United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of the
Administrator
[Mail Code 1802]
EPA100-F-98-009
May 1998
(http://www.epa.gov)
5EPA
Project XL:
Vandonborg AFB
WHAT IS
PROJECTXL?
SUMMARYOF
THE
VANDENBERG
AFB PROJECT
SUPERIOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
PERFORMANCE
Project XL, which stands for "excellence and Leadership," is a national
initiative that tests innovative ways of achieving better and more cost-
effective public health and environmental protection. The information
and lessons learned from Project XL will be used to assist the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in redesigning its current
regulatory and policy-setting approaches. Under Project XL, sponsors -
private facilities, industry sectors, federal facilities and communities -
can implement innovative strategies that attain environmental results
superior to those achieved under current regulations and policies, and
promote greater accountability to stakeholders. For more information on
Project XL, see EPA's fact sheet entitled, "What Is Project XL?
Excellence and Leadership in Environmental Protection" (EPA 231-F-
97-01), April 1998, and other project-specific fact sheets, all of which are
available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL or via Project
XL's fax-on-demand line at 202-260-8590.
Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB), located about 150 miles northwest
of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County, California, is the third largest
Air Force installation in the United States. It is the only point in the
United States from which unmanned government and commercial
satellites are launched into polar orbit and from which intercontinental
ballistic missiles are launched to verify weapon system performance.
Most of the stationary source ozone precursor emissions at the base are
generated by boilers, furnaces, process heaters, and internal
combustion engines. Vandenberg has completed an assessment of the
emission reduction potential from a variety of sources, including but not
limited to internal combustion engines and solvent and surface coating
applications. The base is now in the process of upgrading or retrofitting
those emission sources with advanced pollution control technology to
convert those sources to lower-emitting sources. Vandenberg is the first
XL project involving a federal facility and is the first Department of
Defense regulatory reform project known as ENVVEST (Environmental
Investment). The Final Project Agreement was signed on Novembers,
1997.
The implementation of Vandenberg AFB's project will increase
environmental protection by reducing the facility's annual emissions of
ozone precursors into the air by 10 tons or more within the first five
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FLEXIBILITY
STAKEHOLDER
INVOLVEMENT
years through emissions reductions in boilers, furnaces, and/or process
heaters. Vandenberg will no longer be a potential major source of air
pollution under Title V of the Clean Air Act. The project's long-term
focus is on identifying and implementing pollution prevention
opportunities for reducing emissions from internal combustion engines,
solvent, and surface coating applications, and other suitable sources of
ozone precursors.
Vandenberg secured relief from the Title V operating permit program to
implement pollution prevention activities that would ultimately have a
greater environmental benefit than compliance with the operating
permit. The project allows the Air Force to reduce environmental
program costs and apply savings directly to clean-up programs on
Vandenberg AFB.
Vandenberg AFB is working to ensure that those parties with a stake in
the environmental concepts and effects of its proposal are informed and
have an opportunity to fully participate in project implementation. Efforts
so far have included:
$ Consulting closely with the Vandenberg Community Advisory Board
(CAB) and the District Community Advisory Council (CAC) in
formulating the agreement;
$ Issuing press releases to keep the community informed of project
progress;
$ Publishing informational notices in the newspaper; and
$ Holding regularly scheduled public meetings to inform the public on
steps being taken to reduce pollution and solicit public comment.
APPROACHES TO BE TESTED
$ Can providing the flexibility to control pollution in a
more cost-effective manner provide incentives for
pollution prevention and innovative solutions that
produce benefits for the regulated community and the
environment?
CONTACTS
Sara Segal (EPA Region 9 Contact): 415-744-1569
John Walser (EPA Project Lead, Region 9): 415-744-1257
Walter Walsh (EPA/XL HQ): 202-260-2770
Will Garvey (EPA/DoD ENVVEST): 202-564-2458
Monte McVay (Vandenberg AFB): 805-734-8232 x61921
Peter Cantle (Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District)
805/961-8927
FOR ELECTRONIC INFORMATION
More information about Project XL is available on the
Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL, via Project XL's
fax-on-demand line at 202-260-8590, or via Project XL's
Information Line at 703-934-3239.
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