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Council on Environmental Quality Blog

  • Environmental Justice: From Strategic Planning to Action

    Posted by Gary S. Guzy on May 17, 2012 at 10:49 AM EDT

    What does it take to integrate environmental justice principles into our programs and services? 

    The answers poured in enthusiastically from senior officials across the Federal Government at a recent special Deputy Secretary-level meeting of the Environmental Justice Interagency Working Group. I hosted this meeting along with U.S. EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe to mark the completion of an historic strategic planning effort.

    Building on the Obama Administration's commitment to strong environmental and health protections for all Americans, Federal agencies and offices have been revisiting and re-invigorating their approach to environmental justice. We set out our roadmap for concerted Federal Government action last year in an interagency Memorandum of Understanding, in which agencies committed to publishing environmental justice strategies and annual progress reports on their implementation of those strategies. When the deputies gathered at our meeting, the final strategies had just been released. To ensure their relevance and rigorous implementation, the strategies reflect public input, and they focus on engraining environmental justice principles in core Government practices and programs. 

    We agreed it was time to transition from strategic planning to action. As a Working Group, we decided that  to succeed, we must prioritize our actions and leverage existing resources as much as possible, including through developing and expanding public-private partnerships and sharing best practices across agencies. I jotted down the following examples to give you a sense of what this means in practice:

    • Deputy Secretary David Hayes described the Department of the Interior's work with private companies to help provide renewable energy to remote Native Alaskan communities.
    • Assistant Secretary Howard Koh from the Department of Health and Human Services indicated that the health impact assessment tools that the Department is developing will enable federal decision-makers across the Government to identify and consider public health impacts, including those that disproportionately apply to low-income and minority communities.
    • The Department of Energy and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are developing staff and stakeholder training on environmental justice principles which may be applicable to other Federal offices as well.

    As someone who worked in the Federal Government when we first began considering environmental justice principles two decades ago, I am heartened by where we are headed today. With newfound direction and momentum, we are answering the call for systematic and durable applications of environmental justice principles to our programs and services, so we can see meaningful results.   

    Gary S. Guzy is Deputy Director of the Council on Environmental Quality

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  • Supporting our Troops with Better Energy Options

    Posted by Frank Kendall on May 3, 2012 at 1:43 PM EDT

    Last night, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta addressed an Environmental Defense Fund reception in honor of the Department of Defense's leadership in advancing our nation’s security though transformative 21st century clean energy and environmental initiatives. 

    He remarked that from a security and financial perspective, we have a deep commitment to finding better energy options. For example, reducing the amount of fuel used by our equipment translates to fewer loads for supply convoys, which insurgents have targeted in places like Afghanistan. And the less we spend on fuel and energy, the more we have for other critical defense priorities. That's why, next year, DoD will invest almost $3 billion in energy efficiency and renewable energy. You can read Secretary Panetta’s remarks here.

    For our combat forces, we're investing in better generators and microgrids for our combat bases, hybrid engines for ships and vehicles, and more efficient aircraft. While some of these investments are long-term, many will result in immediate returns. For example, the Marine Corps’ Experimental Forward Operating Base (ExFOB) has been testing energy efficient and renewable technologies that make the Marines more flexible, agile, and lethal. 

    The Marine Corps KickOff Their 2012 Experimental Forward Operating Base initiative at Camp LeJeune, NC

    The Marine Corps kicked off their 2012 Experimental Forward Operating Base initiative at Camp LeJeune, NC on May 2 with Assistant Secretary of Defense Sharon Burke. Marines across Afghanistan are using energy efficient and renewable technologies to become more flexible, agile, and lethal. (Photo from the US Marine Corps)

    3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment deployed in 2010 with first generation ExFOB gear. The results spoke for themselves. The Marines operated two patrol bases solely on renewable energy, reduced energy use by 90 percent at a third base, and executed a three-week foot patrol without battery resupply, reducing load on Marines by 700 lbs. In less than a year, technologies demonstrated at this first ExFOB were deployed widely to combat forces in Afghanistan.

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  • The Youth Sustainability Challenge: Creating an America Built to Last

    Posted by Nancy Sutley and Lisa P. Jackson on May 2, 2012 at 3:00 PM EDT

    Today we are excited to announce a new initiative in partnership with America's young leaders. We're asking you, America's youth, to tell the world how you're fostering sustainability and creating an America built to last. Starting today, submit your video message for the Youth Sustainability Challenge and share how you're making a difference.

    This June, leaders from around the world will convene in Rio de Janeiro to mark the 20th anniversary of the historic "Earth Summit," formally known as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The conference is an opportunity for the world to engage in a global conversation and take action to build a healthier and more sustainable future for our planet.

    Here at home, we are focused on taking action to protect the health of our families and communities, and build a strong and growing economy and middle class. Americans are already working together to create innovative solutions to our shared global challenges, including through clean energy innovations and investments that support hundreds of thousands of jobs and have put us on track to double renewable energy generation in the U.S. by the end of this year.  

    The Obama Administration will continue to support American innovation and smart investments that will build a strong and healthy country and economy. We also believe that real progress begins with individuals who take action in their own homes and their own communities. That's why, as we prepare for the conference in Rio, we are challenging America's future leaders to do their part.

    This Tuesday, May 8, Obama Administration officials and youth sustainability leaders will gather for an event at the White House to mark the launch of this Challenge. But you can get involved now. Join the conversation. Encourage others to do the same. Demonstrate how you have power to create an America built to last – and to change our world for the better.

