Region 1: EPA New England
EPA New England Bolsters Use of Environmental Management Systems
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
By Robert Varney
March 2002
State and federal environmental agencies are continuing to move beyond their traditional regulatory and enforcement roles, and the increasing use of Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) is a key factor driving that change.
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Environmental agencies can no longer operate simply by setting environmental standards through regulations and permit conditions and then penalizing those who do not comply. Over the past few years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental agencies have been employing a variety of tools, including EMSs, to encourage and promote good environmental practices - practices that ensure sustainable compliance and that address important environmental issues not fully covered by laws and regulations such as natural resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions.
In New England, EPA is working closely with businesses, environmental groups, and state environmental agencies to boost awareness and adoption of EMSs and explore possible public policy approaches that could further expand their use. All of the New England states are participating with EPA New England in the National Environmental Performance Track program, which is based in part on the StarTrack Program launched by EPA's New England Office in 1996. Performance Track is a voluntary program designed to promote the use of EMSs and to motivate and reward top environmental performance. To participate, companies must have an environmental management system in place, demonstrate a consistently strong environmental performance, and commit to making further environmental improvements.
New England's 33 Performance Track facilities are already seeing the environmental and economic benefits of implementing an EMS. Over the past two years, the facilities have committed to 132 environmental improvements that are above and beyond what is required by the law. Among the results: 11 facilities have made commitments that will result in a reduction of total solid waste generation by nearly 8.3 million pounds -- a 9.9 percent reduction over previous levels; 12 commitments will result in a reduction of total energy use by 5.6 million BTUs, the average energy use of 54,000 households.
Applying the EMS Model to Pressing National Issues
EPA New England sees great potential in using the EMS model for addressing important national issues. The recently launched Climate Leaders Program, an important component of President Bush's energy policy and our recently announced Clear Skies and Global Climate Change initiatives, challenges businesses to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and provides a significant opportunity to achieve the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity reduction set forth in the Administration's new policy. The structured management approach of an EMS and its commitment to continual improvement is a logical framework for integrating a GHG inventory into a company's overall environmental strategy and for facilitating the setting and achievement of long-term GHG reduction goals.
The EMS framework also provides the structure and opportunity for managing security issues. Site security for industrial facilities, including protection of chemicals, processes, and technologies, has become a critical issue for all organizations. The contingency planning, training, checking, and corrective action and management review that are basic elements of managing potential chemical hazards under any EMS are also crucial elements of site security. Facilities that have implemented an EMS have a structure in place to deal with one of the most serious issues facing our country.
Incorporating EMSs in Enforcement and Compliance Strategies
EPA New England has also been an innovative leader in how it achieves the traditional goal of environmental compliance. In this regard, EPA New England is making widespread use of integrated strategies that combine both assistance and enforcement to motivate organizations and provide them with the tools to achieve sustained compliance. Our regional office has successfully included EMSs in several integrated enforcement and assistance strategies for sectors with particularly complex issues - one such example being our three-year-old Colleges and Universities Initiative.
After inspections showed widespread compliance problems at campuses across the region, EPA New England launched a program that included compliance assistance and continued inspections. Our compliance awareness and education activities included two new programs. First, we launched an Audit Policy Initiative designed to promote further improvement in compliance, which meshes well with the EMS emphasis on self-examination. One hundred and forty-one college and university facilities across the region are participating so far. Second, an EMS Guide has been written to provide colleges and universities with assistance to better manage their overall environmental responsibilities in a streamlined, cost-effective manner. The guide includes environmental aspect worksheets, compliance calendars, compliance checklists, and compliance management and record keeping forms.
Three colleges - The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of New England, and the Wentworth Institute of Technology - are piloting the EMS Guide to test its effectiveness and provide feedback to EPA. We hope to recruit six to eight other colleges and universities to pilot the EMS Guide this year. We're also holding several EMS awareness workshops for colleges this year.
I'm also a strong believer in "leading by example," which is why I have directed our new regional laboratory in Chelmsford, Massachusetts to develop an EMS and use it to identify and reduce our own environmental impacts.
Given the many complex and intertwining environmental issues facing our society today, EMSs are a valuable tool for helping the regulators and the regulated community improve overall environmental performance in cost effective ways. EPA recognizes this huge promise and will continue working closely with businesses and our state partners in the coming years to maximize their use.
Robert W. Varney is regional administrator of EPA's New England Office in Boston. For more information on EPA New England's EMS programs, visit the agency's web site at www.epa.gov/region1/assistance/ems/.