(click on the links below to see the progress of each initiative) |
Environmental Management Systems |
An Environmental Management System, or EMS, can help Federal agencies manage their own consumption and waste generation practices by integrating environmental management into everyday business activities. There are numerous statutory, regulatory, and policy reasons why there needs to be greater emphasis on the use of EMS activities in the Federal government. FNS wants to use its influence with member agencies to identify agencies that are successfully using EMS plans, learn from their successes, and provide this information to other Federal agencies.
Take Action
If you work with a federal agency that would like to share results of its EMS implementation, contact us and tell us about your experience so that we may provide this information to others.
Background
EMSs have long been in use by the private sector, and when implemented thoughtfully can lead to continual improvement based on identifying environmental factors and establishing goals, implementing training programs and operational controls, monitoring processes and performing corrective action, and continuously reviewing progress and making needed changes to the EMS.
To integrate environmental accountability into agency day-to-day decisionmaking and long-term planning processes, Executive Order 13148 requires federal facilities to implement EMSs. The EO does not prescribe the EMS model to be used but does direct the timeline for implementation: EMSs must be in place by the end of 2005.
Legal Requirements & EO’s
- Executive Order 13148: Greening the Government Through Leadership in Environmental Management. The Executive Order specifies goals of:
- senior level environmental management;
- full compliance with environmental laws and right-to-know reporting;
- pollution prevention as a strategy for compliance;
- Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) releases and off-site transfers of toxic chemicals for treatment and disposal reduced by 10 percent annually, or by 40 percent overall by December 31, 2006;
- reduction of selected toxic chemicals, hazardous substances, and pollutants, or its generation of hazardous and radioactive waste types at its facilities by 50 percent by December 31, 2006;
- development of a plan to phase out the procurement of Class I ozone- depleting substances for all nonexcepted uses by December 31, 2010; and
- implementation of cost-effective, environmentally sound landscaping practices, and programs to reduce adverse impacts to the natural environment.
- EMS Implementation Policies for each Federal Agency (scroll down to the "EMS Implementation Policies" subcategory under the main "Lessons Learned" category)
- Department of Energy sites also fall under DOE's Order 450.1 which requires sites to implement EMSs. These EMSs must be part of Integrated Safety Management Systems (ISMSs) established pursuant to DOE P 450.4, Safety Management System Policy. This document also requires contractors responsible for the management and operation of DOE-owned facilities to develop and follow EMSs.
Objectives/Goals
The FNS has provided multiple trainings and opportunities for West Coast federal agencies to share information about their development of EMSs. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to help federal agencies achieve compliance with EMS requirements and to help streamline operations and improve environmental performance along the West Coast.
Activities
Presentations
June 2005 update on FNS's results: workshops held, numbers of attendees, and attendees improved test scores on EMS information from representatives of 15 different federal agencies.
Trainings
- Environmental Management System Design Phase III Training
February 23-24, 2005 / Las Vegas, NV; March 16-17, 2005 / San Diego, CA; April 19-20, 2005 / San Francisco, CA; April 26-27, 2005 / Seattle, WA - Environmental Management System Design Phase II Training
Spring/Summer 2004 / Las Vegas, NV; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA - Environmental Management Systems Development Workshop Phase I
September 9th & 10th, 2003 / Las Vegas, NV; July 16th & 17th, 2003 / San Diego, CA; May 28th & 29th, 2003 / Seattle, WA; May 7th & 8th, 2003 / San Francisco - Federal Environmental Leadership: Environmental Management Systems
August 23rd & 24th, 2001 / Seattle, WA
Success Stories
Nationally, EPA has been in compliance with the EMS requirement since the end of 2003 at its 34 applicable facilities. See a snapshot of EPA's progress, as well as that of many other federal agenices in the Calendar Year 2003 Scorecard for EMS Implementation in the Federal Government.
For more details about activities at EPA Regional offices, a summary of EPA Region 9's EMS examines employee commute, activities at EPA offices, conferences (attending and hosting), employee travel, food service operations and more. EPA Region 10 headquarters has established an EMS with 6 main focus areas: paper, purchasing, energy, travel, electronics, and recycling.
EPA Region 9 also awards "Champions of Green Government" -- federal facilities projects that exceed environmental standards and requirements.
The Department of Energy facility Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed its EMS using International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14001) protocols. The lab completed its original EMS in 2002, but continues to improve its environmental performance. In 2004 it became a member of the National Environmental Performance Track. The Idaho National Laboratory is also in compliance.
The Department of Defense has many installations on the west coast that have had effective EMSs in place since 2002, including Fort Lewis, Department of Public Works, Washington; Klamath Falls Air National Guard Base, Oregon; Naval Air Depot North Island, Coronado, California; and Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Keyport, Keyport, Washington. Top management has indicated that EMSs are useful tools to guide efforts toward increasing sustainability. Find more details in the 2002 Annual Report to Congress.
NASA Ames Research Center's EMS has had measurable results since 2003.
Click here if you work with a federal agency that has an EMS Success Story you wish to share.
Resources & Tools
Federal Agency Policy, Programs & Resources
Office of the Federal Environmental Executive
- Main OFEE EMS page
- Partners for Environmental Performance Initiative - matches private entities that have successful EMSs with federal facilities currently developing their own EMS
- EMS Fact Sheets
- EMS Managers Guide
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
Department of the Interior
Environmental Protection Agency
- Integrating Green Purchasing Into Your Environmental Management System guidance to Federal facilities as they integrate green purchasing into their Environmental Management System (EMS)
- EPA Region 10 Environmental Management System
- EPA Region 9 Environmental Management System
FedCenter.gov
Nonprofit Programs & Resources
Peer Center (Public Entity EMS Resource Center)
Contacts
- Barbara J. Lither, USEPA Region 10, (206) 553-1191
Federal Network for Sustainability Contact Us