Environmental Management Systems

1. Environmental Management Systems James Ortiz U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance Washington, D.C. Alaska Forum on the Environment • February 12, 2008

2. U.S. Department of the Interior “protect and provide access to our Nation's natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to Indian Tribes and our commitments to island communities”

3. U.S. Department of the Interior • The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI): • Approximately 73,000 employees • Approximately 200,000 volunteers • Approximately 2,400 operation locations • Manages 500 million acres of surface land, or about one-fifth of the land in the United States • Has jurisdiction over approximately 1.76 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf 

4. DOI Mission • Resource Protection - Protect the Nation's natural, cultural, and heritage resources • Resource Use - Manage resources to promote responsible use and sustain a dynamic economy • Recreation - Provide recreation opportunities for America • Serving Communities - Safeguard lives, property and assets; advance scientific knowledge; and improve the quality of life for communities we serve • Management Excellence - Manage the Department to be highly skilled, accountable, modern, functionally integrated, citizen-centered and result-oriented Does this have anything to do with the environment?

5. Outline • Executive Order (EO) 13423 • Overview of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) • Benefits of EMS • Case Studies • U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) and EMS

6. Executive Order 13423 “Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management”

7. EO 13423 • Signed by President Bush on 1/26/07 • Moving forward by building upon prior successes and enhancing government efficiency, productivity, and performance • Integrates environment, energy, and human health considerations • Consolidates five prior orders and two Memoranda of Understanding into one order

8. EO 13423 • Updated and more aggressive goals for: • Energy efficiency • Renewable energy • Water conservation • Acquisition • Pollution prevention/recycling • High performance buildings • Fleet management • Electronics stewardship

9. EO 13423 • Clarifies and strengthens role of EMS • Clarifies roles of Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), Heads of Agencies, and Senior Officials • More closely aligns environmental and energy requirements with performance scorecards approach

10. EO 13423 • Secretarial Memorandum of April 4, 2007, directs DOI: • Lead by example on the implementation of EO 13423 • Achieve results and make progress toward EO 13423 goals

11. EO 13423-EMS Requirements • Implement within the agency environmental management systems (EMS) at all appropriate organizational levels to ensure: • use of EMS as the primary management approach for addressing environmental aspects of internal agency operations and activities, including environmental aspects of energy and transportation functions, • establishment of agency objectives and targets to ensure implementation of this order, and • collection, analysis, and reporting of information to measure performance in the implementation of this order

12. Overview of EMS

13. What Is An EMS? • Tool consisting of standardized procedures to reduce our environmental footprint • Continuous quality improvement and strategic planning with the goal of reducing environmental impacts • Part of an overall management system which includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and resources for achieving environmental policy

14. EMS Elements • Important EMS elements include: • Continual improvement • Pollution prevention • Compliance • Management commitment • Formalization • Awareness of a systems-based approach

15. Purpose of an EMS An EMS brings together the people, policies, plans, review mechanisms, and procedures used to manage environmental issues at a facility or in an organization

16. EMS Frameworks • Organizations ISO 14001 Standard • International Organization for Standardization • 14001 is the standard for EMS • Widely used and respected • The EO 13423 Implementing Instructions directs Federal agencies to align their EMS programs with the ISO 14001 Standard

17. EMS Cycle of Continuous Improvement

18. The Continuous Cycle • PlanPlanning, identifying environmental aspects and establishing goals • DoImplementing, includes training and operational controls • CheckChecking, includes monitoring and corrective action • ActReviewing, includes progress reviews and acting to make needed changes

19. Plan • Identify aspects and impacts from a facilities activities, products, and services • Review legal requirements • Set objectives and targets • Establish a formal EMS program

20. Do • Implementation and Operation: • Define roles and responsibilities • Provide EMS training • Establish internal and external communication mechanisms • Establish document control system • Establish operational controls • Integrate with or establish emergency preparedness procedures

21. Check • Checking and Corrective Action: • Conduct periodic monitoring of environmental performance • Identify root causes of findings and conduct corrective and preventive actions • Maintain environmental records • Conduct periodic EMS audits

22. Act • Conduct a periodic senior management review of EMS • Revise policies as needed

23. What Is An EMS? Management Review Environmental Policy Continuous Improvement • Planning • Environmental Aspects • Compliance • Objectives and Targets • Environmental Mgmt. Programs • Checking/ • Corrective Actions • Measurement and Monitoring • EMS Nonconformance and Corrective Actions • Records • EMS Audits • Implementation • Roles and Responsibilities • Training and Communication • EMS Document Control • Emergency Preparedness and Response

24. Benefits Of EMS

25. Benefits Of An EMS-Zion National Park • Zion National Park • 2001: EMS program was initiated • 2002: Sustainability concepts were incorporated into the Park’s General Management Plan • 2007: Park created a “green team” to address sustainability within the Park • Green team’s goal is to make sustainability “doable” for everyone • The goal is to“…make sustainability a part of our culture and focus on how to become more sustainable ourselves.” –Jock Whitworth, Park Superintendent

26. Benefits Of An EMS-Zion National Park • In 2007, Zion National Park committed to energy reduction • Reduce energy use by 5% • Incentive program • Energy awareness program • Communication • Reduced energy costs • Goal achieved!

