A Time Allocation Monitoring Study of RCRA Enforcement at Region 1 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency

A pilot study was performed at the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 office to learn about the utility of time allocation monitoring for program process evaluation. The program under study here performs regulatory enforcement of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the primary federal statute governing the handling of hazardous wastes. Time allocation monitoring is a potentially attractive method for assessing program performance because results can be useful for program improvement and for developing the metrics necessary for future impact evaluations. Time allocation monitoring results from this current investigation were able to capture only a limited proportion of staff activities during the study period, but future studies could improve results by expanding the scope of monitoring; increasing the degree to which program staff are involved in study design, data collection, and analysis; and integrating time allocations monitoring with a review of program records.