Summer 2003 ISSUE #15 SEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency an environmental bulletin for federal facilities Federal Agencies Making Progress Implementing E.0.13148 Federal agencies are making consider- able progress in implementing Execu- tive Order 13148 Greening the Govern- ment Through Leadership in Environmental Management, and its broad goals of integrating environmen- tal considerations into day-to-day plan- ning and decision making. This progress is evident from agency annual reports and "scorecards", a new tool used by the federal government to measure and evaluate implementation milestones. Section 307 of E.O. 13148 requires federal agencies to report on their imple- mentation progress annually to the EPA. EPA and the Office of the Federal Envi- ronmental Executive (OFEE) will collab- orate closely with the President's Coun- cil on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget to review the annual reports and develop a "scorecard" on environmental manage- ment system (EMS) implementation by federal agencies. Guidance on writing this year's report was also developed by the Intera- gency Environmental Leadership Work- group. Guidance focuses on both the required sections and relevant topics, in particular agency EMSs and compliance program implementation. These metrics recognized the EMS process is evolving within the federal community and focused on program development rather than implementation. For calendar year 2002, in addition to reporting on reduction goals for Toxic Release Inventory chemicals, Section 503 priority chemical and reductions and ozone depleting substances, agen- cies were asked to report on the follow- ing areas: 1) EMS policy, including top management commitment; 2) Determi- nation of "appropriate" facility for pur- poses of the Order; 3) Identification of resources necessary for EMS implemen- tation; 4) Guidance for implementing EMS at agency facilities; 5) EMS train- ing for senior-level managers; 6) Pro- grams to support facility environmental compliance audits. Not all reporting Continued on page 2 Environmental Spotlight WORKING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE By John Howard, Federal Environmental Executive Federal agencies have worked hard for years to improve their envi- ronmental compliance and performance. This effort has seen several approaches, including internal compliance assess- ment, pollution prevention planning, regulatory compliance assistance, and environmental management system (EMS) implementation. Each approach has had some basis in law, rule, policy, or Administration priority. The Office of the Federal Environ- mental Executive works to promote sus- tainable environmental stewardship throughout the federal government, using these and other approaches. EMS offers an opportunity Continued on page 4 ABOUT THIS ISSUE... Executive Order 13148 Greening the Government Through Leadership in Environmental Management, (April21,2000) requires federal agencies and facilities to integrate environmen- tal considerations into day-to-day planning. In this issue, you will read about some of the 13148 implementation activities taking place . Successful implementation of E.O.13148 requires the combined and collaborative efforts of federal agencies, states and others. Many of these efforts will be spotlighted in this issue, as well as the contributions of a few individuals at the facility level. Environmental management systems (EMSs) are a key requirement of the Order, and there is considerable focus on EMS activities atthe national and local facility level. Federal agencies and facilities are doing a good job of implementing E.O. 13148 - but there is still challenging work ahead. The EPA, Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, and other leaders in the federal community are there to guide these efforts and help the federal government be a role model for cutting-edge environmental stewardship and management, making a cleaner and healthier work place and environment for generations to come. Inside 3 Fort Meade ISO 14001 Certification 4 DOE E.O. 13148 Implementation 5,6,7 EMS Implementation and Training 8 EPA, VHA Cooperative EMR Initiative 9 EMRs at NASA Michoud and Army Fort Polk 10 Enforcement News: Ft. Wainwright; UST Cases 11 Federal Environmental Spotlight and Awards 12 EPA Regional CWA/SPCC Initiative 13 In Brief: Regulatory Updates and Program News 14 Federal Facilities Compliance Center 15 Upcoming Events Calendar Printed on Recycled Paper ------- THE E.O. 13148 INTERAGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP WORKGROUP Executive Order 13148 calls for the establishment of an Interagency Environmental Leadership Workgroup to "develop policies and guidance" required by the Order. While the Workgroup is chaired by EPA, 18 federal agencies have formal representatives to the Workgroup and responsi- bilities are shared. Several particular Workgroup efforts such as environmental management sys- tem implementation, budget issues review, priority chemical selection, and an analysis of general training needs, were led by member agencies including the Departments of Defense and Energy, and NASA. The Workgroup also develops guidance for each year's annual report on progress towards the goals of the Executive Order including metrics to prepare the federal agency EMS implementation "scorecard" issued by the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. The Workgroup has developed documents used across the federal government including an EMS background primer and a budget document explaining how the goals of the Order should be included in the budget process. For more information about Workgroup activities, please contact Workgroup Chair Will Garvey at garvey.will@epa.gov FEDERAL AGENCIES MAKING PROGRESS IN E.O. 13148 IMPLEMENTATION Continued from page 1 federal agencies have responded, but a preliminary review of the available information is summarized below. A more in depth report on that review will be completed this summer and provided to each Agency Environmental Execu- tive and the President's Council on Environmental Quality. 1. EMS Implementation Policies. Approximately half of federal agen- cies responding have prepared, signed and distributed agency poli- cies for implementing EMSs at agency facilities. Policies range from brief directives endorsing EMS FEDFACS ON THE WEB This and past issues of FedFacs can be found on EPA's website at: http://www.epa. gov/compliance/resources/newsletters/ civil/fedfac/index.html implementation to extensive delin- eations of agency EMS goals and expectations and facility responsi- bilities to meet those goals. 2. Determining "appropriate" facilities under E.O. 13148. Agen- cies are using the Order's criteria of "size, complexity and environmental aspects, " and regulatory status of the facility for determining whether their facilities must develop and implement an EMS. In several instances, agencies included consid- eration of outside parties' perspec- tive in identifying appropriate facil- ities. Several agencies developed an organizational EMS that will be implemented across all facilities with that organization. 3. Resource allocation. Some agen- cies implemented a process to iden- tify and quantify supplemental resources, funds and personnel nec- essary to develop and implement EMSs at the facility or organizational level. These efforts include a review of private sector organizations' imple- mentation costs and review of pilot efforts at agency facilities. Other reporting agencies concluded that development and implementation resources should be supplied from normal facility operating funds. 4. Agency EMS guidance. Some agencies developed specific EMS development and implementation guidance for their facilities with milestones and other measurement criteria that allow consistent review of agency progress towards EMS implementation. Other agencies will promote and use existing EMS guid- ance and implementation tools allowing facilities to select and implement EMS independently. 5. EMS awareness tools for senior managers. Some agencies devel- oped awareness tools ranging from background briefings and audiovi- sual presentations to video tape training describing the EMS process and role of senior managers in sup- porting EMS implementation. Other agencies expressed a commitment to senior manager training subsequent to full development of agency EMS implementation, and also an interest in sharing training developed by other agencies. 