Summer 2004
ISSUE #17
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
an environmental bulletin for federal facilities
Working Toward Environmental
Compliance and Sustainability in
the Federal Government
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's Federal Facilities Enforce-
ment Office (FFEO) is responsible for
ensuring that federal facilities comply
with environmental laws and take actions
to prevent, control and abate environmen-
tal pollution. Over the years, the ways in
which FFEO performs this task have
evolved from reliance on traditional EPA
tools, such as enforcement and compliance
monitoring, to include newer, more innov-
ative approaches to more completely
address the complexities of environmental
problems facing government agencies.
This issue profiles FFEO and its pro-
gram. We will look briefly at the U.S. gov-
ernment sector and its compliance record
with environmental laws. In this and
related articles, we will look at EPA's fed-
eral facility program and its efforts to
develop and integrate a range of tools and
strategies to ensure facility compliance
with environmental laws, and foster
greater environmental stewardship
within government agencies.
Inside
3 US and Israel Joint Management Systems
Project
5 President's Management Council
Compliance Initiative
8 Update on E.O. 13148 Implementation
9 EMS Mentoring Program and other EMS
News
13 P2 and Environmental Stewardship News
19 EPA's "Buying Green Online"
20 EPA's Self-Disclosure Policy
21 EPA's Inspection Initiative, and other
Enforcement and Compliance Montitoring
News
24 "Closing the Circle" and other awards
25 Upcoming Events
26 EPA's Federal Facility Program Managers
Environmental Compliance
Challenge
The U.S. government owns over 674 mil-
lion acres of land - nearly one third of the
United States, and owns or leases over
480,000 buildings.1 Federal facilities are
buildings, installations, structures, land,
public works, equipment, aircraft, ves-
sels, and other vehicles and property
owned by or constructed or manufactured
for the federal government. The govern-
ment's approximately 30 agencies,
bureaus and departments control over
32,000 facilities, over 7,800 of which are
engaged in a broad range of activities reg-
ulated under U.S. environmental laws.2
Collectively, the U.S. government is the
nation's largest consumer of natural
resources and power, and generates sig-
nificant amounts of pollution and harm-
ful wastes. Federal agencies, like private
parties, are required to comply with all
federal environmental requirements,
including those of states, localities and
tribes. U.S. government agencies must
also comply with additional requirements
set out in Presidential Executive Orders.
Since 1993, FFEO has monitored fed-
eral agency progress in meeting statutory
and regulatory requirements. In its most
recent report on compliance, which covers
fiscal years 2001 and 2002, FFEO reports
compliance rates for Continued on page 5
Environmental
Spotlight
NEW ENFORCEMENT CHIEF
ENCOURAGES GOOD STEWARDSHIP
BY FEDERAL FACILITIES
By Tom Skinner
Acting Assistant Administrator,
EPA's Office of Enforcement and,
Compliance Assurance
I am pleased to have
this opportunity to
introduce myself, and
also share with you
some thoughts about
the future direction of
OECA's federal facility
program.
As EPA's chief enforcement and com-
pliance assurance officer, I want to
improve the federal government's envi-
ronmental performance through facility
compliance with environmental require-
ments, pollution prevention, and environ-
mental stewardship.
This is especially important for the
U.S. government. Government facilities
must not only comply with regulatory
requirements, but I believe they can also
be role models and mentors for innova-
tion, sustainability and environmental
stewardship.
The strategies for achieving these
goals, first outlined by my predecessor J.P.
Suarez as "Smart Enforcement," embrace
a "common sense" approach, and are the
foundation for the program managed by
OECA's Federal Continued on page 2
ABOUT THIS ISSUE...
In this issue, we spotlight the U.S. EPA's federal facility enforcement and compliance assurance
program, and its changing approach to achieving environmental compliance and stewardship in
the federal government. Traditional core program functions, like enforcement and compliance
monitoring are discussed, and also new strategies and tools designed to address the complex
and changing nature of environmental protection throughout the government.
Printed on Recycled Paper
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ENVIRONMENTAL SPOTLIGHT
Continued from page 1
Facilities Enforcement Office. Put simply,
our federal facility program will use the
most appropriate enforcement and com-
pliance tools to address the most signifi-
cant problems to achieve the best out-
comes.
For our federal facility program, this
means several things. First and foremost,
we will continue to be a strong enforce-
ment presence in the field. We are also
exploring and embracing new environ-
mental compliance tools uniquely suited
for the federal community, and encourag-
ing innovators and leaders in environ-
mental management and stewardship.
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
is published by EPA's Federal
Facilities Enforcement Office.
EPA #300-N-04-004
Marie Muller, FFEO, Editor
Robin Foster,
Legin Group, Layout
Federal Facilities Enforcement Office
Office of Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance
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
Often, a combination of tools, or an "inte-
grated strategy" is the best approach.
We also recognize that partnerships
and collaborative efforts - at both the
national and regional level - are critical
to furthering environmental compliance,
innovation, and information exchange.
We have had success in realizing greater
environmental benefits through
increased cooperation
between agencies.
For example, EPA
and the Office of the
Federal Environmen-
tal Executive have
joined together to help
other federal agencies
meet Executive Order
We are embracing
new environmental
compliance tools
suited for the federal
community, and
encouraging
ronmental Stewardship and Compliance
Assistance Center, slated for launch this
year. EPA hopes that federal agencies
working together and combining their
collective knowledge, experience and
resources, will result in more environ-
mental compliance and innovation
throughout the government.
As the former Regional Administrator
for EPA Region 5 and manager
of the Great Lakes Program, I
understand the value and neces-
sity of programs and initiatives
tailored to address regional or
local issues. EPA has a wide
range of innovative regional fed-
eral facility programs and part-
nerships, and I look forward to
13148's mandate for innovators and leaders new opportunities in the future.
in environmental
management and
stewardship.
appropriate federal
facilities to implement
environmental man-
agement systems, and
make the federal gov-
ernment a leader in environmental man-
agement. The Office of the Federal Envi-
ronmental Executive and I share a
common vision that facilities can mitigate
and sometimes eliminate environmental
problems by integrating environmental
considerations into all aspects of facility
operation.
EPA's partnership with the Veterans
Health Administration (VHA) is a tem-
plate for collaborative efforts between
EPA's federal facility program and other
federal agencies. By helping agencies
such as the VHA identify and address its
environmental problems, EPA hopes to
enable them to design and implement
internal environmental programs that
address their specific needs.
EPA is creating a forum for collabora-
tion and information exchange with the
new full service Federal Facilities Envi-
Finally, I congratulate federal
agencies and facilities that are
not only meeting their environ-
mental requirements, but going
beyond them to incorporate sus-
tainable practices in their facility opera-
tions. I look forward to guiding EPA's fed-
eral facility enforcement and compliance
assurance program, and being a vital
part of the federal government's progress
toward its environmental goals.
Thomas Skinner was appointed Acting
Assistant Administrator for the Office of
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency on April 2, 2004. Mr. Skinner was
Regional Administrator for the EPA
Region 5 in Chicago and previously Direc-
tor of the Illinois Environmental Protec-
tion Agency before joining the U.S. EPA in
2001. He holds a juris doctorate degree
from Northwestern University School of
Law and an undergraduate degree from
Lawrence University. Mr. Skinner will
remain the Great Lakes National Pro-
gram Ma nager for the Agency.
FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXECUTIVE
JOHN HOWARD RESIGNS
John Howard submitted to President Bush his resignation as Federal Environmental Executive,
effective June 11, 2004. He and his family will be returning home to Austin, Texas. He stated, "It
has been a privilege and an honorto have served with so many in working to improve the Federal
government's (and America's) environmental stewardship, and I believe we have made substan-
tial progress. I wish all of you the best as you continue this important work with 0FEE, through Ed
Pinero, Dana Arnold, and the 0FEE team."
2 FEDFACS
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US and Israel Work on Management Systems
for Environment and Security
The United States-Israel Science and
Technology Foundation (USISTF),
Civil Infrastructure Security (CIS) Net-
work, and Office of the Federal Environ-
mental Executive (OFEE) conducted a
stakeholder meeting in March 2004 to
initiate an effort to identify the approach,
procedures, outcomes and metrics neces-
sary to integrate environmental and
security management systems.
The goal is to develop a blueprint for
U.S. and Israeli private, public and gov-
ernmental entities to develop integrated
systems using the Environmental Man-
agement System (EMS) model (particu-
larly the ISO-14001 standard). Particu-
lar emphasis will be placed on the fol-
lowing elements: risk identification and
assessment; risk prevention through
process improvement and the introduc-
tion of new technologies; emergency
response; and continual improvement of
processes and operations.
Pilot sites will be identified to test
the draft tools. At the conclusion of the
pilots, finalized guidelines, protocols
and lessons learned, as well as any
other information on the non-sensitive
aspects of the demonstration project
and collected non-confidential materials
will be published.
This effort supports the Administra-
tion's commitments to EMS, collabora-
tive efforts with the non-federal commu-
nity, and leadership in international
technology development. Other federal
entities involved in the project include
the Department of Homeland Security,
National Institute of Standards and
Technology, the U.S. Postal Service and
Environmental Protection Agency.
For additional information please
contact: Ed Pinero, Deputy Federal
Environmental Executive in the Office
of Federal Enviromental Executive
(202) 564-1297, or Edwin_pinero@ceq
.eop.gov.
VHA Launches Green Environmental
Management Systems
The U.S. EPA and the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health
Administration (VHA) are partnering to
improve environmental compliance at VA
facilities.
At the VHA's request, EPA conducted
or will conduct environmental manage-
ment reviews (EMRs) at 17 VA medical
centers across the nation. Final reviews
will be conducted in 2004. EMRs help
individual facilities improve facility opera-
tions and minimize impacts on the envi-
ronment.
They also enable VHA to design and
implement national changes to address
common environmental issues found at
the VA medical centers.
The EMRs also evaluated environmen-
tal management systems (EMSs) at VA
facilities, and were a good foundation for
Green Environmental Management Sys-
tems (GEMS) - a program the VA
launched in April to meet requirements of
Executive Order 13148, "Greening the
Government Through Leadership in Envi-
ronmental Management."
The GEMS Guidebook, which lists the
steps a facility must take to develop
GEMS on-site, proposes a top-down and
bottom-up approach for VA medical cen-
ters. A key component of GEMS is the
requirement of periodic environmental
compliance audits which should identify
many environmental problems while they
can be easily corrected.
The GEMS program includes nine
steps: 1) appoint GEMS coordinator and
GEMS committee; 2) train GEMS com-
mittee; 3) conduct initial GEMS gap
analysis; 4) identify significant environ-
mental aspects; 5) establish operational
controls; 6) set objectives and targets; 7)
train staff on GEMS policies and stan-
dard operating procedures; 8) conduct
environmental compliance baseline and
periodic follow-up audits; and 9) issue
annual program effectiveness review
and report.
GEMS follows the "plan-do-check-act"
model, making integration with Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Health-
care Organizations (JCAHO) Environ-
ment of Care programs easy at health-
care facilities. In fact, many of the
requirements for GEMS are already in
place. During the EMRs, this was a con-
sistent finding.
With EPA's assistance, the VHA con-
tinues to develop and deliver environmen-
tal training programs. The VA's medical
center top management and safety man-
agers also received GEMS training. VA
staff also received RCRA hazardous waste
compliance training, and EPA Region 1
(Boston) delivered environmental train-
ing in May. Many training programs were
videotaped and will be re-broadcast, while
the VA is also developing more in-depth
technical training. A joint Chief Engi-
neer/Safety Conference in September,
with part of the agenda devoted to GEMS
and environmental training, is under
development.
For further information visit: http://
www.epa.gov/compliance/assistance/
sectors/federal/epavha.html or contact:
Diane Lynne, lynne.diane@epa.gov. See
related articles in past issues of FedFacs
at: http://www.epa.gov/compliance
/resources/newsletters/civil/fedfac/index.
html.
FEDFACS 3
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Fort Chaffee and Sheppard AFB Ready for Reuse
Pictured from left to right: Marcus Devine, ADEQ Director; Jerry Stewart, M.D., Ft.
Chaffee Redevelopment Authority Chairman; Richard Newsome, Assistant for
Restoration, Office of the Deputy Asst. Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety
and Occupational Health; and Carl Edlund, EPA Region 6 Multimedia Planning and
Permitting Division Director.
Pictured from left to right: Laurie King, EPA Region 6 Federal Facilities Section Chief;
Brigadier General Arthur Rooney, Jr., Commander, 82nd Training Wing; and Allan
Posnick, TCEQ DSMOA Manager.
Ready for Reuse determinations were
issued to two facilities in U.S. EPA
Region 6 (Dallas). In November 2003,
Region 6 and the Arkansas Department
of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)
issued a Ready for Reuse determination
to Fort Chaffee, Ark. In March 2004,
Region 6 and the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issued
its determination to Sheppard Air Force
Base (AFB) in Wichita Falls, Texas.
The Ready for Reuse determination
verifies that environmental conditions
on affected portions of these facilities
are protective of human health and the
environment based on their anticipated
use as commercial/industrial and resi-
dential properties. Determinations pro-
vide specific information about a site,
including the nature and extent of cont-
amination, cleanup work performed,
and status with state and federal
requirements.
The Fort Chaffee determination, the
first awarded to a U.S. Army facility,
applies to approximately 7,000 acres of
land declared excess by DoD. Owner-
ship was transferred under the Base
Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Pro-
gram to the Fort Chaffee Redevelop-
ment Authority. The property was used
for military training and had troop bar-
racks, a hospital, administrative offices,
maintenance/supply buildings, a golf
course and an airstrip. Fort Chaffee
closed in 1997.
The Ready for Reuse ceremony was
held at "Fantasies at the Fort," a former
Army administration building now
being reused as a wedding banquet hall.
In addition to local dignitaries, Army
representatives from the Pentagon and
the Hampton, Ya. BRAC office attended
the event.
