EPA announced that U.S. Army Garrison Fort Wainwright will pay $233,300 for violating federal hazardous waste management requirements. During a routine inspection of the garrison in August 2021 EPA inspectors found several violations of the RCRA including failure to make a hazardous waste determination, storage of hazardous waste without a permit, failure to properly manage pharmaceutical waste, failure to properly manage used oil, and failure to properly manage universal waste such as aerosol cans and lamps. At the time of the inspection, EPA determined the facility was operating as an unpermitted hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facility. Several hazardous wastes were stored improperly and containers were left open or were stored on-site longer than allowed. In response to the inspection findings, USAG Fort Wainwright agreed to pay the monetary penalty in addition to taking the necessary steps to come into compliance and resolve the violations.

EPA inspections found that from at least 2012 to 2013, Fort Wainwright failed to perform leak detection tests, monitor underground storage tanks regularly and investigate suspected releases as required under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The U.S. Army is taking steps to improve management of its fuel storage tanks and comply with federal laws designed to protect groundwater at Fort Wainwright Garrison, located near Fairbanks, Alaska, according to a settlement with the U.S. EPA. Steps include a new operator, decommissioning some tanks, and paying a penalty of nearly $158,700.

On 14 April 2014 this forum will be held at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington D.C. The focus of the forum is best-practices for sharing facilities among Federal agencies or their components. The speakers will share successful strategies that their agencies have used to implement facility-sharing operations. The presenters will discuss technical, organizational, cultural, and financial aspects involved in sharing federal agencies, as well as their implementation efforts, results, and lessons learned. Click here for more info. Click here to register.

This report is published in response to mandates established in The Global Change Research Act of 1990. The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) fulfills that mandate in two volumes. This report, Volume II, draws on the foundational science described in Volume I, the Climate Science Special Report (CSSR) [issued in 2017]. Volume II focuses on the human welfare, societal, and environmental elements of climate change and variability for 10 regions and 18 national topics, with particular attention paid to observed and projected risks, impacts, consideration of risk reduction, and implications under different mitigation pathways. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) served as the administrative lead agency for the preparation of this report. A Federal Steering Committee, composed of representatives from U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) agencies, oversaw the report's development.

The free September 10, 2009 webcast is titled "Introduction to Water Quality Standards." The webcast will highlight the three major components of state and tribal water quality standards e.g., designated uses, water quality criteria, antidegradation, and will include a case study of how one state is working to strengthen its WQS program.

On 11 October 2024, EPA finalized a rule on the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020. This Act directs the EPA to establish regulations to maximize reclamation and minimize releases of hydrofluorocarbons and their substitutes, as well as ensure the safety of technicians and consumers. In this rule, EPA also finalized alternative recycling criteria for ignitable used refrigerants, including some hydrofluorocarbons and their equivalents under RCRA authority. These final RCRA alternatives largely defer to existing Clean Air Act standards for refrigerant recovery equipment and reclaimer certification. They also include a prohibition on speculative accumulation and requirements for emergency preparedness and response for refrigerant reclaimers. These final changes to the hazardous waste regulations aim to decrease emissions and support safe recycling of used refrigerants. EPA has provided a series of questions and answers about the RCRA refrigerant recycling alternative standards.

On 7 October 2024, EPA published several new frequent questions about managing end-of-life solar panels under RCRA. Find out how to use knowledge or analytical testing to make a hazardous waste determination on solar panels, how the RCRA regulations apply to solar panels that are reused and recycled, how solar panels can be recycled, and more on our website.

On January 23, 2015, the White House launched the Presidential Challenge for Advanced Outdoor Lighting, calling on local governments to accelerate the adoption and use of high efficiency outdoor lighting. In addition to driving carbon pollution reductions in communities across the country, the Challenge will help cities and states cut their outdoor lighting bills by 50% or more. Read the CEQ blog, hosted by Kate Brandt, Federal Environmental Executive.

EPA has announced the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to deliver Brownfields Job Training (JT) programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed and under-employed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment across a spectrum of brownfield-related activities. The application submission deadline is 5 October 2021.

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), on behalf of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) initially titled "Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT)." The AFFECT FOA will provide direct funding to U.S. Federal agencies for the development of capital projects and other initiatives to increase the energy efficiency and renewable energy investments at agency facilities. It is anticipated that the FOA will include the following two topic areas: 1. Combined Heat and Power (CHP); and 2. Renewable Energy, including solar, wind, biomass, landfill gas, ocean, geothermal, waste to energy, and new hydroelectric energy technologies.

