(HONOLULU, Oct. 1, 2015) Following a 50 day public comment period, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) announced the final agreement with the U.S. Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) that requires the military to take immediate and long-term steps to minimize the threat of future leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility near Pearl Harbor, Oahu. In response to over 140 public comments, EPA and DOH secured additional measures from the Navy and DLA that improved upon the original proposed settlement.

On Friday, September 25th, a Federal Register Notice was published announcing EPA's issuance of Recommendations for Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels For Federal Procurement. These Recommendations were issued per direction given to the EPA in the Executive Order 13693 Implementing Instructions. The Federal Register Notice explains this direction, the approach used to develop the Recommendations, the process for continually updating these Recommendations, and more.

The link to the Federal Register Notice and the Recommendations are located here.

Please note that this website will be replaced with a vastly improved version this week, so please check back later to see the new improved version. For now, to get to the FR Notice and the Recommendations, please go to the top box at http://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts, titled "EPA Recommendations of Standards and Ecolabels". The Recommendations are also being added to the GSA's Green Procurement Compilation.

Please feel free to reach out to Holly Elwood at Elwood.holly@epa.gov with any questions.

The Tribal Green Building Toolkit provides information on how tribes and other communities can prioritize and implement green building codes, policies and practices. This toolkit summarizes priorities identified by the Tribal Green Building Codes Workgroup, a group of tribal and federal leaders working to advance tribal green building. The toolkit includes checklists and tribal case studies to support tribes, which are not covered by state or local government building codes, to adopt or adapt green building codes or other policies that meet tribal environmental, cultural and economic priorities.

September 21 – 27, 2015 celebrates 25 years of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. Check out the website for ideas on how to celebrate.

This publication states that a Zero Energy Building is "an energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy." This definition also applies to campuses, portfolios, and communities. In addition to providing clarity across the industry, this new DOE publication provides important guidelines for measurement and implementation, specifically explaining how to utilize this definition for building projects.

The federal government will lead a new partnership with charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, the private sector and local, state and tribal governments to reduce food loss and waste in order to improve overall food security and conserve our nation's natural resources. The goal is calling for a 50-percent reduction by 2030. This announcement occurs just one week before world leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York to address sustainable development practices, including sustainable production and consumption.

The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions provides current information on government affairs, energy and environment relevant to Department of Defense interests in the 22 states and territories in Federal Regions 1, 2, 3 and 5. The Review is intended to be a tool useful to DoD and Army leaders, planners, and program managers in carrying out their responsibilities. The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions monitors and targets proposed and final regulations and legislation that may affect Army or DoD operations. See attached.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released QTR 2015 that describes the current energy landscape, the potential for improvement in systems and technologies, and a wide-ranging set of related research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) opportunities.

Summer 2015 edition of the DoD Chesapeake Bay Program Journal, published quarterly and sponsored by the DOD/Navy Chesapeake Bay Program Office. See attached.

The Southern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions, published by the U.S. Army's Regional Environmental and Energy Office--Southern (REEO-S), is designed to provide current information to environmental decision makers, planners, and program managers regarding environmental actions and events throughout Federal EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Information listed may be relevant to the U.S. Army and other Military Services' activities and operations. See attached.

As part of the Obama Administration's Climate Data Initiative, a new set of online climate data resources was announced to help with climate change planning, adaptation and management. The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit is a website developed by NOAA and other Federal agencies that will enable decision-makers to take action. The toolkit will boost climate resiliency by using data-driven tools, information and subject-matter expertise. This also offers information from across the Federal government in one easy-to-use location so that Americans are better able to understand the climate-related risks and opportunities impacting their communities, which will enable them to make smarter decisions to improve their resilience. The Toolkit will also be updated with climate impact information specific to tribal nations.

This rule proposes 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. Two key provisions where EPA is proposing flexibility are: 1) Allowing a hazardous waste generator to avoid increased burden of a higher generator status when generating episodic waste provided the episodic waste is properly managed; and 2) Allowing a conditionally exempt small quantity generator (CESQG) to send its hazardous waste to a large quantity generator under control of the same person. Further, the EPA is proposing a number clarifications without increasing burden including a reorganization of the hazardous waste generator regulations so that all of the generator regulations are in one place. A pre-publication version of the rule is available at this website. Once published in the Federal Register, a link to the the rule will be found in the Regulatory Watch > Drafts section of Fedcenter.gov.