6. Agency audit programs. Many agencies have mature environmental compliance programs while others with less developed programs, were actively reviewing and updating audit programs. Most mature pro- grams include both internal and agency oversight audits, and are pursuing protocols for identifying and addressing findings revealed by compliance audits. is published by EPA's Federal Facilities Enforcement Office. EPA #300-N-03-006 Marie Muller, FFEO, Editor Robin Foster, Legin Group, Layout To receive FedFacs in the mail, contact: Federal Facilities Enforcement Office U.S. EPA(2261A) 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20460 Phone: 202-564-2510 Fax: 202-501-0069 Internet: www.epa.gov/compliance/ resources/newsletters/civil/fedfac/ index.html 2 FEDFACS ------- EPA/Fort Meade Environmental Science Center Receives ISO 14001 Certification The U.S. EPA - Fort Meade Environ- mental Science Center (ESC) is the first non-industrial "civilian" federal facil- ity to be registered under ISO 14001 for its environmental management system (EMS). With its innovative approach to environmental sustainability and pollu- tion prevention, ESC is protecting the environment, saving money, and is con- sidered a model for other federal facilities required to implement an EMS under Executive Order 13148. Located on 25 acres in Fort Meade, Md., ESC is an analytical chemistry labo- ratory occupied by EPA's Region 3 (Philadelphia) and Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) program laboratories. The Center, which was commissioned in February 1999, is a state-of-the-art facility housing 65 scien- tists and support staff. It has 145,000 grass square feet with 89,000 finished square feet including over 70 lab rooms. ESC began designing its EMS in August 2000, and chose ISO 14001, one of the primary international standards for EMSs. EPA Region 3 and OPPTS decided to invest in the EMS - even prior to the requirement to do so under E.O. 13148 - because of a desire to be a good neighbor in the Fort Meade community and realize operational benefits like cost savings and lower risk profile. Now, almost three years later, a self-directed team of volun- teers has led the facility through imple- mentation and ISO recognition. The Center is reaching the point where it can measure and point to direct results and benefits of the EMS. Benefits of EMS implementation to date include: 1) better cross-facility cooperation; 2) greater awareness of environmental impacts and linkage of environmental aspects; 3) complete documentation of environmental management programs; and 4) greater awareness and integration of Executive Orders. Staff believe improvements to environmental perfor- mance are virtually guaranteed. As new EMS target initiatives are launched the Center expects to see more return on its investment with more pollu- tion prevention, cost savings, and imple- mentation of creative environmental management practices. The overall goal is to establish a culture that institution- alizes the consideration of environmental impacts into everyday management deci- sions at the ESC. Designing and implementing the EMS required about 1.2 EPA full time employee equivalent (FTE) per year and included costs of approximately $80,000 for consulting support and $12,000 for ISO 14001 registration. To maintain the system, contract dollars will drop signifi- cantly and FTE needs will reduce some- what, perhaps 10-20 percent. ESC Viewed as a Leader in the Federal Community The EPA/Fort Meade Science Center has received many accolades for its EMS and related implementation activities. It is highlighted at ISO Continued on page 14 EXECUTIVE ORDER 13148 "GREENING THE GOVERNMENT THROUGH LEADERSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT" (Apr. 27, 2000) Executive Order 13148 is the most recent of a series of "Greening the Government" Executive Orders and requires the federal government to integrate a broad array of environmental consider- ations into day-to-day management, decision-making, and long-term planning across agency mis- sions, activities, and functions. The Order establishes seven primary goals for federal agencies and facilities. They are: 1) developing and implementing environmental management systems; 2) ensuring compliance with environmental statutes and regulations; 3) fully implementing Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), emergency planning, and pollution prevention programs; 4) reducing releases of toxic chemicals; 5) reducing use of toxic and hazardous substances where there are known cost- effec- tive substitutes; 6) reducing the use of ozone depleting substances; and 7) instituting environmen- tally sound landscaping practices. E.O. 13148 also established an interagency workgroup chaired by the U.S. EPA's Federal Facili- ties Enforcement Office (FFEO)to assist federal agencies in its implementation. (See related box on page 2). For more information on E.O. 13148, please contact Will Garvey at EPA's Office of Federal Facil- ity Enforcement (garvey.will@epa.gov) or Ed Pinero atthe Office of the Federal Environmental Exec- utive (0FEE) (edwin_pinero@ceq.eop.gov). The Order itself can be found on OFEE's website at: http://www.ofee.gov/eo/eo.htm PERFORMANCE TRACK EPA's National Environmental Perform- ance Track program is designed to recog- nize and encourage top environmental performers — those who go beyond com- pliance with regulatory requirements to attain levels of environmental perfor- mance and management that benefit peo- ple, communities, and the environment. Currently, the program has over 300 members. As part of their membership in Performance Track, program participants receive a range of incentives to motivate further improvements. The Performance Trackweb site contains extensive informa- tion about the program and how to become a member. It can be visited at: http://www.epa.gov/performancetrack/ FEDFACS 3 ------- Department of Energy Implements E.0.13148 The Department of Energy (DOE) strives to be a leader in imple- menting E.O. 13148. For Earth Day 2003, Secre- tary Spencer Abraham issued a Department- wide message highlight- ing DOE's progress and challenges in implement- ing environmental man- agement systems (EMSs) and meeting its Pollution Prevention Leadership Goals. Seven DOE sites have been registered to the ISO 14001 EMS standard. Three of these sites, and two others, are charter members of EPA's National Environmental Perfor- mance Track Program. All sites have man- agement systems under DOE's Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) policy ENVIRONMENTAL SPOTLIGHT Continued from page 1 to systematically manage not just com- pliance and performance in the environ- mental arena, but also for health and safety, energy, transportation, housing, and more. Because an EMS is to be tai- lored to reflect each organization's unique situation, each facility can determine what particular priorities it wishes to stress. And because it's not static, it makes you keep pushing to continually find even more improve- ments. In sum, it can help you and oth- ers address environmental, safety, health and other issues as efficiently as possible so that everyone can focus on achieving your agency's core mission. To me, the most important benefit of an EMS, though, is not compliance, or cost reduction, or risk avoidance, or effi- ciency. Those are important. Instead, the most important benefit of EMS is the unforeseeable and positive dynamic synergy that will flow from a team of and require- ments. The goal is to have EMSs in place at all these sites within the existing ISMS framework by 2005. DOE has made great progress toward meeting its Pollution Pre- vention Leader- ship goals for 2005, which were established in 1999. Most of the goals, however, have not yet been met. The Secretary charged DOE programs "to use their ingenuity to reinvigorate their efforts towards meeting DOE's 2005 pol- lution prevention goals for reducing the generation of waste and release of pollu- people coming from throughout a facil- ity or agency to work together on a shared vision of improved environmen- tal stewardship. An EMS can bring peo- ple together - and then who knows what good they'll achieve once they're encour- aged to work for the betterment of the facility and the agency. As part of Executive Order 13148's broad goal of seeking integration of environmental considerations into day- to-day management and long-term planning across missions, activities, and functions, federal agencies must develop and implement EMSs by December 31, 2005. Thanks to some visionary (and hard-working) folks, nearly 30 facilities are implementing EMSs already, more than 170 federal facilities are actively developing their EMSs, and hundreds more are getting educated about EMSs. Congratulations! Some of these early successes are high- lighted in this edition. We've made some great progress, but we still have challenges ahead. We need tants into the environment." DOE has incorporated the goals and requirements of the executive order into its existing environmental directives and policies. In February 2001, Secre- tary Abraham signed a Notice assigning responsibilities for implementing E.O. 13148. In January of 2003, this was replaced by a DOE-wide Order laying out requirements and responsibilities for DOE's Environmental Protection Program. The Department is actively developing guidance to support imple- mentation of these requirements. For more information about DOE's implementation of E.O. 13148, contact Larry Stirling on EMSs, at 202-586- 2417 or larry.stirling@eh.doe.gov, or Jane Powers on pollution prevention issues at 202-586-7301 or jane. powers@eh.doe.gov, both in DOE's Office of Environmental Policy and Guidance. training for facility level implementa- tion as well as for senior manager awareness. We need to better integrate EMS with other issues, such as affirma- tive procurement and sustainable build- ings. So, through our office, EPA's EMS team, and the interagency EMS work- group, we're working to provide assis- tance - training, materials, mentoring, workshops, best management practices, modules, and more. We've also been working closely with the President's Continued on page 6 The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (0FEE) promotes sustainable envi- ronmental stewardship throughout the federal government by identifying, advocating and dis- seminating sustainability practices across agencies. OFEE trains agency personnel, and measures and reports on agencies' progress. Visit OFEE website at: www.ofee.gov for more information on how to prevent pollution at your facility and incorporate sustainable practices into its operation. 5 progress^ ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Challenge Raymond Orbach, Director of DOE's Office of Science, and Beverly Cook, DOE Assistant Secretary for Envi- ronment, Safety and Health, discuss the progress and challenge of Green- ing DOE, at the Department's Earth Day display. 