Available from EPA's Office of Water, the report describes the progress made in FY 2009 toward each of the 15 National Water Program subobjectives identified in the FY 2009 National Water Program Guidance and the EPA 2006 -2011 Strategic Plan. Four key elements in the Report are: an overview of performance for all FY 2009 National Water Program measures; a description of innovative approaches and best practices in program implementation; performance highlights and management challenges for each subobjective; and an appendix of data for environmental and program-related measures, including national and regional data (where available).

This guidance describes water program priorities and strategies, including the suite of water performance measures and their targets, for the coming fiscal year.

By statute, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is required to publish scorecards on Federal agency performance on energy efficiency and sustainability. The scorecards available on this site assess agencies' fiscal year (FY) 2016 performance toward statutory and Executive Order goals, which were in place prior to the beginning of the current Administration. The information upon which the scorecards are based includes data, metrics, and scoring criteria that were developed in accordance with existing statutory and Executive Order requirements applicable in FY 2016.

The Department of Defense's Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) is seeking environmental research and development proposals for funding beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. Projects will be selected through a competitive process. The Core Solicitation provides funding opportunities for basic and applied research and advanced technology development. Core projects vary in cost and duration consistent with the scope of the work proposed. The Statements of Need referenced by this solicitation request proposals related to the SERDP program areas of Environmental Restoration, Resource Conservation and Resilience, and Weapons Systems and Platforms. All Core pre-proposals are due January 7, 2025 by 2:00 p.m. ET. SERDP Executive Director will conduct a webinar on November 15 from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET. offering valuable information for those interested in new SERDP funding opportunities.

On 23 November 2009, Michelle Moore, Federal Environmental Executive, sent an email to Agency Senior Sustainability Officers providing information on the annual EMS data call due 15 January 2010. Accompanying the data call are documents for accomplishing the 2009 report (see FY09 EMS Annual Report Data Call); an agency-level EMS report template (Attachment A); a facility/organization-level data template (Attachment B); the FY09 EMS metrics (Attachment C); and supplemental Oct 2008 guidance on establishing EMSs at All Appropriate Levels (Attachment D).

The Federal Government has already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent. In their Fiscal Year 2016 Sustainability Plans, agencies outline the actions they will take to continue their progress. Click on"Supporting Information".

Federal agencies continue to demonstrate progress and performance on energy efficiency and sustainability. The Office of Federal Sustainability website has been updated with the FY17 sustainability progress data, agency OMB Scorecards, and the list of agency Chief Sustainability Officers.

This document, Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Developing and Managing Capital Program Costs (GAO-09-3SP), dated March 2009, is intended to help agencies produce well-documented, comprehensive, accurate, and credible estimates. multi-step process for developing high-quality, trustworthy cost estimates; explains how to manage program costs once a contract has been awarded; and presents 48 case studies, drawn from GAO published audits, that illustrate typical pitfalls and successes in cost estimating. The guide stresses both sound cost estimating and earned value management (EVM), a project management tool that compares completed work to expected outcomes, in setting realistic program baselines and managing risk. In future audits, GAO plans to use the Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide to assess the accuracy of agencies' cost estimates and determine whether programs are on schedule.

This GAO report, Opportunities to Reduce Federal Fiscal Exposures Through Greater Resilience to Climate Change and Extreme Weather, release the results of a GAO study concerning the impact of climate change and extreme weather on federal facilities. The primary finding was that climate change and related extreme weather impacts on infrastructure and federal lands increase fiscal exposures that the federal budget does not fully reflect. Investing in resilience--actions to reduce potential future losses rather than waiting for an event to occur and paying for recovery afterward--can reduce the potential impacts of climate-related events. Implementing resilience measures creates additional up-front costs but could also confer benefits, such as a reduction in future damages from climate-related events.

This report is the most recent in a series of GAO reports examining the nexus between energy and water. The report looks at the vast amounts of water used by the U.S. in energy production, from cooling thermoelectric power plants to the growth of feedstocks for biofuel production to oil and gas extraction. It also examines how water and energy are inextricably linked in the treatment of drinking water and wastewater. The GAO report noted several factors likely to affect future supply and demand for both energy and water, including climate change, population growth, and demographic shifts.

A GAO report released March 13, 2009, addressing the need for greater EPA enforcement and oversight of cleanup operations at DOD sites.

EPA is releasing the final Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Guidance. This guidance will assist permit applicants and owners or operators in submitting and managing the large volumes of information associated with Class VI geologic sequestration projects. The guidance identifies common file formats used for geologic data and technical reports and describes how Class VI permit applicants and owners or operators can use the Agency's electronic Geologic Sequestration Data Tool to meet the Class VI electronic reporting requirements throughout the duration of a Class VI project.

EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are finalizing a Clean Water Rule later this spring to protect critical streams and wetlands that are currently vulnerable to pollution and destruction. On April 3 a draft rule was sent to the Office of Management and Budget for interagency review. Read the full blog article here.

This is EPA's monthly newsletter whose mission is to provide "what you can do" information about activities and events that we can use in our homes, communities, and offices.

This Federal Times article details a new General Services Administration plan requiring government contractors to track their greenhouse gas emissions or risk losing out on new contracts.

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) has issued Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0000901 on the EERE Exchange titled "Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies." The AFFECT FOA will provide direct funding to U.S. Federal agencies for the development of combined heat and power or renewable energy capital projects at agency facilities. Letters of intent (LOI) are due by 10 December 2013, and full applications are due by 18 February 2014. A webinar will be held on 12 November 2013 to provide information and answer questions.

For the first time, Pollution Prevention and Source Reduction Assistance Grants (between 2011 and 2022) have topped the one-billion-pound mark for reductions in hazardous materials and pollutants. In addition, cost savings of $2.3 billion resulted from companies buying fewer hazardous materials and shipping less hazardous waste, reducing regulated air emissions, treating less wastewater and buying less water, fuel and energy. Further success from these grants includes 20.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions and 31.9 billion kilowatt hour savings achieved mostly through energy efficiency and reduced use of energy.

The Green Electronics Council (GEC), the organization that manages the EPEAT ecolabel, announced its 2018 EPEAT Purchaser Award winners on May 14th at a ceremony in Minneapolis, MN. The awards program honors organizations that show leadership in the procurement of sustainable IT products. This year's awardees include national and local governments, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, K-12 schools, institutions of higher learning, and businesses from around the globe. Multiple federal agencies were honored across the product categories: PCs and Displays, Imaging Equipment, Mobile Phones, and Televisions.

The overall design of both product and service pages have been improved. Photos have been added for each product improving the visual appeal of the pages. In addition, product descriptions have been provided for each GPC product giving users a better understanding of each product. In particular, for products with EPA Recommended Standards, Specifications and Ecolabels, the "Procurement Info" section has been updated with the additional tiered requirements; the schedules listed under "Where to Buy" are now hyperlinked allowing you to go directly from the GPC to GSA eLibrary where you can find additional procurement information; mobile phones have been added to the GPC under "Office Electronics" with an EPEAT requirement; and you can now find Products by Environmental Program via the Environmental Programs page

(WASHINGTON, D.C., October 19, 2011) – The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) today announced the keynote speakers and plenary session panelists who will kickoff the 2011 GreenGov Symposium, to be held October 31 – November 2, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. Nancy Sutley, Chair of CEQ, will deliver welcoming remarks, and Jack Lew, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will deliver the first keynote address of GreenGov 2011. The first day plenary session will feature clean energy and green leaders, including award-winning journalist and associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Simran Sethi, and renowned explorer, social entrepreneur, and environmental advocate Philippe Cousteau Jr. among others to discuss how they see the Federal Government can lead by example in sustainability.

FINAL REMINDER - ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO PARTICIPATE! The White House is launching the second GreenGov Challenge! If you're a federal employee, share your idea on how the federal government can lead by example in eight different categories -- from climate change mitigation and resilience, to water conservation, to waste reduction. Submissions are open until 5 December 2014. After the submission period closes, GreenGov will release the approved submissions and all federal employees will be able to vote for their favorite ideas.

Check out the newest edition of the GreenGov Leader. If you are Federal (military or civilian) employee we invite you to join the GreenGov Collaborative, hosted here on FedCenter, to put your GreenGov ideas into action.

Check out the newest edition of the GreenGov Leader, a publication of the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. If you are a Federal employee (military or civilian) we invite you to join the GreenGov Collaborative, hosted here on FedCenter, to put your GreenGov ideas into action.

Speaker presentations from the 2010 GreenGov Symposium held October 5-7, 2010, at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. are now available for download.

Registration fees and additional conference information is now available on FedCenter's GreenGov Symposium website.

The Federal community is invited to attend the first GreenGov Webinar to learn about power management strategies and tools Federal Agencies are using to achieve significant computer energy savings. The webinar will highlight success stories from across the Federal Government. The webinar will be held Tuesday, August 3, from 1300-1430 ET. You must register in advance at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/890404449 to attend this free, 90-minute webinar. See the attached Word document for more details.

A custom-designed training video explaining use of the FEMP Reporting Portal v.1.6 is now available. The Greenhouse Gas and Sustainability Data Report Demonstration provides a step-by-step guide on completing each tab of the Greenhouse Gas and Sustainability Data Report (Excel 2007 spreadsheet) for inventory and reporting Federal agency greenhouse gas emissions across scopes 1, 2, and 3. This video was recorded on November 15, 2010 and is presented by John Nangle of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Individual modules cover each element of the report spreadsheet and each can be accessed separately once the player is opened.

