(a) Authorities

The Administrator shall establish in the Agency an office to carry out the functions of the Administrator under this chapter. The office shall be independent of the Agency’s single-medium program offices but shall have the authority to review and advise such offices on their activities to promote a multi-media approach to source reduction. The office shall be under the direction of such officer of the Agency as the Administrator shall designate.

(b) Functions

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The Administrator shall develop and implement a strategy to promote source reduction. As part of the strategy, the Administrator shall—

(1) establish standard methods of measurement of source reduction;

(2) ensure that the Agency considers the effect of its existing and proposed programs on source reduction efforts and shall review regulations of the Agency prior and subsequent to their proposal to determine their effect on source reduction;

(3) coordinate source reduction activities in each Agency Office ¹ and coordinate with appropriate offices to promote source reduction practices in other Federal agencies, and generic research and development on techniques and processes which have broad applicability;

(4) develop improved methods of coordinating, streamlining and assuring public access to data collected under Federal environmental statutes;

(5) facilitate the adoption of source reduction techniques by businesses. This strategy shall include the use of the Source Reduction Clearinghouse and State matching grants provided in this chapter to foster the exchange of information regarding source reduction techniques, the dissemination of such information to businesses, and the provision of technical assistance to businesses. The strategy shall also consider the capabilities of various businesses to make use of source reduction techniques;

(6) identify, where appropriate, measurable goals which reflect the policy of this chapter, the tasks necessary to achieve the goals, dates at which the principal tasks are to be accomplished, required resources, organizational responsibilities, and the means by which progress in meeting the goals will be measured;

(8) ² establish an advisory panel of technical experts comprised of representatives from industry, the States, and public interest groups, to advise the Administrator on ways to improve collection and dissemination of data;

(9) establish a training program on source reduction opportunities, including workshops and guidance documents, for State and Federal permit issuance, enforcement, and inspection officials working within all agency program offices.³

(10) identify and make recommendations to Congress to eliminate barriers to source reduction including the use of incentives and disincentives;

(11) identify opportunities to use Federal procurement to encourage source reduction;

(12) develop, test and disseminate model source reduction auditing procedures designed to highlight source reduction opportunities; and

(13) establish an annual award program to recognize a company or companies which operate outstanding or innovative source reduction programs.