P1252109256JvyEA

1
Utahs Perspective on Performance Partnership
Agreements and Grants (PPA/PPGs) as Tools in
Planning and Priority Setting Leah Ann Lamb,
Assistant Director Utah Division of Water
Quality Utah Department of Environmental
Quality http//www.deq.utah.gov/ http//www.waterq
uality.utah.gov/
2

• Utah Background
• UDEQ Strategic Planning Process Initiated in
  1991.
• Previous Deputy Director involved in drafting
  Joint Statement to Reform Oversight and Create a
  National Environmental Performance Partnership
  System signed May 17, 1995. This is the system
  that created PPAs and PPGs.
• Strong Region 8 involvement/leadership.

3

• What Did This Mean?
• Senior leadership at UDEQ was heavily invested
  upfront in NEPPS and wanted to exercise the
  system immediately. Therefore, failure was not
  an option.
• UDEQ expected to use its existing planning
  process to establish joint priorities with the
  Region.
• UDEQ expected to use its Strategic/Annual Goals
  as the format for the PPA and baseline for PPA
  negotiations.

4

• Initial NEPPS Accomplishments
• First PPA
• October 24, 1995
• First PPG
• May 16, 1996

5

• The Great NEPPS Hope
• The Five Rs
• Respect
• Reform
• Results
• Reduction of Reporting Burden
• Reinvestment

6

• The Great NEPPS Hope
• The Five Rs
• Respect EPA would acknowledge and respect state
  capacity. While still meeting the need for a
  level playing field, EPA would acknowledge
  state specific environmental needs and the
  Environmental Services Delivery System would
  mature so that states were full partners.

7

• The Great NEPPS Hope
• The Five Rs
• Reform EPA would reduce oversight of strong
  state programs to build capacity of state
  programs needing assistance. The PPA would be
  developed through an EPA-State joint strategic
  planning process establishing priorities, roles,
  authorities and resources to define the
  value-added role of partner. EPA contribution
  would be outlined in the PPA.

8

• The Great NEPPS Hope
• The Five Rs
• Results Improvement in the environment would
  accelerate under NEPPS. EPA and States would
  jointly evolve the accountability/measurement
  system from beans to results using a
  combination of Core Performance Measures and
  Environmental Indicators.

9

• The Great NEPPS Hope
• The Five Rs
• Reduction of Reporting Burden States would only
  report to EPA Core Performance Measures
  resulting in significant reduction of reporting
  burden. No new measures mantra created! Delta
  Zero

10

• The Great NEPPS Hope
• The Five Rs
• Reinvestment Planning and resource allocation
  flexibility from both tools PPA and PPG would
  permit reinvestment to highest environmental
  priorities.

11

• Utah NEPPS Successes
• (What have PPAs made possible?)
• Performance Partnership Agreement (PPA)
• Joint Planning and Priorities timeline and
  process established.
• Partnership for the Environment EPA- State
  Local Health Departments
• Southwest
• Uintah
• Olympics

12

• Utah NEPPS Successes
• Performance Partnership Agreement (PPA)
• Have negotiated EPA commitments, although not
  consistently
• Pockets of personality challenged but overall
  respect and partnership attitude is greatly
  enhanced.
• EPA alignment Region 8 Pilot
• Auto-pilot? PPA process reinforced.

13

• Utah NEPPS Successes
• (What have PPGs made possible)
• Performance Partnership Agreement (PPG)
• Big Picture Perspective
• Administrative Savings
• One application replaces 10 15 separate ones.
• Less detail required though we still track it.
• Match About 29
• Example The PPG allows UT to maintain match
  requirements for P2, although state GF match has
  dwindled from 80,000 to 37,000 over 10 years

14

• Utah NEPPS Successes
• Performance Partnership Agreement (PPG)
• Carryover
• Flexibility
• Olympics funding
• Other special projects that benefit region
• Shifting carryover to higher priorities

15

• Utah NEPPS Challenges
• (What has stood in the way of PPA/PPGs)
• Leadership Commitment
• Region 8 Changed Joint Planning Process
• UDEQ Deference to Silos
• Old School Reporting Pavlovian Response of
  War Wounded PPA not Single Definitive
  Document
• Cross-Media Stovepipe Survival vs. Altruism

16

• Utah NEPPS Challenges
• Results-based management End-Of-Year timing
  issue/lack of feedback
• Priority Driven Resource Allocation (PDRA)
• Vision of the Future
• How to effectuate true organizational change?
• New ways of doing work?
• Exhaustion (transaction costs)

17

• NEPPS Hopes not Fully Realized?
• Respect B
• Reform D
• Results B
• Reporting Reduction F
• Reinvestment C

18

• NEPPS Next Steps
• What should we be addressing together?
• ECOS Resolution 08-10 State Commitment to
  Developing a New State / Federal Joint Governance
  Approach that Builds upon the Successes of NEPPS
  http//www.ecos.org/files/3124_file_Copy_of_Resolu
  tion_08_10.pdf
• Oversight Reform (NRC Model)
• Measurement (grant templates)
• Budget reductions opportunity
• The next generation?