Environmental Management System 2016 National Objectives and Targets
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov
December 30, 2015
In Reply Refer To:
1704 (280) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 1/5/2016
Instruction Memorandum No. 2016- 029
Expires: 09/30/2018
To: All Associate State Directors, Deputy Director, National Interagency Fire Center
From: Acting Assistant Director, Resources and Planning
Subject: Environmental Management System 2016 National Objectives and Targets DD: 1/22/2016; 02/14/2016
Program Area: All Program Areas
Purpose: The purpose of this Instruction Memorandum (IM) is to identify the national Environmental Management System (EMS) objectives and targets for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Policy/Action: The BLM has implemented the EMS to strengthen its existing commitment to the protection and reclamation of the public lands, pollution prevention, and the reduction of our environmental footprint. The EMS is an integral part of BLM’s day-to-day operations and is incorporated in the long-term operational planning process across all programs to foster continual environmental improvement.
Executive Order (EO) 13693, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade directs bureaus and offices to implement and maintain the EMS at all appropriate organizational levels. The BLM is transitioning into a single EMS in order to improve its compliance with EO 13693. The national objectives and targets selected for 2016 directly reflect the key sustainability goals identified in EO 13693 and the priorities of the Secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI) and the BLM Director. These objectives and targets reflect significant aspects of BLM’s activities including air emissions, water use, energy use, and green procurement. Below are the BLM’s 2016 national objectives and targets.
- Reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 19.8 percent for 2016 from the 2008 baseline.
- Maintain Scope 3 GHG emissions at least a 23 percent reduction for 2016 from the 2008 baseline.
- Reduce energy intensity by at least 1.8 percent in 2016 based on a 2015 baseline.
- Increase renewable energy use to 10 percent of total electricity use.
- Reduce potable water use by 18 percent from the 2007 baseline.
- Reduce GHG emissions generated per mile from fleet vehicles by 2 percent based on the 2014 baseline.
- Ensure at least 3 percent of buildings (greater than 5,000 square feet) comply with the Guiding Principles.
- 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.
Each state office and the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) shall select a minimum of three of the above-listed objectives and provide written Action Plans to support the BLM-wide achievement of the associated targets. State offices and the NIFC should select objectives which make a significant impact on the BLM’s overall sustainability footprint and the priorities of their state and state director. The Washington Office (WO) Environmental Quality and Protection Division will monitor targets nationally using the annual Sustainability and Green House Gas Report for the purpose of documenting the accomplishments in the BLM-wide EMS. State offices/the NIFC will monitor the accomplishment of the established action plans to position the BLM to achieve its national targets. Tracking the targets is left to the discretion of the state and center directors. Data will be made available through the National Operational Center and the WO to support the states and the NIFC.
State offices and the NIFC will designate an EMS coordinator to participate on the BLM National Cross-Functional Team and to coordinate and manage the respective action plans, including update of information on the BLM EMS SharePoint Site. All employees are to be familiar with the BLM EMS Policy, the significant aspects, national objectives and targets, those objectives and targets selected by their specific state/NIFC, and how they can individually contribute to the BLM’s goals.
Timeframe: The 2016 cycle of the BLM EMS will be initiated in January 2016. The states and the NIFC will identify their EMS coordinator and at least three objectives and targets using the form in Attachment 1 by January 22, 2016. An Action Plan outlining the steps to support each selected objective/target should be posted to the BLM page of the SharePoint site by February 14, 2016, using the Action Plan form in Attachment 2 or a similar form.
Background: The EMS provides a framework to identify and address the environmental aspects of field operations and facilities and improve environmental management BLM-wide. Implementation of the EMS ensures that the BLM complies with EO 13693 and Departmental Manual 515 DM 4. The Department Manual also requires that the BLM EMS conform to the most recent update of the International Standardization Organization (ISO) 14001 Environmental Management System Standard. The EMS is audited initially and thereafter every three years to ensure compliance with the EMS standard.