The Sheppard AFB determination
applies to Installation Restoration Pro-
gram Site FT003. The site was used for
fire protection training exercises from
approximately 1957 to 1992. A variety of
materials, primarily waste fuels, were
burned at the site during the exercises.
Sheppard AFB is the largest and
most diverse training facility in the Air
Force's Air Education Training Com-
mand (AETC). The determination is the
first awarded to an AETC base. The
Ready for Reuse ceremony was attended
by local dignitaries, as well as officials
from AETC Headquarters at Randolph
Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Additional information about the
Fort Chaffee and Sheppard AFB ready
for reuse determinations is available at
www.epa.gov/earthlr6/ready4reuse and
www.epa.gov/earthlr6/ready4reuse,
respectively.
4 FEDFACS
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PRESIDENT'S MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
COMPLIANCE ASSURANCE INITIATIVE
In April 2003, the President's Management Council (PMC) and the Office of Management and Bud-
get (OMB) asked the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Office of the Fed-
eral Environmental Executive (OFEE)to identify how federal agencies assure environmental com-
pliance and offer recommendations for improvements. In the summer of 2003, OFEE and the
Interagency Environmental Leadership Workgroup established under Executive Order 13148 con-
ducted the first-ever survey of federal agencies' environmental compliance management. The sur-
vey reflected ongoing efforts to incorporate environmental management system (EMS) principles
into federal agency programs. Questions were presented regarding compliance auditing programs,
allocation of resources for compliance monitoring and level of management engagement in the
compliance process.
OFEE received responses from 63 departments, agencies, services and bureaus. Responses are
under review by the Interagency Workgroup, and compilation and analysis of the results is nearly
complete. The effort will culminate in identification of best practices and a series of recommenda-
tions to improve federal agency compliance programs at the facility and agency level. Reflecting
the ongoing federal efforts to implement EMSs at federal facilities by the end of 2005, compliance
management recommendations will be made in the context of the EMS framework. In addition, con-
sideration will be given to enhancements in compliance support mechanisms across the federal
community.
The final report will be issued to the PMC and OMB for their review and consideration. Based
on recommendations and feedbackfrom the PMC and the OMB, CEQ, the Interagency Workgroup,
with OFEE guidance, will develop action plans and milestones.
For additional information contact: Will Garvey, EPA (202) 564-2458 or Ed Pinero, OFEE (202) 564-
1297.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AND
SUSTAINABILITY
Continued from page 1
inspected federal facilities regulated
under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Clean Air
Act (CAA) remain near or above 90 per-
cent. Similarly, compliance rates remained
above 90 percent for federal facilities
inspected under the Safe Drinking Water
Act (SDWA). In contrast, the compliance
rate for major federal facilities regulated
under the National Pollution Discharge
and Elimination System (NPDES) of the
Clean Water Act (CWA) decreased from 94
percent to 52 percent between fiscal years
1993 to 2001. It increased in fiscal year
2002 to 67 percent, but remains compara-
tively low. [See Article Notes, p. 7 for more
information on this report]
An Integrated Approach
FFEO, a Headquarters office under EPA's
Assistant Administrator for the Office of
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
(OECA), and Federal Facility Program
Managers and other staff in EPA's ten
regional offices around the country work
together to ensure federal facilities take
all necessary actions to prevent, control
and abate environmental pollution.
FFEO, currently headed by David
Kling, and regional staff are an interdis-
ciplinary group of attorneys, engineers,
scientists and program analysts. FFEO
works closely with other EPA offices and
staff on the variety of issues affecting fed-
eral facilities.
The sheer size, breadth and diversity
of federal activities impacting the envi-
ronment creates enormous regulatory
compliance challenges not only at the
facility level, but also for EPA in design-
ing a program to match the complexity
and sometimes disparate needs of this
diverse universe. One size clearly does
not fit all.
Over the years, EPA's federal facility
program evolved a strategy to meet these
challenges, and integrated it into its new
program agenda. The strategy is guided
in part by OECA's "Smart Enforcement"
policy, which uses the most appropriate
enforcement and compliance tools to
address the most significant problems to
achieve the best outcomes.
The policy focuses on five key areas:
1) addressing significant environmental,
human health and compliance problems;
2) using data to make strategic decisions
to better utilize resources; 3) using the
most appropriate tool to achieve the best
outcome; 4) assessing the effectiveness of
program activities to ensure continuous
program improvement and desired pro-
gram performance; and 5) communicat-
ing the environmental, public health and
compliance outcomes of EPA activities to
enhance program effectiveness.
Often the best approach to solving
environmental problems is a combination
of tools - an "integrated strategy." While
EPA's federal facility program rests on
the foundation of "smart enforcement"
principles, which relies on traditional
regulatory tools such as enforcement and
compliance monitoring, it also includes
other approaches designed to take advan-
tage of the full range of possible solutions
for environmental problems at govern-
ment facilities.
An integrated strategy embraces and
encourages compliance assistance, pollu-
tion prevention and environmental man-
agement systems as ways for federal
agencies to achieve or maintain compli-
ance - and go beyond by institutionaliz-
ing sound environmental stewardship
policies and sustainable practices into
facility operations. Preventing pollution
in the first instance minimizes the need
for pollution controls or compliance assis-
tance, and in some cases may take facili-
ties out of regulatory regimes altogether.
This more "holistic" approach to envi-
ronmental problems also includes new
partnering and cooperative efforts within
EPA and with other federal agencies and
offices. Partnering fosters cooperation
and understanding between agencies as
they work jointly on practical and sus-
tainable solutions to complex issues.
Partnering also enables the government
to leverage valuable resources and exper-
tise among agencies.
FFEO's current program agenda iden-
tifies specific strategies EPA will use to
address federal facility compliance prob-
lems, and specific projects and initiatives
to forward these goals and efforts. These
strategies are described Continued on page 6
FEDFACS S
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CERL TO MANAGE COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE CENTER
EPA's Federal Facilities Enforcement Office recently signed an inter-governmental agreement with
the Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) to develop,
launch and manage the new Federal Facilities Environmental Stewardship and Compliance Assis-
tance Center. CERL, located in Champaign, III., has experience operating similar interactive com-
pliance assistance centers for the military. In addition, for the past decade, CERL assisted a num-
ber of federal agencies develop compliance audit protocols through the TEAM process.
EPA's existing compliance assistance center, FedSite (http://www.epa.gov/fedsite) will be
expanded. The new Center's interactive capabilities will be used to meet the growing environmen-
tal compliance needs of the federal community. Eventually, the new independent Center will be
governed by member agencies which will direct the Center and its future activities. Launch of the
new Center is expected laterthis year.
For more information concerning the Federal Facilities Environmental Stewardship and Compli-
ance Assistance Center, please contact: Mike Shields (202) 564-9035 or shields.mike@epa.gov.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AND
SUSTAINABILITY
Continued from page 5
briefly below:
1. Maintain Compliance and
Administer Enforcement: Compliance
monitoring and enforcement remains the
backbone of EPA's regulatory program,
and FFEO and its regional counterparts
will continue to be the "cop on the beat."
EPA performs single and multi-media
inspections, and will take all necessary
enforcement actions, especially when no
other appropriate solution to non-compli-
ance exists.
In 2003, EPA had 34 formal enforce-
ment actions against federal facilities,
representing over $920,000 in penalties
and another $1.8 million in supplemental
environmental projects (SEPs). Cur-
rently, EPA's multi-media inspection ini-
tiative is underway and the Agency is
inspecting facilities meeting certain crite-
ria to maximize its impact. [See related
article in this issue, p. 21]
FFEO is also looking to align, where
appropriate, its priorities with other
Agency enforcement and compliance pri-
orities, particularly in regard to Clean
Water Act wet weather and stormwater
issues. EPA will also encourage facilities
to "self-audit" for environmental viola-
tions and report these violations under
EPA's self-disclosure policy. [See related
article in this issue, p. 20]
2. Directed Strategies at Specific
Compliance Problems or Sectors:
Complex environmental problems or
facility operations often require a combi-
nation of tools and approaches to attain
the best results. For instance, in the
course of a broader effort to address envi-
ronmental problems at hospital facilities,
EPA identified Veterans Health Adminis-
tration (VHA) hospitals as good candi-
dates for a national integrated strategy
approach.
EPA and the VHA embarked on a coop-
erative partnership to further identify and
address these problems. Currently, EPA is
completing a series of environmental man-
agement reviews at VHA facilities across
the country and providing other compli-
ance assistance such as training and work-
shops. EPA will be looking for other oppor-
tunities to partner with federal agencies in
similar ways in the future.
3. Cleaning up Federal Facilities:
EPA continues to oversee Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act (CERCLA) and RCRA
remediation and cleanup activity at
Superfund and other sites at federal facil-
ities. FFEO coordinates closely with
EPA's Federal Facility Restoration and
Reuse Office (FFRRO) within the Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response
(OSWER), OECA's Office of Site Remedi-
ation and Enforcement and EPA's
Regions on these issues. FFEO and other
EPA offices must oversee a federal
cleanup program which costs nearly $10
billion a year at federal energy and mili-
tary facilities alone. The office, in con-
ducting its oversight responsibilities, also
endeavors to work cooperatively with fed-
eral agencies as they improve project
management and increase cost-efficiency.
Recently, EPA and the Department of
Defense (DoD) resolved a nearly three-
year dispute on post-Record of Decision
(ROD) issues regarding oversite and
institutional controls at cleanup sites.3
This agreement is particularly important
as cleanup activity is completed, and EPA
and DoD look towards long-term mainte-
nance of sites.
4. Championing EMS: EPA's federal
facility program is advancing, particu-
larly in partnership with the Office of the
Federal Environmental Executive
(OFEE) and EPA Regions, the develop-
ment and implementation of environmen-
tal management systems (EMSs) at fed-
eral agencies. This effort coincides with
Executive Order 13148 requirements for
"appropriate" federal facilities to have
EMSs in place at their facilities by
December 31, 2005. EPA and OFEE co-
chair an Interagency Workgroup to facili-
tate implementation of these require-
ments. This federal work group has
contributed significantly to increased
communication and coordination at fed-
eral facilities across the country.
EMS training, supported by FFEO
staff and funds, has been offered nation-
wide by EPA regional staff, and educates
federal facility and environmental man-
agers on more effective, efficient and
enduring stewardship approaches.
EPA also conducts environmental
management reviews, a collaborative
effort between EPA and a federal facility
to evaluate the facility's environmental
program and management systems.
EMRs are voluntary and initiated by an
agency or facility; they are not compli-
ance assessments, audits or inspections.
5. Forging Beneficial Partnerships:
FFEO believes that developing and culti-
vating new partnerships is vital to EPA's
federal facility program and its continued
success at ensuring federal facility stew-
ardship and compliance with environ-
mental laws. Partnering is active on the
national Headquarters and regional
level, and several efforts are detailed here
and in past issues of FedFacs. EPA looks
for new partnering opportunities in the
future.
EPA is not the only government entity
interested in monitoring and fostering
environmental compliance within the
government. Last year the President's
Management Council (PMC) launched
Continued on page 7
6 FEDFACS
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ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AND
SUSTAINABILITY
Continued from page 6
the Compliance Assurance Initiative to
improve the environmental compliance
and performance of federal agencies.
FFEO and OFEE have been working
closely with the PMC in this effort. [See
related article in this issue, p. 5]
EPA also shares a common vision for a
sustainable government with OFEE, and
is partnering with them on various
efforts towards this goal. EPA and OFEE
are working to institutionalize good envi-
ronmental stewardship with the wide-
spread use and implementation of effec-
tive environmental management systems
and other practices. Ultimately, this will
minimize the amount of energy and
resources the U.S. government expends,
the amount of pollution it produces, and
provide an example for others to emulate.
6. Improving Data Quality and
Accessibility: FFEO is also designing
and deploying better information sys-
tems to track federal facility compliance
with environmental laws. FFEO's new
generation of compliance and other envi-
ronmental information on federal agen-
cies is used to better inform Agency man-
agement, federal government officials,
and the public of environmental progress.
This information is particularly valuable
in EPA's enforcement and inspection tar-
geting initiatives, and for identifying seri-
ous violators.
One system, the Federal Agency Com-
pliance Tracking System (FACTS) is
accessible to federal agencies and enables
users to research, track and monitor the
environmental compliance history and
current status of individual facilities.
[See related sidebar in this issue, p. 22]
7. Creating a New Federal Facility
Compliance Center: FFEO continues to
develop an enhanced web-based, full-ser-
vice, environmental stewardship and
compliance assistance center for federal
facilities. The existing compliance assis-
tance center for federal facilities, Fed-
Site4, will be expanded and all federal
government compliance assistance
resources integrated into one indepen-
dent site. The site will be maintained by
the Army Corps of Engineers Construc-
tion and Engineering Research Labora-
tory (CERL), which managed the DoD's
environmental web site DENIX. EPA
plans to enable this new center so that all
federal government compliance assis-
tance resources are integrated into one
site eventually supported and directed by
member agencies.
8. Enhancing Communications and
Outreach: FFEO is improving its out-
reach mechanisms, and also hopes to fos-
ter and encourage greater information
exchange among federal agencies and
facilities. FedFacs, published twice a year
by FFEO, informs its audience about
environmental issues, activities and
events impacting the federal community.
Federal agencies are encouraged to share
their experiences by contributing articles
for publication. The last two issues fea-
tured government efforts on the imple-
mentation of Executive Order 13148 and
environmental management systems,
and pollution prevention and environ-
mental stewardship5.
FedEnviroNews is the federal facility
program's electronic newsletter. It is sent
approximately once a month and contains
short news items and events of interest to
the federal community. The federal com-
munity is also invited to contribute news
items for dissemination to the over 2,300
primarily federal government sub-
scribers.
Looking Towards the Future
EPA's FFEO will continue to maintain
core program functions, while incorporat-
ing new approaches and initiatives which
meet the changing needs of the federal
community. FFEO will evaluate program
effectiveness and make adjustments as
appropriate to work towards these goals.
