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GOAL 1 -
PROMOTE WIDER ADOPTION OF EMSs ACROSS A RANGE OF ORGANIZATIONS AND
SETTINGS
An effective EMS can improve overall
environmental performance by helping to maintain compliance with
environmental laws and regulations and by preventing pollution. EPA
has a vested interest in helping organizations develop and
implement EMSs, and EPA has a unique role to play in encouraging
their use.
Element 1: Develop Tools and Other
Resources to Support EMS Implementation
EPA can encourage EMS use by providing tools and
assistance to those interested in adopting EMSs. EPA has made
numerous contributions in this regard, and will take additional
steps to do more.
EPA's products to support EMS use include
the following:
- Environmental Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for
Small and Medium-sized Businesses;
- Integrated Environmental Management Systems: A Design for the
Environment Approach, a guide for developing an EMS based on DfE
principles and methodologies;
- Electronic tool boxes for companies to incorporate DfE
approaches into their existing EMSs;
- A guide for implementing the Code of Environmental Management
Principles for Federal Agencies;
- Fact sheets on ISO and the ISO 14001 EMS standards;
- A resource guide for information on federal and state
EMS-related programs;
- Technical assistance (primarily through the States and other
assistance providers) to support businesses in developing EMSs that
go beyond compliance; and
- A template for EMS adoption by local governments.
Actions:
EPA will continue to develop tools and support
other organizations committed to implementing EMSs. EPA will focus
its efforts on developing tools and other resources that can be
broadly used, but are not readily available or would be expensive
to develop or procure, especially for smaller organizations. Such
tools might include training programs, best practice manuals, and
compliance and pollution prevention program modules. EPA will also
establish an EMS Resource Center to provide a single dissemination
point for these tools and resources. The EMS Resource Center will
link existing networks of EMS assistance resources and serve as a
clearinghouse of EMS information. It will be designed to supplement
- but not duplicate - the functions of other public and private EMS
assistance providers, including federal and state small business
technical assistance centers and the Department of Commerce's
manufacturing extension centers.
- Establish a web-based EMS Resource Center;
- Develop a chemical database to assist small businesses and
other entities in integrating environmental risk into their EMS;
and
- Develop a national PEER center to provide information to public
agencies interested in adopting EMSs.
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On Line EMS Resource Center
EPA has established an EMS Web site
that provides information about EPA's EMS activities and other EMS
materials of interest. Users can find research reports, best
practice manuals and EMS templates for local governments, small
businesses, and selected industries.
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Element 2: Strengthen and Expand EMS Assistance Networks to
Assist Small Organizations in EMS Implementation
EPA is currently working with the National
Environmental Education and Training Foundation to design a series
of workshops for EMS assistance providers. The workshops will be
aimed at facilitating and improving assistance to small and
medium-sized industries, municipalities, and non-profit
organizations with their EMS implementation.
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Also, EPA is working to develop EMS Regional
Resource Centers, possibly at colleges and universities. These
centers would provide training and other educational opportunities
to organizations interested in adopting EMSs. The focus would be on
public agencies. Training could be provided both on-site and
through distance learning approaches, and could be augmented by
mentoring from organizations that have actually developed
EMSs.
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EPA Region
9's Merit Partnership for Pollution Prevention program has been
working with industry to evaluate EMS effectiveness. An EMS
template was developed for the metal finishing industry that
includes a comprehensive multimedia compliance checklist for
federal, state, and local requirements and tools for identifying
pollution prevention opportunities. EPA is now conducting a series
of workshops, using the template, to assist metal finishers
interested in incorporating EMSs into their
operations.
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Actions:
- Provided funding to the University of Massachusetts at Lowell
to develop an EMS Service Center;
- Continue sponsoring workshops with leading EMS assistance
providers to identify best practices and opportunities to
strengthen EMS assistance networks; and
- Develop up to 4 Regional Resource Centers, as part of the
national PEER Center program, to meet the EMS needs of public
agencies.
