Throughout 2015, Exchange Network Governance has convened a series of EN Open Calls to increase information sharing among Network Partners and build upon discussions at EN2015. These webinars are an opportunity for the EN Community to gather and discuss topics of interest.

The next EN Open Call will be held November 5, 2015, at 3:00pm ET, and focus on CROMERR Shared Services. Presenters include US EPA’s Chuck Freeman and Greg Mitchell, who will discuss the status of the shared services and provide a demonstration of the existing services. More information on CROMERR Shared Services is available at: https://www.exchangenetwork.net/shared-cromerr-services-ipt/.

To participate in the CROMERR Shared Services Open Call, please register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/307200620256084481.

For more information or to provide ideas for future EN Open Calls, please contact Megan Parker at mparker [at] rossstrategic.com.

Lynn Capuano
Exchange Network Coordinator
P: 516.744.0307
E: lynn [at] exchangenetwork.net

The 2015 Exchange Network National Meeting was a huge success! Thank you to all the EN2015 presenters and attendees (both in person and virtually) for your excitement and participation!

If you missed a presentation, or want to share what you learned with others, all EN2015 Presentations and Webcasts are now available online at https://www.exchangenetwork.net/en2015-agenda.

Hope to see you at EN2017! (Watch your EN Alerts for an EN2017 Save-the Date!)

Andrew Battin, EN2015 Quad-Chair, US EPA
Matt Leopard, EN2015 Quad-Chair, US EPA
Victoria Phillips, EN2015 Quad-Chair, Massachusetts DEP
Andrew Putnam, EN2015 Quad-Chair, Colorado DPHE

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) classifies business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data. It is a standard business classification scheme used by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Every five years, an updated set of NAICS codes is released. EPA’s System of Registries now includes the current standardized list of NAICS codes, available through a series of web service queries for use by environmental programs and partners. There are four services available, such as returning NAICS information by code, definition, and keyword.

The NAICS data exchange is available at: https://www.exchangenetwork.net/data-exchange/naics/.

John Harman
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.0748
E: harman.john [at] epa.gov

The Exchange Network Community will soon convene in Philadelphia for EN2015, the 2015 Exchange Network National Meeting! The EN2015 Presentations are now available online for your preview at https://www.exchangenetwork.net/en2015-agenda.

Unable to attend EN2015 in person? All General and Concurrent Sessions will be broadcast live via free webcast. You can login to the webcasts anytime at http://live.hosted.events/EN2015/. Links to the webcasts are also available in the online Agenda.

We look forward to seeing many of you in Philadelphia! If you have any questions about EN2015, please contact ECOS’ Greg McNelly at gmcnelly [at] ecos.org.

Andrew Battin, EN2015 Quad-Chair, US EPA
Matt Leopard, EN2015 Quad-Chair, US EPA
Victoria Phillips, EN2015 Quad-Chair, Massachusetts DEP
Andrew Putnam, EN2015 Quad-Chair, Colorado DPHE

The FY 2016 Exchange Network (EN) Grant Program Solicitation Notice is now available at http://www2.epa.gov/exchangenetwork/fiscal-year-2016-national-environmental-information-exchange-network-grant-program.  Applications are due to EPA by November 13, 2015.

In FY 2016, EPA expects to award about $10 million for 40-50 assistance agreements for EN Phase 2 (or Phase 1) projects of up to $500,000 each. The exact number of assistance agreements will depend on the final amount of EPA’s appropriation for the EN grant program, the number of applications submitted to EPA by the application deadline, the amounts of proposed budgets, and the outcome of application reviews.

The primary outcome expected from EN assistance agreements is improved access to, and exchange of, high-quality environmental data from public- and private-sector sources. With this outcome in mind, applications should demonstrate support for and results toward EN program priorities.

EPA only accepts project proposals for EN assistance agreements submitted electronically through Grants.gov, unless applicants have a waiver. EPA anticipates that it will announce selection decisions in or around April 2016, and plans to issue awards by July 31, 2016.

Applicants can learn more at EN2015, the 2015 Exchange Network National Meeting, where a pre-Meeting Session has been scheduled on September 28, 2015, at 5:30 PM. Additionally, EPA will host webinars to assist applicants. Webinar details will be provided via EN Alerts and at http://www2.epa.gov/exchangenetwork.

For more information, please contact Salena Reynolds, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at reynolds.salena [at] epa.gov.

