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EMS Action Plan: Goal 2
EPA’s Position on EMS
- EMS Position Statement
- Agency EMS Policies
- Executive Order 13148
- Federal Sector EMS Resources
Promote Excellence in the Practice of EMS Inside and Outside the Agency
Element 5: Establish a Core EMS Coordination and Support Team Within EPA
Within EPA, most of the actual work on EMSs is conducted within national programs or EPA's regional offices. The Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation helps to coordinate and plan this work, and provides leadership in setting EMS policy. EPA also has internal policy groups, representing senior management and staff, to address issues related to EMS use.
Actions:
EPA will establish an EMS practitioners forum to allow staff with EMS experience to discuss and share experiences from their work. In addition, EPA will establish an EMS support network so that EPA staff interested in EMSs can receive the advice and support of their peers and avoid having to reinvent the wheel.
- Establish a practitioners forum for sharing EMS information among staff; and
- Create a support network to assist with developing new programs or policies involving EMS use.
Element 6: Support EMS Implementation at EPA and other Federal Agency Facilities
EPA will model best practices for EMSs by implementing them at appropriate Agency facilities, such as EPA's research laboratories and regional offices. EPA will emphasize practices that improve regulatory compliance, pollution prevention, public/stakeholder communication, and, where feasible, other indicators of environmental stewardship, such as water or energy conservation.
EPA will also continue conducting Environmental Management Reviews (EMRs) with federal partners at selected federal facilities. EMRs look at how various EMSs function and are conducted at the invitation of a facility. They are meant to assure the effectiveness of environmental programs--they are neither comprehensive audits nor compliance inspections.
In addition, EPA will work closely with other federal partners that are taking a leadership role on EMS issues or are interested in learning more about them. EPA will provide a platform for inter-agency coordination and learning, and prepare a review of lessons learned to assist federal agencies on future EMS adoption efforts. EPA will support implementation of Executive Orders related to EMS use. These include Executive Order 13148, Greening the Government through Leadership in Environmental Management
, which combines requirements in several previous Executive Orders.
Actions:
- Issued Implementation Guide for the Code of Environmental Management Principles (CEMP) for Federal Agencies and an Environmental Management Systems Primer for Federal Agencies;
- In April 2001, reissued the Environmental Management Review Policy and Guidance for Federal Facilities" to be consistent with EPA's Audit Policy;
- Conducted over 65 EMRs at Federal facilities through FY ‘00;
- Issued the EMR National Report: Lessons Learned in Conducting EMRs at Federal Facilities;
- Developed an EMS awareness and auditing training program for EPA personnel and began offering training classes;
- Developed 5 mini-workshops and delivered an 8-hour workshop at the National Defense Industrial Association's 27th Environmental Symposium and Exhibition in Austin, TX;
- Continue to offer the 8-hour EMS Workshop for Federal Facilities to the federal community to assist with self-assessment and EMS implementation;
- Implement an EMS at EPA's Region 3 Environmental Sciences Center (Region 3 + Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances) at Ft. Meade, Maryland;
- Develop an Agency Environmental Policy to responsibly manage the environmental impacts associated with the activities, products, and services related to Agency operations and facilities;
- Identify sites and begin implementing EMSs at 12 additional EPA facilities; and
- Continue to facilitate inter-agency working groups to focus on Executive Order 13148 goals, including EMS objectives and requirements.
Element 7: Conduct Research and Evaluation of EPA's EMS Programs
While EPA recognizes the potential of EMSs to improve environmental performance, compliance, and pollution prevention, and is committed to promoting their use, EPA needs to learn more in order to make the best use of EMSs in its programs and policies. In particular, EPA needs to study which EMSs are most effective, the results being achieved, and the factors contributing to their success. Then, EPA will be in a better position to determine whether changes related to EMSs are appropriate. To this end, EPA will maintain and, in some cases, expand EMS research and evaluation activities. EPA will take a targeted approach to ensure that its limited resources are invested in those investigations with the greatest potential for learning.
Working in partnership with the Multi-State Working Group on EMSs , the University of North Carolina (UNC), and the Environmental Law Institute, EPA will continue support for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership. This database, which is being established at UNC, will provide information on a variety of EMS performance measures at 80 - 100 facilities across the nation over time. As the cornerstone of EPA's EMS research efforts, EPA will use this database to study the effects of EMS implementation on environmental and economic performance and to evaluate potential public policy applications of EMSs in a variety of settings. In addition, EPA will support research by UNC into the costs and benefits of EMS implementation, the role of outside stakeholders in EMS design, and the impact that participation in federal or state pilot projects may have on EMS design.
