Evidence-based decision support
Original evidence comes before conclusions
Which utility owner, contractor, project and approval facts are substantiated?
Priority source classes
- EPA ECHO
- public authority procurement notice
- utility service report
| Named source | Use case | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| EPA ECHO environmental enforcement records | EPA ECHO | Confirm identity, recency, original status and completeness before reliance. |
| U.S. EPA ECHO data downloads | public authority procurement notice | Confirm identity, recency, original status and completeness before reliance. |
| US EPA ECHO data completeness explanation | utility service report | Confirm identity, recency, original status and completeness before reliance. |
Verification and negative evidence
- Confirm publication timestamp versus underlying record effective date.
- Do not infer no adverse record from an unsuccessful search; document search spelling and access.
- Use independent original records when a single platform aggregates primary material.
- Store source URL, date read, exact excerpt, jurisdiction and access constraints.
- Test at least one plausible contradictory hypothesis.