NEWS
GOVERNMENT EPA, leading companies join in pilot management program Through "a new demonstration project, EPA will get an insider's look at innovative environmental management programs at several companies in return for an agreement by state and federal regulators to drop environmental inspections. Ten corporations and two federal facilities have volunteered for the one-year, trial "Environmental Leadership Program," according to Steve Herman, EPA assistant administrator for enforcement. In essence, the volunteers will demonstrate new environmental management approaches they have developed while EPA watches over the shoulders of facility staff. The companies and federal facilities were selected because of their new approaches and EPA's desire to see how these programs operate, Herman said. The pilot projects will help EPA learn the basic components of state-of-theart industry compliance management plans. Each company will conduct a demonstration project in an area in which it is a leader. Projects include internal environmental auditing systems, community outreach programs, external environmental monitoring systems, model cross-company mentoring programs, multimedia inspection systems, and Clean Air Act permitting programs. For instance, Arizona's Salt River Project proposes to develop a model program to help other large emitters come into compliance with Clean Air Act Amendments Title V permitting requirements. Minnesota's John Roberts Co. will develop a model training program that larger companies can use to help smaller ones comply with environmental laws and remain competitive. Also during the program, EPA and company employees will be shared, and along with giving EPA a glimpse in the factory, Herman said he hopes the exchange will have the side benefit of allowing company staff to better understand what EPA faces.
Although inspections will be suspended during the pilot program, Herman saw little reason for concern, emphasizing that all these facilities had good compliance records. Companies are required to report any violations found during the program and correct them within 90 days. They also are required to report the results of compliance audits conducted before the project began, several representatives said at a briefing in mid-April. "We are both taking chances," he said. "These companies are opening up to us voluntarily and as a result we will give them a little room. We're supposed to be the national policy leader in regard to environmental practices," Herman added, "and this gives us an opportunity to work with people who know at the facility level how you accomplish these things." At the briefing several representatives of companies and federal facilities said the project presented them with a vehicle to
show off programs they had developed over the years. In particular, they stressed the importance of helping smaller, less environmentally concerned companies set up complicated environmental compliance programs, adding that in some cases compliance at these plants was minimal. EPA's long-term goal, Herman said, is to develop an ongoing environmental leadership program in which facilities can regularly explore new approaches to compliance with freedom from enforcement actions while receiving positive publicity as leaders in the environmental arena. He said some 40 companies had applied, and these 12 were selected because of the quality of the projects and their fit with areas EPA wishes to explore. The program had been in planning for more than a year. Success in the program, Herman noted, will call for a "leap of faith and trust among people who in the past have not trusted one another." —JEFF JOHNSON
EPA's Environmental Leadership Program Companies taking part in the pilot program include the following: Arizona Public Service, electric utility, environmental management auditing, Deer Valley Facility, Phoenix, AZ; Ciba-Geigy Corp., chemical manufacturer, environmental management and community outreach, St. Gabriel, LA; Duke Power, electric utility, environmental auditing, multimedia assurance, public accountability. River Bend Station, Mount Holly, NC; The Gillette Co., manufacturer, outside auditing system, three facilities in MA, IL, and CA; John Robert Co., printer, auditing and mentoring, Minneapolis, MN; McClellan Air Force Base, federal facility, multimedia inspection systems and community outreach, Sacramento, CA; Motorola Inc., electronic manufacturer, similar company mentoring and environmental management systems, Oak Hill Facility, Austin, TX; Ocean State Power, electric utility, mentoring and environmental management, Burrillville, Rl; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, federal facility, pollution prevention assessments, Bremerton, WA; Salt River Project, electric utility, Clean Air Act Title V compliance and corporate standards for self certification, Tempe, AZ; Simpson Tacoma Kraft Co., pulp and paper mill, environmental auditing, supplier exchange, and EPA personnel exchange, Tacoma, WA and WMX Technologies, Inc., waste handling, environmental management systems, Arlington, OR.
2 5 0 A • VOL. 29, NO. 6, 1995 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