4 FEDFACS ------- EPA Sponsored Environmental Management System Workshops One way EPA is helping federal agen- cies comply with Executive Order 13148's requirement to implement envi- ronmental management systems (EMS) is by providing EMS training and net- working opportunities to federal facility staff and management. EPA will next deliver EMS training in San Diego on July 16-17, and in Kansas City on August 5-7, 2003. The training is taught by a team of EMS experts from EPA other federal government agencies, and selected EMS consultants. It was first presented in June 2002 at the U.S. Naval Support Sta- tion, Newport, R.I. and has been pre- sented to both civilian and military staff and management in other regions of the country, including Washington D.C., New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle and Phoenix, often in conjunction with other meetings or agency conferences. The training covers the essential com- ponents of EMS development and imple- mentation, as well as the benefits of EMSs to facility operations, management and strategic planning. The course uses ISO 14001 as a standard, and emphasizes the "nuts and bolts" of EMS planning. Course sessions focus on the basic ele- ments of an EMS, gap analyses, struc- ture, facility "fence line" determinations, team and policy development, manage- ment commitment, training, communica- tion and proper integration into agency or facility missions. Emergency prepared- ness and response, and other corrective actions are also covered. The course also emphasizes the importance of identifying impacts and objectives, setting targets for successful implementation, and using administrative tools to ensure internal accountability. EPA has also delivered training in con- junction with federal agency national con- ferences or meetings, most notably with the Department of Defense and Depart- ment of the Interior. In other situations, EPA has partnered and combined collec- tive resources and expertise with other federal agencies to deliver training designed specifically for facilities in differ- ent regions of the country. For instance, EPA collaborated with the Department of Energy's (DOE) Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), and the Federal Network for Sustainability (FNS), a voluntary, col- laborative network of Continued on page 6 FEDS RECEIVE AWARDS FOR E.0. 13148 EFFORTS Executive Order 13148 states that federal employees who demonstrate outstanding leadership in implementing the Order may be considered for recognition under the White House Closing the Circle Awards program. For 2002, five awards were issued in the Education and Outreach and Environmental Management Systems (EMS) categories recognizing those efforts. Underthe Education and Outreach category, awards were given to the Federal Network for Sustainability (FNS), and the U.S. Army Forces Command Installation Sustainability Program (F0RSC0M-ISP). The FNS accomplished a number of outreach activities including those designed to support implementation of EMSs. The F0RSC0M effort included a range of activities to share lessons learned regarding EMS implementation and compliance with E.0.13148. Underthe Environmental Management Systems category, award winners included Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, for their efforts using an EMS to significantly improve facility operations; the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Md., for ensuring the effectiveness of their EMS for tenant commands and their commitment to continually improve environmental performance; and Greg Allen, the EMS Team Lead at the U.S. EPA, Fort Meade, Md., Environmental Science Center for his efforts to implement EMS at other federal facilities. More information on the Closing the Cir- cle winners can be found on the 0FEE website at www.ofee.gov. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Under Executive Order 13148 all federal agencies were required to conduct agency- level environmental management systems (EMS) self-assessments by October 2001 and implement EMS pilot projects at selected facilities by April 2002. Federal agencies are required to implement EMSs at all appropriate agency facilities by December 2005. Currently, over 200 federal facilities are implementing EMSs. Environmental management systems are relatively recent but accepted manage- ment tools developed to ensure that consid- eration of an organizations environmental priorities and interests are institutionalized into operations and planning processes. Numerous private sector organizations require that their facilities and facilities of those supplying services and parts be for- mally certified as complying with accepted EMS standards (usually ISO 14001). Under Executive Order 12856, EPA, in coordination with other federal agencies, developed the Code of Environmental Management Princi- ples (CEMP) which formed the basis for ini- tial federal efforts in implementing EMSs; standards under ISO 14001 are also recog- nized EMS standards. Since July 2001, an interagency work group has met to discuss and address the concerns of federal agencies developing and implementing EMSs. EPA's Federal Facilities Enforcement Office (FFE0) coordi- nates the group. In conjunction with other agencies, FFE0 and its regional Federal Facility Program Managers have delivered EMS training to hundreds of federal envi- ronmental managers across the country. EPA will continue providing technical assistance and training for agencies designing and implementing new EMSs, or those wishing to improve existing ones. In this newsletter we've reported on some recent EPA-sponsored EMS training and technical assistance, as well as some inno- vative EMS activities at federal facilities. Please consult the calendar at the end of this newsletter for upcoming EMS training opportunities. FEDFACS S ------- TEXAS WORKING WITH FEDERAL FACILITIES ON EMS IMPLEMENTATION Through training and partnerships, the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is helping federal facilities in their state implement environmental manage- ment systems (EMS) designed to yield envi- ronmental benefits and cost savings. This past April, TCEQ, with co-sponsor Texas Environmental Partnership, con- ducted EMS training in Austin, Texas. Rep- resentatives of EPA's Federal Facility Part- nership Corrective Action and RCRA programs attended the training along with Department of Defense Texas installation officers and staff, and others from federal and state government. Because of the effectiveness of this training, it will be given at two other Texas military installations in the future. The training identified how EMSs can be used to generated management commit- ment and organizational change and com- mon EMS traps and how to avoid them. The training also detailed TCEQ's EMS program, the history and future of EMSs at Texas fed- eral facilities, and TCEQ's EMS program as a template for states throughout the country. The Texas EMS program is performance based and emphasizes systems which yield real environmental results and cost savings. For those Texas federal facilities which have performance based EMSs that meet Texas requirements, real incentives will be available, from regulatory incentives to recognition and assistance. For further information on the Texas EMS program, including details on how sites will be audited and types of incentives, visit: www.abouttexasems.org. James Har- ris, EPA Region 6 RCRA Facility Manager can be contacted at harris.jamesa@ epa.gov. EPA SPONSORED EMS WORKSHOPS Continued from page 5 federal agencies in the western states which promotes sustainable environmen- tal stewardship. (See related article in this issue). In some instances, EPA used this training platform as a forum for civilian and military agencies to exchange infor- mation and experiences on EMS design and implementation. Some trainings included interactive panels of federal facilities with "real world" EMS experi- ence. Panelists discussed the steps taken to develop and implement their EMSs, unique challenges they faced to integrate them into their facility's mission, and the benefits they've received as a result of using an EMS. Through collaboration with EPA in course development and training, federal agencies have also maximized the bene- fits of this EMS training for their organi- zations. For instance, in addition to tail- oring training to regional concerns or problems, federal agencies have also used this course as an opportunity to train staff who can later train other facility per- sonnel in EMS principles. In the future, EMS training may need further refinement or restructuring as agencies continue to implement EMSs at their facilities. EPA welcomes input from federal agencies on possible refinements in order to tailor training to fit agency and facility needs. Feedback forms are generally provided at the end of each training. Agencies may also contact EPA Headquarters staff and regional Federal Facility Program Managers directly with their input. [See Contact information in this issue], EPA will next deliver EMS training in San Diego on July 16-17, and in Kansas City on August 5-7, 2003. Please see related articles and the calendar at the end of this newsletter for further details. Announcements for EMS and other train- ing will also be made in EPA's federal facility electronic newsletter FedEnviro- News. To subscribe to FedEnviroNews, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/ compliance/resources/listserv.html JOIN FedEnviroNews! FedEnviroNews is EPA's electronic newslet- ter which delivers environmental news and information of interest to federal facilities. This newsletter is free and is part of EPA's continuing efforts to improve awareness of and provide access to environmental infor- mation. Subscribers may cancel their sub- scription at any time, and new subscribers are welcome. To subscribe (or unsubscribe) to FedEnviroNews, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/ listserv.html Check "federal facilities" and provide requested information. ENVIRONMENTAL SPOTLIGHT Continued from page 4 Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget to promote the use of EMSs. Using met- rics developed in coordination