, from concern primarily about 

 cancer-causing risks posed by toxic substances to noncancer and ecologicsil threats 

 as well, and from directing our efforts mostly to problems within our national bor- 

 ders to international and global challenges. 



A Two-Step Approach 



I think Congress and the President should consider a two-step approach in build- 

 ing the organizational structures and decision-making processes the Federal Govern- 

 ment will need to address the challenges we are facing. The provisions of S. 171 en- 

 compass most of the key elements of the first phase. EPA should be raised to a cabi- 

 net-level department, a Bureau of Environmental Statistics should be established, 

 and a Commission on Improving Environmental Protection should be convened. 

 These changes should be instituted quickly and should not be impeded by the con- 

 sideration of a range of other important options for improving the organization of 

 Federeil environmental pr(^rams. 



At the same time that a Department of the Environment is being established it is 

 critically important that the President take steps to ensure that there is a strong 

 capacity in the White House to assess environmental issues and develop policy. The 

 President has already expressed his intention to replace the three-member Coimcil 

 on Environmental Quality with an Office of Environmental Policy and to coordinate 

 environmental policy within the Federal Gtovemment. I am not sure of the details of 

 the President's proposal, but the concept of an office appears to be a good start. As 

 the President apparently recc^nizes, there is a compelling need to int^rate our new 

 awareness of global environmental imperatives into a range of other important na- 

 tional priorities, including those dealing with energy, treuisportation, agriculture, in- 

 dustrial renewal, and national security. 



Coordination is very important, but strat^c planning, setting long-term goals, 

 and providing guidance to Federal agencies is equally, or perhaps even more impor- 

 tant. This latter set of activities is often neglected, and it will be a challenge for a 

 small Office of Environmental Policy to do this. 



