Environmental Management System Policy for Sustainability Goals and Employee Awareness

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov

April 16, 2014

In Reply Refer To:
1704 (280) P 

EMS TRANSMISSION 04/25/2014
Instruction Memorandum No. 2014-084
Expires: 09/31/2015

To:                   All BLM Employees

From:               Deputy Director, Operations

Subject:           Environmental Management System Policy for Sustainability Goals and Employee Awareness

Program Area:  All Program Areas

Purpose:  The purpose of this Instruction Memorandum (IM) is to establish the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policy for the implementation of its Environmental Management System (EMS) and provide guidance for EMS objectives and targets Bureau-wide.

An EMS is a set of management processes and procedures that allow an organization to integrate environmental concerns and issues into day-to-day decisions and practices, thereby improving both its environmental and economic performance.  An EMS is a cyclical process consisting of “plan-do-check-act” that is focused on continuous environmental improvement, innovation, and more efficient operations.

The EMS for the BLM Washington Office (WO) provides a framework for identifying and addressing the environmental aspects of field operations and facilities and improving environmental management Bureau-wide.  Implementation of the WO EMS complies with Executive Orders 13423 and 13514 and Departmental Manual 515 DM 4 dated August 13, 2008.

Policy/Action:  The BLM’s mission has always included sustainable management of the public lands.  The BLM WO is implementing an EMS to strengthen its existing commitment to the protection and reclamation of the public lands, pollution prevention, and lessening the environmental impact of its operations.  The EMS will become an integral part of the BLM’s day-to-day operations and be incorporated into the long-term planning process across all programs to allow for continual environmental improvement. 

The BLM is committed to managing facilities and performing operations in such a manner as to protect the environment, employees, and public health.  In addition, it is also the BLM’s policy to:

• Conserve U.S. natural and cultural resources.
• Invest in renewable energy.
• Restore ecosystems impacted by energy and water development.
• Conserve energy and water.
• Understand and manage climate change impacts.
• Promote and implement sustainable practices including green acquisition, electronic stewardship, and sustainable building construction, operations, and leasing.
• Comply with applicable Federal, state, local, tribal laws, regulations, and policies.
• Manage processes, systems, and technology to improve efficiency and productivity.
• Measure and report performance and identify opportunities for continual improvement.
• Document and communicate the EMS policy to all employees and the Public.

For the 2014 EMS cycle, the BLM WO continues to address significant aspects identified in 2013 that focus on bureau-wide sustainable practices and improving environmental performance in alignment with federally established sustainability and environmental program goals and the Department of the Interior’s May 25, 2011 Sustainability Policy. These significant aspects are energy use, air emissions, solid waste generation, water use, and green procurement.  BLM’s bureau-wide objectives and targets are:

1. Incorporate Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings in the building inventory to achieve 13 percent compliance with the Guiding Principles.
2. Decrease petroleum use by fleet an additional 6 percent (total 25 percent) from the FY12 use.
3. Increase the use of alternative fuel in fleet by 100 percent (2 percent of total fuel use) versus FY13 use.
4. Reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually, and 20 percent by FY20 versus a FY08 baseline.
5. Maintain a 50 percent diversion rate for solid waste.
6. Reduce potable water use annually and 26 percent by FY20 versus a FY07 baseline.
7. Ensure that 95 percent of procurements have procedures to include energy efficient, bio-based, environmentally preferred products by reviewing 5 to 10 percent of contracts for compliance.

All State and Field Offices have taken measures to achieve the Executive Orders upon which these objectives and targets have been based.  Reporting of accomplishments in each of the applicable target areas has been on-going for several years.  State Offices are encouraged to incorporate objectives and targets similar to these established for the WO EMS, at the time of their next EMS cycle. A focus on these key sustainability goals will ensure each office has an action plan or strategy to help the BLM achieve the national objectives.  WO EMS captures sustainability data at the State/Center level and will provide this data upon request to support measuring the State/Center performance on these sustainability goals.

BLM mangers will make all employees aware of the BLM EMS Policy and significant aspects, objectives, and targets presented in this IM and how they can contribute to the achievement of BLM’s goals.  The National Training Center will produce a short video to inform all employees of BLM’s EMS Policy, the value of implementing EMS, and their role in the process.  This video will be incorporated into the Pathways Training Course, posted on BLM’s intranet and social media sites, and be offered for viewing at new or all employee events to ensure the widest audience.   An EMS Awareness Power Point presentation, included as Attachment 1 may be used to promote employee awareness until the video is available.

Timeframe: The WO EMS will be initiated in January 2014 and be reviewed and updated annually. 

Background:  Executive Orders 13423 and 13514 require the implementation of EMS by all Federal agencies. The Office of Management and Budget Environmental Management Scorecard incorporates metrics to measure the success of implementing EMS throughout Federal agencies.  Departmental Manual 515 DM 4 issued August 13, 2008, states, “All bureaus and offices, will at all appropriate organizational levels and facilities, develop, implement, and maintain an EMS.”  Further, BLM Washington Office IM-2006-148 committed the BLM to the implementation of an EMS Bureau-wide.

The Executive Orders and Department Manual also require that BLM’s EMS conform to the International Standardization Organization’s (ISO) 14001:2004 Environmental Management System Standard (EMS standard).  The EMS is audited initially and every three years to ensure conformance with the EMS standard.  As a part of the EMS Standard, all employees must be aware of the EMS Policy, significant aspects of BLM’s organization that impact the environment, and their role and responsibilities in EMS.

Budget Impact:  Contractor support to facilitate the development and implementation of the EMS is provided by WO-280.  Any budget impact to field operations will depend on the specific elements of the EMS plan.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected:  None.

Coordination:  The EMS policy and requirements have been coordinated with the EMS Leadership Team, comprised of the Assistant Director from each Directorate and the BLM Deputy Assistant Director (Operations), State and Center EMS Coordinators, and the Field Committee.
Contact:  Any questions regarding this IM can be directed to Kim Harriz, Environmental Quality and Protection (WO-280), at (202) 912-7126.

Signed by:                                                                   Authenticated by:

Jesse J. Juen                                                                Robert M. Williams
Acting, Deputy Director for Operations                     Division of IRM Governance,WO-860

1 Attachment

     1 -  Bureau of Land Management Environmental Management System Awareness Training (19 pp)