As a part of the August 25 National Clean Energy Summit President Obama announced and extensive set of executive actions (including the DoD Privatized Housing Solar Challenge) and private sector commitments to accelerate America's transition to cleaner sources of energy and ways to cut energy waste.

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).

The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions provides current information on government affairs, energy and environment relevant to Department of Defense interests in the 22 states and territories in Federal Regions 1, 2, 3 and 5. The Review is intended to be a tool useful to DoD and Army leaders, planners, and program managers in carrying out their responsibilities. The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions monitors and targets proposed and final regulations and legislation that may affect Army or DoD operations. See attached.

(August 11, 2015) - According to two reports released today by the Energy Department, the U.S. wind energy industry continued growing at an impressive rate in 2014, further solidifying America's position as a global leader in wind energy. Wind power is a key component of the President's all-of-the-above energy strategy and Clean Power Plan to reduce climate-changing carbon pollution, diversify our energy economy, and boost America's economic competitiveness by bringing innovative technologies online. With rapidly increasing wind energy generation, fast-growing demand, and steadily decreasing wind energy prices--the lowest ever seen in the United States-- the U.S. wind energy market remains strong.

The Southern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions, published by the U.S. Army's Regional Environmental and Energy Office--Southern (REEO-S), is designed to provide current information to environmental decision makers, planners, and program managers regarding environmental actions and events throughout Federal EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Information listed may be relevant to the U.S. Army and other Military Services' activities and operations. See attached.

Released on 3 August 2015, the Clean Power Plan establishes the first-ever national standards to limit carbon pollution from power plants.

This handout provides a list of tools and descriptions of their uses which are available to state, tribal, and local governments and others to adapt their clean water and drinking water programs to a changing climate.

The American Meteorological Society has released the State of the Climate Report for 2014. The report, compiled by NOAA's Center for Weather and Climate at the National Centers for Environmental Information, is based on contributions from 413 scientists from 58 countries around the world. The report provides a detailed update on global climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments located on land, water, ice, and in space. In 2014, the most essential indicators of Earth's changing climate continued to reflect trends of a warming planet, with several markers such as rising land and ocean temperature, sea levels and greenhouse gases setting new records.

Clean Cities Now is the official biannual newsletter of Clean Cities, an initiative designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy improvements, idle-reduction measures, and new technologies, as they emerge.

Monthly environmental news for DoD facilities in EPA Regions 1-5 for July 2015. See attached.

Nationwide, more than 6,500 buildings and 125 teams are competing to reduce their energy and water use. In support of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, which calls for businesses to cut waste and become 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020, the competition targets wasted energy in commercial buildings and motivates organizations to improve energy efficiency, reduce harmful carbon pollution and save money. This year's teams hail from supermarket, retail, government, school, banking and many other types of organizations.

GAO was asked to review federal green building efforts and agencies' use of third-party certification systems. This report examines (1) federal efforts to support agencies' implementation of key green building requirements, (2) select agencies' use of third-party certification systems, and (3) challenges select agencies face in implementing requirements. This is a link to highlights from GAO-15-667, a report to the Ranking Member, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate.

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.

EPA is excited to announce a useful enhancement to the TRI and DMR Comparison Dashboard. EPA has updated this dashboard to include additional filters to allow you to create new comparisons of TRI and DMR data that are of interest to you. You can click on the "View Additional Search Criteria" to show the new filters.

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.

This template is intended to assist agencies in complying with the new Federal Building Metering Guidance.

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.

The Southern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions, published by the U.S. Army's Regional Environmental and Energy Office--Southern (REEO-S), is designed to provide current information to environmental decision makers, planners, and program managers regarding environmental actions and events throughout Federal EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Information listed may be relevant to the U.S. Army and other Military Services' activities and operations. See attached.

The DoD Cultural Resources UPDATE is sponsored by the DoD Cultural Resource Program. This edition highlights several current initiatives, provides an overview of new and ongoing training opportunities, and features information on recently published reports relevant to the DoD CRM community. See attached.

