About EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency, specifically an independent executive agency, of the United States federal government for environmental protection.

The challenge

How can we use technology to transform the EPA enterprise information programs to drive better, more data-driven decisions that protect human health and the environment?

EPA would like to transform selected enterprise information programs with artificial intelligence and machine learning. These advances would help protect human health and the environment by putting more and better information and analysis more quickly into the hands of Agency employees across the country. The following information programs below are target opportunities where EPA believes the Agency could use AI to:

• Promote more efficient and effective electronic discovery for litigation, FOIAs, and enforcement.
• Move the Agency’s paper records more efficiently and rapidly into an enterprise content management system where they are more accessible and searchable and improve the organization of the records already in the ECMS.
• Safeguard the Agency’s Controlled Unclassified Information with automated tagging and file markings.
• Scan information products and deliverables for compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act that promotes accessibility of information and communication technology to persons with disabilities.
• Improve Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request processing by automating the identification of potential custodians, potential search terms, and potential electronic repositories. In addition, the ability to identify previously produced records that are responsive to new or pending FOIA requests would also promote more information about EPA for the public and reduce FOIA processing burden on Agency programs.

To accomplish this, EPA is looking for candidates with strong backgrounds in data science, including artificial intelligence and machine learning.