The USGS recently released a new report analyzing greenhouse gas emissions  including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O)  associated with U.S. federal lands. Published as a follow-up to an earlier USGS 2018 report, it incorporates the latest data and methodologies, expanding the timeframe of analysis from 2005 to 2022 while providing updated estimates of ecosystem carbon emissions and sequestration. Given that U.S. federal lands are approximately 28% of the land in the United States, understanding both greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration on these lands is essential to informing land management practices that can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

EPA has extended the deadline for reporting 2010 GHG data to September 30, 2011. This extension will allow EPA to further test the system that reporters will use to submit data, and give industry the opportunity to test the tool, provide feedback and have sufficient time to become familiar with it prior to reporting.

GSA announced more than $300 million in construction and renovation projects funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden signed in August. This first set of projects aims to catalyze clean energy innovation and spur domestic clean manufacturing by incorporating emerging technologies and low-carbon materials into construction and renovation projects at federal facilities across America. The funds, the first of $3.4 billion in GSA investments, will also accelerate efforts to achieve President Biden's goal of a net-zero emissions federal building portfolio by 2045.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has settled an enforcement action against the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), and four private parties for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at the John W. McCormack Post Office and Court House Building in Boston, Mass. The parties will collectively pay a penalty of $100,000.

U.S. General Services Administration's Green Proving Ground (GPG) program and the U.S. Department of Energy's High Impact Technology (HIT) Catalyst program have issued a joint Request for Information (RFI) seeking information on next-generation sustainable building technologies to measure and validate in select federal and commercial buildings. There will be a webinar about the RFI on 3 November 2016. To attend, register at https://goo.gl/aU6Wi4. To submit your technology, please complete the RFI by Friday, 18 November 2016 at 11:59 PM ET.

This spending plan details how GSA will expend the $5.55 billion authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including measures necessary to convert Federal buildings into high-performance green buildings, renovate and construct Federal buildings and courthouses, and renovate and construct land ports of entry (LPOE).

The Cost Effective Upgrades Tool is designed to help identify upgrades and energy conservation measures that can enhance your building's sustainability. Get started by selecting your building size and climate zone. To help with procurement, you can generate reports outlining each upgrade, including its economic benefits. This tool is a part of GSA's SFTool.

This letter summarizes the recommendations of the Green Building Advisory Committee (the Committee), based on the third phase of work of its Federal Building Decarbonization Task Group (FBDTG).

A new GSA Fleet consolidation initiative will give federal agencies the opportunity to replace their aging fleet with hybrid vehicles. Through this initiative, federal agencies can now consolidate vehicles into the GSA Fleet inventory. If agencies choose to participate in the program, GSA will fund the total incremental cost to replace eligible consolidated vehicles with new hybrid sedans.

GSA is transitioning the SFTool website to a new high-performance building clearinghouse on the GSA website. Make sure to save your account information, including FEDSAT exams and Total Workplace Scorecard information, before the May 30 deadline. GSA divided the information into seven resource sections: energy, water, health, integrative design strategies, workplace strategies, procurement, and learning resources. Look for content from the "Green Procurement Compilation page" under the new "Procurement section".

GSA Bulletin FMR B-34 provides guidance concerning the documentation of, and appropriate disposal of Federal Electronic Assets (FEA). Property items designated as FEA include: copiers; telephones, fax machines, and communication equipment; electronic equipment components; electrical and electronic properties measuring and testing instruments; digital cameras; desktop and laptop/portable computers, computer monitors, displays, printers, peripherals, and electronic components; televisions and other displays; and other items that clearly utilize solid-state electronics technology or vacuum tubes to perform. See attached news release.

GSA has issued its recommendation on the federal government's use of third party green building certification systems. GSA is required by law to issue a recommendation to the Department of Energy (DOE) on how the federal government can best use certification systems to measure the design and performance of the federal government's construction and major renovation projects. In its recommendation to DOE, GSA recommended the Green Building Initiative's Green Globes 2010 and the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2009 as the third party certification systems that the federal government can use to gauge performance in its construction and renovation projects. Other certification systems were not selected because they did not align with the government's requirements. Additionally, under today's recommendation, GSA will conduct more regular reviews in order to keep up with the latest green building tools that the market has to offer.

GSA is launching a pilot to encourage its vendors and contractors to publicly disclose their company-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The new pilot - which is voluntary - will also ask about 120 of GSA's largest vendors and contractors to reduce their overall greenhouse gas emissions.