with the interagency EMS workgroup, the annual 13148 report for 2002 will form the basis of a scorecard to be released shortly. The scorecard will raise the level of awareness about EMS and 13148 requirements, and it comple- ments recent discussions of the Presi- dent's Management Council about improving environmental compliance and performance. The Secretaries of the Departments of Energy and Commerce recently issued clear policy directives to their agency senior management direct- ing EMS implementation. And we're working with the Environmental Coun- cil of the States and the Multi-State Working Group to review opportunities for state and local governments to engage federal facilities on EMSs. A lot of great things are going on, and we'll continue to strongly support these efforts. I encourage each of you to learn more about how EMSs can assist your efforts to lead by example, be a good neighbor, and be a good environmental steward. For more information about Environmental Management Systems visit: www.epa.gov/ems or www.ofee.gov/ems/ems.htm 6 FEDFACS ------- FNS Sponsors EMS Training for Facilities and Senior Managers Are you an EMS team member or manager creating an EMS for your federal facility? Are you working on EMS development but don't understand the hoops you need to jump through? Are you a senior manager responsible for doing a top management review of the EMS at your facility but aren't sure what questions to ask? If you answered yes to any of those questions, there are free training opportunities available. Under the auspices of the Federal Network for Sustainability (FNS), EPA Regions 8, 9 and 10 are offering environ- mental management system training for federal agencies in the West. Larry Woods of EPA Region 9 (San Francisco) will present a two-day EMS Develop- ment Workshop on July 16-17, 2003 at the Ridgehaven Auditorium in San Diego, Calif. This workshop will focus on early steps in EMS development. It will include exercises on policy development, identification of aspects and impacts and setting objectives and targets. The train- ing will be the same as a well-received workshop sponsored by Michele Wright of EPARegion 10 (Seattle) on May 28-29, 2003. For more information on the San Diego workshop, go to http://www. epa.gov/region09/cross_pr/fedfac/03 agenda.html. If your facility is located in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North or South Dakota, and your top manage- ment would be interested in a module on EMS Leadership Opportunities for Senior Managers, contact Dianne Thiel at (303) 312-6389 or thiel.dianne@ epa.gov. Dianne or her contractor may be able to travel to your facility or to a cen- trally located management meeting. If your office is willing to help the trainers customize the materials in advance, the module could be specific to your agency. Options for length of the session vary from 1-2 hours. The goal of this session is to help senior managers understand their roles and responsibilities within an EMS. The Federal Network for Sustain- ability is a voluntary, collaborative net- work of federal agencies in the western United States who strive to promote sustainable environmental stewardship and implement the President's Green- ing the Government Executive Orders. Through the FNS EMS initiative, a series of training sessions is being developed and presented for govern- ment agencies. For more information on FNS, go to www.federalsustainability. org. EPA Partners with DOE to Deliver EMS Training EPA Regions 4 (Atlanta) and 6 (Dallas), in partnership with the Department of Energy, Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) sponsored a successful environ- mental management system (EMS) implementation training course the week of February 24, 2003 in New Orleans, La. The course included a half-day executive meeting followed by a two-and-a-half-day workshop. Over 100 federal employees from 25 different departments, agencies and bureaus attended. In course evalua- tions, attendees gave the class a 4.4 on a 5-point scale. The executive meeting informed senior federal leaders about successful EMS approaches in federal agencies. Warren Behlau, from the Tennessee Val- ley Authority (TVA), presented a sum- mary of the TVA's EMS efforts. Since implementing their EMS in 1996, TVA saved over $7 million a year through improvements in environmental train- ing and hazardous materials manage- Panel participants at the joint EPA I DOE (SPR) environmental man- agement systems training in New Orleans, La. ment, and has a better compliance record and fewer reportable environ- mental events. William Gibson of the DOE/SPR summarized SPR's ISO 14001 registered EMS and explained how SPR saved over $350,000 in four years and improved its operational effi- ciencies due to their EMS. Workshop content was similar to that given in other EPA train- ings, and is detailed in related arti- cles in this issue. Additionally, attendees also heard from a panel of officials who have implemented EMS at federal facilities: Panel members included: Marcia Stewart, a support contractor from NASA Stennis Space Center; Bill Bozzo, DOE/SPR; Greg Allen, EPA Region 3 Environmental Science Center; Randall Louvier, U.S. Coast Guard Integrated Support Center, New Orleans. Each panelist discussed steps they took to implement an EMS and described the benefits and challenges faced during implementation. Workshop participants had an opportunity for questions following the panelists' pre- sentations. Materials for the New Orleans course are at: www.dynseg. dyncorp .com/epa/ems/emsworkshop .nsf FEDFACS 7 ------- EPA and VHA Launch Cooperative Environmental Management Review Initiative The U.S. EPA and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) have embarked on a cooperative partnership in which EPA will conduct environmental management reviews (EMRs) at 17 VA medical centers across the nation. This will be the largest number of reviews conducted by EPA at any one federal agency, and is one illus- tration of EPA's goal to offer assistance to federal facilities interested in improving their compliance records, as well as meet- ing the requirements of Executive Order 13148. These EMRs are part of a larger part- nership initiated in the summer of 2002 where VHA and EPA agreed to work together on several initiatives to enhance VHA's environmental compliance pro- grams and address concerns of a similar nature found during inspections at a num- ber of VA medical centers over the last few years. They are intended to help individ- ual facilities improve operations and min- imize impacts on the environment, and assist VHA in designing and implement- ing changes nationally to address common environmental issues found nationwide at the VA medical centers. Reviews will be conducted by a team of EPA and VHA experts who will interview VA medical center staff and managers about facility opera- tions and how these impact the environ- ment. Following each review, EPA will pro- vide VA medical cen- ters a written report with specific recom- mendations for improvements. In turn, VA medical cen- ters will provide EPA a written plan lay- ing out how they intend to make opera- tional changes to improve environmental programs. Reviews will also help the VHA design environmental management sys- tems required by Executive Order 13148. The 17 medical facilities at which EPA will conduct the reviews vary in It is EPA's goal to offer assistance to federal facilities interested in improving their compliance records, as well as meeting the requirements of Executive Order 13148. EPA EVALUATES FACILITY ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Executive Order 13148 directs EPA to provide technical assistance in meeting the requirements of the Order by conducting environmental management reviews (EMRs) at federal facilities. An EMR is a collaborative effort between EPA and a federal facility to evaluate the facility's environmental program and management systems. An EMR is conducted to determine how well the facility has developed and implemented specific environmental management systems to ensure good envi- ronmental performance. EMRs are voluntary and are initiated by an agency or facility. They are not compliance-driven assessments, audits or inspections. An EMR is generally coordinated out of one of EPA's ten regional offices, and maybe conducted at any type of federal facility. Federal facilities which request EMRs determine the scope of the review. There are several areas of inquiry for an EMR, including: 1. Organizational Structure 2. Environmental Commitment 3. Staff resources, training, and development and internal and external communications 4. Program evaluation, reporting and corrective action 5. Environmental planning and risk management formality of environmental programs To learn more about EMRs, and how your facility may schedule one, please contact EPA's Federal Facility Program Manager in your region (listed next page). size, location and operation, and repre- sent the diverse universe of VA facilities. This group ranges from large, multi- campus facilities with primary, tertiary and nursing home care and research operations with a thousand or more beds, to small facili- ties with under one hundred beds and limited medical ser- vices. Facilities are located in all areas of the country. The VA conducted a VA-only kick-off teleconference with over 50 representatives from selected facilities in each of the VA Regional offices. This "kickoff" was modeled after the initiative that the VAhad with OSHA. They found it made for smoother opera- tions to speak with all of the selected facilities at once to explain the concept, goals, timeframe, etc. of the initiative. Following this VA-only call, joint VA-EPA meetings were held to further explain the process and respond to questions. The VA response has been favorable. Some reviews have already begun, including EPA's Region 4 