Salena Reynolds
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.0466
E: reynolds.salena [at] epa.gov

E-Enterprise for the Environment is recruiting members for the new State Plan Electronic Collection System (SPeCS) team, and 5 new sub-teams under the Combined Air Emissions Reporting (CAER) Scoping Team. Information about each follows:

• SPeCS Team – Work already done for a separate program will be leveraged into a tool States can use to create and track the State Implementation Plan (SIP) approval process.
• CAER Sub-team: Comparison/harmonization of code tables, the Data Dictionary, and QA steps across EPA inventory programs – Team members will compare and harmonize code tables, map data elements across programs, and compile the QA steps completed by each program to identify opportunities for streamlining.
• CAER Sub-team: Web-based service for finding Source Classification Codes (SCCs), proposing changes, and requesting new SCCs – Team members will harmonize and publish the official list of SCCs online and centralize and make public the process of requesting and tracking the status of new SCCs.
• CAER Sub-team: CEDRI: WebFire export of industry reported test data – Team members will update WebFire to allow users to request all test data for a source category or regulation and enable WebFire to produce a single data structure that includes all of the source test data.
• CAER Sub-team: Remove the need for EPA augmentation for select States for the 2014 NEI cycle – State members and the EPA would define all quality criteria for States to meet to eliminate the need for the EPA to augment any of the point source data during the 2014 NEI cycle.
• CAER Sub-team: Combined Air Emissions Implementation Plan (for the “to be” state) – This team would establish the major building blocks for the “to be” states, identify time frames for implementing each, identify key unknowns and challenges, and explore resolving those challenges as resources allowed.

For more information or to join a team, please contact ECOS’ Kelly Poole at kpoole [at] ecos.org.

Kelly Poole
Environmental Council of the States
P: 202.266.4939
E: kpoole [at] ecos.org

The Exchange Network Community will soon convene in Philadelphia for EN2015, the 2015 Exchange Network National Meeting!

Attendees are encouraged to register and make hotel reservations as soon as possible at https://www.exchangenetwork.net/en2015. The room block and rate are guaranteed until 5:00pm ET on September 2, 2015. Rooms and the EN2015 rate will likely not be available after September 2.

Please also note that a major city-wide event is being held in Philadelphia on Sunday, September 27. To minimize the impacts on your travel into the city, it is suggested that you not arrive in Philadelphia before Monday, September 28.

If you have any questions about EN2015, please contact ECOS’ Greg McNelly at gmcnelly [at] ecos.org.

Andrew Battin, EN2015 Quad-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Matt Leopard, EN2015 Quad-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Victoria Phillips, EN2015 Quad-Chair
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

Andrew Putnam, EN2015 Quad-Chair
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

The Reusable Component Services (RCS) is a central registry for Exchange Network Partners to share information about available technical resources. RCS provides a common set of metadata about technical resources available to developers, such as web services, schema, and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The information in RCS promotes sharing and reuse of resources, whether from direct use or from information sharing, resulting in standardization across environmental applications. RCS is a component of the centralized System of Registries (SoR), which provides access to a set of registry systems.

Available at https://www.exchangenetwork.net/data-exchange/rcs/, the RCS data exchange allows Partners to use web services to access data from RCS. Service queries pull standardized information about all resources matching a particular resource type.

John Harman
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.0748
E: harman.john [at] epa.gov

A lot has changed since the Exchange Network was first envisioned in 1997. Kurt Rakouskas has been working on the Exchange Network for over 11 years, first as ECOS’ Project Manager and most notably as the Exchange Network Coordinator. Kurt’s last day as the Coordinator was June 30th and we wish him the very best as he pursues his next endeavor. Much can be said about Kurt and his indelible contributions to the Exchange Network, chief among them is that he steadfastly led the completion of Phase 1 and has well positioned the Network closer to the realization of Phase 2. Kurt embodied the Exchange Network – reliable, always available, service-oriented, an enabler of better decisions, principled (standards-based), and RESTful. As lucky as the Exchange Network was to have his services, we are equally lucky to have the services of the next Coordinator, Lynn Capuano.

Lynn comes to the Exchange Network from EPA Region 2, where she was the Data Management Team Leader. Two of her notable contributions were to establish a Region-wide workgroup to address data access and data integration issues, as well as to oversee the Region’s efforts to incorporate “next generation” tools into its permits and settlements. Lynn recently completed an M.S. in Environmental Technology at New York Institute of Technology, where she combined her experience as an attorney with her knowledge of the environment and technology to study sustainability in Port Washington, NY. Lynn received a B.A. in History from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. She is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, currently stationed with Atlantic Area Command, Portsmouth, VA. In her spare time she enjoys her family, the outdoors, and sewing. Starting July 27, Lynn can reached by phone at 516.744.0307 and email at lynn [at] exchangenetwork.net.

Please join us and the Exchange Network Leadership Council in both thanking Kurt for his remarkable contributions and outstanding years of service and welcoming Lynn!