GSA's Public Building Service has developed training designed to prepare professionals to obtain the Green Buildings Certification Institute's (GBCI) LEED Green Associate (GA) and LEED Accredited Professional (AP) credentials. The training is based on LEED 2009 criteria and will become obsolete once USGBC transitions to LEED v4. The training is designed to prepare participants to successfully gain the LEED GA, and, where candidates meet GBCI requirements, the LEED AP specialty credentials. Available on-demand for federal employees only.

You can save physical space, reduce the need for landfilling or recycling, and increase efficiency by utilizing GSA's Document Conversion Services (DCS) contracts to convert your paper documents, microfilm, drawings, and other media into easily retrievable electronic files.

Under a new government-wide Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) GSA provides seven brands of EVSE charging stations, encompassing a wide range of commercially-available options for level 1, 2 and DC fast charging stations. Additionally, networked, non-networked, gateway, non-gateway and sub-metered stations were awarded.

On October 22, 2014, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that it is on track to meet the Administration's 2020 renewable energy goal after awarding a competitive power supply contract to a commercial wind developer for the purchase of 140 megawatts (MW) of clean wind energy. The energy will come from the Walnut Ridge Wind Farm, which is currently in development in northwest Illinois, and will add more than 500,000 megawatt-hours (MWhs) of electricity to the power grid annually. The ten-year contract was awarded to MG2 Tribal Energy – a joint venture between the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians, a federally-recognized Native American tribe, and Geronimo Energy, a commercial wind developer – and is the largest wind energy purchase from a single source in federal contracting history.

Since January, more than 125 teams and 6,500 buildings have been battling it out to see who can save the most energy and water in the 2015 ENERGY STAR Battle of the Buildings: Team Challenge. The GSA Region 6 Team is the highest placed Federal team in the competition at the midpoint.

This is GSA's innovative green building learning simulation which is a part of GSA's SFTool. Green the Building places you in the role of a resource-constrained decision-maker, charged with greening buildings through strategic energy, waste, water and occupant satisfaction improvements. You must choose technologies, implement best-practices, support behavior changes and plan carefully to create buildings that conserve resources, reduce waste, save money and keep occupants happy and healthy. Need help? Don't worry! Embedded links connect you directly to the clear explanations you've come to expect from SFTool.

The U.S. General Services Administration has released its review of the Green Building Certification Systems. This initial report is the first step in an extensive review process -- including a public comment period – that evaluates tools that could help federal agencies meet their goals for maintaining and constructing more sustainable and efficient buildings. When completed, the use of updated building certification systems will help GSA's customer agencies meet federal requirements for green construction, save taxpayer dollars and meet the goals of President Obama's Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance (EO 13514).

GSA has released a review of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Version 4 (LEED v4), the new version of the LEED green building certification system published in November 2013 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The purpose of the review was to examine how LEED v4 aligns with existing federal statutory, regulatory, and Executive Order green building requirements.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) issued a Request for Information (RFI) this week for innovative, transformational green building technologies in support of its Green Proving Ground (GPG) program. The program is seeking information from industry stakeholders, commercial organizations, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations on technologies that have the potential to improve economic and environmental performance in federal buildings. The response date is 7 November 2014.

GSA and its Federal agency partners in the EISA 436(h) Ad-Hoc Discussion Group are seeking public input regarding possible approaches GSA may take in fulfilling its requirement from the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 to provide a formal recommendation to the Secretary of Energy that identifies a green building certification system(s) most likely to encourage a comprehensive and environmentally-sound approach to the certification of green Federal buildings. Comments are due 60 days after 5 February 2013.

GSA has issued a Request for Information online to gather input on innovative, transformational green building technologies in support of its Green Proving Ground program. The program is seeking information from industry, commercial organizations, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations on technologies that have the potential to improve economic and environmental performance in federal buildings.

On 12 August 2015 GSA is giving local area federal agencies an opportunity to dispose of their unneeded, inoperable electronic assets at their Springfield, VA facility. This disposal event will be free of charge to those who participate and will ensure assets are disposed of in an environmentally friendly fashion. GSA is partnering with a disposal vendor who has agreed to pay the GSA Surplus Sales program for accumulations of federal electronic assets. Participants will receive certification that their property was disposed of in accordance with EPA regulations. GSA is taking computer equipment, monitors, televisions, cell phones, copiers, and anything with an on/off switch. GSAS requests that all hard drives be wiped.

In an effort to save money, the Federal government is working with GSA to identify and get rid of excess properties.