office (Atlanta) EMR at the VA Medical Center in Birm- ingham, Ala. in March 2003. Prior to this review, Region 4 and the VA southeastern region representatives met to discuss VA compliance issues and chose the Birming- ham facility for an EMR. The Birming- ham facility is a 313-bed, tertiary care, university-affiliated facility, with no incinerators, or boilers. EPA is currently preparing a report of this review which will be given to the facility in the next few months. Further reviews are scheduled for the rest of this year, with other reviews to be done in 2004. For further information, visit http://www.epa.gov/compliance/assis- tance/sectors/federal/epavha.html 8 FEDFACS ------- EPA Conducts Environmental Reviews at NASA Michoud Assembly Plant and Fort Polk U.S. EPA Region 6 (Dallas) conducted environmental management reviews (EMRs) at two major federal facilities; the NASA Michoud Assembly Plant in New Orleans, La. and the U.S. Army Joint Reserve Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, La. The EMRs included a review of each facility's environmental program and management system to determine the extent protection programs and plans have been developed and implemented. Prior to each EMR and on-site visit, EPA regional staff worked with each facil- ity and designed the parameters and scope of the review. Both Michoud and Fort Polk reviews included an in-brief by the EPA team, a tour, interviews with appropriate staff from top management to staff level, and an out-brief. NASA has received EPA's report of its Michoud facil- ity review, which took place in November of 2002, and has been very open to imple- menting several EMR recommendations into its existing EMS. Fort Polk is leading the way to trans- forming Army operations to meet emerg- ing security challenges and established its installation-wide EMS in January 2003. EPA conducted its EMR in April 2003. The Installation Environmental Quality Control Committee serves in the top management role at the facility. Fort Polk provided a briefing to EPA and the Forest Service on the Army's transforma- tion and Fort Polk's NEPA Analysis. A draft report of the recently con- ducted Fort Polk EMR is pending, but already Fort Polk has indicated the review was especially helpful with sug- gested implementation measures such as stronger internal inspection programs and sponsorship of a special children's emphasis program. EPA also met with Fort Polk's Geographic Information Sys- tem (GIS) staff and discussed the EPA GIS Screening Tool and its possible use for Fort Polk. Environmental management review at the U.S. Army Joint Reserve Training Center, Fort Polk, La. EPA Region 6 will also be conducting EMRs this year at the Bureau of Prisons, Fort Worth Medical Center, Texas; the Veterans Administration, Dallas/Temple, Texas; and is working with the U.S. Army Depot, Corpus Christi, Texas, and the Department of Energy Southwestern Power Administration, Okla./Ark. on pos- sible future EMRs. FEDERAL FACILITIES PROGRAM MANAGERS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY HEADQUARTERS Greg Snyder, Director Planning, Prevention, & Compliance Staff US EPA Federal Facilities Enforcement Office 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460 snyder.greg@epa.gov Phone: 202-564-4271 Fax: 202-501-0069 REGION 1 Anne Fenn CT, ME, MA, NH, HI, VT US EPA Region 1 Office of Environmental Stewardship 1 Congress Street Suite 1100, Mail: SPP Boston, MA 02114-2023 fenn.anne@epa.gov Phone: 617-918-1805 Fax: 617-918-1810 REGION 2 Kathleen Malone NJ, NY, PR, VI US EPA Region 2 Compliance Assistance Section 290 Broadway, 21st Fl. New York, NY 10007-1866 malone.kathleen @epa.gov Phone: Phone: 212-637-4083 Fax: 212-637-4086 REGION 3 Bill Arguto Denise Rigney DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV US EPA Region 3 Office of Environmental Programs 1650 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 arguto.william@epa.gov rigney.denise@epa.gov Phone:215-814-3367 (BA) Phone: 215-814-2726 (DR) Fax: 215-814-2783 REGION 4 Mark Robertson AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN US EPA Region 4 Environmental Accountability Division, Federal Facilities 61 Forsyth St., SW Atlanta, GA 30303-8960 robertson.mark@epa.gov Phone: 404-562-9639 Fax: 404-562-9598 REGION 5 Lee J. Regner IL, IN, Ml, MN, OH, Wl US EPA Region 5 Office of Enforcement & Compliance Assurance 77 West Jackson Blvd Chicago, IL 60604-3507 regner.lee@epa.gov Phone: 312-353-6478 Fax: 312-353-5374 REGION 6 Gabe Gruta Joyce F. Stubblefield AH, LA, NM, OK, TX US EPA Region 6 Compliance Assurance & Enforcement Division 1445 Ross Avenue Dallas, TX 75202 gruta.gabriel@epa.gov stubblefield.joyce@epa.gov Phone: 214-665-2174 (GG) Phone:214-665-6430 (JS) Fax: 214-665-7446 REGION 7 Diana Jackson IA, KS, MO, NE US EPA Region 7 Enforcement Coordination Office 901 North 5th Street Kansas City, KS 66101 jackson.diana@epa.gov Phone:913-551-7744 Fax: 913-551-9744 REGION 8 Dianne Thiel CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY US EPA Region 8 999 18th Street Denver, CO 80202-2466 thiel.dianne@epa.gov: Phone: 303-312-6389 Fax: 303-312-6044 REGION 9 Larry Woods Tom Kelly AZ, CA, HI, NV, Pacific Islands US EPA Region 9 Cross-Media Division 75 Hawthorne St, CMD-2 San Francisco, CA 94105 woods.larry@epa.gov: kelly.thomasp@epa.gov Phone: 415-972-3857 (LW) Phone: 415-972-3856 (TK) Fax: 415-972-3562 REGION 10 Michele Wright AK, ID, OH, ZVA US EPA Region 10 Office of Enforcement & Compliance (0EC-164) 1200 6th Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 wright.michele @epa.gov Phone: 206-553-1747 Fax: 206-553-7176 FEDFACS 9 ------- Enforcement News "Economic Benefit" and "Size of Business" Issues Decided in Fort Wainwright Case On June 5, the EPA Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) upheld the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) decision in the Fort Wainwright case and decided that, as a matter of law, the "economic benefit of noncompliance" and "size of business" penalty factors of the Clean Air Act (CAA) are appropriate to consider in an enforcement action against a federal facility. The EAB remanded the matter to the ALJ for a penalty-phase evidentiary hearing. The issue stems out of EPA Region 10's (Seattle) case against the U.S. Army Alaska Garrison - Fort Wainwright Alaska, in which EPA is seeking a substantial penalty for alleged CAA violations. The penalty total is based on over 10 years of almost continuous noncompliance at the facility. The Chief ALJ issued her opinion on the issue in April 2002 and held that CAA Section 113(e) penalty assessment criteria of "economic benefit of noncompliance" and "size of business" applied to the Army and may be taken into account in deter- mining the penalty for the Army's violations. In June 2002, the Army sought and was granted interlocutory review of the Chief ALJ's decision to EAB. Oral argument before the EAB took place in November 2002. A copy of the current decision can be found at: http://www. epa.gov/eab/new.htm EPA Fines U.S. Postal Service for UST Violations The EPA, working jointly with Hawaii Department of Health staff, fined the U.S. Postal Service in Hawaii $1,500 for vio- lating federal underground storage tank (UST) regulations. The Waikiki and the Honolulu Main Post Office were cited for failing to monitor their tanks at least every 30 days for petro- leum releases and for neglecting the required annual mainte- nance on their leak detection systems. The EPA also cited two other facilities in Hawaii for less sig- nificant violations of the federal UST regulations as part of a larger effort to protect groundwater sources and local habitat in the state. "The federal field citation program helps bring underground storage tanks into compliance as quickly as possible without putting the gasoline stations out of business," said Norwood Scott, an underground storage tank inspector for the EPA Region 9 (San Francisco). "Leak prevention is critical for underground fuel storage tanks because a pin-sized hole can release 400 gallons of fuel in a year's time, enough to foul mil- lions of gallons of fresh water. Plus, given the reliance on groundwater in Hawaii, it is vital to protect underground water resources." The EPA frequently conducts unannounced tank inspec- tions. Owners and operators who receive a citation are required to correct the violations, submit requested documen- tation, and pay the settlement amount within 30 days. If they do not pay the settlement amount and comply within this time, they are subject to formal enforcement action that carries penalties of up to $11,000 per violation per tank per day in addition to the added cleanup costs for leaking tanks. More information on EPA's underground storage tank pro- gram can be obtained at: www.epa.gov/OUST/ EPA Region 8 Files Complaint Against BIA Alleging Violations of UST Requirements On April 1, 2003, EPA Region 8 (Denver) filed an Adminis- trative Complaint against the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) - Standing Rock Agency, Fort Yates Law Enforcement facility, Fort Yates, North Dakota. The BIA's Fort Yates Law Enforcement facility is within the exterior boundaries of the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. The Complaint alleges violations of the RCRA Subtitle I - Underground Stor- age Tank (UST) requirements, and proposes a civil penalty of $33,371. The alleged violations include failure to maintain leak detection monitoring records, failure to operate leak detection equipment in accordance with manufacturer's instructions, failure to report a suspected release of regulated product (gasoline), and failure to investigate a suspected release of regulated product (gasoline). Leaking USTs pose a serious threat to human health and the environment, including groundwater contamination. Once gasoline or chemicals get into groundwater, it is extremely expensive, sometimes impossible, to clean up the contamina- tion. It makes more sense to keep contamination out of the water supplies in the first place, and that begins with leak detection. Accordingly, it is extremely important that the UST regula- tions be followed and when they are not, that enforcement be initiated to compel compliance and ensure adequate health and environmental protections. Amy Swanson - EPA Region 8 (303) 312-6906, Andrew Cherry - FFEO (202) 564-2589. 