Federal agencies are invited to share
their ideas on new strategies.
EPA applauds the many federal facili-
ties already busy at work institutionaliz-
ing sustainable facility operation and
environmental practices, and encourages
them to be mentors to others in the fed-
eral community. FFEO supports, and
hopes to cultivate, new programs which
will shape the entire federal community
into a model of environmental steward-
ship.
[1] General Services Administration Real Property
Profile, September 30, 2002
[2] As reported on EPA's Online Tracking System
database: http://www.epa.gov/Compliance
/planning/data/multimedia/aboutotis.html
[3] An article on the Post-ROD resolution appeared
in the Winter 2003-4 issue of FedFacs.
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources
/newsletters/civil/fedfac/index.html
[4] FedSite is located at: www.epa.gov/fedsite
[5] Past issues of FedFacs are found at:
http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/resources/newsle
tters/civil/fedfac/index.html
Additional Article Notes
The Office of the Federal Environmental Exec-
utive (OFEE) promotes sustainable environ-
mental 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's website at: www.ofee.gov for
more information on how to prevent pollution
at your facility and incorporate sustainable
practices into its operation.
EPA's Federal Facilities Restoration and
Reuse Office The EPA's Federal Facilities
Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO) works
with the Department of Defense, Department
of Energy, and otherfederal entities to develop
creative, cost-effective solutions to their envi-
ronmental problems. FFRRO's overall mission is
to facilitate faster, more effective, and less
costly cleanup and reuse of federal facilities.
By focusing on partnering and public involve-
ment, FFRRO, and its counterpart offices in
Headquarters and EPA regions, have made
great strides in improving federal facilities
cleanup. You can learn more about FFRRO on
its website at: http://www.epa.gov/fedfac
State of Federal Facilities - An Overview of
Environmental Compliance at Federal Facili-
ties, FY2001 -2002presents information on the
federal government's compliance assessment
(inspections), compliance assurance (enforce-
ment actions), and environmental perfor-
mance (compliance rates). The current report,
as well as past biennial reports from 1993, can
be found on EPA's website at:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil
/federal/crossmedia.html
FEDFACS 7
-------
EMS
Update on E.0.13148 Implementation
The Executive Order (E.O.) 13148 "Greening
the Government Through Leadership in
Environmental Management" Interagency
Environmental Leadership Workgroup
has been busy working through issues,
and implementing several Order require-
ments. Below is an update on the
progress of several areas:
TRI: E.O. 13148 calls for a 40 percent
reduction in on-site releases and off-site
transfers for treatment and disposal of
Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Chemicals
by December 31, 2006, from a baseline
year of 2001. The most recently available
data for TRI shows that reported figures
for federal facilities for 2001 totaled about
79 million pounds. The reduction target
for the entire federal community is there-
fore approximately 32 million pounds.
Data for reporting year 2002 is not yet
available.
Section 503 Chemicals: E.O. 13148 calls
for a 50 percent reduction in the use of
certain chemicals for identified applica-
tions and purposes by the end of 2006.
The chemicals are to be identified by EPA
in coordination with the Interagency
Workgroup. In May of this year, EPA, in
coordination with the Office of the Fed-
eral Environmental Executive, affirmed
that five chemicals and associated appli-
cations should be included for the pur-
poses of this effort. The chemicals are:
mercury, lead, cadmium, naphthalene
and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
with associated uses of switches and
measuring devices, electroplating
processes, soldering, pesticide use and
insulating materials (dielectric fluids).
Next steps in this process include provid-
ing field level personnel with information
on implementation of this effort.
EMS: E.O. 13148 requires implementa-
tion of environmental management sys-
tems (EMS) at federal facilities by the
end of 2005. There has been considerable
activity at the field level to meet this
requirement. Training has taken place
through EPA Regional offices as well as
within federal agencies. EMS training
has also been provided to senior leader-
ship at several agencies to ensure their
support and commitment towards suc-
cessful implementation. In addition, EPA
has provided assistance in the form of
facility-level Environmental Manage-
ment Reviews.
Annual Reports: E.O. 13148 requires
that each federal agency submit an
annual report to EPA outlining that
agency's progress towards meeting the
goals in the E.O. Guidance for each year's
annual report is developed by the E.O.
13148 Interagency Workgroup. The
report focuses on various reduction goals
in the E.O. and agency and facility level
progress in implementing EMS. Reports
for calendar year 2003 were due to EPA
by March 31, 2004. Twenty-three agen-
cies provided annual reports. Information
in these reports will be used to prepare
the Office of the Federal Environmental
Executive biannual Report to the Presi-
dent on Federal Energy and Environ-
mental Management as well as the Fed-
eral Agency EMS "Scorecard" and the list
of "appropriate" facilities developing
EMSs under the E.O.
7 Environmentally Beneficial Landscaping
EPA's GreenScapes program has additional
information on environmentally beneficial
landscaping. GreenScapes provides cost-
efficient and environmentally-friendly
solutions for large-scale landscaping.
It encourages entities to make more
environmentally beneficial and sustainable
decisions regarding waste generation and
disposal and its associated impacts on land,
water, air and energy use. GreenScapes is
located at: http://www.epa.gov/greenscapes/
Beneficial Landscaping
Guidance to be Revised
In 1995 the Federal Environmental Executive released guid-
ance on environmentally beneficial landscaping which requires
federal agencies to consider using environmentally sensitive
landscaping practices and native plants. Executive Order 13148
supports these goals, and also calls for a review and update of
this guidance.
Currently, a small inter-agency discussion group adjunct to
the E.O. 13148 Workgroup is reviewing the 1995 guidance. The
group will likely recommend the guidance be updated to incor-
porate a more holistic multi-media (i.e. waste, water, air, etc.)
approach to landscape construction and maintenance which
ensures pollution prevention and resource conservation.
For more information, please contact Will Garvey at EPA gar-
vey.will@epa.gov. The current guidance can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/docs/fedrgstr/EPA-GENERAL/1995/August
/Day-10/pr-664.html
8 FEDFACS
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EMS
EMS Mentoring Program:
Partners for Environmental Performance
The Office of the Federal Environ-
mental Executive (OFEE) is spon-
soring a new, voluntary mentoring pro-
gram, "Partners for Environmental
Performance," that matches private
entities that have successful environ-
mental management systems (EMS)
with federal facilities currently develop-
ing their own EMS. This program will
enhance federal EMS implementation,
required under Executive Order 13148,
and provide opportunities for partici-
pants to learn from shared experiences.
The private sector's experience with
EMS is a valuable resource for the fed-
eral government. Companies began
implementing EMSs in the 1980's and
started using the ISO 14001 model in
earnest in the mid-1990's. Currently,
over 5000 entities are ISO 14001 certi-
fied in the United States. Nearly all are
in the private sector, compared to only a
few hundred EMSs in the federal gov-
ernment, of which only 21 are certified.
Worldwide there are over 70,000 certi-
fied entities.
Both the federal government and pri-
vate entity mentor will benefit. A federal
agency or facility will learn from the
hands-on experience its mentor has in
developing, implementing and main-
taining an EMS. Mentoring will help
the private entity meet its own EMS
requirements, improve its public good-
will, and give it a role in making the
government more efficient and a better
environmental steward.
Mentors must have robust, fully
operational EMSs, and are restricted to
entities that do not provide related con-
sulting services. To help identify the
best candidates, state environmental
offices, trade associations and individ-
ual companies will be contacted and
encouraged to act as facilitators and
champions. Candidates may also
include other entities such as non-prof-
its or local governments.
Partnerships will be determined in
Mentoring provides private
entities and federal facilities
opportunities to learn from
shared experiences.
large part by matching the available
and interested participants according to
interests, geography, desired EMS
model, and status of implementation.
Selected participants will sign an
informal, non-binding Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) that defines pro-
ject-specific details such as timelines,
milestones, and expectations. The MOU
will address potential legal issues such
as conflict of interest, non-endorsement
of products, and protection from com-
pensation for services claims.
As the project progresses, OFEE may
ask participants for brief status reports
so it can monitor the success of the pro-
gram. At the conclusion of the project,
participants will receive formal
acknowledgement from OFEE.
For more information about this pro-
gram contact: Ed Pinero, Deputy Fed-
eral Environmental Executive in the
Office of the Federal Environmental
Executive (202) 564-1297, or
Edwin_pinero@ceq.eop.gov, or visit:
http ://www.ofee .gov
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 FedEnvi-
roNews, please visit: http://www.epa.gov
/compliance/resources/listserv.html
Check "federal facilities" and provide
requested information.
FEDFACS 9
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EMS
Park Service Partnership Assists Businesses in Parks
On your last visit to a national park, did
you buy a trinket in a gift shop, pur-
chase a soda in a restaurant, or stay
overnight in a lodge? If so, you may have
supported one of the 584 businesses
authorized under National Park Service
(NPS) concession contracts to provide
lodging, retail, food and beverage,
marina, and other commercial visitor ser-
vices within 127 national parks.
Last year, the EPA National Center for
Environmental Innovation partnered
with the NPS Concession Environmental
Management Program (CoEMP) to pro-
mote environmental management sys-
tems and identify cost-effective and
appropriate best management practices
(BMPs) for concessioners. This partner-
ship enables EPA to reach a business sec-
tor with high visibility to the general pub-
lic - the tourism industry.
EPA and NPS are first concentrating
on improving the environmental perfor-
mance of national park concessioners.
They also hope to assist other federal
agencies which contract with concession-
ers, as well as the tourism industry at
large, in identifying appropriate strate-
gies to advance environmental perfor-
mance.
With its mission of "provid[ing] assis-
tance and guidance that advances the
environmental performance of businesses
offering visitor services in national
parks," the NPS CoEMP, since its incep-
tion in 1999, has developed numerous
assistance tools and serves as a national
clearinghouse for all matters relating to
concessioners and the environment.
The CoEMP provides technical assis-
tance to concessioners and also conducts
environmental audits, required by Execu-
tive Order 13148. The environmental
audits cover multiple environmental top-
ics, such as compliance, BMPs, and envi-
ronmental management systems.
Houseboat and marina operations at
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area,
Arizona and Utah.
The NPS CoEMP faces some challeng-
ing, but exciting times ahead with
approximately 85 percent of NPS conces-
sion contracts expiring within the next
three to five years. NPS staff faces a
heavy workload that involves writing and
publicizing concession contracts that
emphasize resource protection, environ-
mental compliance, and environmental
BMPs. Since concession contracts last
typically for 10 to 20 years, now is the
opportunity for environmental criteria
and standards to be included. The NPS
CoEMP assists NPS staff in incorporating
environmental management standards
and criteria into concession contracts. It
also educates NPS staff about conces-
sioner activities that may potentially
affect park resources.
Finally, one of
NPS CoEMPs main
goals is to increase
NPS staff and conces-
sioner knowledge of
potential environ-
mental impacts stem-
ming from day-to-day
concessioner opera-
tions, and how these
impacts can be
avoided and/or miti-
gated. The EPA com-
plements the
CoEMP's conces-
sioner assistance efforts in many ways,
including providing federal, state, and
local resources that describe applicable
environmental requirements and BMPs.
This EPA/NPS partnership provides a
growing network of environmental con-
tacts that NPS staff, concessioners,
tourism and hospitality businesses can
turn to for questions and discussion.
Other resources available for both
NPS staff and concessioners include:
• AGreenLine Phone Number, (303)
987-6913
• A dedicated GreenLine Email
(NPS_GreenLine@nps.gov)
• The GreenLine Newsletter, a
bi-annual publication
• The GreenLine Compact Disc
• The CoEMP website (www
.concessions.nps.gov/program3.cfm)
• Numerous concession-specific compli-
ance and BMP assistance resource
documents
For more information on the NPS
CoEMP, contact: Wendy Berhman,
CoEMP Team Leader (303) 987-6913.
EPA ANNOUNCES E.O. 13148 PRIORITY CHEMICALS
EPA announced five priority chemicals used by the federal government that are targeted for
reduction in accordance with Executive Order 13148 "Greening the Government Through Leader-
ship in Environmental Management." The E.O. directs EPA to develop a list of priority chemicals
used by the federal government that may result in significant harm to human health or the envi-
ronment and that have known, readily available, less harmful substitutes for identified applica-
tions and purposes. Federal agencies are to develop and support goals to reduce the use of these
chemicals by 50 percent by December 31, 2006. For more information visit: http://www
.ofee.gov/wpr/chemical.htm
lO FEDFACS
-------
EMS
TVA Improves EMS with Lead Auditor Training
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
environmental audit team partici-
pated in U.S. EPA Region 4 (Atlanta)
sponsored Federal Facility Lead Envi-
ronmental Auditor training given in
New Orleans in March. This training
provides federal agencies the informa-
tion necessary to design and implement
Executive Order 13148 Environmental
Management System (EMS) require-
ments.
The Registrar Accreditation Board
(RAB) accredited ISO 14001 Lead Audi-
tor class was taught by EPA RAB certi-
fied instructors, and participants were
able to take the RAB certification exam
and apply for RAB EMS auditor certifi-
cation following the course.
TVA's EMS, in place for several
years, is modeled after ISO 14001. It
includes a corporate level EMS and
tiered EMS implementing procedures at
the major organization and facility
level. An EMS self-declaration program
will be implemented to comply with the
requirements of E.O. 13148. TVA will
first self-declare the corporate EMS,
and then offer each facility the opportu-
nity to self-declare conformance to the
ISO 14001 standard.
The TVA corporate environmental
audit team has reviewed EMS audits at
their facilities for the last three years,
but this EPA sponsored training pro-
vided them with opportunities to fur-
ther sharpen their skills and learn
about other continuous improvement
opportunities for their EMS and audit
program.
These included conducting a gap
analysis of TVA's corporate level EMS,
designing a self-declaration program,
and revising the corporate EMS audit
protocols. Facilities were also advised
on how to continually strenghten their
EMS and improve the audit team credi-
bility inside and outside TVA. The
training also provided an opportunity
for TVA to network with other federal
agency EMS auditors.