GSA is offering online training webinars for reporting Scope 3 travel greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These trainings sessions are specifically focused on generating travel GHG reports using GSA's Travel Management Information Service (MIS). GSA is happy to invite federal employees and their partners to attend a one hour training session to learn how to run the reports and submit emissions. The following dates and times are available. If interested, please e-mail Leif.Waller@gsa.gov with the preferred date and time, and GSA will you forward the information required to join the live online training session.

Available sessions (all times are listed in EST):
Thursday 12/16 11AM
Tuesday 12/20 3PM
Tuesday 1/4 2PM
Monday 1/10 1PM
Wednesday 1/12 10AM
Wednesday 1/19 10AM
Monday 1/24 1PM
Wednesday 1/26 10AM

For more information contact:
Leif Waller
Program Analyst, Center for Travel Management
Office of Travel and Transportation Services
Leif.Waller@gsa.gov
703-605-9809

Following the lead of popular low-cost commercial car-sharing ventures, GSA is actively pursuing similar initiatives to help federal agencies reduce costs, improve efficiency, and optimize vehicle use. In pursuit of these initiatives, GSA issued an award to four vendors to provide car sharing services on August 26, 2014. The four vendors will provide car-sharing as an option for federal employees that use government vehicles on a short-term hourly basis, not to exceed the one-day maximum.

The OGP Federal Supplier Energy and Risk Management Tool combines federal contract data with data about federal suppliers' and contractors' corporate-level sustainability practices. Contracting, procurement, and sustainable acquisition professionals can research existing practices and performance when designing contracting mechanisms to encourage additional cost-effective energy and risk management. Federal suppliers and contractors can benchmark versus peers. Other sustainability professionals and organizational leaders can benchmark existing or planned sustainability programs. Plus, the public can learn how the federal government spends money, and how federal contractors are working to reduce costs, avoid risks, and protect the environment.

GSA recently updated their leasing documents, including the sustainability requirements. The Leasing Alert briefly describes background for the sustainability modifications. The updated leasing document can be found under Contract/Procurement Language in the Acquisitions Program area on FedCenter (look under Green Lease Policies and Procedures for Lease Acquisition, GSA Realty Services Letter, RSL-2007-12)

As part of GSA's effort to be a leader in sustainable acquisition, GSA has integrated new and improved sustainability policies into their procurement regulations. This new guidance includes specific procedures that must be followed during the pre-award, award, and post-award stages of a procurement. In addition, the guidance incorporates best practices and tools that the acquisition workforce can utilize as needed. The new guidance can be found in the GSA Acquisition Manual (GSAM), Part 523, Subpart 523.1, Sections 523.101 - 523.106 and Part 570, Subpart 570.1, Section 570.117.

GSA is planning on using Green Button technology to save energy and shrink costs across the federal government. The agency launched this initiative in partnership with industry leaders following a 2013 Presidential memorandum directing federal agencies to strengthen efforts to use renewable energy and manage energy usage more efficiently and effectively.

This April 2015 guide outlines how to ensure compliance with the sustainability requirements included in a contract. It provides best practices that can be used during both pre-award and post-award stages of a procurements to help ensure contractors deliver the sustainable products enumerated in a contract or purchasing agreement. In addition, it provides guidance and resources to check whether a contractor or lessor has provided acceptable documentation to show compliance for many of the commonly used sustainable requirements (e.g. WaterSense, EPEAT, Green Seal, SNAP).

FEDSAT is a no-cost, online skills assessment tool that allows Federal facilities personnel to demonstrate compliance with the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act (FBPTA) of 2010. Facility managers are assessed on high-priority FBPTA 'performances' and provided learning resources within the identified competency areas. Learn more, connect to the Facilities Management Institute, and get started at https://sftool.gov/fedsat.

A new customization feature allows agencies to create their own customized product categories, products, and green purchasing requirements. All GPC users can view agency-specific content by selecting an agency and clicking on "Show" on the GPC home page. Another update is the new language being provided under the GPC product category descriptions suggesting applicable services. A new Transportation Services Category to encourage environmentally sustainable transportation services which consume less energy and produce fewer greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Lastly, an annotated version of EO 13514 is now available which is annotated with strategies, definitions, and links to the best resources from around the web.

GSA's Policy is a comprehensive set of recommendations, with background discussion on the opportunities for federal agencies to gain the benefits of greater building-to-grid integration.

The new Submetering Wizard (https://sftool.gov/plan/submetering) enables the user to learn about submetering techniques and benefits as they relate to gas, water and electrical (circuit, system & end-use device) systems. The Agency Green Building Practices (https://sftool.gov/learn/10129/agency-practices) section is a detailed repository of education and information about policies, strategies, case studies and tools developed in the process of greening their buildings and shared with the Interagency Sustainability Working Group (ISWG).