The Office of Management and Budget Environmental Management Scorecard measures the implementation success of EMS throughout federal agencies. The DOI monitors the BLM’s individual performance on the federal scorecard goals through an Organizational Assessment, which includes the DOI’s scorecard goals, as well as some additional goals covered by
EO 13693 that the Secretary has prioritized for the DOI. Of these goals, there are eight selected for inclusion in the BLM EMS as objectives and targets.
Scope 1 GHG emissions are also referred to as Direct GHG, and are defined as emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the organization. The primary sources of Scope 1 GHG emissions for the BLM are process emissions from the BLM Helium Plant in Amarillo, TX and mobile combustion of fossil fuels (gas and diesel) in fleet vehicles.
Scope 2 GHG emissions are also referred to as Energy Indirect GHG, and are defined as emissions from the consumption of purchased electricity, steam, or other sources of energy (e.g. chilled water). The primary source of Scope 1 GHG emissions for the BLM is the consumption of contracted electricity.
Scope 3 GHG emissions are also referred to as Other Indirect GHG, and are defined as emissions that are a consequence of the operations of an organization, but are not directly owned or controlled by the organization. The primary sources of Scope 3 emissions for the BLM are employee commuting (contributes nearly 75 percent of our Scope 3 emissions), business travel, and solid waste disposal.
Energy intensity is the amount of energy consumed per gross building square footage. For the BLM, the main contributors to energy intensity are contracted electricity (almost 85 percent of our energy use for buildings), and to a lesser extent, the use of natural gas and propane for heating.
Use of renewable energy is measured as a percentage of total electrical energy used. This only includes renewable energy consumed by the BLM and not renewable energy produced on Public Lands. Although the BLM has a number of small renewable energy systems, this target has largely been met in the past years, through the DOI’s purchase of renewable energy credits on the BLM’s behalf.
Potable water intensity is also the amount of water consumed per gross building square footage. It includes only the water that the BLM produces and consumes or contracted utility water paid directly by the BLM. It does not include water provided as part of lease agreements. If separately metered, water used in wildland fire fighting, is exempted from the reduction goal.
The reduction of GHGs per mile in fleet is a new goal with EO 13693, and replaces the reduction of gallons of gasoline and diesel in fleet (exclusive of emergency vehicles) from prior years. Reducing emissions per mile is a more appropriate than the goal to reduce the number of gallons of petroleum fuels, as it emphasizes using more fuel-efficient vehicles and deemphasizes driving fewer miles, which could directly impact the BLM’s ability to accomplish its mission.
The Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings (Guiding Principles) to improve building efficiency, performance, and management are under revision. Existing buildings that met the old Guiding Principles are grandfathered in and considered compliant with new requirements. While this particular goal is an initiative of the WO and the NOC Sustainable Inspection Team, the states and NIFC can support these efforts by pursuing the recommendations made by the team in order to achieve compliance.
The sustainable acquisition requirements refer to specific language that is required to be included in the Statement of Work and Federal Acquisition Regulation clauses that address solicitation for green purchasing, such as specification for bio-based, bio-preferred, energy star, energy efficient, the percentage of recycled content, etc.
More information can be found on EO 13693 at the following link: https://www.whitehouse.gov.
Budget Impact: Coordination for EMS is based in the Hazardous Materials Management Program. Budget impact to field operations will depend on the specific Action Plans developed to support the national objectives and targets.
Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: None.
Coordination: The EMS policy and requirements have been coordinated with the state and NIFC EMS coordinators and the Field Committee.
Contact: Any questions regarding this IM can be directed to Kim Harriz, Acting BLM EMS Program Lead, Environmental Quality and Protection (WO-280), at (202) 208-7564 and/or Georgette A. Fogle, Environmental Protection Specialist (WO-280), at (202) 912-7142.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Michael H. Tupper Catherine Emmett
Acting Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance, WO-860
Resources and Planning
2 Attachments
1 - Objectives/Targets Template (1p)
2 - Action Plan Template (5 pp)