>
Interagency participants at the EMS Lead Auditor Training
For more information about TVA and
its EMS audit program contact: Myron
Iwanski, TVA (865) 719-3718 or visit
TVA's web site: http://www.tva.com. For
more information on EPA classes con-
tact: Anthony Shelton, EPA Region 4
(404) 562-9636 or Joyce Stubblefield,
EPA Region 6 (214) 665-64-30.
For more information about
Environmental Management
Systems visit:
www.epa.gov/ems or
www.ofee.gov/ems/ems.htm
EMS MANAGERS GUIDE
NOW ONLINE
The Office of the Federal Environmental
Executive (OFEE) and the U.S. EPA have
adapted the Army's Environmental Man-
agement System guide for managers and
tailored it for other agencies to use. This is
a useful tool to help educate senior man-
agementabouttheirleadership role in EMS.
This and other useful EMS tools and guides
are available on the OFEE website:
http://www.ofe e .g ov/e m s/tra i n i n g/f a cts.
htm#guide
FEDFACS 11
-------
EMS
Fort Polk Integrates Workshop Results into EMS
On April 27-29, 2004, the Joint Readi-
ness Training Center (JRTC) and
Fort Polk, La., hosted a Sustainable
Water Resources Workshop. Colonel
Thomas McClung, Garrison Chief of Staff
welcomed regional stakeholders to the
conference and sought their perspectives
and thoughts on a regional, sustainable
water resources management strategy.
Conference participants represented
a broad, cross-section of interests.
Among the attendees were: Louisiana
State Rep. William Daniel; Karen
Gautreaux, Deputy Secretary, La.
Department of Environmental Quality;
Bill Alley, HQ U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS); Charles Demas, USGS, Baton
Rouge, La.; Lisa Lewis, U.S. Forest Ser-
vice; and Dr. Charles Allen, Professor of
Bog Ecology, Louisiana State University.
They were joined by others representing
local communities, the Army Installa-
tion Management Agency (Southwest
Regional Office), Louisiana regulatory
agencies, and JRTC and Fort Polk
Directorates.
Conference attendees agreed to "pro-
vide Fort Polk flexibility to meet future
mission requirements for water
resources and achieve the above without
any unacceptable environmental, eco-
nomic or social consequences." This
strategic objective is comprised of three
key components: sustainable water use,
water resource protection, and resource
restoration (if warranted).
Attendees also agreed that both
additional baseline monitoring and
method analysis are required. For
example, increases in demand could be
supplied by reducing consumption via
conservation methods and/or increased
water supply rate, but additional infor-
mation is required to determine the
optimal method or methods to employ.
Fort Polk is incorporating these
results into its EMS. Quantifiable tar-
gets to improve current baseline data
and analysis are being developed for the
next EMS review. Water use is one of six
areas the JRTC and Fort Polk plans to
discuss with regional stakeholders in
several months, within the context of its
EMS.
WOULD YOU LIKE
AN EMR?
An EMR is generally coordinated out of one
of the U.S. EPA's ten regional offices, and
may be 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 develop-
ment
4. Internal and external communications
5. Program evaluation, reporting and cor-
rective action
6. Environmental planning and risk man-
agement formality of environmental
programs.
To learn more about EMRs and how your
facility may schedule one, please contact
the EPA Federal Facility Program Manager
(FFPM) in your region. A list of FFPMs
appears on page 26 of this issue.
EPA Conducts EMRs at Temple VAMC
and Camp Stanley
U.S. EPA Region 6 (Dallas) conducted
environmental management reviews
(EMRs) at two federal facilities, the Vet-
erans Administration Medical Center
(VAMC) in Temple, Texas and U.S. Army
Camp Stanley Storage Activity (CSSA)
in Boerne, Texas. The EMRs included a
review of each facility's environmental
programs and management system to
determine the extent protection pro-
grams and plans have been developed
and implemented.
Because the Temple VAMC is commit-
ted to making continuous environmental
improvements at its facility, it was an
early volunteer and participant in the
EPAVHA cooperative partnership.
The EMRs were based upon the ISO
Environmental Management System
14001 "model, plan, do, check and act."
Prior to the EMRs, EPA regional staff
worked with each facility and designed
the parameters and scope of the review.
Temple VAMC has received EPA's draft
report of its review, which took place in
December 2003. The CSSA Boerne on-
site review was completed in February
2004, and a draft report was recently
submitted to CSSA for review and com-
ment.
The EMRs were well received by
staff. Temple's VAMC Safety Manager
facilitated a flawless scheduling of tours
and interviews, and Paul E. Batterton,
Administrator for the Waco VAMC, par-
ticipated in the EMR out-brief. The
CSSA Environmental Coordinator pro-
vided valuable assistance in executing
the EMR and helped to clarify the intri-
cate dynamics of Camp Stanley.
For more information, contact: Joyce
Stubblefield, EPA Region 6
stubblefield.joyce@epa.gov
12 FEDFACS
-------
P2 and Environmental Stewardship
The Army Environmental Strategy: A Sustainable Army
Raymond, J. Fatz
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army
for Environment, Safety and Occupa-
tional Health
In November 2003, the Army initiated a
process to develop a bold, new strategic
approach for addressing its relationship
with the environment. We have com-
menced on a path that will better sup-
port the Army mission with environmen-
tal principles and practices for years to
come: to "Sustain the Mission-Secure
the Future."
We will be a sustainable Army - one
that simultaneously meets mission
requirements worldwide, protects human
health and safety, enhances quality of life,
and safeguards the natural environment.
This is a significant commitment, made
with full knowledge of the complete
redesign that our equipment, operations
and installations require — a transforma-
tion that has already begun, but still has
far to go. This is a long-term commitment,
to radically change the way we design,
build, buy, transport, and otherwise per-
form our mission, as we transform our
weapons systems, tactics, and installa-
tions over the coming decades. This is a
necessary commitment. Senior Army lead-
ership is keenly interested in adapting the
successful business model of balancing
"the triple bottom line of people, profit,
planet" for long-term military viability.
Sustainability is the paradigm that
the Army is using to focus our thinking
and efforts to better address present and
future needs of our installations, our rela-
tionships with communities, as well as
impacts to our ability to equip, train, and
deploy our Soldiers. By applying the prin-
ciples of sustainability, we are creating
installations that are "flagships" capable
of supporting Army operations through-
out the world.
The quest for installation sustainabil-
ity in the Army
began in
earnest in 2001
but has rapidly
gained momen-
tum with
senior leader-
ship support.
Sustainability
easily appealed
to Army leadership because it is directed
at "senior-level decision-making" and
illustrates that the Army can, in fact,
accomplish its mission, safeguard peo-
ple's quality of life, and protect human
health and the environment. Sustainabil-
ity also appeals to the troops and civilians
in the field, the ones on the ground, as
they become essential players in the goal-
setting processes. This in turn motivates
them to use and champion sustainable
principles. Finally, sustainability appeals
to the many stakeholders and regulatory
communities since it focuses their collec-
tive efforts and resources to balance
requirements that keep everyone more
viable far into the future.
Since 2001, Army installations across
the country have embarked on the jour-
ney towards sustainability and the bal-
ance of this discussion spotlights their
progress in three short years. Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, was the first installation
to quantify their pursuit of sustainability.
Fort Lewis, Washington followed soon
after seeking to harness the power of
their newly certified ISO 14001 Environ-
mental Management System and
received special recognition by the gover-
nor as a leader in the state. Fort Hood,
Texas and Fort Carson, Colorado both
began sustainability programs in 2002
with Fort Campbell, Kentucky kicking off
their sustainability initiative in 2003. In
2004, we are seeing other installations
eagerly stepping forward on the road to
sustainability.
The Army expects sustainability to
play a key role in shaping the culture on
our installations and in local communi-
ties. As such, we will soon release a new
Army environmental
strategy with sustain-
ability as its underlying
framework. It is an
exciting time for the
Army as we take the
next step toward a sus-
tainable future.
[.Editor's Note: The
U.S. EPA invites other
government agencies and departments to
present their views in FedFacs. The
above article contains those views of
Raymond Fatz, Deputy Assistant Secre-
tary of the Army for Environment, Safety
and Occupational Health, and are not
necessarily those of the EPA.]
JOINT SERVICE P2
OPPORTUNITY
HANDBOOK
The Joint Service P2 Opportunity Handbook
identifies "off-the-shelf" pollution prevention
technologies, management practices, and
process changes that reduce hazardous and
solid waste. The handbook was prepared
jointly by the Naval Facilities Engineering
Service Center, the Air Force Centerfor Envi-
ronmental Excellence, the Army Environ-
mental Center, Headquarters Marine Corps,
the Defense Logistics Agency, and the Coast
Guard. This tool is found at: http://p2
I i b ra ry. nf e s c. n a vy. m i l/p2_o p p o rtu n ity_
handbook/introduction.html
By applying the principles
of sustainability, (the Army) is
creating installations that are
"flagships" capable of
supporting Army operations
throughout the world.
FEDFACS 13
-------
P2 and Environmental Stewardship
P2 and Sustainability Programs at Fort Bliss
Hazardous Waste Curbside
Service
Fort Bliss, Texas, implemented a service
unique to the Army - one that revolution-
ized hazardous waste management at the
installation. The Hazardous Waste Curb-
side Service (Curbside) saves Fort Bliss
hundreds of thousands of dollars each
year, and minimizes accidents, exposure
to hazardous substances and non-compli-
ance.
This program is the brainchild of
Environmental Engineer, Ismael Delgado
and began as a pilot program in 2000.
Curbside now serves customers at 127
waste accumulation points in Texas and
New Mexico. Curbside is a reimbursable
service for soldiers, civilians, and tenants,
protects human health and the environ-
ment, and returns soldiers to the military
mission.
The program includes paperwork
(waste profile and Material Safety Data
Sheets, requests for sampling/analysis,
etc.), pickup and transport of wastes to
the hazardous waste storage facility, con-
tainer replacement, and courtesy inspec-
tions. Customers are served by appoint-
ment within 72 hours by a team of
hazardous waste professionals.
Without Curbside about 250 people
would be tasked, in addition to their
other duties, with the waste management
activities listed above. Curbside also
includes a tracking database that pro-
vides customers with reports of items
recycled, wastes processed, and disposal
costs. The reports are produced annually
or at the customer's request.
As a large-quantity generator and the
owner of a RCRA-permitted storage facil-
ity, Fort Bliss is required to reduce the
volume and toxicity of hazardous waste it
generates. To that end, the Directorate of
Environment combined Curbside with
pollution prevention initiatives to launch
the Installation's Sustainability Center.
In 2003, the following processes were
implemented at the Sustainability Cen-
ter: parts-washer solvent distillation and
maintenance; antifreeze recycling; oily
rag compaction; soil consolidation conta-
minated soil; fluorescent bulb crushing;
oil and fuel filter crushing/recycling;
aerosol can puncturing; spill kit specifica-
tion and assembly; and drum washing
and reuse.
These processes save disposal costs
and are beneficial to the environment.
The parts-washer solvent distillation
process alone saves Fort Bliss about
$250,000 a year for disposal of old solvent
and purchase of new solvent for the
Installation's 135 parts washers.
At the beginning of the calendar year,
commanders and directors receive a
detailed report of the wastes turned in by
each of their waste-generating activities.
Curbside costs for the new year are based
on quantities of waste generated during
the previous year.
The popularity of Curbside is evident:
100 percent of Fort Bliss waste genera-
tors voluntarily subscribe to the service,
and speak favorably about the service
they receive.
Submitted by: Pat McKernan,
Fort Bliss Directorate of Environment;
patricia. mckernan@us. army. mil.
Oil Water Separator
Maintenance Program
In an effort to save precious water
resources, minimize waste, maintain
compliance, and support the military mis-
sion, Fort Bliss implemented its Oil
Water Separator (OWS) maintenance
program.
Fort Bliss initiated its OWS mainte-
nance contract with Enviremedial Ser-
vices Inc. (ESI) to correct a long history of
poor OWS maintenance, preclude future
Environmental Performance Assessment
System wastewater deficiencies, and pro-
mote pollution prevention, water conser-
vation and waste minimization.
ESI's on-site treatment technology
uses a package plant on "wheels" which
separates oil from water through a cen-
trifugal gravitational and inertial force
process. Oil separation is achieved
through a five-stage process and reusable
filters made from the ash of burned sugar
cane stalks are used. The unit can handle
100,000 gallons of contaminated water in
an eight-hour day. The treatment process
also includes a wash cycle for OWS col-
lected sediments which are used as land-
fill daily cover.
Clean treated water is returned to the
OWS, instead of recharging the OWS
with fresh water and disposing of this
dirty waste water and sludge off-site.
This contributes directly toward the DoD
Measure of Merit for the continuous
reduction of waste. Moreover, it allows for
inspection of each OWS during the treat-
ment process, where problem areas can
be identified and addressed quickly.
The contractor is also piloting a pro-
gram which uses clean sediments in
adobe pavers. Combined with cement
materials, sediment is formed into adobe
bricks, further reducing waste. These
pavers may soon be used in xeriscape
landscaping and post beautification pro-
jects at Fort Bliss.
Among the other benefits of the OWS
process are that industrial pre-treatment
standards are maintained thereby avoid-
ing exceedances fixing the cost for OWS
cleaning. Also the volumes of waste
removed, recycled, treated and disposed
are measured and reported to the envi-
ronmental office and waste disposal off-
site is reduced. Transportation and dis-
posal liabilities are also reduced.
From May 2002 through October
2003, Fort Bliss calculates it minimized
this waste by 99.9 percent. The OSW
treated 15,785,200 pounds of water (pre-
viously sent as waste), recycled 66,800
pounds oil/fuel (previously sent as waste)
and cleaned 8,158,426 pounds of sedi-
ment (previously sent as waste). The
amount of oil sludge sent as waste was
2250 pounds.
Submitted by: David Jevons, Waste-
water Program Manager, Fort Bliss;
david.jevon@us.army.mil.
