NCCOS Environmental Management Programs and Improvement Plans
Materials
Management Program
NCCOS facilities use a wide variety of materials,
many of which are regulated and harmful to the environment.
The purpose of the Materials Management Program is to comprehensively
manage key materials at NCCOS facilities. This summary form
outlines the key components of the NCCOS Materials Management
Program, including its overarching objective, annual targets,
key responsibilities, and schedules. In the first phase NCCOS
will focus on chemicals that are used in research, operations,
and maintenance. Facilities will establish baselines of their
chemicals, identify those chemicals where substitutes might
be possible, and set objectives to improve the management
of these so as to minimize social, economic, and environmental
impacts.
Waste
Management Program
NCCOS facilities dispose of a wide variety of wastes, many of which are
regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), are harmful
to the environment, and costly to dispose of. The purpose of the Waste Management
Program is to comprehensively manage key waste streams at NCCOS facilities. This
summary form outlines the key components of the NCCOS Waste Management Program,
including its overarching objective, annual targets, key responsibilities, and
schedules. In general, NCCOS aims to establish baselines for facility key waste
streams and set objectives to improve the management of these so as to minimize
social, economic, and environmental impacts.
Training
Improvement Plan
Adequate training and communication is critical to effectively
manage environmental requirements at NCCOS and support the
NOAA Strategic Plan. This improvement plan is focused on
improving training and communications associated with NCCOS’s
EMS. This summary form outlines the key components of the
NCCOS Training and Communication Improvement Plan, including
its overarching objective, annual targets, key responsibilities,
and schedules. In the first phase NCCOS will assess the level
of education/awareness of all NCCOS employees with regard
to the environmental implications of their work activities.
This assessment will be used to develop programs to improve
the level of awareness and capability of employees to proactively
manage environmental issues associated with their jobs.
Resource Allocation Improvement
Plan
Adequate resources are critical to effectively manage environmental requirements
and achieve NOAA’s Strategic Plan. This improvement plan is focused on
improving the process that allocates resources within NCCOS’s EMS. This
summary form outlines the key components of the NCCOS Resource Allocation Improvement
Plan, including its overarching objective, annual targets, key responsibilities,
and schedules. In the first phase NCCOS will try to more accurately determine
the current costs associated with environmental programs by ensuring that the
environmental accounting codes are correctly used by all NCCOS facilities. This
will be accomplished in two phases: 1) NCCOS will ensure that all of its facilities
are able to use the environmental accounting codes (i.e., they are established
at the facilities) and; 2) NCCOS will implement a communications strategy to
ensure NCCOS employees are aware of, and know how, to use the environmental accounting
codes.
Developed per NCCOS
EMS Standard EMS.006 Environmental Improvement Activities.