News Releases from Region 06

EPA Recognizes NASA, DEA, GSA and VA for Improved Environmental Stewardship

DALLAS – (July 12, 2017) Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes the efforts of federal facilities that took steps to improve efficiency, save resources and reduce costs as part of the Federal Green Challenge (FGC).

“Federal agencies across the country are doing their part to minimize their environmental impact, in doing so saving American taxpayers millions of dollars,” EPA Administrator Pruitt said. “Their efforts resulted in an estimated cost savings of $17 million across the federal government.”

Through their involvement, FGC participants reduced the federal government’s environmental impact by reducing fuel oil consumption by more than 500,000 gallons, sending 310 tons of end-of-life electronics to third-party recyclers, saving 9.2 million gallons of industrial water, and diverting over 336,000 tons of waste from landfills.

EPA Region 6 recognized four agencies for achievements in seven categories:

General Services Administration

• Energy—GSA Federal Service Center in Fort Worth, TX: Reduced the amount of natural gas consumed from 10,661,000 cubic feet in 2015 to 6,699,000 cubic feet in 2016, resulting in 37% improvement.
• Water—GSA RC White Federal Building in El Paso, TX: Reduced their use of potable water in 2015 from 277,508 gallons to 221,408 gallons in 2016, resulting in 20% improvement

Drug Enforcement Administration

• Electronics—El Paso Intelligence Center in El Paso, TX (EPIC): Increased the amount of EPEAT registered units from 71 in 2015 to 130 in 2016, resulting in 83% improvement
• Purchasing—EPIC: Reduced the amount of paper purchased from 5,000 lbs in 2015 to 4,500 in 2016, resulting in 10% improvement
• Education and Outreach—EPIC: All employees received environmental education and outreach. During FY2016 EPIC recycled 9.54 tons of comingled solid waste, 0.27 tons of toner cartridges, 0.17 tons of batteries, and 0.75 tons of wooden pallets, at a total diversion rate of 73.2%. EPIC recycled 9.54 tons of electronics. EPIC employees continue to work on environmental goals with partners at Fort Bliss and the El Paso community.

Veterans Administration

• Transportation—Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center in Bonham, TX: Added 13 electric vehicles to the facility’s fleet.

NASA

• Waste—White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, NM—Increased the amount of waste recycled from105.58 tons in 2015 to 554.04 tons in 2016, resulting in 424% improvement.

FGC, now in its fifth year, is a yearlong commitment under EPA's Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Program in which participants focus on efficiently managing their resources to reduce the costs of building operations, maintenance and supplies. Specifically, participants track their data in two of six categories for a year.

EPA awarded national recognition to the following participants for their efforts in improving the efficiency of their facilities in FY16:

• Waste: The Department of Defense, Vermont Army National Guard (Colchester, Vermont) increased its waste diversion efforts by 2,217 percent from the previous year, saving nearly $4,000 in tipping fees. 

• Electronics: The Department of Energy, East Tennessee Technology Park (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) increased its Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-registered equipment by 1,328 percent and sent 11.6 tons of used electronics to third-party recyclers.

• Purchasing: The Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System (Minneapolis, Minnesota) decreased its printer and copier paper purchased by 44 percent from the previous year, saving $142,511. 

• Energy: The Department of Veterans Affairs Connecticut Health Care System (West Haven Campus, West Haven, Connecticut) reduced the amount of fuel oil it consumed by 58 percent, saving $59,456.

• Water: The Department of Energy, East Tennessee Technology Park (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) reduced its potable water consumption by almost 94 million gallons, saving $375,412.

• Transportation: The James E. Van Zandt Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Altoona, Pennsylvania) increased its hybrid vehicle fleet size by 125 percent. 

For more information on the Federal Green Challenge and this year’s winners, please visit https://www.epa.gov/fgc/federal-green-challenge-awards.

Learn more about EPA’s work in Texas: https://www.epa.gov/tx

Learn more about EPA’s work in New Mexico: https://www.epa.gov/nm

Connect with EPA Region 6:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6  

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6 

Activities in EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central

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