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, 2015

In Reply Refer To:

1704 (280) P 

EMS TRANSMISSION 04/21/2015

Instruction Memorandum No. 2015-090

Expires: 09/30/2018

To:             All Washington Office and Field Office Officials

From:         Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

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 strengthen the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) policy for its Environmental Management System (EMS) and provide guidance for EMS objectives and targets BLM-wide.

Policy/Action:  The BLM manages public lands under the dual framework of multiple use and sustained yield. The BLM is implementing this EMS to strengthen its existing commitment to the protection and reclamation of the public lands, pollution prevention, and reducing the environmental footprint of its operations.  The EMS is an integral part of the BLM’s day-to-day operations and will be incorporated in the long-term operational planning process across all programs to foster continual environmental improvement. 

The BLM is committed to managing facilities and performing operations so that the environment, employees, and public health are protected.  Specifically, the BLM’s EMS policy requires it 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 2015 EMS cycle, the BLM continues to address significant aspects of its operations. Washington Office IM-2006-148 committed the BLM to implement an EMS.  The 2015 EMS cycle builds on the 2013 cycle that focused on BLM-wide sustainable practices and improving environmental performance in alignment with the sustainability and environmental program goals set in the Department of the Interior’s May 25, 2011 Sustainability Policy, issued by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (see Attachment 1).  These significant aspects are energy use, air emissions, solid waste generation, water use, and green procurement.  The BLM’s objectives and targets are:

1. Incorporate Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings in the building inventory to achieve 15 percent compliance with the Guiding Principles.
2. Decrease petroleum use by fleet 25 percent by 2015 versus the FY 12 baseline.
3. Increase the use of alternative fuel by fleet to 2 percent of total fuel use.
4. Reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually, and 20 percent by FY 20 versus a FY 08 baseline.
5. Maintain a 50 percent diversion rate for solid waste.
6. Reduce potable water use annually, and 26 percent by FY 20 versus a FY 07 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.

Note that the BLM’s fire program and the law enforcement and security program are not subject to the targets for fuel when used in emergency response vehicles or water when used in fire-fighting.  State and Center Offices have the discretion to develop supplemental Environmental Management Systems.  All state and field offices have taken measures to achieve these objectives and have made progress toward these targets.  Reporting of accomplishments in each of the applicable target areas has been on-going for several years.  State offices are encouraged  to focus on these key sustainability goals and ensure that each office has an action plan or strategy to help the BLM achieve the national objectives.  This 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.

All employees are to be aware of the BLM EMS Policy and significant aspects, objectives, and targets presented in this IM.  Employees also need to know how they can contribute to the BLM’s goals.  An EMS Awareness Power Point presentation, included as Attachment 2 may be used to foster employee awareness.  The presentation is most effective when it is downloaded and viewed in PowerPoint which enables the animation.

Timeframe:  The 2015 cycle of the WO EMS was initiated in January 2015 and the EMS aspects, objectives, and targets are reviewed and updated annually. 

Background:  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 provides a framework for identifying and addressing the environmental aspects of field operations and facilities and improving environmental management BLM-wide.  Implementation of this EMS ensures that the BLM complies with Executive Orders 13423 and 13514 and Departmental Manual 515 DM 4.

The Office of Management and Budget Environmental Management Scorecard measures the success of implementing EMS throughout federal agencies. 

The Executive Orders, the Department Manual and the Secretary’s policy statement also require that the BLM’s EMS conform to the International Standardization Organization’s (ISO) 14001:2004 Environmental Management System Standard.  The EMS is audited initially and every three years to ensure conformance with the EMS standard. 

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 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:

Edwin L. Roberson                                         Robert M. Williams

Assistant Director                                           Division of IRM Governance,WO-860

Resources and Planning

2 Attachments

     1 - Sustainability and Environmental Policy Statement (3 pp)

     2 - 2015 Bureau of Land Management Environmental Management System Awareness Training (19 pp)