EPA worked with the National Academy of Public Administration to analyze ISO 14001 registration practices in the United States in order to increase the understanding of this important process by many stakeholders. This research helped determine how registration occurs and how this process could be used by regulators to build greater support for EMS adoption. In addition, EPA will participate in national and international meetings or conferences focusing on EMS research. EPA will also develop a list of EMS topics to help set research priorities.
To best promote EMSs that achieve strong results and to determine how they might be used to support public policy, EPA needs information about how well various systems are working. To this end, EPA will make evaluations a priority in its own EMS activities, and EPA will recommend them for those it is supporting.
Actions:
- Establishing the National Database on Environmental Management Systems (NDEMS), including public access capabilities;
- Collecting and entering baseline data;
- Collect and enter EMS performance data;
- Work with the National Academy of Public Administration to complete study on 14001 EMS registration practices in the U.S.;
- Hold two workshops on government implementation of EMSs, and issue report summarizing findings;
- Complete five initial research studies using baseline and EMS design data;
- Conduct ongoing research as environmental and economic performance data becomes available; and
- Issue EMS evaluation report based on NDEMS data.
Element 8: Establish and Maintain an Active EMS Outreach and Engagement Program
EPA's involvement in external EMS policy discussions has been marked by a conscious and extensive effort to interact with key stakeholders domestically and internationally. EPA has and will continue to sponsor and support outreach events that foster a dialogue on EMSs and their potential public policy applications. EPA is also committed to continuing leadership to advance, review, and revise international voluntary EMS standards, specifically through participation in the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (U.S. TAG). The U.S. TAG is the U.S. consensus body on environmental standards on behalf of the American National Standards Institute and developed by ISO Technical Committee 207, which is responsible for the ISO 14000 series of standards3.
Domestic Outreach Actions:
- EPA will coordinate its participation in the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (U.S. TAG) through the EPA Voluntary Standards Network;
- Provided funding to U.S. non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to enable them to participate in the U.S. TAG and to establish an NGO information-sharing network;
- Sponsored a series of conferences in 1996 - 1997 to discuss the newly adopted ISO 14001 standard;
- Held a forum in EPA Region 9 in 1998 to explore potential financial benefits of EMSs, and their potential use as a tool for promoting sustainable development;
- Developed recommendations for U.S. TAG to promote strengthening of ISO 14001 in areas of compliance, pollution prevention, and external communication;
- Requested that the U.S. TAG clarify the role of compliance for applications of ISO 14001 in the U.S.; and
- Cosponsored a workshop on state and federal EMS pilot projects and an EMS research summit with the Multi-State Working Group on EMSs.
EPA will sponsor events to promote effective EMSs, including events that target specific geographic regions or industry sectors with an interest in EMS development. Also, EPA will continue to support and encourage NGOs and other key stakeholders participation in EMS dialogues and revision processes related to ISO 14001.
- Continue to sponsor and participate in national workshops, conferences and other outreach events to discuss the benefits of EMSs and to provide a constructive forum for discussing relevant public policy issues;
- Promote EPA positions on ISO 14001 in U.S. and international standard-setting forums;
- Increase EPA's understanding of national and international EMS registration/accreditation systems and seek to influence changes to those systems that are advantageous and consistent with EPA guidelines related to voluntary standards use;
- Support and encourage NGO and other stakeholder participation in dialogues and other venues related to EMSs (such as activities of the ISO Technical Committee 207, the U.S. TAG, the Multi-State Working Group on EMSs, and development of EPA programs and policies); and
- Promote the use of the EMS elements described in Improving Environmental Performance and Compliance: Ten Elements of Effective Environmental Management Systems, issued by the Enforcement Cooperation Program of the trilateral Commission for Environmental Cooperation in June, 2000.
