United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of the
Administrator
[Mail Code 1 8O2]
EPA 1OO-F-98-O19
September 1998
(http://www. epa.gov)
•EPA
Project XL:
Intel Corporation
WHAT IS PROJECT
XL?
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 EPA in
redesigning its current regulatory and policy-setting approaches. Project XL encourages
testing of cleaner, cheaper, and smarter ways to attain environmental results superior to those
achieved under current regulations and policies, in conjunction with greater accountability to
stakeholders. Project XL has committed to a goal of 50 pilot projects. Because of it's limited
scope, it is vital that each project tests new ideas with the potential for wide application and
broad environmental benefits. As of August 1998, 9 pilot experiments are being implemented
and twenty additional projects are currently being developed.
SUMMARY OF THE
INTEL PROJECT
Intel's Fab 12 facility, which manufactures semiconductors (computer chips) in Chandler,
Arizona, is implementing an Environmental Management Master Plan that includes a facility-
wide cap on air emissions to replace individual permit limits for different air emissions sources.
Since Intel's products often have a very short life span, any production delays caused by the
need for separate permit reviews, can be critical and costly to the company. The Final Project
Agreement was signed onNovember 19, 1996. In this agreement, Intel committed to:
• Maintaining air emissions for oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide,
particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds at a level that ensures the current
facility, and any other manufacturing facility built at the site, is a "minor" air emissions
source, as defined by the Clean Air Act
• Using State health-based guidelines to establish enforceable emissions caps for emissions
that affect the community adjacent to the facility; in addition, these health-based standards
will be used voluntarily to set emissions levels to increase protection for those working in
the facility
• Reducing water consumption and the generation of solid, non-hazardous chemical, and
hazardous waste
• Establishing property line setbacks twenty times greater than required by local zoning
authorities
• Reducing vehicle miles traveled by employees
• Participating in equipment donation and training programs
Intel is one of the first companies in the country to agree to make all its environmental data
publicly available on the Internet as part of a standard reporting mechanism at www.intel.com
SUPERIOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
PERFORMANCE
Implementation of Intel's project in Chandler will protect the environment by:
• Reducing up to 65 percent of the solid waste and up to 70 percent of the non-hazardous
chemical wastes the facility generates by the year 2000
• Recycling up to 65 percent of the fresh city water used at the facility
Recycling up to 100 percent of the wastewater used at the facility
Balancing limits on hazardous air pollutant emissions with health-based guidelines
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FLEXIBILITY
Regulatory flexibility allows Intel to make operational changes without permit review, as long as
permit limits are met. The project includes multi-media performance-based permits that specify
performance levels for each regulated pollutant to be used at the new facility. This flexibility
allows Intel to bring products on line faster, a critical aspect in this "quick-to-market" industry.
Results from the first year show that Intel avoided millions of dollars worth of production
delays by eliminating 30-50 permit reviews a year.
RESULTS
ACHIEVED TO
DATE
Results reported in May 1998
• Reducing up to 63 percent of the solid waste and 48 percent of the non-hazardous chemical
wastes
• Recycling up to 65 percent of the fresh city water used at the facility
• Recycling up to 99 percent of the wastewater used at the facility
STAKEHOLDER
INVOLVEMENT
Intel is working to ensure that stakeholders are involved in the environmental design and
impact assessment of its proposal, are kept informed, and have an opportunity to fully
participate in project development. Efforts so far have included:
• Establishment of a Stakeholder Team to ensure the involvement of national, regional, and
local non-governmental organizations as full partners in the project's implementation; this
team has met once a quarter to review the project's progress reports.
• A massive outreach effort to local citizens (including 25,000 hand-delivered notices)
• Annual meeting held with the Stakeholder Team and open to the general public in April
1998; semi-annual meeting planned in October 1998
• The use of Intel and EPA websites to increase the transparency of project development and
implementation
APPROACHES TO
BE TESTED
The efficiency of performance-based caps in lieu of pre-construction review
The effectiveness of community involvement in decision making as an incentive for
improving environmental performance
The role of innovative technology (e.g., remote sensing and environmental monitoring) as
an incentive for improving environmental performance
The value of incorporating non-regulated items into the regulatory permit process
CONTACTS
FOR ELECTRONIC
INFORMATION
Regional: Collen McKaughan, Region 9
EPA HQ: Katherine Dawes
County: Jo Crumbaker
State: Karen Heidel
Company: Jim Larsen
520-498-0118
202-260-8394
602-506-6705
602-207-2204
602-715-0206
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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