14 FEDFACS
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P2 and Environmental Stewardship
White Sands Test Facility Reduces CFCs and Wins Award
Employees who work in the Chemistry
and Component Services Laborato-
ries of the NASA White Sands Test
Facility (WSTF) near Las Cruces, N.M.,
have been reducing use of ozone-deplet-
ing cleaning solvents like chlorofluoro-
carbon (CFC) 113 since 1991.
WSTF, a satellite facility of the John-
son Space Center, eliminated CFC-113
(commonly known as Freon) in the final
cleaning and cleanliness verification of
critical spacecraft parts and compo-
nents.
Employees began implementing an
aqueous cleaning and verification process
in 1997. This cleans as well as or better
than CFC techniques used previously and
reduces to zero the use of CFC-113 and
the solvent once used for cleanliness veri-
fication in aerospace systems.
The test facility is an industry leader
in the development, of alternatives for
cleaning aerospace and oxygen systems.
Oxygen systems pose special cleaning
challenges because organic contami-
nants and particulates can be ignition
hazards.
Ultra-clean systems and component
parts are essential to the WSTF's mis-
sion: the safe explo-
ration of space.
Flight and develop-
mental systems
from propulsion to
life support are
tested at WSTF for
performance and
reliability. Support
systems need to be as clean or cleaner
than the flight test systems to which
they are attached. This ensures the test
systems will not be contaminated.
The test facility's approach to eliminat-
ing CFC-113 included conservation, alter-
native water-based processes, ozone-
friendly solvent alternatives, and
advanced processes to reduce solvent
usage and conserve supplies. New
processes and solvent alternatives elimi-
nated annual usage of 3,870 gallons of
CFC-113.
ft
The WSTF team developed the aque-
ous cleanliness verification using ultra-
sonic agitation followed by total organic
carbon analysis to test for residual
organics and filtra-
tion for particulate
count in the clean-
ing process. The
team then estab-
lished detectability
of flight hardware
contaminants, veri-
fied part configura-
tion for aqueous application and verified
material compatibility for aqueous
application. The team then started the
cleaning operations using the cleanli-
ness verification process.
The team measured results through
WSTF-developed technology, and this
data was used to gain approval to incor-
porate the new processes in NASA pro-
cedures.
Harold Beeson and Mike Kirsch of
NASA, and Mark Stevens, Steve Hor-
nung, Jose Lopez, Mike Padilla,
t=h
ft
I*
Raphael Delgado of Honeywell, were
recognized for their efforts by the U.S.
EPA at the Stratospheric Ozone Protec-
tion Awards ceremony in Washington,
D.C. This year, EPA awarded seven cor-
porate and governmental awards, eight
individual awards and two team and
organizational awards, selecting among
a global field of entrants.
Mike Kirsch, Deputy Manager of the
White Sands Test Facility summed up
the impact of the EPA award. "NASA
takes thousands of pictures from space
that help us appreciate how wonderful
and fragile our planet is, and how
important it is to protect our environ-
ment. NASA's mission is to understand
and protect our home planet and to
empower future generations to continue
space exploration in search of new fron-
tiers."
Submitted by: Cheerie R. Patneaude,
NASA White Sands Test Facility. For
more information about NASA's White
Sands Test Facility visit: http: //www
.wstf.nasa.gov
Award winners (back L to R) Mark Leifeste, HTSI Program Manager; Stephen C.
Nunez, Manager of the White Sands Test Facility, Richard McCarson for Mark
Stevens, Mike Padilla, Mike Kirsch, Deputy Manager of the White Sands Test Facility
(Front L to R) Harold Beeson, Steve Hornung, and Jose Lopez
The test facility is a leader
in developing alternatives
for cleaning aerospace
and oxygen systems.
FEDFACS IS
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P2 and Environmental Stewardship
Working Towards Sustainability at USDA Beltsville
Over the past decade, Beltsville Agri-
cultural Research Center (BARC)
staff and management have worked dili-
gently to make the Center as environ-
mentally friendly and sustainable as pos-
sible. As a result of their efforts, BARC
received four White House "Closing the
Circle" Awards and a "Business for the
Bay Award."
The BARC is part of the Agricultural
Research Service (ARS), U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture (USDA), is located
just outside Washington, D.C., and
encompasses approximately 6,600 acres.
The facility is comprised of laboratories,
offices, wooded areas, research farm
plots, forage production land, barns, pas-
tures and associated infrastructure for a
large complex.
Several initiatives have improved envi-
ronmental quality in the research and for-
age areas of the agricultural production
program. For instance, two certified nutri-
ent management specialists ensure com-
InBrief
pliance with all state and federal regula-
tions. As a result, BARC exceeded its
nutrient reduction goals and also imple-
mented a phosphorus management pro-
gram prior to any state mandates.
To reduce the amount of pesticide and
manure run-off to the Chesapeake Bay,
precision agriculture and site-specific pin-
point placement of nutrients techniques
are used. BARC also uses no-till farming
methods in approximately 90 percent of
its farming efforts.
Integrated pest management is used
on a regular basis. Only when the pest
population reaches an action level is pes-
ticide applied, and then is limited to areas
over the threshold.
Sustainable agricultural practices are
incorporated into day-to-day farming
activities. Fall-seeded legumes act as nat-
ural mulch and release nitrogen into the
soil. This, along with cover crops, reduces
weeds and herbicides.
BRAC produces all mulch used in
landscaping. Animal waste is combined
with leaves and other materials to make
the compost - this reduces the amount of
materials for disposal and also saves
money.
Landscape practices at BARC were
also significantly changed to help the
environment. "No mow" areas near
streambeds allows natural growth,
reduces stream bank erosion and cools
the water — a benefit for the fish. Previ-
ously mowed areas were reforested and
provide habitats for other wildlife.
BARC uses American produced bio-
diesel fuel in approximately 150 vehicles
and equipment. B-20 fuel (20 percent bio-
based and 80 percent diesel) reduces sul-
fur content, unburned hydrocarbons, and
carbon monoxide by 20 percent, and par-
ticulate matter by 15 percent. BARC also
uses biodiesel for its heating plant opera-
tions and for fueling generators that pro-
vide backup power.
BARC uses all environmentally and
worker friendly or biobased products for
cleaning and elsewhere in the facility. All
paper products are made of recycled con-
tent, and new carpet is made of soy mate-
rial. Hydraulic fluid, two-cycle engine oil,
chain saw bar oil, hand cleaners, lubri-
cating oil and motor oil are also bio-
based. BARC also replaced slate roofs
with recycled Royale Polymore material,
which looks like slate but is less expen-
sive.
Recycling is a major initiative at
BARC. All paper, magazines and card-
board are recycled. Research scientists
work together to utilize chemicals and
reduce the amount of chemical waste.
Several chemicals are maintained at a
dispensary, and scientists take what they
need rather than buy a large quantity.
BRAC recycles effluent from its waste-
water treatment plant by pumping it to
one of the boiler plants and producing
steam. This method saves approximately
$40,000 per year on water.
For more information contact: John
Van de Vaarst: vandevaj@ba.ars
.usda.gov
EPA ISSUES PLUG-IN TO ECYCLING GUIDANCE
EPA has released new, voluntary guidance to its Plug-In To eCycling partners, who will test its pro-
visions to determine the most effective and practical methods for safely managing used electronic
equipment. The Plug-In To eCycling partnership, formed in 2002, aims to increase the safe recycling
of used electronic products by providing recognition and other incentives to partners. The new
guidance, "Plug-In To eCycling Guidelines for Materials Management/'spells out preferred waste
management practices for used electronic products and defines partner eligibility. In addition to
ensuring environmentally safe recycling of old electronics, this guidance promotes and maintains
adequate markets for the reuse and recycling of electronic equipment. For more information, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/index.htm
REVIEW AND COMMENT FOR PURCHASING GUIDES
On June 30th, EPA published a Federal Register notice announcing the availability for public review
and comment of four draft Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Guides. These guides pro-
vide information to federal procurement officials making EPP decisions that can help protect
human health and the environment. The four guides cover purchasing for "greener" carpets, clean-
ing products and copiers, and for making meetings and conferences more environmentally friendly.
The 60 day public comment period ends August 30, 2004. Stakeholders can access these docu-
ments and submit comments through EPA's internet site for Federal Register Dockets at:
http://www.epa.gov/edocket/. The guides are also available on EPA's EPP website at
http://www.epa.gov/epp/documents/pfs.htm. For more information contact EPA's Terry Grogan (202)
564-6317 orgrogan.terry@epa.gov.
16 FEDFACS
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P2 and Environmental Stewardship
GSA Brings Solar Power to Downtown Los Angeles
The U.S. General Services Administra-
tion's (GSA) Pacific Rim Region com-
pleted installation and start-up of the
largest photovoltaic system in the GSA
inventory, at the Federal Building located
at 300 North Los Angeles Street, Los
Angeles, Calif. Over the life of the system,
the solar generated electricity will reduce
emissions of carbon dioxide by 2,842 tons,
nitrogen oxide by 5,064 lbs and sulfur
dioxide by 1,544 lbs. These emission
reductions are equivalent to planting
over 800 acres of trees or removing 568
cars from the roads of Los Angeles.
In addition to generating clean solar
energy, the solar modules, which use a
thick layer of polystyrene foam under-
neath the tiles, provide significant insula-
tion. This reduces heating and air condi-
tioning costs and extends the life of the
roof by protecting it from the damaging
effects of weather. Ancillary benefits, not
considered in payback calculations,
include an estimated roof cooling of
around 20-25 degrees Fahrenheit.
The solar system is tied directly to
the building's lighting and power
switchgear, taking full advantage of free
solar power during the weekends and
holidays when the major heating venti-
lation and air conditioning equipment,
such as chillers, are not operating.
The total project cost was $2.4 million.
Through the Pacific Rim's use of state
and local incentive programs, only 15 per-
cent, or $369,000 of the total cost was
paid by GSA. Rebates were received from
the Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power and the Southern California
Gas Company. Payback for this project is
5.6 years, making it a veiy economical
photovoltaic project.
The system consists of 2,054 Power-
Guard TL modules with rated capacities
of a 308 KW peak DC (245 KW usable
AC). This is a tilted, ballasted system
that requires few roof penetrations.
For additional information contact:
Roston Manoukian, Electrical Engineer,
P.E., roston.manoukian@gsa.gov. The
above statements do not necessarily rep-
resent that of the U.S. Government.
InBrief
CAMP PENDLETON SOLAR INITIATIVE SAVES LIVES AND HELPS ENVIRONMENT
Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton has one of the largest appli-
cations of solar-powered light in the federal government. Solar-powered
streetlights and traffic beacons were installed to enhance driver safety
and base security, promote renewable energy, and reduce installation
and operating costs.
MCB Camp Pendleton, located in southern California about 40 miles
north of San Diego, has over 125,000 acres of varied terrain and 17 miles
of shoreline. When auto accident rates increased on a stretch of Basilone
Road, nicknamed "Dead Man's Curve," the base energy team was asked
for innovative ways to light this dangerous strip of road. Many locations
were more than a mile from the nearest power connection and would
require electric lines to be trenched and power poles to be installed and
maintained. An environmental impact study also would be required for a
grid-connected system.
The base energy team first piloted a renewable/solar energy project
on Basilone Road, and later installed more than 200 additional photo-
voltaic (PV)-powered streetlights, flashing warning signs, and force pro-
tection/anti-terrorism lighting to support base safety and meet force pro-
tection and anti-terrorism requirements. Marine Corps Tactical Systems
Support Activity also installed PV lights to reduce their grid-connected
energy consumption and meet force protection requirements.
The solar-powered lights' reliability, ease of installation and cost-
effectiveness make it an ideal choice for base safety, security, and force
protection needs. These lights also help Pendleton minimize green-house
gas emissions and meet Executive Order 13123.
For more information contact: Randy J. Monohan, Tetra Tech EM Inc.,
MCB Camp Pendleton, Facilities Maintenance Department (760) 725-0566,
or monohanrj@pendleton.usmc.mil
FEDFACS 17
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P2 and Environmental Stewardship
USPS Sacramento Continues Recycling Efforts
Since the United States Postal Service
(USPS) Sacramento District
launched a recycling program in 2001 at
its Royal Oaks Drive facility, it has gen-
erated additional revenue, saved money
and reduced waste.
The Royal Oaks Drive facility was
formerly the collection point for Unde-
InBrief
liverable Standard Mail (USM). Since
1999 the USM has grown from 86 tons
per month to nearly 149 tons per month
in 2001. In 2002 the USM program was
modified so that materials (e.g.,
newsprint, magazines and office pack)
were collected at individual facilities
and recycled. Revenues exceeding
$73,500 were generated in 2001 and
more than $100,000 was saved through
this recycling program. While revenue
decreased in 2002 and 2003, cost avoid-
ance increased, and the work hours nec-
essary to prepare and backhaul the mail
decreased.
In 1999, the District reduced waste
by over 1,033 tons of mixed paper (an
average of over 86 tons per month). By
2003, this increased to 3,000 tons (an
average of 250 tons per month).
Recycling up to 250 tons of
newsprint, magazines and office pack
per month diverted this tonnage from
landfills and saved the District more
than $250,000.
Backhauling of cardboard is collected
at the Sacramento Postal Distribution
Center and the cardboard comes from
post offices in Sacramento County. The
cardboard recycling program has
expanded to USPS Marysville, Modesto,
Stockton and Redding facilities. USPS
Marysville also has an USM program.
The Sacramento District is also a
member of EPA Waste wise and the EPA
Wastewise Electronic Challenge. In
2003, hundreds of diskettes and video-
tapes were reused, and hundreds of
printer toner cartridges and electronic
equipment (e.g., CRT, computers,
copiers, etc.) were recycled. While rev-
enue from these is minimal, landfill
space is saved and disposal costs are cut.