The DOI, USDA, EPA, NOAA, and USACE have recognized three new collaborative landscape partnerships across the country. Federal agencies will focus there on efforts with partners to conserve and restore important lands and waters and make them more resilient to a changing climate. These include the California Headwaters, California's North-Central Coast and Russian River Watershed and Crown of the Continent.

This report estimates the physical and monetary benefits to the U.S. of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. This report summarizes results from the Climate Change Impacts and Risks Analysis (CIRA) project, a peer-reviewed study comparing impacts in a future with significant global action on climate change to a future in which current greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

The intent of these revisions is to strengthen the 1988 federal underground storage tank (UST) regulations by increasing emphasis on properly operating and maintaining UST equipment. The revisions will help prevent and detect UST releases, which are a leading source of groundwater contamination. The revisions will also help ensure all USTs in the United States, including those in Indian country, meet the same minimum standards. This is the first major revision to the federal UST regulations since 1988.

USDA is taking steps to integrate climate change adaptation into USDA's programs and operations. These efforts will help ensure taxpayer resources are invested wisely and that USDA services and operations remain effective under current and future climate conditions.

EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website has added a beta Air Pollutant Report and the option to search for facilities that have reported Risk Management Plans under the Clean Air Act. The Air Pollutant Report, which displays emissions data by facility from EPA's various reporting programs, is available from All Data and Air facility search results.

The 2015 MSGP requires operators to electronically submit notices of intent (NOIs), annual reports, notices of termination (NOTs), discharge monitoring reports (DMRs), and no exposure certifications unless the EPA Regional Office has granted the operator an electronic reporting waiver, in which case the operator may mail the paper forms. EPA requires existing dischargers covered under the 2008 MSGP to submit a new NOI for coverage under the 2015 MSGP using NeT-MSGP, instead of the Stormwater eNOI (SWENOI) system used for the 2008 MSGP. Existing dischargers are not required to submit a notice of termination to terminate coverage under the 2008 MSGP. If your facility no longer needs industrial stormwater permit coverage, you do not need to submit an NOI for coverage under the 2015 MSGP. However, you should terminate coverage under the 2008 MSGP electronically using the SWENOI system (if your original NOI was submitted electronically) or by submitting a paper notice of termination form.

The 2015 symposium was the platform for releasing the new implementing instructions for EO 13693 as well as providing updates on numerous other sustainability efforts by Federal Agencies. See the website for a full list of presentations and speakers. The symposium was held on 10 June 2015 and hosted by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and George Washington University.

The assessment, done at the request of Congress, shows that while hydraulic fracturing activities in the U.S. are carried out in a way that have not led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources, there are potential vulnerabilities in the water lifecycle that could impact drinking water. The assessment follows the water used for hydraulic fracturing from water acquisition, chemical mixing at the well pad site, well injection of fracking fluids, the collection of hydraulic fracturing wastewater (including flowback and produced water), and wastewater treatment and disposal.

The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions provides current information on government affairs, energy and environment relevant to Department of Defense interests in the 22 states and territories in Federal Regions 1, 2, 3 and 5. The Review is intended to be a tool useful to DoD and Army leaders, planners, and program managers in carrying out their responsibilities. The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions monitors and targets proposed and final regulations and legislation that may affect Army or DoD operations. See attached.

The Southern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions, published by the U.S. Army's Regional Environmental and Energy Office--Southern (REEO-S), is designed to provide current information to environmental decision makers, planners, and program managers regarding environmental actions and events throughout Federal EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Information listed may be relevant to the U.S. Army and other Military Services' activities and operations. See attached.

The final version of the long awaited revision of the regulations which protect from pollution and degradation the streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation's water resources has been issued. According to the EPA and Army Corps, the final Clean Water Rule ensures that waters protected under the Clean Water Act are more precisely defined and predictably determined, making permitting less costly, easier, and faster for businesses and industry. The rule is grounded in law and the latest science, and is shaped by public input. The rule does not create any new permitting requirements for agriculture and maintains all previous exemptions and exclusions. Read EPA's press release here.