    • Twitter: Use the hashtag #EarthDayEveryDay
    • Facebook: Update your status and profile image

    Nancy Sutley is Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality

    Lisa P. Jackson is the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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  • Champions of Secure Energy

    Posted by Katherine Hammack on April 19, 2012 at 4:18 PM EDT

    Editor's Note: This blog introduces readers to Katherine Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment.

    Today in a special White House ceremony, I was privileged to meet, listen to, and help recognize nine individuals from around the nation who are being acknowledged as Champions of Change for Innovations in Renewable Energy.

    Among those being recognized is U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Alan Samuels, a Reserve Officer assigned to the Army Reserve Sustainment Command in support of the Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM), a part of the Army Material Command. Samuels deployed to Afghanistan for nine months in support of RDECOM's initiative to stand up a science and technology collaboration and integration center in theater. During his deployment he organized and led efforts for a 1-mega watt micro grid project the Army installed in Bagram. This project reduced power outages by 50 percent and fuel consumption for power generation by over 20 percent.

    When not serving as an Active Reserve Officer, Lt. Col. Samuels is a Department of the Army civilian, working as a research chemist studying remote sensing technology at Edgewood Chemical Biological Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Throughout his deployment Samuels continued to work with the Center's Army Science and Technology programs, offering them a "boots on the ground" perspective that allowed them to fine tune the Army's emerging technologies to better meet the needs of our war fighters.

    Power and energy are a serious focus of the United States Army. In theater, 70-80 percent of our logistics efforts are focused on moving fuel and water. Fuel and water must be transported by convoys which are often targeted by our adversaries. Any reduction in the amount of fuel we use translates into fewer convoys, and thus fewer lives lost protecting that fuel.

    Today, we witnessed firsthand how the military and civilians are working to find better ways for America to manage their power and energy resources. My personal congratulations go to Lt. Col. Samuels, and those who were recognized today as Champions of Change for Innovations in Renewable Energy.

    Katherine Hammack is Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment

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  • Voice of an Innovator: Sustainability Makes Sense

    Posted by Sarah Van Aken on April 13, 2012 at 11:20 AM EDT

    Editor's Note: This blog introduces readers to Sarah Van Aken, founder of Philadelphia-based design house SA VA, which has committed to social and environmental sustainability through living wage apparel and sustainable manufacturing processes.

    When I launched the clothing company SA VA in 2006, it was because I had a dream of becoming a fashion designer. I never dreamed that becoming a socially sustainable company would be my next goal – but that's what happened. 
     
    In 2008, I looked at our product lifecycle and realized something had to change. We purchased textiles from mills in Europe, air-shipped them to Bangladesh, and then air shipped the garments to the U.S – all in the name of fashion. I knew that I had to transform my business, and I worked with the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation to open a local manufacturing center, creating 15 American jobs and cutting our carbon footprint in half. We pay living wages, use sustainable and recycled materials, and promote community partnerships. The apparel industry is a big environmental polluter. As SA VA grows, our hope is to create more jobs, build an infrastructure for others to do the same, and help shift demand for sustainable practices in our industry.

    Women Sustainable Business Roundtable

    CEQ Chair Sutley meets with SA VA founder Sarah Van Aken and other women sustainable business owners from the Greater Philadelphia area to share ideas to advance sustainable business practices across the country. (Photo Credit: SA VA)

    Sustainable businesses are not only good for the environment, they are good for our communities. Three times the amount of money spent in local, independent businesses stays in the community that it's spent in. As President Obama has said, we don't have to choose between a healthy environment and a healthy economy – that is a false choice. Sustainable small businesses like ours are proving we can have both. 

    Sarah Van Aken is founder of Philadelphia-based design house SA VA

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  • A Secure Approach to American Energy

    Posted by Jonathan Powers on April 11, 2012 at 3:45 PM EDT

    When I served as an Army officer in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003, it became a ritual that our soldiers would reposition fuel trucks on our compound just as the sun went down. Soon after moving these trucks, insurgent mortar fire would target the area where they had previously been sitting. These were the moments when my soldiers and I began to realize the importance of energy to our warfighters on the battlefield. The issue also surfaced as the roads in Baghdad became more dangerous during our 15 month deployment, but we still needed to send daily logistical convoys into those streets to go pick up the new fuel supply. 

    Over the last 10 years of war, America's warfighters have gained a better understanding of the significant and inherent connection between energy independence and national security. As a result, the Department of Defense is making great strides in addressing these issues and enhancing our nation's energy security. That is why, as a veteran and in my new role as the Federal Environmental Executive, I am so proud of today's announcements by the Obama Administration, which take steps to bolster energy security for not only our brave men and women fighting on the front lines, but for all Americans.

    Today, the Administration announced:

    • The Army will open a new 30,000-square-foot lab in Michigan to develop cutting edge energy technologies for the next generation of combat vehicles. This new lab will support the launch of the Army Green Warrior Convoy, which will test and demonstrate advanced vehicle technology including fuel cells, hybrid systems, battery technologies and alternative fuels. 
       
    • The Energy Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency will launch a research competition to engage our country's brightest scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs in improving the capability of energy storage devices that can be used in the battlefield and for civilian applications. 
       
    • Building on the commitment President Obama made in his State of the Union Address, the Department of Defense (DOD) will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history, with a new goal to deploy three gigawatts of renewable energy – including solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal – on Army, Navy, and Air Force installations by 2025 – enough to power 750,000 homes.  

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