Vehicle, building and equipment
maintenance management personnel
have worked to reduce chemical use,
identify less toxic chemicals and reduce
waste. The Vehicle Maintenance Facility
recycles all fluids removed from fleet
vehicles and purchases re-refined motor
oil, recycled antifreeze, retread tires and
rebuilt motor parts.
For additional information contact:
Michael Young, Manager Maintenance,
Sacramento Main Office, michael.d.
young@usps .gov.
OKLAHOMA DEQ PROMOTES P2
Oklahoma's Department of Environmental Quality's pollution prevention (P2) program, with the
support of partners in both the public and private sectors, is promoting two voluntary programs
designed to demonstrate that organizations can profit from sound environmental performance.
The Environmental Performance and Recognition Program provides an integrated EMS tied
to leadership, planning, information usage, employees, customers, suppliers, market require-
ments, performance and key business indicators.
The Oklahoma Star Incentive Program provides recognition for facilities that may not be
ready to explore EMSs but go beyond minimal compliance to protect the environment and
worker health and safety.
The P2 Program and partners will work together with facilities that participate in the OK Star
Incentive Program to promote compliance, waste reduction, energy efficiency, environmentally
preferable purchasing, and resource conservation.
For additional information contact: Dianne Wilkins (405)702-9128 or (800) 869-1400, or dianne.
wilkins@deq.state.ok.us.
ONLINE P2 VIDEO LIBRARY
The Pollution Prevention Regional Information Center (P2RIC.org), with funding from the
Nebraska Dept. of Environmental Quality, has created an online video library to make pollution
prevention and waste reduction videos easily accessible to P2 specialists, waste reduction edu-
cators and service providers. This collection complements the document library of the Pollution
Prevention Resource Exchange (http://www.P2Rx.org). Videos can be viewed online or down-
loaded for use in PowerPoint presentations, and can be accessed at http://www
.p2ric.org/video/index.cfm. If your organization has P2 videos it would like included in this library,
please contact: Dan 0'Dell, (402) 595-1823, or dpodell@mail.unomaha.edu.
EPA ISSUES DESIGNATION FOR SEVEN RECYCLED
PRODUCTS
In the April 30 Federal Register, EPA issued the final designation and recommendations for seven
recycled content products: modular threshold ramps, non-pressure pipe, roofing materials,
office furniture, rebuilt vehicular parts, bike racks, and blasting grit. EPA also revised the desig-
nations for cement and concrete, railroad grade crossing surfaces (new recycled content
options), and polyester carpet (revised designation of polyester carpet for moderate end-uses
only). The requirement to buy these products containing recycled materials starts May 2, 2005.
For more information visit: http://www.ofee.gov/wpr/cpg4.pdf or http://www.ofee.gov/
wpr/rma n4.pdf.
18 FEDFACS
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Green Procurement
EPA Buying Green Online With a New Agreement
JUST HOW POPULAR ARE PURCHASE CARDS?
• In 2002, government agencies charged over$15 billion dollars on more than 400,000 purchase
cards.
• EPA estimates annual office supply expenditures of $5 million, or about 14 percent of its $35.8
million total purchases via 2,000 purchase cards.
• The Army spends approximately $100 million on office products each year, or about 6 percent
of its $1.7 billion in purchases via 100,000 purchase cards.
Like many federal agencies, the U.S.
EPA buys most office supplies from a
variety of sources using individual pur-
chase cards. Unfortunately, this prevents
EPA from receiving group discounts and
makes it difficult for it to track and man-
age purchases. It is also challenging to
train purchase card holders to buy
"green" products in accordance with fed-
eral requirements, ensure they will ask
about the environmental product attrib-
utes, or get the answers from vendors in a
timely fashion.
As the agency responsible for adminis-
tering the Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing (EPP) and Comprehensive
Procurement Guidelines (CPG) Pro-
grams, EPA decided to "green" its office
supplies blanket purchase agreement
(BPA).
EPA launched an effort to purchase all
non-electronic office supplies via an
agency-specific e-catalog, an online direc-
tory of products and services, available
for sale under a pre-negotiated BPA with
a commercial vendor, Corporate Express.
EPA purchase card holders use the EPAe-
catalog to select from a large array of
office supplies, including those meeting
CPG requirements for recycled-content
and the Executive Order 13101 mandate
to purchase environmentally preferable
products and services.
EPA developed its e-catalog by identi-
fying and interviewing procurement and
environmental staff from several govern-
ment agencies that already have e-cata-
logs for purchasing office supplies. This
information is contained in the report
"Buying Green Online: Greening Govern-
ment E-Procurement of Office Supplies."
It includes federal agency success stories,
EPA's green criteria for office supplies,
EPA's Request For Proposal language for
its BPA, and a chart describing a range of
federal office product e-catalogs.
To improve tracking purchases and
ensure requisite group discounts, some
agencies made their e-catalogs the only
authorized mechanism for office supply
purchases. In an effort to increase the
purchase and use of green products, other
agencies limited the products available in
their e-catalog to those meeting EPA's
recycled content guidelines.
Although other government agencies
have successful programs for encouraging
online purchase of green office products,
EPA's green purchasing criteria, located
in Appendix A of the Buying Green
Online Report noted above, are more
comprehensive. EPA will modify and aug-
ment these criteria as new green prod-
ucts become available. EPA's BPA also
requires recycling of all used toner car-
tridges and batteries. Vendor evaluation
criteria used in the award of the BPA
included having an Environmental Man-
agement System (EMS) in place or in
development, and having green fleet pur-
chase and maintenance programs.
For more information contact: Holly
Elwood of EPA, (202) 564-8854 or
elwood.holly@epa.gov.
According to federal agency staff inter-
viewed for Buying Green Online: Greening
Government E-Procurement of Office Sup-
pliesthe benefits of buying office supplies
through BPAs include:
Cost savings through group discounts.
Reduced time spent on routine pro-
cessing of orders.
Improved tracking and monitoring
capabilities.
Increased availability of up-to-date
product information.
Ease of use.
Increased ability to meet mandatory
source-of-supply requirements.
Increased ability to meet agency-spe-
cific purchasing goals.
Improved satisfaction of customers and
procurement professionals.
P2RX NEWS UPDATE
Now you can get environmental news from five P2Rx (Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange)
centers every morning when you open your browser. The news features regional environmental
news, activities and publications from state and other regional programs, plus news stories of
interest to pollution prevention and technical assistance professionals. Currently, the Pollution
Prevention Resource Information Clearinghouse (P2RIC) in region 7, Northeast Waste Manage-
ment Officials Association (NEWM0A) in regions 1&2), Pollution Prevention Resource Clearing-
house (PPRC) in region 10, Peaks to Prairies in region 8, and Great Lakes Region Pollution Pre-
vention Roundtable (GLRPPR) in region 5 all have news feeds at "my yahoo." Additionally,
ChemAlliance,the National Compliance Assistance Center Clearinghouse, and the National Pol-
lution Prevention Roundtable provide news. To see a list of environmental news providers and
learn how to set up this service for yourself, go to http://www.p2ric.org/EnvNews/newsRSSdi-
rectory.cfm. For more information on news feeds and P2Rx, contact Jean Waters of P2Rx at
jwaters@mail.unomaha.edu or 402-595-1826 or visit http://www.p2rx.org.
FEDFACS 19
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Enforcement & Compliance Monitoring
EPA's Self-Disclosure Policy: A Complementary Tool for EMS
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's environmental self-audit
policy (65 FR 19618, April 11, 2000) can
eliminate or greatly reduce penalties for
noncompliance found during self-audits.
Under the policy, federal facilities that
voluntarily discover, promptly disclose,
correct violations and take active steps
to prevent recurrence may not face
gravity-based penalties.
Self-audits and disclosures provide
facilities an opportunity for self
directed, proactive environmental com-
Self-audits and
disclosures provide
facilities an
opportunity for self
directed, proactive
environmental
compliance.
pliance. When compared to EPA inspec-
tions, information requests, subsequent
enforcement proceedings, penalties and
supervised corrective action, self-disclo-
sure can be a preferred course of action.
Self-disclosure is also a way to avoid
additional transactional costs and nega-
tive press associated with adversarial
litigation.
To encourage prompt disclosures of
noncompliance discovered through a
regular program of self-auditing, EPA
will waive up to 100 percent of the grav-
ity penalty associated with the viola-
tion. In addition, EPA will not refer the
noncompliance to the Department of
Justice for criminal prosecution.
Of course, no policy is without its
exceptions. Each of the policy's require-
ments must be met in order for facilities
to obtain its incentives. Moreover, a
facility cannot use the policy if the vio-
lations caused real or potential endan-
germent to public health and the envi-
ronment, or if disclosure is involuntary,
untimely, or made independent of gov-
ernment or third parties. Supplemental
environmental projects may also be
used to further reduce cash penalties
from noncompliance.
Self-audits are a critical element of
any well thought out environmental
management system ("EMS") geared
towards regulatory compliance. As the
United States government continues
implementing EMS throughout its facil-
ities, environmental noncompliance
may be encountered.
A more detailed examination of the
policy and its threshold requirements
are discussed below:
• Environmental noncompliance must
have been discovered through a sys-
tematic self-audit. For noncompli-
ance discovered outside of the self-
audit process the gravity penalty
may be mitigated by 75 percent.
• Reporting noncompliance as
required by permit or a state audit
process is not considered voluntary
and does not fall under the policy.
However, the policy does allow non-
compliance reported as part of a
Clean Air Act Title V permit annual
compliance certification.
• The most recent policy expands the
time for disclosure from 10 to 21
days from the time of discovery. This
may be challenging for federal facil-
ities since disclosure may require
review through the chain of com-
mand, briefings, meetings, etc.
Meeting this requirement may be
accomplished if the facility has con-
sidered self-disclosure beforehand
and developed a process to use the
policy prior to discovering its non-
compliance. A facility's early commu-
nication with EPA during the period
it is considering using the policy
may also help its case.
• Independent discovery and disclo-
sure is required by the policy. Once
EPA sends a facility an information
request letter or received a third-
party complaint of suspected non-
compliance, the policy's incentives
are no longer available to the facil-
ity.
• The policy requires correction of the
noncompliance within 60 days.
Given the federal budget cycle, gov-
ernment contracting rules, and the
internal mechanics of each agency,
this policy requirement may seem
challenging or even insurmountable.
As a means of addressing the 60-day
remediation deadline, a facility's
submission to EPA of a corrective
action plan containing proof of oblig-
ated funding and contract initiation
within the 60-day time period may
be sufficient to meet this require-
ment.
• The policy requires facilities prevent
recurrence of noncompliance. EPA
will require facilities to demonstrate
and certify that corrective action has
been implemented. Ideally, an EMS
will address the root cause of the
environmental noncompliance.
• The policy will not accept self-disclo-
sure of noncompliance similar to
that which was subject to an
enforcement action in the previous
three years, or which fits into a pat-
tern of organization-wide noncom-
pliance in the previous five years.
In order to maximize efficiency and
protect the environment, EMSs should
be designed to seek out and correct con-
ditions which may cause harm to
human health and the environment.
The EPA self-disclosure policy, like
EMSs, can also be used by senior man-
agement to guide their facility to envi-
ronmental compliance.
For more information about EPA's self-
audit policy or how to disclose, contact:
Andrew Cherry, EPA (202) 564-2589 or
cherry.andrew@epa.gov. The policy can be
found on EPA's website: http://www.epa
.gov/compliance/re sources/policies
/incentives/auditing/auditpolicy.pdf
20 FEDFACS
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Enforcement & Compliance Monitoring
EPA Addresses Stormwater Violations as
Part of National Strategy
I
n 2003, the U.S. EPA issued a national
strategy for storm water compliance and
enforcement. The purpose of the strategy
is to improve compliance with storm
water requirements and to protect our
nation's waters from the harmful effects
of polluted storm water.
These storm water requirements have
been in effect for more than ten years, but
EPA and state storm water inspection
data show that a majority of facilities
inspected over the last ten years do not
have a Clean Water Act (CWA) National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) storm water permit. In addition,
even at permitted sites the regulators are
finding significant noncompliance.
Storm water run-off is a major cause of
water quality impairment. Storm water
run-off can carry high levels of pollutants
such as sediment, oil, grease, suspended
solids, nutrients, heavy metals, pathogens,
toxins and trash into sewer systems and
ultimately into our streams, rivers, lakes,
wetlands, estuaries and oceans.
The strategy includes a number of ele-
ments for EPA and states to address this
noncompliance problem. One element of
the strategy is a storm water expedited
settlement offer (ESO) program. An ESO
should provide "real time" enforcement in
situations where violations can be cor-
rected quickly and a penalty assessed
within a short amount of time. The pur-
pose of expedited settlements is to sup-
plement, not replace traditional enforce-
ment options.
Recently, EPA Region 10 (Seattle) used
the ESO approach to address storm water
violations found at the U.S. Naval Air
Station, Whidbey Island, (Whidbey)
Wash. EPA found that the Navy's contrac-
tor, Rockford Corporation, did not meet
General Permit for Storm Water Dis-
charges from Construction Activities
(CGP) requirements for its P-157 Direct
Aircraft Refueling Station Construction
Site. The Navy also failed to file a Notice
of Intent under the CGP during this con-
struction project.
EPA gave the contractor an ESO with
a penalty of $6,850 to resolve its viola-
tions. In April 2004, EPA Region 10
issued Whidbey a CWA Notice of Non-
compliance for its failure to file the
required Notice of Intent.
For more information contact:
Melanie Garvey, EPAHQ, (202) 564-2579
or Kristine Karlson, EPARegion 10, (206)
553-0290.
FEDERAL FACILITIES COMPLIANCE AGREEMENT
TERMINATED AT PANTEX
On January 23,2004, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Pantex facility certified it was compliant
with requirements of its Federal Facility Compliance Agreement (FFCA). On February 2,2004, a ter-
mination notice was filed closing out the FFCA and the associated administrative order in accor-
dance with the agreed terms.
