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Local Government & Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Frequently Asked Questions The Global Environment & Technology Foundation, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is completing a Municipal Environmental Management System (EMS) Implementation initiative. Funded by the U.S. EPA's Office of Wastewater Management and Office of Compliance, this two-year project represented a unique opportunity for EPA to assist small and medium-sized government organizations to implement an EMS at a facility/organization of their choice. Data and information gathered during the course of the project will be used to generate a report on the effectiveness of an EMS in the public sector. The report will be made available in December 1999 through the EPA. 1. What is an EMS? An environmental management system is a set of management processes and procedures that allows an organization to analyze, control and reduce the environmental impact of its activities, products and services and operate with greater efficiency and control. An EMS is appropriate for all kinds of organizations of varying sizes in public and private sectors. The basic elements of an EMS include: 2. What is ISO 14001? ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized standard for the environment. It provides a systems approach patterned after the Deming model of plan, do, check and act. ISO 14001 is one of a series of Environmental Standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization. The ISO 14001 standard includes all of the elements needed to develop an environmental management system in your organization. 3. What are the benefits of an EMS? An EMS provides tools to help manage your organization's environmental impacts efficiently and effectively and to improve environmental stewardship across the entire organization. Organizations who have implemented an EMS have realized the following benefits: 4. Why should a local government entity implement an EMS? Local government entities are organizations that both regulate and are regulated. Doing so requires management to understand a broad range of environmental impacts and contend with a long list of federal and state regulations. Management must constantly balance services provided with reduced budgets while maintaining compliance. An EMS helps an organization address its regulatory demands in a systematic and cost-effective manner. This proactive approach can help reduce the risk of non-compliance and improve health and safety practices for employees and the public. The EMS can also help address non-regulated issues such as odor management and energy conservation. In addition, the EMS can promote stronger operational control and employee stewardship. Local government entities are also using EMS to manage growth and in response to privatization concerns in the management of utilities. 5. What types of resources will I have to commit to implement and EMS? The most significant resource for every organization, no matter its size, is top management leadership, involvement, and visibility in the project. Beyond that, the amount of time and money needed to implement an EMS depends on the size and activities of the organization. In-house labor costs, based on the project described above, typically constitute the most significant portion of the implementation costs and range from $13,000 to $68,000 a year, over a two-year period, for an organization with 14 to 1,500 employees respectively. An organization can utilize consultants to facilitate implementation but it is recommended that employees throughout the entire organization, not just the environmental department, do the bulk of the implementation work. 6. Where in my operations would an EMS be appropriate? An EMS can be applied in one or more departments or across your entire organization. You should examine the organization's activities and services and determine where the EMS would best serve your needs and your organizational goals - highway maintenance; wastewater treatment facility; parks and recreation; or all of the internal operations. The department(s) or facility(ies) to which you apply the EMS is called the "fenceline". Below is a table of the Municipal EMS Implementation participants and their respective "fencelines":
* Wastewater Treatment Plant 7. How does EPA view EMS? In 1998, EPA issued a policy statement endorsing the use of EMSs that focus on improved environmental performance, including compliance and source reduction. It has also conducted various EMS implementation initiatives with the goal to examine the environmental and economic benefits associated with its use. EPA is also currently working with the University of North Carolina, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and several states to develop a national database to help build an understanding of EMSs and their effects. In August 1999, the U.S. EPA Innovations Task Force released a report titled, "Aiming for Excellence: Actions to Encourage Stewardship and Accelerate Environmental Progress" that describes ten actions EPA will take in the next 12 to 18 months to improve the U.S. environmental protection system. One of these ten actions is to promote the use of environmental management systems. The Innovations Report recommends the EPA take a more prominent role in encouraging organizations to use EMSs - listing the following objective: "EPA will encourage organizations to use EMSs that improve compliance, pollution prevention, and other measures of environmental performance. We'll continue evaluation efforts to learn more about which EMS elements and applications are most effective, and we'll determine how these systems might be used to strengthen environmental programs and policies." 8. Are there regulatory incentives with the implementation of an EMS? EPA is not offering regulatory flexibility for EMS implementation at this time. Through sponsorship of pilot initiatives EPA hopes to gain a better understanding of what benefits are associated with an EMS before it determines the appropriate incentives. Various states have developed or are in the process of developing regulatory innovation programs that utilize EMS to achieve greater environmental performance. These states, known as the Multi State Working Group, are evaluating voluntary environmental management systems as a possible tool in public policy innovation and decision making. For more information on these efforts visit: http://www.p2pays.org/iso/mswg/factsheet.htm http://www.eli.org/ 9. What are the participants from the Municipal EMS Implementation Initiative saying about the pilot project? Benefits "Developing an EMS helps significantly in reducing, if not eliminating, our risk of violation with regard to compliance issues before they even arise." "It increased our employee awareness regarding environmental and safety issues." "Installation of motion-sensing lights throughout the facility has resulted in cost savings of about $7,500 over a ten-month period." "Historically we've been a facility that has had numerous compliance issues. Development of an EMS signaled to the state regulatory agency that we are taking a proactive approach to address our environmental issues. In response, we believe that the state has given us much more latitude, is quicker to provide technical support, and has been generally more supportive." Drivers for implementation "This project was viewed as an opportunity to improve internal and external communication; and to organize, streamline, and consistently manage environmental issues and regulatory responsibility." "We see the EMS as helping us to remain competitive with private industry. The municipality is on the cutting edge - for once it is the leader rather than the private sector." " An EMS provides organizational consistency which helps prevent non-compliance. The program fosters a proactive approach throughout the organization to address our environmental issues instead of the old reactive approach to compliance issues. We now go by the motto 'Create our future instead of predict.'" 10. Where can I find additional information on EMS? For additional information on the Municipal EMS Initiative visit http://www.getf.org/projects/muni.cfm or contact Craig Ruberti (cruberti@getf.org) or Faith Leavitt (fleavitt@earthvision.net) of Global Environment & Technology Foundation at (703) 750-6401. Additional information on environmental management systems may be found at http://www.iso14000.net and http://www.epa.gov/OWM/iso2.htm. Back to Implementing EMS main page
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