Environmental engineer Larry Lai, left, and hazardous waste disposer Larry Vega examine hazardous waste drums at the Depot Hazardous Waste Center prior to shipment. Courtesy photo

EPA takes note of exceptional Performance Track record at NAVAIR Depot North Island

By Bill Bartkus
NAVAIR Depot North Island

CORONADO, Calif – NAVAIR Depot North Island here is setting the standard for environmental quality. During the last two years, the Depot has received awards from the White House, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Chief of Naval Operations. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency has accepted the Depot into its National Environmental Performance Track program based on an impressive record of environmental management and performance, and the Depot’s commitment to continuous environmental improvement.

“Performance Track is an important public and private partnership that encourages environmental excellence, involves communities in environmental protection, and focuses on measurable results,” said EPA Administrator Michael O. Leavitt, former governor of Utah, in his acceptance letter to Capt. James Woolway, Depot commanding officer.

Leavitt said, “Performance Track members demonstrate in their daily business operations that economic prosperity and environmental protection can go hand in hand. He applauded the Depot for volunteering to participate and to assist the EPA “in pursuing its shared goal of making America’s air cleaner, its water purer, and its land better protected for future generations.”

Performance Track recognizes people and organizations that have a proactive environmental program. The program covers all aspects of the environment: air quality, waste, energy conservation, and more.

“There are certain criteria to meet in order to be accepted into the Performance Track,” said Michele Marien, senior environmental engineer with the Depot. She indicated that organizations cannot have had any violations in the last three years and must have an environmental management system that meets certain requirements specified by the EPA. “In our case, the Depot’s environmental management system is registered to the ISO 14000 standard, and this is meets the EPA requirement,” said Marien. She prepared the Depot’s application for Performance Track.

Other criteria include a documented history of past performance, Marien noted. “This means that the Depot must relate two of its past achievements and must obligate to future commitments. She said that the Depot could select from any environmental aspect, “and we chose emissions of ozone depleting gases, and energy consumption. We had to show a reduction in these two areas based on performance data for the past three continuous years,” she said. The Depot Environmental Competency submitted this information to the EPA as part of our application.

Marien also said that the Depot had to make four future commitments, “and we selected reductions in water use, energy use, toxic emissions, and a reduction of hazardous solid waste because we know that these reductions will become a reality,” she said.

She emphasized that the EPA looks at public outreach as another criteria for selection. “Printing articles about our environmental successes coupled with participation in Earth Day activities, and having booths at the Depot’s annual American Heritage Day event are all considered public outreach,” stated Marien.

She said that Performance Track would benefit the Depot in many ways. Members are invited to attend an annual EPA-sponsored conference where Performance Track members network among themselves and with the EPA. Another major benefit is regulatory relief.

She said that the EPA relaxes some requirements. “For example, hazardous waste must be disposed of within 90 days following the day the first drop enters the drum. Performance Track relaxes the requirement to 180 days,” she explained. “This would be OK for the EPA, but the Depot must still abide by San Diego County rules, too!”

Marien said that the EPA also relaxes reporting procedures. “Normally, we would have to prepare reports every six months, but the EPA relaxes this procedure to once a year,” she said.

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