10 FEDFACS ------- In the Spotlight FEDERAL EMPLOYEES HONORED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP On June 10, 2003, federal employees from across the United States gathered in Wash- ington, D.C., to accept White House "Closing the Circle" Awards for their outstanding environmental stewardship work. Twenty- six teams from 15 states and the District of Columbia were honored for outstanding mil- itary and civilian facility efforts in such cat- egories as environmental management sys- tems, education and outreach, purchase of environmentally preferable and biobased products, sustainable design for buildings, waste and pollution prevention, and recy- cling. For more information on the awards, please visit: http://www.ofee.gov/whats/ Federal_Employees_Honored.html Department of the Interior Environmental Management Awards The Department of Interior (DOI) recog- nized four of its employees for outstand- ing achievements made in environment management in 2002. The employees came from several DOI offices and employed a variety of innovative approaches for environmental manage- ment and sustainability. Kent Bullard, of Channel Islands National Park, was recognized for his commitment to learning and sharing knowledge of sustainable practices. Pro- jects he has championed have included conversion of fleet vehicles to natural gas and biolubricants, introduction of biodiesel to the boat fleet operation, and development of highly efficient waste management practices required for an island park setting. Mr. Bullard has also provided vital web development service for the NPS Environmental Leadership and Green Energy Programs, by creating and maintaining the Renew website (www.nps.gov/renew) where NPS and other facility managers can learn about the efforts of others who are working toward these same goals. Don Durbin, of Dinosaur National Park took the lead in recycling activities, hazardous waste reduction, "green pro- curement," and in promoting environ- mental awareness within the park, local community, and the Intermountain Region. Mr. Durbin developed and show- cased alternative energy sources to staff and visitors by installing a solar-powered system and interpretative display, con- verting numerous park facilities from propane and AC power over to 12V solar systems, and using solar lighting, refrig- eration, and swamp coolers at several locations. Gary Melvin of the Alaska Penin- sula/Bercharof National Wildlife Refuge was recognized for helping establish a community-recycling program for the remote area of King Salmon, Alaska by arranging for these materials to be trans- ported off the Refuge at no cost by outfit- ters on return trips. Solar panels now power electronic and radio equipment at remote field camps. Melvin was also responsible for replacing gravity-feed diesel drip heaters with propane systems, and using environmentally-preferable deicer on roads. At Melvin's suggestion, the environmental management system at the Refuge now includes procedures for grey water management, fuel efficient operations of vehicles in a cold climate, hot-draining oil cans to ensure clean dis- posal, and other environmental perfor- mance objectives. Jim Behrmann, of DOI Region 6 Health and Aviation Division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), demon- strated innovative leadership in promot- ing environmental stewardship in DOI Region 6 Refuges and Fish Hatcheries. Mr. Behrmann emphasized the relation- ship between sustainable practices and FWS mission and objectives by encourag- ing the use of recycled products such as re-refined lubricating oil,environmentally preferable copy paper. EPA Region 9 Recognizes DOE Stanford Linear Accelerator Center For Reducing Solvent Emissions EPA Region 9 (San Francisco) recog- nized the Department of Energy's Stan- ford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) in Menlo Park, California as a "Cham- pion of Green Government" for efforts to reduce their use of ozone depleting sol- vents and prevent thousands of pounds of emissions. Replacing the ozone depleting sol- vents was a complex task for scientists and staff at SLAC because when parts and equipment being cleaned must be returned to a particle accelerator, conta- mination can interfere with subatomic particle experiments. The Alternative Solvents Team (Ali Farvid, Balbir Gosal, Robert Kirby Harold Morales, Mary Regan, Michael Hug, Butch Byers, and Richard Cellamare) began by using x- ray photoelectron spectroscopy to com- pare the cleaning performance of exist- ing and new cleaning methods. Once this method was in place to determine how "clean is clean", the team proceeded to: (1) replace two vapor degreasers with a low- water aqueous cleaning system; (2) implement alternative organic-based solvent in the cleaning of vacuum equip- ment; and (3) purchase and install a near zero emission vapor degreaser. The result is a dramatic reduction in solvent emissions from the facility's Plat- ing Shop. From 1988 to 1998 average sol- vent emissions for the Plating Shop aver- aged 5,400 pounds per year. In 2001 solvent emissions were less than one pound. Last year EPA Region 9 recog- nized the Alternative Solvents Team as Champions of Green Government for their efforts, and Continued on page 14 FEDFACS 11 ------- In the News EPA Regional CWA/SPCC Compliance Assurance Initiative for Federal Facilities The recent extension of compliance dead- lines for Clean Water Act (CWA) Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermea- sure (SPCC) regulations enable EPA Region 4 (Atlanta) to conduct a novel two year comprehensive compliance assur- ance initiative for federal facilities. The initiative will use an integrated strategy consisting of compliance assistance fol- lowed by inspections and enforcement to ensure federal facility compliance with these regulations. The initiative will begin by identifying a pool of federal facilities believed to be at risk for noncompliance. Region 4 will then implement this initiative in three phases: 1) Provide compliance assistance through educational outreach to selected federal facilities on common compliance issues; 2) Encourage selected federal facilities to use EPA's Audit Policy to self-disclose violations; and 3) Conduct cluster compliance evaluation inspections at selected federal facili- ties. In 1974, EPA established this rule under authority of the CWA to ensure regulated facilities prevented discharge of oil into or upon navigable waters of the United States or adjoining shorelines. Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990 that set additional require- ments, including preparation of a Facility Response Plan (FRP), for certain facilities storing large quantities of oil. On July 17, 2002 (167 Fed.Reg. 47,042; codified at 40 C.F.R, §112), EPA published final amendments to the SPCC rule pursuant to Section 311(j) of the CWA. The rule was effective August 16, 2002. In this rule, EPA granted regulated facilities six months to amend their SPCC plans, and 12 months to implement them. In response to facility requests for more time to update or prepare plans in accor- dance with the amendments, EPA extended the compliance deadline to 18 months. Among the reasons for this extension was a shortage of professional engineers to certify that plans meet requirements, and EPA's desire to collec- tively address individual facility compli- ance deadline extension requests. EPA recently issued another and final rule on April 17, 2003 that extended the compli- ance deadlines to August 17, 2004 for revised plans and February 18, 2005 for implementation of the revised plans. Even though there have been laws and regulations since the 1970s ensuring pre- vention of oil pollution, the regulated fed- eral facility community compliance rate is of concern. In 1995, EPA conducted a survey of more than 2,600 oil storage facilities in 23 different industries to ana- lyze the effectiveness of EPA's SPCC pro- gram. Specifically, this study investigated whether a facility's overall compliance with the SPCC program, as well as spe- cific individual regulatory provisions, impacted certain measures of oil spill risk. The analysis indicated that a large proportion of facilities which met the SPCC capacity threshold applicability requirements may not actually be in full compliance with SPCC regulatory requirements. In addition, for several years Region 4 has delivered outreach assistance and conducted multi-media compliance evaluation inspections at fed- eral facilities and discovered many were in noncompliance. Other regional studies support this analysis and indicate 90 per- cent of the 1200 federal facilities in the region are likely out of compliance. Region 4 is addressing this problem by implementing a three-phase comprehen- sive compliance assurance initiative on federal facilities. Before the actual initia- tive begins, Region 4 will identify a pool of federal facilities believed to be at risk for noncompliance. Region 4 will likely select this pool from federal facilities with deficient FRPs and SPCC plans, those which reported oil spills, or have compli- ance problems in other programs such as CWA, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) subtitles I and J. Region 4 will then compare its data with non-EPA data bases and further identify federal facili- ties which may be required to have OPA/SPCC plans. The first phase of the initiative will occur during the amendment and