This new search identifies instances when industrial facilities and sewage treatment plants discharge wastewater pollution in exceedance of their Clean Water Act (CWA) permit effluent limits. The results from this new search feature allow users to identify and sort effluent exceedances. These results are displayed on a webpage and are also sortable (e.g., descending order of facilities with highest effluent exceedances, most pollutant amount over effluent limits - "load over limit"). These results can be downloaded to a user's computer for additional sorting and review. The DMR Pollutant Loading Tool, including this new search, is updated weekly with DMR data from industrial facilities and sewage treatment plants. States authorized to administer the CWA permit program collect these monitoring data and share these data with EPA's national database (ICIS-NPDES).

In October 2011, the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force published the "National Action Plan: Priorities for Managing Freshwater Resources in a Changing Climate." It was developed by the Water Resources and Climate Change Adaptation Workgroup made up of federal agencies with responsibilities for water management. This recent report highlights progress made in 2014 implementing the National Action Plan and describes the specific tasks that federal agencies are planning to undertake in 2015. The work described in this report reports reflect a comprehensive, coordinated, and continuing effort by federal agencies to respond to the challenges for water resources management posed by climate change.

Under the leadership of the U.S. EPA and USDA, the "Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators" has been released on 19 May 2015. Accompanying the Strategy document are the "Pollinator Research Action Plan,' and "Pollinator-Friendly Best Management Practices for Federal Lands."

Teams at military academies are recent winners of DOE's Excellence in Energy Awards.

The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions provides current information on government affairs, energy and environment relevant to Department of Defense interests in the 22 states and territories in Federal Regions 1, 2, 3 and 5. The Review is intended to be a tool useful to DoD and Army leaders, planners, and program managers in carrying out their responsibilities. The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions monitors and targets proposed and final regulations and legislation that may affect Army or DoD operations. See attached.

The Southern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions, published by the U.S. Army's Regional Environmental and Energy Office--Southern (REEO-S), is designed to provide current information to environmental decision makers, planners, and program managers regarding environmental actions and events throughout Federal EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Information listed may be relevant to the U.S. Army and other Military Services' activities and operations. See attached.

EPA, in accordance with provisions of the Camp Minden Administrative Order, has notified the Louisiana Military Department (LMD) that the Agency will not exercise its right to disapprove any or all contractors and/or subcontractors outlined in the state's April 14 recommendation for the alternative disposal of materials at Camp Minden. EPA continues to support an alternative technology for disposal and is quickly working to conclude efforts necessary in helping the state finalize its plans. On March 18, EPA signed an amended action memo that allowed alternative technologies to be considered in disposing of the materials at the site. The amendment cleared the way for the Louisiana Military Department to review quotes for alternative methods and select a company to dispose of the M6 and CBI.

EPA has released ECHO Version 2.4, featuring updated Clean Air Act stationary source data and a tailored search interface. ECHO provides information about environmental inspections, violations, and enforcement actions for EPA-regulated facilities, like power plants, factories, and federal facilities. The information in ECHO is now updated weekly, compared to monthly in the old system.

Released on 5 May 2015, the Pesticides Dashboard will initially present three years of compliance and enforcement activity data on the regulated universe of pesticide-producing establishments, thus placing FIFRA compliance information at the fingertips of anyone with Internet access. Future screens will focus on compliance with the worker protection standards. On the dashboard, the public can view and download information about the number of pesticide-producing establishments, inspections, and the government response to these violations during the three most recent years. Data is presented for states, tribes, EPA regions, and the nation as a whole.

A settlement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Navy will help reduce potentially harmful discharges of ozone-depleting substances and ensure the safe storage and disposal of hazardous waste at the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, where EPA alleges environmental violations occurred. Under the settlement, the Navy will pay an $83,900 penalty for violations of the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

This May marks the 25th anniversary of American Wetlands Month, a time when EPA and its partners in federal, state, tribal, local, non-profit, and private sector organizations celebrate the vital importance of wetlands to the Nation's ecological, economic, and social health. It is also a great opportunity to discover and teach others about the important role that wetlands play in our environment and the significant benefits they provide -- improved water quality, increased water storage and supply, reduced flood and storm surge risk, and critical habitat for plants, fish, and wildlife. Check out ideas for how you can celebrate or participate in planned events.

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).

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.

