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Performance Track Awardees, 2008
Performance Track recognizes all members for their outstanding commitment to continuous environmental improvement, but the program provides special recognition to a select few facilities each year in honor of their superior achievements in environmental performance and outreach.
- Performance Track Environmental Performance Awards
- Performance Track Outreach Awards
- Performance Track Appreciation Awards
Performance Track Environmental Performance Awards
Performance Track's 2008 Environmental Performance Awards recognize members that have demonstrated exemplary environmental performance from 2003-2006. The principal evaluation criteria for this award were the achievement of performance goals, the percentage improvement beyond baseline levels on an absolute basis, and the performance improvement relative to other facilities within the same indicator. This evaluation was supplemented with consideration of the member's compliance history, environmental management system, community outreach efforts, and annual performance report quality. This year, there are four recipients of the Performance Track Environmental Performance Award. All four recipients are Charter Members of Performance Track, and each has submitted its seventh Annual Performance Report.
Large Facility Category
Rohm and Haas, Kankakee Polymer Plant
Kankakee, Illinois
This facility manufactures water-based (latex) polymers. During its second membership term in Performance Track, the facility made the following environmental achievements even as its production increased by 18 percent (which would normally lead to increased use of water, energy, and materials):
- Eliminated its use of ferric chloride (a hazardous material) in pre-treatment, by working with the local public treatment works to develop a biological treatment process.
- Reduced total water use by more than 4 million gallons (a 12 percent decrease), by reducing backflush ratios for water softeners, eliminating a large vacuum pump, and other process changes in high-pressure water cleaning.
- Reduced total energy use by 28 percent, by installing more efficient electric motors, revising HVAC blower operations, adjusting plant air systems, and improving metering for natural gas and electricity.
TDK Components USA, Inc.
Peachtree City, Georgia
This facility manufactures multi-layer ceramic chip capacitors. During its 2003-2006 Performance Track membership term, TDK Components USA was able to achieve the following results while its production increased by 28 percent:
- Reduced total water use by more than 1.1 million gallons (a 38 percent decrease), by analyzing electroplating process line rinse flow rates.
- Reduced non-transportation energy use by 17 percent (which also reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 700 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) by installing a better lighting system, upgrading to more efficient equipment, and consolidating operations to two buildings to allow increased time for shutdown.
- Reduced its use of copper paste by 36 percent (nearly 3,500 pounds), and reduced its use of caustic soda by 53 percent (21,600 pounds).
Small Facility Category
Lafarge Aggregates SE, Douglasville Quarry
Douglasville, Georgia
Lafarge's Douglasville Quarry manufactures and sells heavy building materials, including quarry extraction of aggregates (broken stone and similar materials used as components in concrete). During the 2003-2006 membership term, while experiencing a 51 percent increase in production, the Douglasville Quarry achieved the following environmental improvements:
- In 2003, the quarry set a goal to increase its land and habitat conservation by 0.22 acre. By the third year of its membership period, Lafarge had conserved nearly three acres and received certification for it through the Wildlife Habitat Council's "Wildlife at Work" program.
- Lafarge set a goal to reduce its discharge of total suspended solids by increasing the capacity of its retention pond to minimize the discharge of waste water, and to recycle the water back to the plant for use in dust control. The result was a 96 percent reduction in total suspended solids, or more than 9,700 pounds.
Public Facility Category
Naval Air Engineering Station
Lakehurst, New Jersey
The Naval Air Engineering Station provides program management, contracting, logistics, engineering, prototyping, and testing services to aircraft platform interface systems. These systems generally include air launch and recovery equipment, and aviation support equipment, which allow naval aviators, sailors, and marines to operate aircraft safely from ships at sea or from expeditionary airfields.
The facility has revised its overall operations in order to eliminate the use of generators (other than for emergency use), and upgraded its process for repairing electrical system outages. The updated operations and maintenance plan allowed the facility to improve water quality and eliminate leaks. Through these and other efforts, the Naval Air Engineering Station has achieved the following exceptional results:
- Reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 57 percent (more than 25 tons) between 2003 and 2006.
- Increased procurement of material with recycled content by 376 percent (nearly 50 tons) from 2003-2006.
- Reduced total water use by more than 45 percent (a reduction of more than 65 million gallons) from 1999-2006.
Performance Track Outreach Awards
Performance Track Outreach Awards recognize current members of Performance Track who, in addition to being exemplary environmental stewards, make special efforts both internally and externally to inform employees, prospective members, and other organizations about the benefits of membership and participation in EPA's most comprehensive partnership program. This year, there are four recipients of the Performance Track Outreach Award.
Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC
Wilson, North Carolina
A member of Performance Track since 2005, this facility includes Performance Track promotional and training materials in all employee training sessions, and promotes the program in facility environmental publications. Performance Track is also on the agenda at the plant's annual banquet for industry partners.
Bridgestone/Firestone also has sent letters to many members of Congress on behalf of Performance Track to seek congressional commitment to the program. It has sent similar letters to the mayor, the Chamber of Commerce, and a number of other publicly elected officials and organizations in Wilson, including the Wilson Economic Development Council, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and the North Carolina community college system.
Management and Engineering Services
Longmont, Colorado
Management and Engineering Services specializes in environmental management systems, pollution prevention, and environmental compliance. A member of Performance Track since 2001, the firm is also a Gold Leader in the Colorado Environmental Leadership Program. Employees of Management and Engineering Services value their membership in Performance Track, routinely working with their clients (including many federal agencies) to help them develop the proper infrastructure and meet the criteria for membership in the program.
Management and Engineering Services has offered mentoring and auditing services, in some cases free of charge, to facilities that sought membership in Performance Track. Most of the firm's training session include presentations and promotional materials on Performance Track. Forever Resorts, which has 36 facilities in Performance Track, attributes its participation in the program directly to the guiding hand of Management and Engineering Services.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
Palmdale, California
A member of Performance Track since 2005, this facility performs research, development, and assembly of aircraft prototypes; fabrication of low observable aircraft assemblies; and maintenance and modifications of U-2, F-117, and FA-22 aircraft. Employees and clients are informed of the facility's commitment to Performance Track through a variety of events and communications, including messages on environmental health and safety boards throughout the plant. Performance Track is usually a topic in crew meetings, company electronic newsletters, building manager meetings, and on the facility's intranet. An electronic newsletter is sent to managers each year to reaffirm the facility's commitment to Performance Track and its environmental goals. In turn, the facility's general manager sends a letter of support for the program to all employees.
Lockheed Martin has hosted a member roundtable for EPA Region 9, and was successful in helping two facilities to join Performance Track. The facility has sent letters to members of Congress urging support and full funding for Performance Track, and has introduced Performance Track to the annual Certified Unified Program Agency conference as well as many other conferences and community events.
Hewlett Packard Corvallis Site
Corvallis, Oregon
This facility is in the business of inkjet printing technology development and production. After introducing Performance Track to Oregon's Western Business Roundtable, Hewlett Packard kept in touch with individual roundtable members by sending additional program information, materials, and a personal invitation to join the program.
The Corvallis facility has been a successful mentor to one of its sister HP facilities, which also became a member of Performance Track. The Corvallis plant also was responsible for bringing Performance Track to the attention of the City of Corvallis and to Oregon State University, which have both signaled a strong interest in joining the program. Finally, the facility has been recognized by EPA Region 10 for excellence in leadership in pollution prevention.
Performance Track Appreciation Awards
The 2008 Performance Track State Appreciation Awards recognize state media programs that have been outstanding in their support of Performance Track and its members.
State of Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Services
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), Office of Environmental Services is being recognized for its very timely issuance of air and water permits for a planned major expansion of Marathon Petroleum Company's refinery in Garyville, Louisiana, a Performance Track member since 2002. The facility announced its expansion plans in 2005; the state issued an air permit by December 2006 and a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System water permit in April 2008.
Marathon agreed to voluntary goals to reduce its NOx emissions beyond Best Available Control Technology requirements, imposed more stringent carbon monoxide limits, and installed four real-time "fenceline" ambient air monitoring stations. The refinery also committed to upgrade its wastewater treatment systems with state-of-the-art treatment technology and equipment, to accommodate the expansion and eliminate the need for additional permit allocations.
LDEQ's ability to expedite the permits was due largely to the refinery's membership in Performance Track, its exemplary compliance record, and close cooperation with EPA Region 6.
State of South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Waste Management Division
The Waste Management Division of South Dakota's Department of Environment and Natural Resources is recognized for its innovative and strategic approach of delivering Performance Track program incentives to Ellsworth Air Force Base, the first U.S. air force base accepted into Performance Track. Ellsworth Air Force Base requested and was granted a number of incentives from the state, including a reduction in the frequency of comprehensive site compliance evaluations from annually to every three years, a reduction in the frequency of discharge monitoring reporting from monthly to quarterly, a reduction in the number of inspections for air and water operations, and an extension of the facility's on-site storage of hazardous waste.
The Waste Management Division recognized the "win-win" aspect of delivering these particular incentives, which will allow both Ellsworth Air Force Base and the State of South Dakota to maximize staff and other resources to protect human health and the environment.