Army Environmental Policy and ISO 14001

Abstract

AbstractSince the 1970s, the U.S. Army has instituted environmental policies, programs, regulations, and management systems to ensure that its mission and support activities have minimal effects on the environment and comply with national policy. In recent years, the Army has incorporated environmental management systems (EMSs) at some installations through the DOD ISO 14001 EMS pilot program, in anticipation of Executive Order 13148, Greening the Government through Leadership in Environmental Management.1 While the EO does not require an EMS to be ISO 14001 compliant, many federal agencies are considering modeling their EMS after ISO 14001. This article presents how well current Army‐wide policy and guidance aligns with the ISO 14001 environmental management standard and offers opportunities for improvements in policy.When viewed from a corporate perspective, the Army generally has the major components for an ISO 14001 EMS, which include environmental policy, planning, implementation and operations, checking and corrective action, and management review. Army policies and guidance that provide the framework and demonstrate general conformance with ISO 14001 fall into three groups: (1) strategies and plans (the Army Environmental Strategy into the 21st Century, the Army Strategic Environmental Assessment,2 and the Army Environmental Campaign Plan and Operational Directive); (2) Army regulations (AR) for management, organization and function, and the environment; and (3) program management processes, reports, and databases (e.g., EPR, ISR II, EQR, ECAS, and EQCC). Additional documentation needed to meet ISO 14000 criteria include: (1) the unifying policy and guidance that integrates and streamlines the Army EMS; (2) a comprehensive assessment system that focuses on the management of the Army Environmental Program; (3) systems for updating administrative publications (e.g., ARs) in a timely manner (i.e., AR 200‐1, Environmental Protection and Enhancement, and AR 200‐3, National Resources—Land, Forest, and Wildlife Management); and (4) new policy and procedures for Army outreach. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.