EPA, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Interior and NOAA, have recognized four collaborative landscape partnerships across the country where federal agencies will focus efforts with partners to conserve and restore important lands and waters and make them more resilient to a changing climate. Building on existing collaborations, the Resilient Lands and Waters partnerships located in southwest Florida, Hawaii, Washington, and the Great Lakes region will help build resilience in regions vulnerable to climate change and related challenges. They will also showcase the benefits of landscape-scale management approaches and help enhance the carbon storage capacity of these natural areas.

A new report by the Pacific Institute demonstrates that water use in the United States declined in the five-year period ending in 2010. The nation saw reductions in all sectors, including agriculture; municipal and industrial; and thermoelectric power. The report reveals that nearly two-thirds of the reductions were in the thermoelectric power sector, the largest use of fresh and saline water in the United States. These water-use trends reveal overall improvements in the management of our nation's water. Although substantial progress has been made, current water use trends are not sustainable in the face of population growth and climate change.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced the winners of the 2015 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards. Since 1962, the awards recognize individuals, teams, and installations for their outstanding achievements and innovative work protecting the environment while sustaining mission readiness. Military Services and Defense Agencies may submit one nomination for each of the nine award categories. A diverse panel of judges representing federal and state agencies, academia, and the private sector select the winners.

FEMP is excited to alert all interested in energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) that eProject Builder is now fully active in production mode. While FEMP continues to improve the functionality, the system has passed out of the development stage and is fully capable of accepting new projects. eProject builder (ePB) produces ESPC task order schedules and provides a secure online system for easily accessing, tracking and reporting ESPC project data through the life of the contract for your portfolio of projects. Most of the work required in the form of data entry is done by the ESCO, as with the current TO and proposal process.

EPA has released the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) dashboard, a user-friendly website that presents data about violations and the compliance status of public water systems. The dashboard contains interactive charts and graphs that provide information regarding the compliance of public water systems with federal drinking water regulations, as well as enforcement actions. The SDWA Dashboard provides an overview of the SDWA regulatory activities of EPA and the implementing states, tribes, and territories. The dashboard provides an easy-to-use summary of key activities to answer questions like: which public water systems are regulated, how many public water systems have been inspected, how many systems have had alleged violations identified and enforcement action taken, and how many systems have returned to compliance. Learn more.

Public Works Digest is an unofficial publication of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, under AR 360-1, The Army Public Affairs Program. The April/May/June edition covers various environment and sustainability news and activities throughout the Army. See attachment.

(Washington, DC, April 15, 2015) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 20th Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks today, showing a two percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2013 from 2012 levels, but a nine percent drop in emissions since 2005.

Total U.S. greenhouse emissions were 6,673 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2013. By sector, power plants were the largest source of emissions, accounting for 31 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas pollution. The transportation sector was the second largest source, at 27 percent. Industry and manufacturing were the third largest source, at 21 percent. The increase in total national greenhouse gas emissions between 2012 and 2013 was due to increased energy consumption across all sectors in the U.S. economy and greater use of coal for electricity generation.

This year, EPA is publishing key data in a new, online Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer tool, which allows users to view, graph and download data by sector, year and greenhouse gas. EPA will be holding an informational webinar on April 22 at 1 p.m. EST to demonstrate the Data Explorer tool and its features, and provide a tutorial on common searches.

The Southern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions, published by the U.S. Army's Regional Environmental and Energy Office--Southern (REEO-S), is designed to provide current information to environmental decision makers, planners, and program managers regarding environmental actions and events throughout Federal EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Information listed may be relevant to the U.S. Army and other Military Services' activities and operations. See attached.

Lighting accounts for over 20% of the energy used by commercial buildings. Research out of the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings demonstrates how to save energy through integrated lighting and daylighting strategies. The research, conducted by GSA and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at the Fort Carson Army Base near Colorado Springs, CO, evaluated opportunities for Fort Carson buildings to provide superior lighting with minimal energy use. Learn strategies - including the "layers of light" approach - to save energy through strategic use of daylighting and lighting.

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.

The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions provides current information on government affairs, energy and environment relevant to Department of Defense interests in the 22 states and territories in Federal Regions 1, 2, 3 and 5. The Review is intended to be a tool useful to DoD and Army leaders, planners, and program managers in carrying out their responsibilities. The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions monitors and targets proposed and final regulations and legislation that may affect Army or DoD operations. See attached.