Element 3: Provide Recognition and
Incentives to Organizations with Effective EMSs
Because EMSs offer a comprehensive, multi-media
approach to environmental management, and because of their
potential for improving environmental performance, EMSs have been a
major element in EPA's experimental programs designed to promote
environmental leadership. EMSs were incorporated into the earlier
Environmental Leadership Program and EPA Region 1's StarTrack
program.
In the Aiming for
Excellence report, referenced earlier, EPA indicated that
EMSs had the potential to become the foundation for a permanent
"performance track" program that would reward and encourage strong
environmental performance. The initial phase of this program is the
National Environmental Performance Track, which was launched in
June 2000 and includes EMSs as a requirement for participation. EPA
expects to incorporate EMS requirements into other programs that
may be established to reward or encourage improved environmental
performance in the future.
Action:
- Incorporated EMSs as a key element of the National
Environmental Performance Track.
Element 4: Incorporate EMS Elements into
Sector and Geographic Based Programs
Incorporate EMS Elements into Select
Sector Programs:
EPA has been working with select sectors to incorporate EMSs into
ongoing programs or to develop EMS tools tailored to their specific
interests. For example, EPA recently completed an EMS demonstration
project with municipalities, and another with screenprinters, to
test an EMS guide and template designed for small businesses. EPA
is also working with select sectors in the Sustainable Industry
Program (Metal Casting, Meat Processing, Specialty-Batch Chemicals,
Shipbuilding and travel and Tourism/Mountain Resorts) on
sector-specific EMSs. In addition, EPA is supporting EMS efforts in
the metal finishing sector and the biosolids management industry.
EPA will continue promoting EMS use on a sector-basis,
strategically selecting other industries for possible pilot
projects in FY 2001. In doing so, EPA will focus on the sectors
that have demonstrated the most need for and potential to benefit
from EMS use.
Because so many EPA programs impact local
governments, EPA will also actively promote the use of EMSs in the
municipal sector. EPA will work to educate more local government
stakeholders about the benefits of EMS use.
Actions:
- Provided specialized assistance and detailed process maps as
part of an EMS pilot project being conducted with the
Screenprinting and Graphic Imaging Association and seven
screenprinting facilities;
- Supported National Academy of Public Administration's review of
EPA Region 1's StarTrack Program;
- Evaluated the municipalities EMS demonstration program and
issued final report;
- Evaluation of the DfE/EMS pilot as demonstrating the
effectiveness of sector-based EMS;
- Initiated a second EMS assistance project for municipalities
building on successes and previous lessons learned;
- Expand the use of the successful Merit Partnership EMS model to
all EPA Regions participating in the Metal Finishing Strategic
Goals Program (SGP), ensuring resource support for regions to
provide outreach and training to metal finishers in states that
have signed up for the SGP;
- Consult with sectors in the Sustainable Industry Program on
their current EMS needs and opportunities, and where appropriate,
provide technical support for the development of EMS tools tailored
to the needs of these sectors;
- Sponsor a major conference for U.S. and international guests to
discuss the experiences of local governments that have implemented
EMSs and to identify ways for EPA to promote EMS use among
municipalities;
- Sponsor a workshop to promote trade association leadership in
implementing the EMS developed through DfE among their members;
and
- Identify other key sectors for EMS assistance or
initiatives.
Target the Use of EMS in Select
Communities and Geographic Areas:
Many of EPA's most challenging environmental problems require
holistic strategies designed for implementation at the local or
community level. Thus, given the holistic nature of EMSs, they can
be an excellent tool for community-based environmental protection.
EPA will identify opportunities to use EMSs to support
community-based environmental protection and to address problems in
specific geographic areas.
Actions:
- Work with U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) to
train and assist local government entities in Mexico, along the
U.S./Mexico border in EMS implementation using ISO 14001 as a
baseline; and
- Identify opportunities for promoting EMS use through EPA's
community or place-based programs.
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