The National Nuclear Security Administration's Los Alamos Site Office recently endorsed the Laboratory's Environmental Management System.
The Environmental Management System is part of the Lab's compliance with Department of Energy Order 450.1. The order requires DOE sites to establish an EMS βto implement sound stewardship practices that are protective of the air, water, land and other natural and cultural resources impacted by DOE operations, and by which DOE cost-effectively meets or exceeds compliance with applicable environmental, public health, resource protection laws, regulations and DOE requirements.
Los Alamos Site Office Manager Ed Wilmot based his assessment on an independent audit last fall of the Lab's EMS program. "Because there are no major non-conformities, the organization should proceed with plans to self-declare conformance of this Environmental Management System (EMS) with DOE Order 450.1-1," Wilmot wrote to NNSA headquarters in a Dec. 12, 2005 memo. β[Los Alamos] has established a robust EMS that has the potential to fundamentally reduce environmental risk to mission operations,β Wilmot added.
Wilmot also noted that the findings of the pre-assessment audit were supported by the draft Office of Oversight ES&H systems report, which stated that the "Los Alamos Site Office and [the Laboratory] has devoted appropriate levels of attention and resources to implementing the EMS and these programs are generally comprehensive and effective."
As part of compliance with the DOE order, Laboratory organizations were required to develop division environmental action plans. Those plans can be found on the EMS Web page at http://ems.lanl.gov/ online.
