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Instructions for Region 5’s Challenge Goals

Challenge goals address regional or national environmental priorities. Because of their important environmental benefits, challenge goals count as two goals. In other words, a facility that makes a challenge goal can choose to make only three goals instead of four. However, a small facility that makes a challenge goal would still have to make two goals.

The following challenge goals are available in EPA's Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin).

Challenge Goal % Reduction Required
Energy Use 10 % (absolute)
Water Use 15 % (normalized)
Priority Chemicals Use 10 % (absolute)
TRI Chemicals Use - Ohio Only 50 % (absolute)
Habitat 10 acres (absolute)

In order to make a challenge goal, a facility should choose "Yes" for Question 2a - Are you proposing this as a challenge goal?

Energy Use
EPA's Office of Air and Radiation is offering an energy use reduction challenge for non-transportation energy use. In order to receive credit for the challenge goal, the facility must commit to reducing its energy use by at least 10% before normalizing.

A facility that chooses this challenge goal should select Energy Use as the category, Total (non-transportation) Energy Use as the indicator, and Reduce Total Energy Use as the goal. In question 4e, on the line for "Total Energy Use," the "Future" quantity must be at least 10 percent less than the "Baseline" quantity. The selected response for question 4 should be "Absolute goal."

Water Use
EPA's Office of Water is offering a water use reduction challenge. A facility should select Water Use as the category and Total Water Use as the indicator in the Performance Track application. In order to receive credit for the challenge goal, the facility must commit to reducing its water use by at least 15% after normalizing (i.e., check "Normalized Goal" in Question 4). Thus, the "Future" quantity of water must be at least 15% less than the "Baseline" quantity. EPA's Office of Water is offering some water reduction ideas through their website: http://www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency/index.htm.

Hazardous Materials - Priority Chemicals
EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response is offering a Priority Chemical reduction challenge. A facility may make a challenge goal by committing to at least a 10% decrease (before normalizing) in the use of at least one of the Priority Chemicals listed below, as identified by EPA's Office of Solid Waste. The priority chemical should be essential to the facility's operations. Performance Track will consult with the Office of Solid Waste's National Partnership for Environmental Priorities Program should the significance of the goal be in question.

In order to participate in this challenge goal, a facility must select Materials Use as the category and Hazardous Materials Used as the indicator and answer "yes" to Question 2a. Next, a facility should click on the "Priority Chemicals List" link. A table will appear where a facility should select the chemical(s) to be reduced by checking the appropriate box(es), and then pressing the save button. The selected priority chemicals will appear as the response to the sub-question under Question 2a. In order to receive credit for the challenge goal, the facility must commit to reducing its use of the priority chemical by at least 10% before normalizing (i.e., check "Absolute Goal" in Question 4). Thus, the "Future" quantity must be at least 10% less than the "Baseline" quantity.

Eligible Priority Chemicals*

Organic Chemicals and Chemical Compounds

Metals and Metal Compounds

* Although Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are on EPA's Priority Chemicals list, they are not included in this challenge goal due to prohibitions on their manufacture, processing, and distribution in commerce.

EPA's Priority Chemicals list is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/chemlist.htm

TRI Chemicals Use - Ohio Only

Hazardous Materials – Toxics Use Reduction (TRI) Chemicals Use
Ohio is interested in reducing the state-wide total of TRI chemical releases. Ohio and Performance Track have agreed to offer a TRI chemical reduction challenge goal. A facility may set this challenge goal by committing to at least a 50% decrease (before normalizing) in the use of at least one TRI chemical that it currently reports under TRI, as identified by EPCRA Section 313 Chemical List. The TRI chemical should be essential to the facility's operations. Performance Track will consult with EPA’s Office of Environmental Information should the significance of the goal be questionable.

In order to participate in this challenge goal, a facility must select Materials Use as the category and Hazardous Materials Used as the indicator. Next, the facility should answer “specific” to question 1c, and then write in the name of the TRI chemical. Please write the name of the chemical exactly as it appears on the TRI list of reportable chemicals. Next, answer “yes” to Question 2a.. In order to receive credit for the challenge goal, the facility must commit to reducing its use of the TRI chemical by at least 50% before normalizing (i.e., check “Absolute Goal” in Question 5). Thus, the “Future” quantity in line 4c must be at least 50% less than the “Baseline” quantity.

EPA's TRI Chemicals list is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/tri/chemical/index.htm#chemlist

Habitat

Under this national challenge goal, facilities are challenged to enhance or restore at least 10 acres of land through a habitat improvement plan. The enhancement or restoration may take place within the facility's fenceline, off-site, or a combination of both, as long as the improvement activities enhance or restore wildlife habitat. This is accomplished by ensuring adequate and appropriate sources of food, water, shelter and space, involving activities such as introducing native plant species, removing exotic and invasive plants or animals, creating riparian buffers, providing nesting habitat, and/or other such projects.

Members setting a National Habitat Challenge goal must also develop a habitat improvement plan and receive written third-party assessment and on-site review of the plan. If the third-party review has been completed prior to selecting the habitat challenge goal, it must have taken place within the three years prior to application. If a plan has not been developed and assessed at time of setting this goal, it must be completed by the time the first annual performance report is submitted. An educational outreach component to this goal is encouraged, but not required.

Please read the National Habitat Challenge goal page for more details.

To set a challenge goal to conducting a restoration or habitat improvement project, an applicant should select Land and Habitat as the category and select Land and Habitat Conservation as the indicator. The difference between the “Baseline” quantity and the “Future” quantity should represent 10 acres or greater. Interested facilities are encouraged to contact their local habitat, watershed or wildlife organization in advance of submitting their application in order to ensure that the project will meet the criteria established by those organizations and the Performance Track Habitat Challenge Goal criteria.

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