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Implementing Environmental Management Systems In Government Entities 
Fourteen government entities were selected from an applicant pool of 50 to participate in a pilot project designed to assist public-sector organizations develop and implement an environmental management system (EMS) based on the ISO 14001 protocol. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA) Office of Water, Office of Compliance, and Office of Air and Radiation jointly funded this initiative which runs from April 2000 to January 2002.
Each participating organization has selected a facility/organization ("fenceline") in which to implement the EMS.
| Public Entity | Fenceline | City of Berkeley, CA
City of San Diego, CA
City of Detroit, MI
Florida Gulf Coast University - Fort Myers, FL
Port of Houston, TX
Jefferson County, AL
Little Blue Valley Sewer District - Independence, MO
Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District Louisville, KY
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Madison, WI
Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation DistrictPortland, OR
King County Solid Waste Division - Seattle, WA
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Lawrence, MA
University of Massachusetts - Lowell, MA
New Hampshire Department of Transportation Concord, NH
| Solid Waste Management Division
Refuse Disposal Division
Department of Recreation & Public Lighting
Solid Waste Activities and Services
Container Terminal and the Central Maintenance Department
General Services Department
Wastewater Treatment Facility All operations
Six POTWs and the supporting infrastructure
Air Management Bureau
Maintenance Facilities
Entire Division - Eight Transfer Stations & one Regional Landfill
Wall Experiment Station Analytical Laboratory
Olney Science Building
Bureau of Traffic
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In 1997, U.S. EPA funded the first two-year EMS project for nine local governments. Participants experienced compelling environmental and economic benefits over the two-year project period:
Improved Environmental Awareness - "There's a much better understanding of environmental issues in every department of the fenceline, not just in the environmental department. We are recognizing simple internal "housekeeping" measures that are having a positive effect on our environmental performance. We have self-imposed additional requirements to help prevent pollution, reduce energy use, manage our contractors, and expand environmental education for our citizens. Employees are bringing ideas for reducing our waste streams, for less toxic products. There has been a definite improvement in involvement and morale."
Improved Efficiency - "Systematically analyzing compliance issues revealed an opportunity for cost savings. Fifteen departments were responsible for obtaining their own air quality permits - 23 altogether. The implementation team consolidated these permits into eight, saving the city $16,000 per year."
A Positive Effect on Environmental Compliance and Performance - "With regards to environmental compliance, we have a better understanding of our legal requirements. We have better-trained employees whose competence in their work area is critical to the environment. We expect that our EMS efforts will increase our ability to stay in compliance."
For case study information see the Final Report at http://www.getf.org/projects/muni.cfm. THE SECOND GOVERNMENT EMS INITIATIVE
Due to the overwhelming success of the first program and local governments' growing interest in EMSs, U.S. EPA decided to fund a second EMS initiative through a cooperative agreement to gather additional data about the value of EMS tools in government organizations. The Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF) was again selected to lead the effort, providing in-depth training, coaching and on-site technical assistance to help participants design and implement their EMSs.
Jim Horne, the National Project Manager, from U.S. EPA's Office of Water said,
"The U.S. EPA team was extremely gratified by the level of interest shown by local governments for this second initiative and the level of sophistication of the applications. It is clear that public-sector organizations are rapidly becoming aware of the value of implementing EMSs and the value of working with U.S. EPA. We are delighted with the diverse range of organizations that were selected and expect great things from each of them." During the two-year project, participants attend five comprehensive workshops. At each they receive training, materials, and technical assistance to help them accomplish EMS milestones in each of the four implementation phases. The kick-off workshop was held in Scottsdale, AZ in April 2000. Participants were introduced to the project and each other and learned how to get the EMS started in their respective organizations. Topics addressed in Phase I included: collecting baseline data; training an EMS implementation team; securing top management involvement; establishing communication with external stakeholders; conducting a gap analysis; and developing process maps for their "fenceline" operations.
The Houston Port Authority, TX had the following to say about the project,
"This will be an interesting two-year process, learning with and from other organizations who share our interest in protecting the environment while providing public services. We plan to convey all that we learn to our tenants, the city and county, and other port authorities so that we can all do a better job as stewards of the environment."
Much time is being spent with the participants up-front to ensure their initial efforts are successful. Monthly all-hands conference calls, individual bi-weekly technical assistance sessions with GETF experts, and a special-purpose Intranet site called VON, a Virtual Office Network on the Internet, ensure strong communication. Participants submit quarterly reports tracking time and financial resources, benefits, barriers, and keys to success. This information and EMS design decisions that participants make at critical stages of EMS implementation will be compiled to develop case studies. These will prove useful for local government entities that are considering EMS implementation.
In September 2000, the participants enter Phase II - Planning the EMS with a workshop in Seattle, WA. Training will be provided on developing an environmental policy; identifying significant environmental aspects; establishing EMS documentation and document control practices; developing procedures for identifying legal and other requirements; and establishing objectives and targets. A number of additional work-sessions have been added at participants' requests: presentations by the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Program on how to pursue energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities; a discussion about the Natural Step Program and comparing and contrasting it with EMS; and a presentation by U.S. EPA on its Performance Track program.
The Phase III workshop will be held in February 2001 in Ft. Myers, FL and provides training and materials to help participants establish environmental management programs to achieve their objectives and targets and control their significant aspects. Phase IV - Monitoring and Measuring (meeting date and location to be determined), will prepare participants to track progress toward achieving objectives; ensure that proper checking and corrective action elements are in place for internal auditing and management reviews. The final workshop will provide case study information about benefits, barriers, keys to success and lessons learned, all of which will be compiled into an EMS Guidance Document for Government Entities.
For more information on the Local Government EMS Initiative please contact Craig Ruberti (cruberti@getf.org) at (703) 750-6401, Faith Leavitt (fleavitt@earthvision.net) at (941) 489-1647 Jim Horne (horne.james@epa.gov) at (202) 564-0571 Or visit (http://www.getf.org/projects/muni.cfm) for regular updates
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