Located in Amarillo, Texas, Pantex has had a FFCA for Clean Water Act (CWA) violations in
place for some time. For the past two years, Pantex sought termination of the FFCA and wanted a
written acknowledgment from EPA of its narrowed CWA jurisdiction based on the Supreme Court's
decision in the "Solid Waste Authority of Northern Cook County" case.
Pantex invoked the dispute resolution clause of the FFCA to force EPA resolution of issue.
Under the schedule established by the FFCA, Pantex completed its obligations. A settlement was
recently reached in which Pantex agreed to the administrative closure of the FFCA under the
terms and conditions of its CWA NPDES permit.
For additional information contact EPA Region 6's Jana Harvill, (214) 665-8369 or William
Puplampu, (214) 665-8591 or Andrew Cherry (HQ), (202) 564-2589.
EPA's Inspection
Initiative
Continues
The U.S. EPA's Federal Facilities
Multimedia Inspection and
Enforcement Initiative ("Initia-
tive") is an EPA compliance moni-
toring effort to inspect federal facil-
ities and take appropriate
enforcement response nationwide.
Currently in its fourth year, the Ini-
tiative is coordinated by the Fed-
eral Facilities Enforcement Office
(FFEO) and follows the Office of
Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance's "Smart Enforcement"
principles.
The Initiative, which FFEO
developed in conjunction with its
ten regional offices, targets civilian
and military government facilities
which meet certain criteria, and is
intended to address significant
environmental, public health, and
compliance problems.
In particular, EPA is inspecting
facilities with low compliance rates,
such as Clean Water Act (CWA)
National Pollution Discharge Sys-
tem (NPDES) majors, and those reg-
ulated by under-inspected programs
under the Clean Air Act, Safe Drink-
ing Water Act and other CWA pro-
grams. EPA is also partnering with
state and local agencies when appro-
priate, and also evaluating environ-
mental justice considerations in its
targeting assessments.
For additional information con-
tact EPA's Federal Facility Enforce-
ment Office's Lance Elson, (202)
564-2577, David Levenstein, (202)
564-2591 or Rich Satterfield, (202)
564-2456.
FEDFACS 21
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Enforcement & Compliance Monitoring
EPA Releases Superfund 120-Day Study
For the past several years, EPA and
members of Congress have expressed
concern about EPA's difficulty funding
long-term cleanups at Superfund sites.
Due to funding constraints, EPA's Acting
Deputy Administrator, Stephen Johnson,
directed an internal workgroup to study
ways to improve Superfund's efficiencies
in order to fund the backlog of long-term
cleanups using current
resources. The study
emphasizes ways to
improve how Super-
fund expends resources
and communicates its
successes.
On April 22, 2004,
the workgroup released
a report entitled
"Superfund: Building
on the Past, Looking to
the Future." The group
found that Superfund "is a complex,
viable cleanup program with an effective
enforcement component." However, the
team made a number of recommendations
for the continued improvement of the pro-
gram. These recommendations typically
suggest ways to better implement a
strong and evolving program. While the
study failed to include a federal facilities-
specific focus, many of its recommenda-
tions could have an impact on cleanup at
federal facilities.
The study team made a total of 102
recommendations for improving program
efficiencies. Many apply specifically to
fund-lead cleanups and private party
enforcement actions, but would likely
apply to federal facility
cleanups. For instance,
federal agencies cur-
rently submit certain
remedy decisions to
EPA's National Rem-
edy Review Board
(Board). The work-
group recommends
expanding the jurisdic-
tion (e.g., possibly low-
ering the remedy cost
threshold for review) of
the Board to improve cost effectiveness.
Another suggested remedy is to re-
visit older decisions and consider apply-
ing new ideas such as innovative tech-
nologies and the most cost-efficient
cleanup approach. Other suggestions
impacting remedy selection include
expanding the presumptive remedy guid-
ance to add more technical designs, and
developing more standardized methodol-
ogy for selecting remedies.
For the placement of sites on the
Superfund National Priorities List, the
workgroup recommends keeping an
active listing process to help ensure EPA
prioritizes its work properly, and that
there is incentive for other parties to work
effectively under other federal or state
cleanup programs.
The report also makes recommenda-
tions affecting all facets of the program
such as improving contract management,
de-obligating excess money from con-
tracts so that it can be spent elsewhere,
developing regional expertise, performing
benchmarking studies to improve perfor-
mance, and considering shifting resources
among regions based on workload.
The 120-Day Study provides a very
thorough report of ways to improve
Superfund program performance. The
workgroup consisted of Superfund-expe-
rienced EPA regional and headquarters
staff who work in the Superfund pro-
gram or had in the past. To review the
study, visit EPA's website: http://www
.epa.gov/superfund/news/120daystudy
.pdf
The study empasizes
ways to improve how
Superfund expends
resources and
communicates successes.
FEDERAL AGENCY COMPLIANCE TRACKING SYSTEM
EPA's Federal Agency Compliance Tracking System (FACTS), formerly known as the Online Envi-
ronmental Compliance Status Report (ECSR), enables users to research, track and monitor the
environmental compliance history and current status of individual regulated federal facilities.
EPA employees, registered federal, state, local and tribal government agencies can view and
analyze inspection, enforcement and compliance data in EPA's national database systems, and
query data by federal agency, EPA region and state.
FACTS is available as a partner site on EPA's Online Tracking Information System (OTIS). Non-
registered users can obtain instructions and register at: http://www.epa.gov/idea/otis/register
by selecting the link: Obtaining Gov't Access/Registering for OTIS. To visit FACTS, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/idea/fedfac.
Questions or comments about FACTS can be directed to EPA's Richard Satterfield
satterfield.richard@epa.gov. Questions or comments pertaining to OTIS or access problems during
registration should be directed to Rebecca Kane, kane.rebecca@epa.gov.
Got an Article?
If you have an article about an environ-
mental activity or program at your
agency or facility, and you'd like us to
consider it for publication in the next
FedFacs, please contact: Marie Muller
at muller.marie@epa.gov. FedFacs is
published twice a year; articles should
be 500 words or less. The U.S. EPA
reserves the right to edit or decline any
article.
22 FEDFACS
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Enforcement & Compliance Monitoring
2002 Toxics Release Inventory Online
EPA issued its 15th annual Toxic
Release Inventory (TRI), the annual
report on the amount of toxic chemicals
released into the environment by
reporting facilities for calendar year
2002. Almost 25,000 facilities reported
on nearly 650 chemicals.
Atotal of 315 federal facilities reported
for 2002, an increase of 10 percent from
the 286 facilities reporting in 2001. Total
production-related waste managed
decreased by six percent. The data also
show total on and off-site disposal or
other releases from federal facilities
increased by nine percent, attributed pri-
marily to higher coal usage by one facility.
For all facilities, the TRI Public Data
Release shows a 15 percent decrease in
total disposal or other releases into the
environment from 2001 to 2002. That
decrease is largely attributable to a
court decision which required reporting
by the metal mining sector. Without
metal mining, there was a five percent
increase from 2001 to 2002,
primarily due to increases
reported by one facility. Since
the inception of TRI in 1988, f
trends analysis shows chemi-
cal releases decreased 49 per-
cent.
EPA provides the public
with data on chemical emis-
sions and releases in many
formats from many different
databases. TRI tracks the chemicals
and industrial sectors specified by the
Emergency Community Right-to-Know
Act of 1986 and its amendments. EPA's
efforts to improve TRI data quality and
to make data publicly available sooner
has been made possible by increased
electronic reporting from the TRI com-
munity. Over 23 percent of
TRI reports this year were
submitted electronically
through EPA's Environmen-
tal Information Exchange
Network.
The TRI data and back-
ground information are
available at http://www.epa
.gov/tri. Facilities (including
federal facilities) and chemi-
cal releases can be identified by using
the TRI explorer mapping tool available
at: http://www.epa.gov/triexplore.
Screening and Analysis Tool Evaluates
Environmental Impact
EPA's Geographic Information System
Screening and Analysis Tool (GISST),
developed by EPA Region 6 (Dallas),
evaluates environmental vulnerability
and impact using over 100 different
types of environmental resource and
stressor "criteria" developed by EPA.
GISST is Geographic Information
System (GlS)-driven, and combines
EPA's technical assessments into a
mathematical algorithm. This weighs
environmental information or criteria of
a specific geographic area, and identifies
and maps environmental concerns.
EPA is using this expanded analysis
capability to evaluate potential environ-
mental impacts resulting from highway
construction activities. The application
facilitates NEPA section 309 reviews,
and enables EPA to provide quick and
early notification of environmental
impact statement (EIS) and assessment
(EA) concerns. The tool also helps EPA
identify and develop alternatives (e.g.,
study corridors, alignments) to best
avoid adverse environmental impacts.
EPA Region 6 developed GISST orig-
inally as an enforcement targeting and
environmental justice tool to assess and
flag a variety of single and multi-media
environmental concerns. EPA Region 6
is expanding GISST to better support
NEPA transportation needs - from
planning and scoping phases to Final
EIS and RODs (Record of Decision).
Examples of specific assistance
include identification of sensitive areas
(e.g., endangered species habitat, wet-
lands, parks, streams and rivers, cul-
tural resources, air nonattainment
areas), environmental assessment of
alternatives to support decisions on
selection, and locations of potential bor-
row, disposal and fill materials for con-
struction sites.
GIS-driven analysis tools have a
long history within EPA. More recently,
other federal and state agencies, such
as the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA), began to recognize and advo-
cate its utility. Much of this focus is also
in response to environmental streamlin-
ing requirements per the Transporta-
tion Equity Act of 2001 (TEA-21).
EPA Region 6 has found the GISST
to be an excellent tool for cutting NEPA
review time in responding to trans-
portation or other NEPA-related activi-
ties. Transportation agencies using sim-
ilar GIS technology cut total processing
time by 30 to 50 percent (from pre-scop-
ing to ROD).
For more information contact EPA
Region 6 staff: David Parrish (214) 814-
5810, Dominique Lueckenhoff (512)
916-5012, Dr. Gerald Carney (214) 665-
6523, Rob Lawrence, (214) 665-8150,
Dr. Sharon Osowski (214) 665-7506.
FEDFACS 23
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In the Spotlight
Champions for Environmental
Leadership and Green
Government Awards
U.S. EPA Region 10 (Seattle) announced
its second annual "Champions for Envi-
ronmental Leadership" and "Green Gov-
ernment Innovation" awards, which rec-
ognize federal agencies going beyond
compliance and promoting pollution pre-
vention, sustainability, and EMS. Region
10 congratulates all facilities nominated
for this award.
The recipients for 2004 are:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Fuel
Cell Test Site - Fuel Cell Development and
Deployment - Department of Defense,
Avista Labs, Inc., and the Northwest
Mountain Region partnered to test the
Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell.
The first fuel cell was commissioned at
McChord Air Force Base, Remote Trans-
mitter Receiver, and was the first at a
FAA facility.
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island - P2
Hazardous Waste Reduction Project - The
Aviation Intermediate Maintenance
Detachment reduced or eliminated haz-
ardous waste. This P2 project elimi-
nated approximately 192,000 pounds of
hazardous waste and enhanced person-
nel safety, as well as efforts to meet the
requirements of Executive Order 13148.
Hazardous waste disposal cost savings
were $28,850.
NAS Whidbey Island Solid Waste Reduc-
tion - Solid Waste-Recycling - In FY04,
Whidbey's wastewater treatment plant
will be upgraded, and the lagoon closed.
This will be the first Navy-owned com-
posting facility, and will reduce annual
shipping and disposal costs by almost
$42,000.
National Park Service (NPS), Pacific West
Region (PWR) - Development of Sustainability
Tools - The Facility Management and
Contracting teams of the NPS PWR is
developing sustainable products, prac-
tices, tools, and guides to aid park pro-
grams meet sustainability commitments
in Region 10's Greening the Parks pro-
gram.
National Parks Service (NPS), Bonneville
Power Administration (BPA), and General
Services Administration (GSA) Berkeley
Lamp/Watt Stopper Islet Project - Updated
lighting for NPS in the Old Federal
Building in Seattle. Updated lighting
eliminating hundreds of fixtures, lamps,
ballasts and other solid waste. Occu-
pancy controlled power strips reduce
power consumption in the office. BPA
assisted in product procurement
through negotiated bulk purchase
actions. Since the employees have
portable light sources, future office
moves will not require significant
changes in overhead lighting fixture
placement switch placement or
rewiring.
2004 Closing the Circle
Awards
The Office of the Federal Environmen-
tal Executive (OFEE) is pleased to
announce the winners of this year's
White House Closing the Circle (CTC)
Awards, which recognizes outstanding
environmental stewardship through
pollution prevention, recycling, green
purchasing, sustainable building, and
the use of environmental management
systems. Thank you to all agencies that
submitted nominations this year. The
2004 Closing the Circle Award Winners
are:
Environmental Management Systems
• Dept. of Defense (DoD), Fort Bragg,
NC: The Right Way, The Green Way,
All the Way!
• Dept. of Energy (DOE), Battelle
Memorial Institute, Lab Ops Group,
Ohio: Corporate Commitment to
Environmental Stewardship and
Environmental Management Sys-
tems.
Waste/Pollution Prevention
• DoD, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.:
Environmental Management Direc-
torate, Taking Strides Forward in
Pollution & Waste Prevention at
Robins AFB.
• Dept. of Homeland Security, Federal
Law Enforcement Training Center,
Ga.: Green Ammunition.
• New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health-
care Systems, NM: Mr. Mark Boyers,
Hazardous Waste Reduction at the
NM VA Healthcare System
Recycling
• DoD, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.:
Solid Waste/Recycling Team, Rejuve-
nation of Base Recycling Program at
Tinker AFB.
• DoD, Vandenburg Air Force Base,
Calif.: Mr. Patrick Maloy, Vandenberg
AFB QRP Exceeds 90% Diversion
Rate.
• Dept. of Justice, Federal Correctional
Complex, Coleman, Fla.: Recycling
Program.
Green Purchasing
• DoD, Homestead Air Reserve Base,
Fla.: Environmentally Friendly Prod-
ucts Section at Homestead Air
Reserve Base Store.