EPA's National Water Program has released a 2014 Highlights of Progress Report that provides a summary of major accomplishments addressing climate change and water by the EPA National Water Program and Regional water programs during 2014. In addition, major research projects addressing climate change and water that were completed in 2014 by the EPA Office of Research and Development are also described. The Report is organized around the six long-term programmatic areas identified in the "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change," water infrastructure; watersheds and wetlands; coastal and ocean waters; water quality; working with Tribes; and cross-cutting support.

According to an EPA Region 10 press release, Fort Wainwright was fined $420 for UST violations in November 2014.

"The Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Data from the FracFocus Chemical Registry 1.0." is a peer-reviewed analysis built on more than two years of data provided by organizations that manage FracFocus, the Ground Water Protection Council and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Operators disclosed information on individual oil and gas production wells hydraulically fractured between January 2011 and February 2013 and agency researchers then compiled a database from more than 39,000 disclosures. Researchers reviewed and analyzed this information to identify the chemicals and better understand the amounts of water used for hydraulic fracturing.

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.

Winter 2014-2015 edition of the DoD Chesapeake Bay Program Journal, published quarterly and sponsored by the DOD/Navy Chesapeake Bay Program Office. See attached.

EPA's Green Power Leadership Awards recognize exceptional achievement among EPA Green Power Partners and among green power suppliers. Green Power Partners and green power suppliers may apply for an award, or another party may nominate them. EPA recognizes eligible organizations and suppliers in multiple award categories including Onsite Generation, Green Power Purchasing, and Green Power Partner of the Year. Nominations will be accepted until 17 April 2015. The awards will be presented at the 2015 Renewable Energy Markets Conference.

The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit's Water Resources topic area is now live. Explore climate-related risks and opportunities related to municipal water supplies, flooding, drought, and water-related ecosystems. You'll also find tools and case studies to help manage water-related climate risk and build resilience.

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 new EO, titled "Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade," revokes multiple prior EOs and memorandum including EO 13423 and EO 13514. The new EO outlines forward-looking goals for federal agencies in the area of energy, climate change, water use, vehicle fleets, construction, and acquisition.

March 16 - 22 is Fix a Week Leak. Household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually nationwide, so each year we hunt down the drips during Fix a Leak Week.

The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions provides current information on government affairs, energy and environment relevant to Department of Defense interests in the 22 states and territories in Federal Regions 1, 2, 3 and 5. The Review is intended to be a tool useful to DoD and Army leaders, planners, and program managers in carrying out their responsibilities. The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions monitors and targets proposed and final regulations and legislation that may affect Army or DoD operations. See attached.

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security has announced the winners of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 GreenBuy Awards. The following sites were recognized for demonstrating leadership in sustainable acquisition: • Gold Level Award Winners:    o Argonne National Laboratory;    o Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and    o National Renewable Energy Laboratory (for the fourth year in a row!) • Silver Level Award Winners:    o Ames Laboratory; and    o Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. For more information on DOE's GreenBuy Awards Program, click here.

In support of the President's all-of-the-above energy strategy to diversify our nation's power supplies, the Energy Department today released a new report looking at the future of wind power through 2050 and the economic benefits that come with a robust wind industry. The report, "Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States", confirms that with technological advancements driving projected cost reductions, in combination with continued siting and transmission development, wind power can be economically deployed to provide renewable power in all 50 states.

The Southern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions, published by the U.S. Army's Regional Environmental and Energy Office--Southern (REEO-S), is designed to provide current information to environmental decision makers, planners, and program managers regarding environmental actions and events throughout Federal EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Information listed may be relevant to the U.S. Army and other Military Services' activities and operations. See attached.

EPA's new label helps you identify products with safer chemical ingredients, without sacrificing quality or performance. When you see a product with this new label, it means that every ingredient in the product has been evaluated by EPA scientists against our stringent health and safety standards. Look for products with the Safer Choice label in stores later this spring. Major producers and retailers like Clorox, Walmart, Jelmar/CLR, Earth Friendly Products, Bissel, Wegmans, and hundreds of others have agreed to start putting Safer Choice products on the shelves this year. Learn about the label and find a list of safer products.