imple- mentation period of the OPA/SPCC regu- lations. Region 4 will prepare and distrib- ute to selected federal facilities materials describing SPCC and OPA laws and reg- ulations, instruct federal facilities on how to comply and where to get further assis- tance. Region 4 will then conduct compli- ance assistance visits at selected federal facilities to evaluate SPCC Plans and FRPs. If deficiencies are found, EPA will make recommendations to facility man- agement on how best to modify and implement plans. In the latter part of the first phase, Region 4 will organize a SPCC and OPA compliance assistance seminar for the selected federal facilities. In the second phase, Region 4 will send out letters to the selected federal facilities encouraging them to use the EPA Audit Policy to disclose facility viola- tions, especially those violations related to SPCC/OPA requirements. After approximately six months of encouraging the use of the EPA Audit Policy, EPA will begin the third phase by targeting com- pliance evaluation inspections at those selected federal facilities that have not disclosed violations under the EPA Audit Policy and appear to be at the highest risk for noncompliance. Region 4 believes this initiative will improve OPA/SPCC federal facility com- pliance rates in its region, and possibly serve as a national Continued on page 13 12 FEDFACS ------- IN THE NEWS/CWA/SPCC Continued from page 12 In Brief Regulatory Notes: Executive Order 13212, Actions to Expedite Energy-Related Projects, has been amended and reissued as Executive Order 13302. The amended Order was published in the Fed- eral Register on May 15, 2003. (68 Fed. Reg.27429). You may also view the amended Order at: http://www.ofee.gov/eo/13302.pdf Executive Order 12580, Superfund Imple- mentation, was amended June 20,2003. The amendments address Brownfields and can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/ news/releases/2003/06/20030620.html OFEE Announces Federal Electronics Chal- lenge - The Office of the Federal Environ- mental Executive has announced the Federal Electronics Challenge, a new initiative designed to help the federal government continue to improve the environmental stew- ardship of its electronic assets. For more information, please visit: http://www. fed- eralelectronicschallenge.net/ Around the Country U.S. EPA Region 6 Compliance Assistance Activities (Federal Facility Program Manager: Joyce Stubblefield 214-665-6430') EPA Region 6 (Dallas) was invited to partici- pate at the U.S. Postal Service Southwest Area Environmental Compliance staff meet- ing held in November 2002. Several environ- mental topics were covered by EPA Staff, Kara McCoy-Belle (EMRs), Brent Larson ("No Exposure," Storm Water), John Cernero (On-site fueling and UST), and Gabe Gruta (RCRA 6002 Inspections). EPA invited to U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons (BOP) South Central Regional Office to discuss water related issues and Environmental Management Reviews. In addition, EPA has had the oppor- tunity to hold conference calls and discus- sions with several BOP sites throughout Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. EPA developed an environmental manage- ment review fact sheet for the Federal Execu- tive Board to use attheir meetings about envi- ronmental management system workshops. The executive meeting was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in February2003. EPA(Kara McCoy-Belle) consulted with the Dallas FEB office on the fact sheet. Ms. Marvel Robertson from the New Orleans Federal Executive Board opened the executive meeting. EPA Regions 4 and 6 Federal Facilities Pro- grams and the Region 6 Pollution Prevention (P2) Roundtable collaborated on its annual meeting in New Orleans, LA on February 25- 28,2003. Region and state P2 program activi- ties and strategies were discussed, including opportunities for further collaboration. A highlight of the meeting was a presentation from representatives of the Department of Energy Strategic Petroleum Reserve, who described the pollution reductions achieved with their P2 based EMS. This collaborative opportunity provided excellent new insights, perspectives, contacts and new partnerships for the Pollution Prevention Roundtable, states and federal facilities. Region 6: Joy Campbell, P2; Gabriel Gruta, FF; Region 4: Tony Shelton, FF. model for other cooperative efforts to improve federal facility compliance. EPA anticipates that the initiative will bolster the collaborative relationship between the federal facility community and EPA, thus improving their compliance rates for other environmental statutory require- ments. EPA Region 4 Reorganizing Program with Help of States and Federal Facilities The Federal Facilities Branch (FFB) of the Waste Management Division, EPA Region 4 (Atlanta) is reorganizing and refocusing its program through a unique effort which includes internal and exter- nal surveys with staff, states and other federal agencies. The effort is intended to fully analyze and understand program needs, while allowing staff and clients a role in designing a program which meets those goals. The FFB oversees cleanup of federal facilities in its eight states. In the mid- 1990s, FFB began to partner with both states and federal agencies to clean up federal facilities in its region. Partnering teams share technical and procedural information and decisions, and train par- ticipants in group dynamics and interper- sonal and intra-organizational tier com- munication. Because of these partnering efforts, cleanup operations have become more efficient and require fewer staff. In response to a recent internal reor- ganization and decreased Superfund resources, FFB management decided a revitalization would be useful. With the help of a consultant, surveys were con- ducted on an internet interface in order to ensure confidentiality. In addition to EPA federal agencies and states were also invited to participate. External response to the survey was 66 percent, and included all regional states, all Depart- ment of Defense services, and the Depart- ment of Energy. After survey results were compiled and analyzed, facilitated meet- ings with FFB management and staff were held to discuss and evaluate infor- mation, and to develop an action plan for prioritization of changes and implemen- tation. The reorganization effort is ongoing. Implementation teams have instituted short-term solutions for some issues, and are conducting additional analysis for others. The FFB management is opti- mistic this effort will lead to many posi- tive changes, with happier and more pro- ductive Branch employees and more sat- isfied external customers. This effort will continue as initial issues are resolved and survey results point to further improve- ments. For further information on this effort, please contact Annie Godfrey at: godfrey.annie@epa.gov. FEDFACS 13 ------- New Federal Facilities Stewardship & Compliance Center FEDERAL AGENCY HAZARDOUS WASTE COMPLIANCE DOCKET UPDATE The seventeenth update to the Federal Agency Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket will be published in July 2003. The Docket identifies federal facilities which have hazardous waste or have the potential to release hazardous waste into the environ- ment. Section 120(c) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA), requires EPA to establish the Docket. It was first published February 12, 1988, and is updated periodically. The Docket can be viewed at: www.epa.gov/compliance/ c I ea n u p/f e d e ra l/in d ex. htm I Additional infor- mation can be obtained from Augusta Wills: wills.augusta@epa.gov IN THE SPOTLIGHT/SLAC Continued from page 11 further the goals of Executive Order 13148 to eliminate ozone-depleting sub- stances. NASA Using Landfill Gas For Energy EPA recognized the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the first federal agency to directly use landfill gas to produce energy at one of its facili- ties, the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. NASA's decision to use landfill gas, a renewable energy source, will save taxpayers millions of dollars over the next 10 years, and also prevent as much pollution annually as planting 47,000 acres of trees, or removing 35,000 cars from Maryland's roads. EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program is a voluntary assistance and partnership program that promotes the use of landfill gas as a renew- able energy source. For more information on EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Pro- gram, visit: http://www. epa.gov/lmop EPA's Federal Facilities Enforcement Office (FFEO) has launched an initia- tive to create a new and enhanced stew- ardship and compliance assistance center for federal facilities. With this initiative, FFEO intends to enhance and supple- ment the existing virtual compliance assistance center for federal facilities, FedSite (www.epa.gov/fedsite). The new web-based Center will be independent, supported and directed by federal agen- cies, and will integrate both good prac- tices and compliance assistance resources of the federal government in one site. Among the services likely to be offered federal facilities by the new Center will be compliance assistance tools, pollution pre- vention information, environmental man- agement system information, as well as interactive training and certification opportunities. In addition, the Center will provide the latest regulatory/executive EPA/FORT MEADE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES IS014001 CERTIFICATION Continued from page 3 14000 technical and environmental con- ferences, and is considered by many to be a model for federal EMS efforts. In particular, ESC has been recog- nized by the federal community for its robust documentation of EMS elements such as the activities and impacts regis- ter and environmental management pro- gram form. These documents