Matt Leopard, ENLC EPA Co-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.1698
E: leopard.matthew [at] epa.gov

Andrew Putnam, ENLC State Co-Chair
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
P: 303.692.3579
E: andrew.putnam [at] state.co.us

EPA has published two new websites to support both the Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) program and the Exchange Network grant program. Both sites conform to the look and feel of epa.gov, which features improved search functionality and layouts that are easier to navigate. They also contain enhanced content that reflects recent program improvements and initiatives.

The CROMERR website, www2.epa.gov/cromerr, offers new technical assistance tools to better support customers, such as:

• A help desk for technical guidance;
• New application templates for off-the-shelf solutions; and
• Online application forms.

Data visualizations also display the status of CROMERR applications received from States.

EPA’s new Exchange Network grant program website, www2.epa.gov/exchangenetwork, will host all EPA-owned documents and information related to the EN grant program.

Please update any bookmarks to the new URLs: www2.epa.gov/cromerr and www2.epa.gov/exchangenetwork.

Jessica Lavash
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.1298
E: lavash.jessica [at] epa.gov

Karen Seeh
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.1175
E: seeh.karen [at] epa.gov

In preparation for the FY 2016 Exchange Network grant application process, EPA will hold two stakeholder conference calls to review the Draft FY 2016 Exchange Network Grant Solicitation Notice and answer questions from the Exchange Network community. The Draft Notice and an overview of the significant changes from FY 2015 are available at http://www2.epa.gov/exchangenetwork/exchange-network-grant-program.

The first call will be held on Wednesday, July 8, 2015, from 3:00-4:00 PM EDT. The second call will be held on Monday, July 13, 2015, from 2:00-3:00 PM EDT. To participate in either call, please dial: 1.866.299.3188, and enter conference code: 202 566 1984#.

EPA will accept comments on the Draft Notice until 5:00 PM EDT, July 13, 2015. Written comments should be emailed to Jonathan Jacobson at jacobson.jonathan [at] epa.gov. EPA plans to issue the Final FY 2016 EN Grant Solicitation Notice by early September 2015

Jonathan Jacobson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.1984
E: jacobson.jonathan [at] epa.gov

In 2015, Exchange Network Governance is convening a series of EN Open Calls to help increase information sharing among Network Partners and build upon planned discussions at EN2015. These webinars are an opportunity for the EN community to gather and discuss topics of interest.

Please join us for the next Open Call on July 6, from 1:00-2:00pm Eastern. Phase 2 of the Exchange Network is all about making environmental data more accessible and easier to use. Roy Duelfer of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality will present the agency’s work to provide more seamless access to several of the agency’s datasets. Using funding from the Exchange Network grant program, Montana was able to develop a suite of environmental data APIs and an accompanying Data Search Tool to efficiently serve the needs of its customers. The call will include a discussion of the APIs, a demonstration of the Data Search Tool, and lessons learned during the development process that are helping them to expand the effort to other datasets. Please join this Open Call to hear about Montana’s work, ask questions, and share relevant information and lessons learned that are happening in your organization.

For more information or to provide ideas for future EN Open Calls, please contact Megan Parker at mparker [at] rossstrategic.com.

July 8, 2015 Update

A recording of this Open Call is available at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3723187532365062658.

In only 101 days, the Exchange Network Community will convene in Philadelphia for EN2015, the 2015 Exchange Network National Meeting!

Want to know who will be there? See the up-to-date EN2015 Attendee List at http://en2015.eventbrite.com/.

Online registration; an updated agenda; hotel reservation information; and travel reimbursement guidance for State, Territorial, and Tribal EN Partners are all available now at https://www.exchangenetwork.net/en2015.

Andrew Battin, EN2015 Co-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.2140
E: battin.andrew [at] epa.gov

Matt Leopard, EN2015 Co-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.1698
E: leopard.matthew [at] epa.gov

Victoria Phillips, EN2015 Co-Chair
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
P: 617.292.5956
E: victoria.phillips [at] state.ma.us

Andrew Putnam, EN2015 Co-Chair
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
P: 303.692.3579
E: andrew.putnam [at] state.co.us

The Exchange Network Leadership Council (ENLC) is looking for individuals that are interested in joining a new Integrated Project Team (IPT) on sharing core information on regulated facilities. Agencies often collect and store data on regulated facilities in highly fragmented ways. This practice leads to duplicative reporting processes and discrepancies that complicate accurate data correlation across programs and agencies.

The Exchange Network and E-Enterprise for the Environment support a more unified approach to environmental regulation. This IPT will scope out options for better integrating and sharing master facility record information across programs and environmental agencies. The IPT will develop an understanding of current EPA, State, and Tribal efforts to integrate facility data, identify a shared set of goals for supporting more comprehensive facility integration, and identify and test options for achieving those shared goals.