International Outreach:
EPA's effectiveness in promoting beneficial EMS applications in the U.S. can be enhanced significantly through international cooperation. Along with EPA's involvement in the ISO 14000 standards development process, various EPA offices are engaged in international initiatives involving EMS development and evaluation. EPA will use its international engagement with various multilateral organizations (e.g. Organization for Economic Cooperative Development and United Nations Environment Programme), bilateral environmental cooperation programs, and partnerships with foreign assistance agencies (e.g., USAID) to:
- Evaluate innovative EMS applications and policies being developed and tested abroad;
- Collaborate on development and assessment of tools and other resources to support EMS implementation, and improve mechanisms for exchanging and accessing these materials;
- Conduct joint pilot projects that demonstrate results of EMS applications;
- Encourage other international partners to promote and support NGO involvement in ISO 14001 implementation and in the development of any public policies based on ISO 14001;
- Encourage other international partners to engage in research and evaluation efforts, and promote research and data protocols that allow comparability of results; and
- Share internationally EPA perspectives on elements of an effective EMS.
EPA will also continue tracking international developments on EMSs and their ramifications in light of ongoing dialogues related to trade and the environment. EPA's Trade and Environment Standing Committee is responsible for developing policies related to trade and the environment. This EMS Action Plan has been, and will continue to be, coordinated through this group to ensure consistency with international trade obligations.
International Outreach - Actions:
- The Seven Principles of Environmental Stewardship for the U.S./Mexico Business and Trade Community - In 1999, EPA, Mexico's Environment Secretariat, the U.S./Mexico Chamber of Commerce, and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission, announced a binational public/private strategic alliance to promote environmental stewardship among private sector organizations in the U.S. and Mexico. The Seven Principles of Environmental Stewardship, as they are known, encourage companies to adopt EMSs (focused on compliance, pollution prevention, energy efficiency, and improved environment performance, and which are developed through open and inclusive processes) at all operational locations throughout the U.S. and Mexico.
- North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC) – In June, 2000, the Enforcement Cooperation Program of the CEC issued a guidance document entitled, Improving Environmental Performance and Compliance: 10 Elements of Effective Environmental Management Systems. The document represents an agreement by the three CEC member countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States – on how EMSs can benefit the public interest by contributing to compliance assurance and improved environmental performance. The key elements outlined in the document are compatible with many EMS models based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act framework that are currently in use. The document developed, in part, out of a public forum that CEC hosted in 1999 in Washington D.C. to bring together representatives from industry, government, and NGOs to explore key EMS elements needed to promote compliance. EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) is preparing a user-friendly guide to implementing the CEC 10 Elements, aimed specifically at corporate environmental managers. In addition, OECA is developing a pilot program to promote the CEC 10 elements and the guide. The pilot program will include offering technical assistance to pilot program participants, and collecting data on how implementation impacts performance.
- Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - EPA is participating with other OECD members in an EMS-related project through Territorial Development Services group, which focuses on urban redesign and renewal. The project will engage NGOs and other stakeholders at local levels in developing and applying technical and economic tools on a city-wide basis to foster waste minimization, pollution prevention and right-to-know types of public reporting. EMSs based on ISO 14001 incorporating other performance elements important to EPA are one of the tools being used.
- Screenprinting and Graphic Imaging Association International (SGIA) - Having developed an EMS for their industry through EPA's DfE program, the SGIA is conducting EMS training workshops in Canada in conjunction with small business centers.
- Improving EPA Access to Information on EMS Innovations Abroad and Promoting Improved International Information Networking - EPA will examine ways to improve access to new information about EMS innovations, tools, and research. EPA will focus on having EMSs featured more prominently in existing regional and international information exchange networks. EPA will also work to more effectively channel these information resources to interested EPA and U.S. partners, such as through linkages to the proposed EMS Resource Center.
- Organizing International Workshop on Ways to Promote EMSs through Public Policy - EPA will help organize at least one international workshop on promoting EMSs through public policies and regulations. EPA will likely focus organization in Asia, where ISO 14001 is being marketed aggressively and fledgling regulatory agencies and national governments are exploring alternative regulatory models.
- Binational Efforts with Mexico - EPA will work with Mexican authorities, the U.S./Mexico Chamber of Commerce, and the BECC to expand public and private sector support for the Seven Principles of Environmental Stewardship; conduct outreach to companies operating in the U. S. and Mexico to encourage industry implementation on a corporate-wide basis; and develop an implementation strategy, which may include offering private sector recognition for outstanding performers and training and technical capacity-building efforts.