"We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go."
This axiom often is heard from Pentagon officials briefing on programs. And
that is no exception in the environmental cleanup arena.
The Defense Department's deputy undersecretary for environmental security,
Sherri W. Goodman, recently took some time to reflect on her office's work as
the administration nears the end of its term.
Goodman took a page from the "Late Show with David Letterman," during
the recent NDIA 26th Environmental Symposium & Exhibition, in Long Beach,
Calif. She unveiled her "top 10" list of environmental achievements,
followed by her plan of action leading up to the inauguration of a new president
in January. This was Goodman's seventh presentation at the annual conference.
10. Management Reform. This began with the creation of Goodman's office in
1993, she said. "Environmental security is critical to our defense mission
of readiness," said Goodman.
"It protects the quality of life of our forces and their families from
environmental health and safety hazards where they live and work. The Defense
Department's environmental programs are investments in readiness."
Goodman said her office has taken a "corporate approach" to conducting
business. That, in part, means it takes lessons from the private sector.
"As we learned from the corporate world, you need money to run a successful
program. You can't have a great environmental program if you don't know where
the money is, or how much you need," she said. "That is why I made
it a top priority to be an active player in the planning, programming, and budgeting
system, otherwise known as PPBS."
Improvements to the budget system, she added, have brought credibility to the
environmental security program.
Goodman also praised the web-based Defense Information Network Exchange (DENIX)
as a measure of management reform. This web site provides up-to-date environmental
security information.
"I love talking about information technology for two reasons," said
Goodman. "First, information technology is green. Using e-mail and the
World Wide Web reduces the amount of paper we use. Second, rapid communication
improves our performance in the same way it has grown our economy."
DENIX receives about 1.5 million hits each month.
9. Innovative Technology. Goodman said that smart investments in environmentally
friendly technologies that support military needs will lead to money savings
in the future.
The Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), which
Goodman helped create in 1995, is designed to identify and recommend such technologies.
So far, ESTCP has approved more than 20 technologies and is in the process of
evaluating more than 80 more.
8. Range Management. The administration of critical training sites for the military
and the development of the Range Rule fall under this category.
"The Defense Department and the military services do not own much land,"
said Goodman.
Out of 25 million acres owned by the Defense Department, 17 million are public
lands used for military training. "Yet, land, sea and air are critically
important to our ability to test and train." The department last year made
an agreement with the Department of Interior so that 7.2 million acres of public
lands are renewed so that the military can continue to use these sites, she
said.
The Range Rule is a proposed regulation that sets principles for the handling
of unexploded ordnance (UXO) at closed, transferring and transferred ranges.
It is expected to be finalized this August. "In addition, the Defense Department
and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a set of principles to
govern the management of UXO at these ranges prior to promulgation of the Range
Rule," said Goodman.
"I believe this type of dialogue would not have happened a few years ago,
which shows increased ability to address tough issue with EPA."
7. Pollution Prevention. Pollution prevention was pushed to the forefront of
the environmental program. "Our pollution program is the future,"
said Goodman. Preventing pollution, in essence, leads to compliance,
she said. Compliance, traditionally, has consumed a substantial
chunk of environmental dollars. Today, the military services want
more money for pollution prevention . More pollution prevention
dollars would mean that less money is needed for compliance, officials
said.
Highlights of the department's achievements with pollution prevention include
reducing hazardous waste by 50 percent, reducing toxic releases by 65 percent,
decreasing solid waste by 50 percent and more than doubling the volume of recycled
solid waste, said Goodman.
6. Compliance. Goodman called this "the favorite of many state and EPA
regulators." She also said the department has made vast improvements in
this category and has "moved beyond compliance. Although we have more rules,
more stringent standards and the same level of enforcement by regulators, we
have reduced new enforcement actions by over 77 percent since 1993 ... Compliance
continues to be our largest investment. But, we have reduced the cost of complying
with all of these rules by 33 percent since 1996."
5. Cleanup. Goodman's office had to convince Congress to provide stable funding
for this initiative.
"Shortly after I came to the Defense Department, Congress slashed the
cleanup budget," she said. "We were able to convince Congress that
stable funding was critical to completing the active base cleanup program in
2014, and the BRAC-base realignment and closure-program in 2005. As we accomplish
our goal of completing the program, we can devote a greater portion of its resources
towards sustaining our core mission-military readiness and national security."
4. Cultural and Natural Resources. This involves protecting endangered species,
natural landscapes, and ecosystems. The office of environmental security issued
the "Commander's Guide to Biodiversity and A Handbook for Natural Resource
Managers". "The guide is a communication tool that provides military
personnel with information and direction for what biodiversity is and why it
is important to the Defense Department," said Goodman, who described biodiversity
as "the variety of life and its ecological processes."
3. International Activities. Goodman cited the Arctic Military Environmental
Cooperation (AMEC). The AMEC is a program that combines U.S., Norwegian and
Russian efforts to "improve Russian military management of radioactive
and other hazardous materials in the Arctic," said Goodman. Last year,
AMEC completed a "40-ton prototype container for interim storage and transport
of spend nuclear fuel," she added.
The U.S. military is looking to spread its environmental principles to other
nations, she noted.
2. Partnering. The Defense Department has focused on partnering with restoration
advisory boards (RABs), states, EPA and Native American tribes, said Goodman.
RABS are established to "ensure that we include all stakeholders in making
community-based decisions on cleanup actions," she said. There are more
than 300 RABs in the United States today.
The Defense-State Memorandum Agreement was developed so that states can share
information with the Defense Department so that they can combine cleanup efforts.
Goodman said there are more than 140 success stories in this program.
"In 1996, the department established Regional Environmental Coordinators-RECs,"
said Goodman. The RECs monitor and participate in day-to-day environmental activities
within their region. The RECs play a key role in increasing outreach and building
partnerships with environmental regulators and the public. These coordinators
can come from states or EPA.
The department also continues to partner with Native American tribes, such
as the Oglala Sioux tribe in South Dakota that participates in identifying and
disposing of unexploded ordnance.
1. Protecting People. "The Defense Department's nearly 3 million employees
are our most significant resource," said Goodman. "Everyday, our personnel
engage in a wide range of activities and operations-from performing range training
exercises to deploying in a hostile region. Whether our personnel are performing
routine administrative duties or a highly dangerous one, we are committed to
providing the safest work environment possible."
The department started by making the Pentagon a smoke-free work environment
in 1994. Also, since 1992, the aviation accident rate has been reduced by 25
percent. Of course, a zero fatality rate is the ultimate goal.
The department and EPA also have reduced their use of pesticides under the Pesticide
Environmental Stewardship Program. Pesticide use went down by 50 percent since
1996, and the Defense Department received the EPA's Meritorious Achievement
Award last August.
After revealing, and reveling in, her top 10, Goodman pondered what was to
come. "New tools and approaches are emerging in the public and private
sector that can expedite cleanup," she said. "The challenge is to
look at each property in light of these new tools and approaches and find ways
to do business better ... In the areas of safety and occupational health, we
will continue to integrate these concerns into deployments and exercises to
reduce injuries, illness and accidents."
And the department is now pushing pollution prevention when it comes to acquiring
new weapon systems. This, said Goodman, will save money and lives.
As the current administration winds down, Goodman made it clear that she has
no plans to slow down. "I want to assure you that I expect to sprint, not
walk, across the finish line in January 2001. I will continue to work hard to
ensure these accomplishments are institutionalized within the department. These
areas of accomplishment will continue regardless of who wins the election this
November," said Goodman, whose presentation concluded with a standing ovation
from the symposium crowd.