The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced it will hold five public meetings across the U.S. to hear comments on the “Draft Report on the Environment” and discuss the future of the project. The draft report, released June 23, is the end product of a two-year assessment of the current state of the environment and human health and is a part of EPA's "Environmental Indicators Initiative." This initiative aims to improve EPA’s ability to use data to evaluate environmental conditions and their impact on human health and natural resources. The draft report addresses the state of the environment in the U.S. and where gaps in research and information exist. The meetings will be held in Chicago on Nov. 6, Atlanta on Nov. 13, San Francisco on Nov. 18, Seattle on Nov. 29, and Dallas on Dec. 12. The agency hopes a wide range of stakeholders will provide feedback on the first report and assist in setting a course for improved future reports. Specifically, EPA is looking for information on the use of the report in decision-making processes; improvements in indicators or additional indicators; and the quality and overall structure of the report. EPA has not yet announced exact locations and times. Read a June 30 OMB Watch article on the draft report.