have been used as exhibits in EMS training to pro- vide examples of how the EMS elements are addressed during implementation and the outcome of initial EMS efforts under "real world" circumstances. The Ft. Meade Science Center experi- ence is particularly important due to the facility's status as a small (165 people), civilian facility. This type of facility rep- resents a significant portion of the fed- eral community affected by the E.O. 13148 requirement to implement an order information, green product/vendor information and listserver subscription services. The new Center is envisioned as an essential tool in assisting federal agen- cies timely meet the EMS requirements of Executive Order 13148. FFEO staff have begun meeting with agencies to discuss plans for the new Cen- ter. FFEO is soliciting suggestions con- cerning Center governance, structure and services agencies identify as necessary to further environmental stewardship and compliance. FFEO will soon publish a request for initial proposals (RFIP) in the Federal Register requesting suggestions about the Center. The new Federal Facil- ities Stewardship and Compliance Center is expected to be operational by April next year. For more information or to offer comments or suggestions about the new Center, please contact Mike Shields at 202-564-9035 or shields.mike@epa.gov. EMS. The Center has provided presenta- tions during training exercises for broad federal audiences and has partnered with EPA's Office of Acquisition and Resource Management to produce a series of multi-media training modules that lead organizations through the implementation process. Greg Allen, of EPA Region 3, also received a White House Closing the Cir- cle award for the associated EMS train- ing modules. The training modules are rich with examples, templates, and detailed information from the Center and are helping the 37 EPA facilities and several other federal agencies currently implementing EMSs. Several other fed- eral agencies have expressed interest in using the training modules as part their implementation strategy. Agencies inter- ested in learning more about the Cen- ter's EMS, or obtaining training modules may contact Greg Allen at allen.greg@epa.gov or Jerry Oakley at oakley.jerry@epa.gov. 14 FEDFACS ------- UpcomingEvents FNS Sponsors EMS Training for Facilities and Senior Managers July 16-17,2003, San Diego Under the auspices of the Federal Network for Sustain- ability (FNS), EPA Regions 8 (Denver), 9 (San Francisco) and 10 (Seattle) are offering environmental manage- ment system training for federal agencies in the west- ern states, July 16-17, 2003 in San Diego, CA. This workshop will focus on early steps in EMS develop- ment, and include exercises on policy development, identification of aspects and impacts and setting objec- tives and targets. For more information on the San Diego workshop, please visit: http://www.epa. gov/region09/cross_pr/fedfac/03agenda.html Super Energy Savings Performance Contracting Workshop July 22-23, Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Man- agement Program is presenting a free workshop for federal employees involved in energy management, engineering, and procurement. Attendees will learn how to lower capital costs while reducing long-term energy and water bills. For further information or to register, call (703) 243-8343. Federal Facility Workshop on EMS August 5-7,2003, Kansas City, Kansas. U.S. EPA Regions 5 (Chicago) and 7 (Kansas City) will host a free EMS training, "Designing Your EMS: A Fed- eral Facilities Workshop" on August 5-7, 2003, in Kansas City, Kansas. This workshop is designed for fed- eral facility EMS coordinators and team members, and others at federal facilities who control operational activities and/or report on their facility's environmental performance. The training will cover what an EMS is, EMS requirements under Executive Order 13148, and designing and implementing an EMS for facility opera- tions. For more information or to register, please visit: www.epa.gov/region7/ EMS_W0RKSH0P 2003 RCRA National Meeting August 12 -15, Washington, DC. "RCRA: Putting Resource Conservation into RCRA." This year along with EPA, the meeting is being cosponsored by the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA), Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWM0). This year's meeting focuses on the Resource Conservation Challenge, which is a major national effort to find ways to conserve nat- ural resources through waste reduction and energy recovery programs. For more information please visit: www.epa.gov/ osw/meeting NDIA8th Annual Joint Services Pollution Prevention & Hazardous Waste Management Conference and Expo San Antonio, TX, August 11-14. The Conference theme is "Sustaining Readiness Through Environmental Stewardship". This confer- ence brings together professionals from military services, industry, academia, and local, state and federal agencies to share ideas and success stories relating to pollution prevention and hazardous waste management. Visit the conference website at: www.p2-hwmconference.com Federal Facilities Manager's Symposium August 20 - 22,2003, Portland, Oregon. The Federal Facilities Manager's Symposium, enti- tled "Learning from the Past, Building for the Future," is designed to promote better understand- ing and foster better communication on critical fed- eral facilties issues that are important to the states. The Symposium is sponsored by ASTSWMO and is being organized by the ASTSWMO Federal Facili- ties Training and Technology Transfer (T3) Focus Group. For more information please contact Dania Rodriguez at ASTSWMO daniar@sso.org, 202-624- 5973. EPA/State/DoD Region 3 Federal Facilities Conference Sept. 9- 11,2003, Williamsburg, I/A EPA Region 3 (Philadelphia) will host its annual col- loquium in Williamsburg, VA on Sept. 9 - 11, 2003. This colloquium, themed "Interdisciplinary Environ- mental Management - Integrating Resources for Environmental Excellence" is co-hosted with Region 3 states, Department of Defense and the General Services Administration. Session and training topics include EMSs, Chesapeake Bay & Natural Resources, remediation, pollution prevention and innovation, range management and encroachment, hazardous waste management, NEPA and coastal zone man- agement, and more. Registration and other prelimi- nary information can be found at: http://www. epa.gov/reg3esd1/fedfac/index.html or by contacting Bill Arguto at arguto.william@epa.gov or Denise Rigney at rigney.denise@epa.gov "Partners to Promote Stewardship" U.S. EPA Region 8 (Denver), the National Park Service - Inter-mountain Region, Peaks to Prairies Sept 29 - Oct. 2, 2003, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming The Pollution Prevention Information Center and regional states are sponsoring "Sharing Common Ground: Partners to Promote Stewardship" Sept. 29 - Oct. 2, 2003 in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. This conference is for federal, state and local land managers, regulatory agencies, and non-profit and private sector organizations involved in public land use, which are looking for ways to work cooperatively to sustain the wealth of environmental resources on public lands and the surrounding communities. For more information please visit: http://www.meslIc. net/conference 2003 International U.S. Green Building Conference and Expo, USACE Various Environmental Training November 12-14,2003, Pittsburgh, PA The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Profes- sional Development Support Center has released the fiscal year 2003 course schedule, at http://pdsc. usace.army.mil/courseschedule.asp. Information on various environmental courses may be found on the site either by searching with a keyword or by using the course number (CN). Environmental courses include Clean Air Act Workshop (CN 443), CERCLA/RCRA Remediation Processes, (CN 356) Environmental Regulatory Practical Application (CN 398), and many others. FEDFACS IS ------- LIST OF ACRONYMS ALJ Administrative Law Judge BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs BOP Bureau of Prisons CAA Clean Air Act CEMP Code of Environmental Management Principles CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act CWA Clean Water Act DoD Department of Defense DOE Department of Energy DOI Department of the Interior EAB Environmental Appeals Board EMR Environmental Management Review EMS Environmental Management System EO Executive Order EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESC Fort Meade Environmental Science Center ESE Environmental Service Center FFB Federal Facilities Branch FFEO Federal Facilities Enforcement Office FNS Federal Network for Sustainability FRP Facility Response Plan FWS Fish and Wldlife Service GIS Geographic Information System ISMS Integrated Safety Management System ISO International Organization for Standardization NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NPS National Park Service OFEE Office of the Federal Environmental Executive OPA Oil Pollution Act OPPTS Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Act P2 Pollution Prevention RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act SARA Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act SLAC Stanford Linear Accelerator Center SPCC Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure SPR Strategic Petroleum Reserve TCEQ Texas Commission on Environmental Quality TVA Tennessee Valley Authority USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers UST Underground Storage Tank VHA Veterans Health Administration VISN Veterans Integrated Service Network United States Environmental Protection Agency (2261) Washington, DC 20460 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 Forwarding & Return Postage Guaranteed Address Correction Requested FIRST CLASS POSTAGE & FEES PAID EPA PERMIT NO. 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