Need help understanding Executive Order (EO) 13693? Want to know more about how to take action and turn your building into a high-performance building? The Sustainable Facilities Tool can walk you through EO 13653. Click through the annotated text for definitions, strategies, and links.

Document recommends the use of eProject Builder, which carries additional value in its simplification of federal agency reporting by dovetailing with the Federal Energy Management Program's EISA 432 Compliance Tracking System.

General guidance to advise building HVAC operators to help reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19.

Updated information for fully vaccinated people given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant currently circulating in the United States.

This guide is provided to assist the regulated community in complying with regulations for trichloroethylene (TCE) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The guide provides an overview of the requirements set by the final rule, including important regulatory deadlines. While the EPA's rule will result in a complete prohibition of TCE, the prohibition will take longer to phase in for certain uses, and the rule sets strict workplace protection requirements for those uses in the interim. It is important for the regulated community to understand these compliance obligations. Being aware of and following these regulations correctly will reduce injuries and long-term illness. This guide is intended for persons who own or operate a business that manufactures (including imports), processes, distributes in commerce, uses or disposes of TCE. This guide may also be of interest to people who may be exposed to TCE in the workplace, as well as consumers, community members or anyone else that may be affected by exposure to TCE.

EPA has issued a document providing state and local governments technical guidance for methamphetamine lab cleanups. Issues included are best practices for specific items or materials, sampling procedures, and technical resources.

The EPA Administrator signed the final Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule on October 28, 2016 and will be published in the Federal Register (FR) in the coming weeks. This rule finalizes a much-needed update to the hazardous waste generator regulations to make the rules easier to understand, facilitate better compliance, provide greater flexibility in how hazardous waste is managed, and close important gaps in the regulations. This website provides a summary of the changes and a pre-publication copy of the regulation.

EPA has finalized revisions to the RCRA hazardous waste generator regulatory program proposed on 25 September 2015. These revisions include reorganizing the hazardous waste generator regulations to make them more user-friendly and thus improve their usability by the regulated community; providing a better understanding of how the RCRA hazardous waste generator regulatory program works; addressing gaps in the existing regulations to strengthen environmental protection; providing greater flexibility for hazardous waste generators to manage their hazardous waste in a cost-effective and protective manner; and making technical corrections and conforming changes to address inadvertent errors and remove obsolete references to programs that no longer exist. This final rule is effective on 30 May 2017.

The Bureau of Reclamation has settled federal hazardous waste handling violations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at Grand Coulee Dam in Northeastern Washington. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) violations discovered during EPA's 2017 inspection included: failure to conduct weekly inspections of hazardous waste accumulation areas; improper container management and failure to follow waste labeling requirements; improper hazardous waste storage (beyond 180 days) without a permit; violations of used oil and universal waste management requirements; and failure to make a hazardous waste determination. The waste in question included ignitable and corrosive compounds, used oil, mercury light ballasts and lithium batteries. As part of the Consent Agreement and Final Order with EPA, a $115,500 penalty was assessed. None of the violations outlined above occurred in publicly accessible areas.

This portal is intended to help generators find hazardous waste compliance assistance resources. The portal includes both federal and state information and it covers most industrial and commercial business sectors. The portal catalogs over 800 hazardous waste compliance resources, including guidebooks, fact sheets, reports, checklists, web sites, contacts, and regulations. Various features are available to assist users in finding the best guidance materials and answers to specific questions.

The EPA is releasing two software tools for risk assessment and consequence analysis: 1) The Vulnerability Self Assessment Tool (VSAT), an upgraded all hazards risk assessment tool; and 2) The Water Health and Economic Analysis Tool (WHEAT), a newly developed consequence analysis tool. These tools will provide drinking water, wastewater, and combined utilities of all sizes with the capability to assess, plan for, and better respond to man-made threats and natural disasters.

DOE and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are developing a vision for future buildings a century from now based on the collective views of our forward-thinking stakeholders. Post your thoughts, suggest topic areas, and share information on their website. Attend their panel sessions and workshop to join the discussions. They are also looking for partners who are interested in taking a more active role in this vision-such as hosting a webinar, organizing a panel discussion or coordinating a workshop.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released the "Climate Change and Health" webcast presentation that was orginally aired live on August 6, 2014. Based on the latest scientific evidence, HHS considers climate change to be one of the top public health challenges of our time. HHS assembled internationally-recognized experts from NOAA, CDC, and NIH for this webcast. It includes an overarching national perspective and regional snapshots on climate change, key health findings from the National Climate Assessment, and best practices to build health resilience in communities. The webcast can be accessed here.