27. Benefits Of An EMS-Zion National Park In 2000, Zion National Park committed to reducing traffic, air emissions, and reducing its carbon footprint • Zion Canyon Transportation System • Propane buses as sole sources of transportation in the canyon • Tied to a partner-system in the neighboring town of Springdale to encourage visitors to leave their cars outside the park • In FY 2006, it was estimated that: • 10,580,866 vehicle miles were not driven inside Zion National Park • Prevented the release of 5,082,254 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere!

28. Benefits of an EMS-Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery • Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery • EMS was initiated in 2003 • Benefits have included: • Excellent outreach and environmental education programs • Waste and pollution prevention initiatives

29. Benefits of an EMS-Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery • Goals achieved: • Reduction of use of formalin by approximately two-thirds. This required: • Change in hatchery operations • Use hydrogen peroxide that breaks down air and water • Execution of a successful recycling plan • Diverted more than 70 percent of materials from the waste stream

30. Benefits Of An EMS-Cape Cod National Seashore • Cape Cod National Seashore • Initiated EMS in 2003 as part of the National Park Service (NPS) pilot program • “It’s extremely rewarding to see the positive changes that the park has gone through.” –George Price, Park Superintendent

31. Benefits Of An EMS-Cape Cod National Seashore • Cape Cod National Seashore has realized benefits from EMS: • Improved regulatory compliance, • Pollution prevention, • Reduction in hazardous waste, and • Improved communication and efficiency

32. Benefits Of An EMS-Cape Cod National Seashore • Recycling program • Includes paper, plastic, glass, cardboard, metal, oil filters, waste oil, printer cartridges, CDs, and universal waste • Partnered with local community groups to improve its recycling efforts, which is a “win-win” for all parties • CapeAbilities

33. Documented procedures and management plan Sustainable program Greater confidence in environmental decision-making Less inspections More help to Bureaus and Offices Easier compliance Use less materials Pollution prevention New partners Increased efficiency Improved morale Enhanced image Fewer mistakes Do more with less General Benefits Of An EMS

34. Critical for EMS Success • Bottom line requirements: • EMS is “Everyone’s Management System” • Must relate to your organization’s mission • Must have senior management commitment • Must be consistent with other management systems (e.g., IT, purchasing) in your organization

35. What You Can Do • Your organization may already have an have EMS established or have elements of an EMS in place: • Training programs (e.g., on-line DOI EMS Awareness Training offered to DOI employees through DOI LEARN) • Plans, permits, etc. • Inspections, forms, checklists • You may be able to contribute to implementing and improving your organization’s EMS

36. Upcoming Training: EMS Implementation and Environmental Compliance Auditing • Three day classroom courses offered by DOI University to federal agencies in Anchorage, Albuquerque, and Denver • Anchorage: Environmental Compliance Auditing (March 18-20, 2008); EMS Implementation (April 15-17, 2008) • For more information go to: www.doiu.nbc.gov and click on Classroom and Online course offerings

37. In Summary • An EMS is the combination of people, policies, procedures, review, and plans to help proactively address environmental issues • Proactive environmental management benefits us all by: • protecting the health of the surrounding ecosystem, • preserving resources for future generations, • being a good neighbor, • minimizing mission impact due to non-compliance issues, and • saving money by decreasing wasted resources

38. DOI and the EMS

39. DOI Policy • DM Manual Part 515, Chapter 4 • Issued in 2002 • Requires EMS implementation by Bureaus and Offices • Currently under revision to reflect EO 13423 requirements • 2007-2012 Strategic Plan • DOI committed to fully implement EMS by the end of FY 2009

40. DOI EMS Council • Bureau of Indian Affairs • Bureau of Land Management • Bureau of Reclamation • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • Minerals Management Service • National Business Center • National Park Service • Office of Surface Mining • U.S. Geological Survey

41. DOI EMS Council • EMS Council allows the DOI to act cohesively and leverage broader resources while allowing each Bureau and Office sufficient flexibility to address unique issues • Council functions include: • Development of performance measures, goals, and reporting mechanisms • Promotion of common efficiencies and sharing of resources • Recommendation of approaches and actions to senior management • Provide a forum to address cross-cutting issues

42. DOI EMS Council • Key accomplishments include providing a supportive and encouraging environment for discussion and problem solving. Other specific accomplishments are: • Departmental EMS Policy • Needs analysis for EMS tools and techniques • EMS awareness and advanced training • Pocket Guide to EMS for Executives and Managers

43. DOI-Next Steps • Infrastructure (i.e., DOI EMS Council) • EMS Implementation Plan • Continued promotion of EMS awareness

44. Questions?

45. Contact Information James Ortiz, Ph.D. Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. (MS-2340) Washington, D.C. 20240 202.208.7553 james_ortiz@ios.doi.gov