State Innovation Grant Program: Washington
Washington State's Lean and Green Assistance Program (2009 Competition)
The State Innovation Grant Progran
In 2002 EPA introduced the State Innovation Grant Program to support
efforts led by state environmental agencies to test innovative approaches
for achieving better environmental results and improved efficiency in
permitting programs. Between 2002 and 2009, the State Innovation
Grant program competition awarded over eight million dollars to
support 40 state projects that test permitting innovation for a variety of
regulated entities including several small business sectors. A
summary of the awards by year appears in the table below.
State Innovation Grant Program Statistics, 2002-2009
I Competition Proposals Proposals
Year Submitted Selected
2002/2003 9Q fi
Cumulative
Total Program
Funding ($)
$618,000
$1.526 Million
$1.528 Million
$1.355 Million
$1.644 Million
$830,000
$590,000
$8.091 Million
"Innovation in Permitting" has been the theme of the State Innovation
Grant competition since its inception. In the last three competition
cycles states received awards for projects in the following three
categories:
• The Environmental Results Program (ERP) is an innovative
approach to improving environmental performance based on a system
of the interlocking tools of compliance assistance, self-certification
(sometimes, where permissible, in lieu of permitting), and
statistically-based measurement to gauge the performance of an entire
business sector. The program utilizes a multimedia approach to
encourage small sources to achieve environmental compliance and
pollution prevention. (See: http://www.epa.gov/permits/erp/)
• Environmental Management System (EMS) is a system
involving a continual cycle of planning, implementing, reviewing
and improving the processes and actions that an organization
undertakes to meet its business and environmental goals. EMSs
provide organizations of all types with a structured system and
approach for managing environmental and regulatory
responsibilities to improve overall environmental performance and
stewardship. (See: www.epa.gov/ems/info/index.htm)
NCEI has provided awards also for projects testing watershed-based
permitting, and for permit process streamlining in past competitions.
For more information on the history of the programs, including
information on solicitations, state proposals, and project awards,
please see the EPA State Innovation Grants website at http://
Project Background:
The Washington State Department of Ecology
(Ecology) is proposing a lean manufacturing and
environmental assistance demonstration program.
The program's goal is to improve environmental and
operational performance of industrial and commercial
entities.
Ecology, Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS)
and other partners conducted three Lean and
Environmental Pilot Projects in 2007-2008 that saved
businesses over $1.5 million, reduced pollution by over
800,000 pounds, and avoided two major permits. The
Pilots also confirmed EPA's research findings that
environmental considerations and tools can be
effectively integrated into lean methods to reduce
wastes, improve operational efficiency, and support
continual improvement efforts at facilities. Ecology
and WMS jointly delivered lean and green services to
three manufacturing facilities; lean and environment
training, value stream mapping events, and several
kaizen events to implement process changes and
measure results.
The Lean and Green Assistance Program will use the
lessons learned from the initial pilot projects, other
recent lean and green projects, and EPA's Lean
Toolkits to support the "next generation" of
demonstration projects. These streamlined and
strategic lean and green projects that will allow
Ecology and its partners to develop a framework for
self-sustaining, efficient, and effective lean and
environmental technical assistance program
infrastructure. It is anticipated that these
demonstration projects and the associated program
infrastructure will be more readily scalable and
transferable than were the initial pilot projects.
NCEI
NATIONAL CENTER FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION
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Project Description
This request for federal funding is to develop and
implement a lean manufacturing and environmental
technical assistance program to improve environmental
and operational performance for industrial and
commercial entities. The goal is to build on already
successful Lean and Environment Pilot Projects and
create an on-going, self-sustaining "Lean and Green"
service that produces measurable environmental and
business-operational results. Integrated lean and
environmental technical assistance offers a compelling
way to deliver significant, sustainable environmental
results, improve operational efficiency, and foster a
continual improvement culture focused on eliminating
waste. Activities will include conducting lean and green
program development; training, marketing and
recruitment of facilities; testing and refining lean and
environment integration approaches; integrated, site-
specific lean and environmental service delivery; and
measurement, documentation, and dissemination of
results.
To accomplish project goals, programmatic and project-
specific objectives have been formulated. Programmatic
objectives include improving the partnerships and quality
and effectiveness of joint services and to recruit and
complete at least 3-4 lean and green projects per year
for three years. Project-specific objectives are geared
towards helping facilities identify and address their
current and future environmental compliance and
permitting requirements, and maximize operational and
environmental benefits for the facilities and the public.
Ecology estimates that the 9-12 lean and green projects
with small to medium sized manufacturing facilities
would result in the following total cost and environmental
savings:
• $1-2 million cost savings to businesses
• 250,000-500,000 pounds of hazardous
substances used
• 100,000-200,000 pounds of hazardous waste
• 200,000-400,000 gallons of water used
• 200,000-400,000 pounds of air emissions
• 4,000-8,000 tons greenhouse gases
• 100-200 million cubic feet of natural gas
For all completed lean and green projects, Ecology will
measure and report the estimated and actual amount of
financial savings, wastes, and pollution reduced.
Baseline data will be collected before and during the
current state value stream mapping event and at the
start of lean implementation events. Ecology staff will
work with lean facilitators and facility staff to analyze
performance data at the end of each kaizen event for
the report-out presentation and the facility will complete
a NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
survey one year after the end of the project.
Connection to EPA's Goals:
The Lean and Green Assistance Program support EPA's
Strategic Plan, including Goal 5: Compliance and
Environmental Stewardship, with an emphasis on
pollution prevention, sustainability and business
assistance. Ecology's multi-media approach addresses
all five goals included in EPA's Strategic Plan. Multi-
media aspects are incorporated into the Lean and Green
Assistance Program, including (i) using lean and green
assistance to improve compliance and multi-media
environmental performance (ii) encouraging lean and
green implementation as a path to reduce multi-media
permitting and other regulatory requirements, and (iii)
developing methods that encourage participant facilities
to incorporate sustainability into their operations.
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Project Contacts:
For more specific information on the
Washington State Innovation Grant,
please contact one of the individuals
below:
Hugh O'Neill
Lean and Green Project Supervisor
P.O. Box 47775
Olympia, Washington 98504-7775
Phone: 360.407.6354 Fax 360.407.6305
Email: hugh.oneill@ecy.wa.gov
Jack Boiler
EPA Grant Project Officer
US EPA Region 10
Seattle, Washington 98101
Phone: 216.553.2953
Email: Boller.Jack@epa.gov
Dave De Marco
NCEI Technical Liaison
National Center for Environmental Innovation
US EPA Region 10
Seattle, Washington 98101
Phone: 216.553.4978
Email: Dellarco.Dave@epa.gov
Program Contact:
Sherri Walker
State Innovation Grant Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460 (MC1807T)
(202)-566-2186; FAX (202) 566-2220
walker.sherri@epa.gov
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Policy,
Economics and Innovation
(1807T)
December 2009
EPA-100-F-09-053
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