• DOE, Sandia National Laboratories,
NM: Five Keys to Success: Continu-
ous Improvement for Construction
Purchases.
Sustainable Design/Green Building:
• DoD, U.S. Army Yuma Proving
Ground, Ariz.: YPG Energy Efficient
Model Home.
• Dept. of the Interior, Chincoteague
National Wildlife Refuge, Va.: Going
Green Over Buildings at Chin-
coteague NWR.
The summer issue of "CTC News"
spotlights these success stories more
extensively, and is found at:
http://www.ofee.gov/ctc/ctcspr04.pdf
24 FEDFACS
-------
InBrief
New Rules For Hazardous Air Emissions
The U.S. EPA announced four new rules which require certain
facilities to install Maximum Achievable Control Technologies
(MACTs). The MACT rules cover: Industrial, Commercial and
Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters; Plywood and Compos-
ite Wood Products; Stationary Reciprocating Internal Combus-
tion Engines (RICE); and Automobile and Light Duty Trucks
Manufacturing (Surface Coating). For more information, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/.
Corps Study Concludes Water Sources Safe For
Central Texas
Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth
District (USACE) to assess the impact of perchlorate associated
with the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant at
McGregor, Texas. The three year, $5.5 million study, begun in
2001 to investigate possible perchlorate impacts to the water-
sheds and raw water sources for 500,000 people in Central Texas,
is now complete.
According to the study results, data indicate there is no risk
of exposure to perchlorates in Lakes Belton and Waco, however,
some springs and streams in the area have been impacted, and
consumers are cautioned that they could potentially be exposed
by consuming plants and small animals from these areas.
The Army Corps discussed these results at two public meet-
ings in early April 2004 in Waco and Temple, Texas. The final
report is available at: http://www.swf.usace.army.mil
/links/ppmd/perchlorate/index.html. For more information con-
tact: Wayne Elliott, USACE (817) 886-1666.
Waste Reduction and Recycling Report
EPA released its first annual report on the Resource Conserva-
tion Challenge (RCC), a cross-agency initiative which identifies
and uses innovative ways to conserve natural resources and
energy. The report, entitled "The Resource Conservation Chal-
lenge: A Year of Progress," shows how federal and state govern-
ments, tribes and industry are achieving significant results in
waste reduction and recycling. The report is available on the
RCC website at: http://www.epa.gov/rcc.
E.0.13327 on Federal Real Property Asset
Management
On February 4, President Bush signed Executive Order 13327
"Federal Real Property Asset Management" to promote efficient
and economical use of federal real property resources. Of partic-
ular note are the statements regarding application of life cycle
costing and environmental concepts, and the requirement for
conformance with Executive Order 13148 (Section 3(b)(iii) and
(vi), as well as 4(b) and 4(b)(v)). For more information visit:
http://www.ofee.gov/whats/eo_asset_management.html.
UpcomingEvents
August 8 - 11 2004
Energy 2004
Rochester, NY
7th Annual workshop of federal, state, local and pri-
vate sector energy managers, service companies, utili-
ties, procurement officials, engineers and other energy
professionals. Sponsored by U.S. DOE Federal Energy
Management Program; co-sponors are DoD and U.S.
General Services Administration. For more information
please visit: http://www.energy2004.ee.doe.gov/
August 14-15,2004
CleanMed 2004
Philadelphia, PA
For more information visit:
http://www.cleanmed.org/2004/overview.html
August 16 - 19,2004
9th Annual Joint Services
Environmental Management
Conference IFormerly P2&HWM Conference)
San Antonio, TX
"Sustaining the Force: Optimizing Readiness
Through the Prevention of Pollution" For more infor-
mation visit: http://www.jsemconference.com
August 28- September 3,2004
World Renewable Energy
Congress VIII
Denver, CO
For more information, visit:
http://www.wrenuk.co.uk/wrenviii.html
September 20-22,2004
Brownfields Conference 2004
St. Louis, M0
The national Brownfields Conferences bring together
key experts from all levels of government, business,
and finance and from local communities to share
ideas and experiences in the field of urban and envi-
ronmental development. For More information, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/bfconf.htm Or
http://www.brownfields2004.org
(Note regarding non-EPA conducted or sponsored
events: EPA is providing this information because it may be
useful or interesting to FedFacs readers. However EPA can-
not attest to the accuracy of information provided by event
organizers, nor does this constitute an endorsement by EPA
or any of its employees of the sponsors of the site or the
information or products presented.)
FEDFACS 25
-------
EPA's Federal Facility Program Managers
I
n addition to its Washington, D.C.
Headquarters staff, EPA's federal facil-
ity enforcement and compliance assur-
ance program is implemented in large
part through its 10 regional offices
throughout the country. Each region has
a Federal Facility Program Manager
(FFPM) who acts as a point of contact on
many environmental issues for federal
facilities located in their region. FFPMs
also coordinate many of the region's fed-
eral facility activities and initiatives.
Below is a map which identifies U.S.
EPA regions, and the states belonging to
each region. A brief profile for each
region, and Federal Facility Program
Managers and Superfund contact infor-
mation is also provided.
EPA's Regional Federal
Facility Programs
EPA New England- Region 1
Toxics, Pesticides and Federal Programs
Office of Environmental Stewardship
One Congress Street, Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114
States: MA, NH, VT, CT, II, ME
FFPM: Anne H. Fenn, 617-918-1805;
fenn.anne@epa.gov
Other Contacts: Bryan Olson (Superfund)
617-918-1365
Regional Initiatives: EMRs; EMS Tutorials;
Qrt Information Seminars; Conferences;
EPCRA & Facility Security; Sustainability;
P2; Compliance Training (VHA, DOFNPS);
Multimedia Inspection.
Regional Resources: Additional information
about Region 1 is found at:
http://www.epa.gov/regionl
EPA Region 2
Compliance Assistance Section
290 Broadway, 21st Floor
New York, NY 10007-1866
(212) 637-3000
States: NJ, NY, PR, Virgin Islands
FFPM: Kathleen Malone; 212-637- 4083;
malone.kathleen@epa.gov
Other Contacts: John Malleck (Superfund);
212-637-4263
Regional Resources: The region's federal
facility website is found at:
http://www.epa.gov/Region2/ff/index.html
EPA Region 3
Office of Enforcement, Compliance and
Environmental Justice (3EC00)
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
States: PA, DE, MD, DC, VA, WV
FFPM: Jose J. Jimenez; 215-814-2148,
jimenez.jose@epa.gov
(Compliance assurance, compliance assis-
tance, and EMS)
Other Contacts: Paul Leonard (Superfund);
215-814-3350
William Arguto (NEPA and EMRs); 215-814-
3367
Regional Initiatives: Region is focusing on
VA Hospitals, U.S. Post Office Vehicle Mainte-
nance Facilities, and facilities with NPDES
problems. Region offers NPDES training, tar-
geted to DoD facilities, and EMS workshops
for federal sector.
Regional Resources: Federal Facilities
Compliance Kit (compilation of compliance
documents, checklists, and EMS information
about federal facilities on CD). Region's web-
site contains more information about upcom-
ing training. Visit: http://www.epa.gov
/reg3ecej/federal_facilities.htm.
Other: The Region partnering with U.S.
Navy, Air Force, Army and GSA, and also
with states PA and VA to host the 2005
EPA/DOD/State Colloquium. Please contact
Region for more information, or to participate
in program agenda. Region also provides
training "7 Habits of Highly Effective People."
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EPA Region 4
61 Forsyth Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303
States: AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN
FFPM: Mark Robertson (DoD, DOE) 404-
562-9639; robertson.mark@epa.gov
Anthony Shelton (civilian agencies) 404-562-
9636; shelton.anthony@epa.gov
Other Contacts: Jon D. Johnston (Super-
fund) 404-562-8527
Anne Heard (RCRA//UST/OPA) 404-562-9521
Regional Initiatives: CWA SPCC Compli-
ance Assurance Initiative - Region 4 will pro-
vide compliance assistance to selected federal
facilities on SPCC compliance issues, and
encourage selected federal facilities to use
EPA's Audit Policy to self-disclose violations.
Region will also inspect selected facilities.
Regional Resources: EPA co-sponsors an
annual June con- Continued on page 27
26 FEDFACS
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EPA'S FEDERAL FACILITY PROGRAM MANAGERS
Continued from page 26
ference with the U.S. Army Environmental
Center-Southern Regional Environmental
Office, for federal facilities in the southeast.
More information is found at: http://aec.army
.mil/usaec/reo/region4/index.html. Region also
provides various training. Additional informa-
tion about Region 4 generally is found at:
http://www.epa.gov/region4
EPA Region 5
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604
States: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI
FFPM: Lee J. Regner; 312-353-6478;
regner.lee@epa.gov
Other Contacts: Gary Schafer (Superfund
and BRAC); 312-353-8827
Phil Kaplan (Pollution Prevention); 312-353-
4669
Regional Initiatives: Region 5 is conducting
environmental management reviews (EMRs).
Facilities interested in having an EMR at
their facility should contact the region.
Regional Resources: Additional information
about Region 5 generally is found at:
http://www.epa.gov/region5
EPA Region 6
Compliance Assurance and Enforcement
Division
Office of Planning and Coordination
(6EN-XP)
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas, TX 75202
States: AR, LA, NM, OK, TX
FFPM: Joyce Stubblefield; 214-665-6430;
stubblefield.joyce@epa.gov
Gabriel Gruta; 214-665-2174;
gimta.gabriel@epa.gov
(Compliance assistance, P2, EMS)
Other Contacts: Gus Chavarria (Superfund
NPL); 214-665-3162;
George Malone; 214-665- 8030; and Michael
Barra; 214-665-2143 (Superfund Legal Coun-
sels)
Walt Helmick (Superfund QA); 214-665-8373
Laurie King (Permits and BRAC);
214-665-6785
Regional Initiatives: Environmental man-
agement reviews; Federal Interagency EMS
training(s);
Regional Resources: Geographical Informa-
tion System Screening Tool (GISST) website:
www.epa.gov/earthli-6/6en/xp/enxp2a3.htm
Please contact FFPM Joyce Stubblefield if
interested in this environmental screening
tool. Additional information about Region 6
generally can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/region6
Other: Federal/State partnerships, Leader-
ship and P2 Programs. (Please contact Joyce
Stubblefield for specific state contacts)
EPA Region 7
Enforcement Coordination Office
901 North 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
States: IA, KS, MO, NE
FFPM: Kris Goschen; 913-551-7027;
goschen.kiis@epa.gov
Other Contacts: Gene Gunn (Superfund);
913-551-7776
Regional Resources: Additional information
about Region 7 is found at:
http://www.epa.gov/region7
EPA Region 8
999 18th Street Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202-2466
States: CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY
FFPM: Dianne Thiel (Mail stop: 8P-P3T);
303-312-6389; thiel.dianne@epa.gov (EMS,
EMRs, P2, environmentally preferable pur-
chasing, greening government)
Elisabeth Evans (Mail stop: 8ENF-T);
303-312-6217 evans.elisabeth@epa.gov
(Compliance assistance, inspections and
enforcement)
Other Contacts: Terry Anderson (Super-
fund); 303-312-6244
Marie Zanowick (P2 and EMS) 303-312-6403
Regional Initiatives: EMRs; EMS - training,
Leadership Opportunities for Senior Man-
agers; module environmental policy develop-
ment; environmental compliance and P2
training presented at annual DOI conference.
Regional Resources: "Permitting Stormwa-
ter Discharges from Federal Facility Con-
struction Projects" (posted on Region's website
in June); "Cleaning National Parks: Using
Environmentally Preferable Janitorial Prod-
ucts at Yellowstone and Grand Tbton National
Parks." Found at: http://www.epa.gov/Region8
/conservation_recycling/yellowstone.pdf. Addi-
tional information about Region 8 is found at:
http://www.epa.gov/region8.
EPA Pacific Southwest Region - Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
States: AZ, CA, HI, NV, Guam, American
Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands; 147
tribal nations.
FFPMs: Larry Woods Federal Facilities Coor-
dinator (Mail Stop: CMD-1); 415-972-3857;
woods.lariy@epa.gov
Tarn Kelly, Federal Facilities Coordinator (Mail
Stop: CMD-1); 415-972-3856;
kelly.thomasp@epa.gov
Other Federal Facility Contacts: Kathleen
Johnson (Superfund); 415-972-3873
Lisa Hanf (EIS/NEPA review); 415-972-3854
Regional Resources: Region 9 assists federal
facility compliance through partnership activi-
ties, such as training, recognition programs
like Champions of Green Government, and
EMRs for gap analysis assistance for EMS
implementation. More information about these
activities is found on Region 9's Federal Facil-
ity Compliance Program website:
http://www.epa.gov/Region9/cross_pr/fedfac/
Other: Map of Federal and Tribal Land in
Region 9: http://www.epa.gov/Region9/cross
_pr/fedfac/fedmap.html
Region 9 Libraiy: http://www.epa.gov/Region9
/libraiy/
Region 9 Environmental Management
System: http://www.epa.gov/Region9/cross_pr
/ems/index.html
The Federal Network for Sustainability, a
Region 9 FFCP Partner: http://www.federal
sustainability.org/
EPA Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98101
States: AK, ID, OR, WA
FFPM: Michele Wright; 206-553-1747;
wright.michele@epa.gov
Other Contacts: Nancy Hamey (Superfund);
206-553-6635
Nick Ceto (Hanford); 509-376-9529
Regional Initiatives: EMRs, EMS training
and other assistance; Champions of Environ-
mental and Green Government Innovation
Recognition program.
Regional Resources: Region's website is
located at: http://www.epa.gov/regionlO. For
enforcement and compliance information visit:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/ENFORCE.NSF
/Homepage/OCE+Main+Page
Other: The West Coast Federal Network for
Sustainability, and the newly created Seattle
Federal Executive Board subgroup (Intera-
gency Environmental Leadership Council)
FEDFACS 27
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