Environmental Management
This is the archived National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Environmental
Management System (EMS) web page.
NCCOS declared EMS conformance on December 31, 2008.
NCCOS follows the guidelines of the National Ocean Service, NOAA, and the Department
of Commerce relating to environmental management. By doing this, we no longer operate a stand-
alone EMS, but rather become an equal partner with all the Program Offices within
NOS and the
Line Offices within NOAA. We strive to follow all of these policies to be responsible stewards of our environment.
Background: Executive Order (E.O.) 13423 of January 24, 2007 sets broad goals to strengthen environmental, energy, and transportation management across Federal agencies. The E.O. requires government agencies to follow environmental best practices to address how our agency operations and activities impact our environment, including the energy we use and even when we commute to and from work. Executive Order (E.O.) 13514 of October 5, 2009 establishes additional goals and targets and requirements for Federal agencies. It builds on, but does not replace, E.O. 13423. It expands upon the energy reduction and environmental performance requirements of E.O. 13423.
Environmental Compliance
All federal agencies are required to review everything they do (e.g., construction/facility modifications, operations, scientific research) for compliance with various environmental statutes (e.g., National Environmental Policy Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act consultations). Scientific research activities are evaluated to ensure environmental compliance with all applicable environmental statutes. We have reviewed our actions and the results of these evaluations are in the form of Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments, or Environmental Impact Statements.