AVOIDING ENVIRONMENTAL RISK


T


he Army is committed to environmental stewardship, fostering an ethic that goes beyond compliance to sustain-


ability. Several tools are in place to meet these goals; however, they have only been implemented on a small scale. Tis article will highlight a proven tool that enables managers to incorporate environmental concerns, through phased data collection for materials, as early as possible in deci- sion-making. Tis will enable the Army not just to comply with current regula- tions, but also to minimize or eliminate environmental risks and liabilities to acquisition programs and sustain Army operations for years to come.


At this time, Army acquisition programs are focused on meeting performance requirements, while at the same time complying


with national


materials acquired, used or disposed of; and increase agency use of acceptable alternative chemicals and processes.


Te Army has succeeded in meeting these broad goals; however, the problem has been, exactly what data are needed to ensure compliance, and how are they evaluated to help make sound decisions?


and Army


environmental requirements through- out the weapon system life cycle. Te National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)


requires DOD to pro-


vide full disclosure of possible impacts, alternatives and environmental miti- gation measures


for its activities. All


acquisition programs, regardless of size, must include an evaluation of whether the development, testing, production, fielding, operation and maintenance, and disposal of the system will affect the environment.


Executive Order 13514 (“Federal Lead- ership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance,” dated Oct. 5, 2009; online at http://www.whitehouse. gov/assets/documents/2009fedleader_ eo_rel.pdf) further requires government agencies to minimize the generation of waste and pollutants


through source


reduction (i.e., eliminate the environ- mental issue before it can even happen); reduce and minimize the quantity of toxic and hazardous chemicals and


52 Army AL&T Magazine


More than ever, resource limitations require that all programs, from research through acquisition, proceed with as much efficiency as possible. Current Army regulations require acquisition manag- ers to consider environment, safety and occupational health (ESOH) issues in a Programmatic Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Evaluation (PESHE), but the PESHE is not required until Mile- stone B. By that point, the Army may already have committed hundreds of thousands of dollars and significant man- hours to program research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E), consistent with Budget Activity (BA) 1-3.


Delaying discovery of an ESOH-related problem until Milestone B increases development risk and may require costly project modifications, or result in future remediation costs or even project cancel- lation, depending upon the severity of the problem. (See Figure 1.) However, there is no guidance on what data are needed to help make ESOH decisions. Tis leads to evaluation based solely on known ESOH risks, using available data.


It is not safe to assume that having no data means that there are no risks. For maxi- mum effectiveness, ESOH risks need to be identified as early as possible in the development process, ideally before being incorporated into an acquisition program. Tis article outlines a proven method of minimizing development risk and maximizing use of available resources.


AT THIS TIME, ARMY ACQUISITION PROGRAMS ARE FOCUSED ON MEETING PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME COMPLYING WITH NATIONAL AND ARMY ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS THROUGHOUT THE WEAPON SYSTEM LIFE CYCLE.


A PHASED APPROACH TO ESOH Starting


Toxicology Army


Public


in 2005, officials with the Portfolio at the U.S. Health


Command’s


U.S. Army Institute of Public Health (AIPH), in conjunction with the U.S. Army


Research, Development Sustainment and


Engineering Command’s (RDECOM’s) Environmental Acquisition and Logistics


Program


(EALSP), established a phased approach to environmental material assessment that has facilitated development of more environmentally sustainable alternatives for substances of greatest environmental concern in the Army inventory. (See Figure 2 on Page 54.)


Te EALSP includes significant efforts to eliminate or reduce the presence of substances that have major impacts on human health and the environment, such as hexavalent chromium, perchlorate, hydrazine and lead. Te program is also focused on replacing toxic munition components such as TNT and RDX with substances


that


are insensitive to accidental detonation and have fewer negative health and environmental impacts.


April–June 2013


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