More information on the Facility Data Integration IPT’s anticipated work and structure is available in the Final Draft Charter available here.

The ENLC is seeking individuals with expertise in collecting, managing, and using core facility information to serve on the IPT. If you would like to volunteer to participate, please prepare a very brief statement of interest along with a brief characterization of the level of facility data integration in your agency or program. This will help the ENLC assemble a diverse team that includes representatives with a wide array of perspectives. Please email your response to Kurt Rakouskas at kurt [at] exchangenetwork.net no later than June 19, 2015.

Kimberly Hoke (State IPT Co-Chair)
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
573.751.6621
kimberly.hoke [at] dnr.mo.gov

Lee Kyle (EPA IPT Co-Chair)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
202.564.4622
kyle.lee [at] epa.gov

Kurt Rakouskas
Exchange Network Coordinator
P: 301.531.5186
E: kurt [at] exchangenetwork.net

The EN2015 Program Committee is excited to announce release of the 2015 Exchange Network National Meeting Draft Agenda. EN2015 will be held September 29-October 1, 2015, in Philadelphia. NEW: Two Pre-Meeting Sessions have been added the afternoon of September 28.

For all the latest information on EN2015, visit https://www.exchangenetwork.net/en2015.

Andrew Battin, EN2015 Co-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.2140
E: battin.andrew [at] epa.gov

Matt Leopard, EN2015 Co-Chair
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.566.1698
E: leopard.matthew [at] epa.gov

Victoria Phillips, EN2015 Co-Chair
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
P: 617.292.5956
E: victoria.phillips [at] state.ma.us

Andrew Putnam, EN2015 Co-Chair
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
P: 303.692.3579
E: andrew.putnam [at] state.co.us

In 2015, Exchange Network Governance is convening a series of EN Open Calls to help increase information sharing among Network Partners and build upon planned discussions at EN2015. These webinars are an opportunity for the EN community to gather and discuss topics of interest.

The next EN Open Call will be held May 12, 2015, at 2:00pm ET, and will focus on environmental information challenges and innovations. This Call will be oriented around peer-to-peer sharing, so come prepared to share updates from your organization and to hear about what other EN Partners are doing. During the Call, participants will be called upon to share information on the major information challenges that your agency is facing and how you are thinking of or are addressing them. Examples topics for information management challenges and innovations could include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Integration of facility ID data
• Digital records management
• IT service centralization
• Meeting demands for online service offerings
• Cybersecurity

To participate in the Open Call, please register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7154470850952096002.

For more information or to provide ideas for future EN Open Calls, please contact Megan Parker at mparker [at] rossstrategic.com.

Kurt Rakouskas
Exchange Network Coordinator
P: 301.531.5186
E: kurt [at] exchangenetwork.net

ICIS Production will be down Friday, April 24, 2015, starting at 5pm ET through Saturday, April 25, 2015, until approximately 12:00pm ET for implementation of ICIS version 7.2 and the Facility Registry System (FRS) incoming transfer. Please note the following expected conditions when ICIS Production is down:

• Any Business Intelligence (B.I.) reports scheduled to execute during the system down-times will execute as soon as the system comes back up. Users will not need to change the times that their reports are scheduled to execute.
• The Federal Version of NetDMR will be up, but submissions from NetDMR to ICIS that take place during the down-time will be held and processed when ICIS becomes available.
• Electronic Data Transfer (EDT) submissions from all NPDES States and Air States/Locals submitted during the down-time will not execute and will not be queued to be processed through ICIS when the system resumes operation. Users will need to resubmit any submissions that failed due to ICIS being down.
• EPA’s NeT electronic notice of intent web forms will be down during the outage.

Thank you for your patience during this period.

Alison Kittle
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P: 202.564.6233
E: kittle.alison [at] epa.gov

On behalf of the Exchange Network Leadership Council (ENLC), the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) is seeking an experienced, highly motivated, self-employed, contract professional with strong collaboration skills to serve as the Exchange Network Coordinator (Coordinator). The Coordinator’s sole objective is to advance the success of the Exchange Network, its joint Governance structure, and its Partners (i.e., EPA, States, Territories, Tribes, local governments, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, regulated communities, and others). The Exchange Network Coordinator is an independent contractor to ECOS.

ECOS’ Request for Proposal (RFP) EN-ENC-15 is available at: https://www.exchangenetwork.net/en-coordinator-rfp/.

Responses are due to ECOS by 5:00 PM ET on Thursday, April 30, 2015.

Andrew Putnam
ENLC State Co-Chair
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
P: 303.692.3579
E: andrew.putnam [at] state.co.us