The Home Energy Score will offer homeowners straightforward, reliable information about their homes' energy efficiency. A report provides consumers with a home energy score between 1 and 10, and shows them how their home compares to others in their region. The report also includes customized, cost-effective recommendations that will help to reduce their energy costs and improve the comfort of their homes.

Granulated activated carbon is at the heart of a $43 million dollar system in Wilmington, NC used to treat their drinking water of PFAS. The 2024 limits put out by the EPA on PFAS levels have water treatment plants finding methods of reducing the PFAS levels below the limit. While granular activated carbon (GAC) is effective, it is not as effective with PFAS as it is with capturing other pollutants. Other focuses are trying to remove sources of PFAS from entering the environment from areas such as industrial facility runoff and wastewater. Additional questions are raised regarding what to do with captured PFAS and any methods to destroy it. As more research and efforts are being pushed, solutions are hopeful for this emerging large market.

The Department of Commerce is partnering with U.S. departments of Agriculture and Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, and Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to promote clean energy innovation and economic growth. Up to $1 million will be awarded to each of six teams around the country with the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in support of a green innovation economy, increased U.S. competitiveness and new jobs.

REMINDER: On or about May 15, 2023, FedCenter will be integrating two-factor authentication into its login process. This will be a fundamental change in the way users will log into FedCenter.gov moving forward. It will require use of GSA's Login.gov authentication services, and there are things you need to do now to prepare for this action. Please read the attached information notice for all the details on what this means to you.

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The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reports a sharp increase in the volume of electronics recycled through its eCycling Leadership Initiative in 2011. The eCycling Leadership Initiative, also known as the Billion Pound Challenge, represents a collaboration among consumer electronics manufacturers, retailers, collectors, recyclers, nongovernmental organizations and governments at all levels. The initiative has set the goals of increasing the amount of electronics recycled responsibly to 1 billion pounds annually by 2016, growing the number of collection opportunities available to consumers, improving consumer awareness of available eCycling collection sites and providing transparent metrics on eCycling efforts.

The 2010 IECC will have a 30 improvement in energy savings over the 2006 IECC. The IECC is the energy section of the building safety and fire prevention codes that set minimum safeguards for U.S. buildings.

EPA's new Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program (Community Change Grants) has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for approximately $2 billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds in environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input. They are designed to deliver on the transformative potential of the IRA for communities most adversely and disproportionately impacted by climate change, legacy pollution, and historical disinvestments.

The U.S. EPA Office of Atmospheric Programs, Climate Change Division has issued information concerning the applicability of the proposed rule on greenhouse gas emissions reporting and federal facilities. Click here for information.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General is issuing a fraud alert to highlight an increasingly common phishing scam involving fraudulent EPA Notice of Violation letters. In this scam, a fraudster sends a falsified EPA Notice of Violation letter to a target business and requests that the business respond by phone or email.

Results of recent air monitoring in and around a child care facility and an adjacent building at the Bannister Federal Complex in Kansas City do not reveal health concerns with indoor air at the facilities. This round of sampling involved tests of indoor air, as well as supplemental tests of outdoor air and air samples taken from beneath the concrete floor slabs of both buildings. Indoor air samples showed no indication of health concerns related to volatile organic compounds. Results of the related sampling do not indicate migration from beneath the building that would pose health risks.

The EPA and partners are launching the Innovative Ways to Destroy PFAS Challenge. The challenge asks solvers to submit detailed plans for a non-thermal way of destroying PFAS in concentrated film forming foam (AFFF), while creating the least amount of potentially harmful byproducts. The challenge opens today and closes on Nov. 23, 2020. Join EPA for an informational webinar on the challenge on September 16 at 2:00pm ET. Webinar attendees will receive an overview of the challenge and have the opportunity to ask questions. Click for more information Click below for Webinar link

The Chairman of the CEQ has issued instructions to Federal agencies for meeting energy and environmental performance requirements in a manner that increases efficiency, optimizes performance, eliminates unnecessary use of resources, and protects the environment, as required under E.O. 13834. The Implementing Instructions were issued on April 30, 2019, and are available.

In accordance with Section 5(b) of E.O. 13514, CEQ has issued Instructions for Implementing Sustainable Locations for Federal Facilities. These instructions provide direction to Federal agencies seeking to acquire or develop owned or leased space as well as anticipated moves, expansions or consolidations that significantly impact the overall built environment and community, such as transportation (i.e., vehicle miles traveled, commuting time, congestion), infrastructure, economic development, water and air quality. These instructions will improve Federal agency sustainability performance by ensuring a balanced consideration and evaluation of land use, the built environment, cost, security, mission need and competition on facility location decision-making.