The Building Technologies Office (BTO) invites you to send ideas, comments, and votes to buildings.ideascale.com[http://buildings.ideascale.com/], the new ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community. Administered by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the website has been launched as part of the Energy Department's efforts to reduce energy consumption in homes and buildings and enhance U.S. competitiveness" "in manufacturing. Innovators including start-ups, designers, buildings scientists, students, and other big thinkers can use the website to share ideas that could develop into new energy efficient technologies for homes and buildings. Those interested in participating can register through the ORNL Buildings Crowdsourcing Community or they can vote on their favorite entries. The best ideas will be recognized during the Energy Department's Building Technologies Office Industry Day hosted at ORNL headquarters in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in September 2015.

The Winter 2014-2015 issue of Natural Selections, the DoD Natural Resources Program quarterly newsletter, is attached. The newsletter highlights training within DoD and includes updates from various DoD programs, initiatives, and partnerships.

The draft 1990-2013 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory is now available for public comment. To ensure your comments are considered for the final version of the document, please submit your comments by March 26, 2015. Comments can be sent to Leif Hockstad at hockstad.leif@epa.gov or Melissa Weitz at weitz.melissa@epa.gov.

On February 18, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy signed a statement of intent to launch a new air quality partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The effort will provide U.S. citizens and government personnel with better information on air quality at select embassies and consulates around the world to reduce health risks from outdoor air pollution, and will offer greater opportunities for the United States to create partnerships on air quality with other nations. Read the full release.

(WASHINGTON, February 13, 2015) – As part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan Virtual Climate Resilience Toolkit, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the release of the Climate Adjustment Tool for EPA's Stormwater Management Model – a widely-used, downloadable online stormwater simulation model. The Climate Adjustment Tool allows engineers and planners to evaluate the performance of water infrastructure while considering future climate change projections, such as more frequent high-intensity storms and changes in evaporation rates of seasonal precipitation, to determine the benefits of resiliency decisions to reduce local economic burden and protect communities.

The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions provides current information on government affairs, energy and environment relevant to Department of Defense interests in the 22 states and territories in Federal Regions 1, 2, 3 and 5. The Review is intended to be a tool useful to DoD and Army leaders, planners, and program managers in carrying out their responsibilities. The Northern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions monitors and targets proposed and final regulations and legislation that may affect Army or DoD operations. See attached.

The Southern Review of Legislative & Regulatory Actions, published by the U.S. Army's Regional Environmental and Energy Office--Southern (REEO-S), is designed to provide current information to environmental decision makers, planners, and program managers regarding environmental actions and events throughout Federal EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Information listed may be relevant to the U.S. Army and other Military Services' activities and operations. See attached.

The USACE Civil Works Program Strategic Plan "Sustainable Solutions to America's Water Resource Needs" for the years 2014 to 2018 is now available. The plan presents overarching strategies resulting from the five-year Civil Works Scenario-based strategic planning process. This strategic plan builds on the watershed-based systems approach introduced in the Civil Works 2004-2009 Strategic Plan by furthering Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), as the overarching strategy.

(Washington, DC, January 30, 2015) Across the country, extreme weather and other impacts of climate change are threatening the health, safety, and prosperity of our communities. This month, NOAA and NASA announced that 2014 was the hottest global year on record. And as the planet continues to warm, impacts like rising sea levels, intensified storms, and heavy downpours are contributing to an increased risk of flooding. President Obama is committed to ensuring that American communities thrive in the face of a changing climate. That is why, today, the President signed an Executive Order establishing a flood standard that will reduce the risk and cost of future flood disasters by requiring all Federal investments in and affecting floodplains to meet higher flood risk standards. By requiring that Federally funded buildings, roads and other infrastructure are constructed to better withstand the impacts of flooding, the President's action will support the thousands of communities that have strengthened their local floodplain management codes and standards, and will help ensure Federal projects last as long as intended. See attachment for the full announcement.

On January 28, 2015, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released to the public a report detailing the results of a two-year study to address coastal storm and flood risk to vulnerable populations, property, ecosystems, and infrastructure in the North Atlantic region of the United States affected by Hurricane Sandy in October, 2012. Congress authorized this report in January 2013 in the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (Public Law 113-2). The report, known as the North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study (NACCS), brought together experts from Federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations and academia, to assess the flood risks facing coastal communities and ecosystems and collaboratively develop a coastal storm risk management framework to address increasing risks, which are driven in part by increased frequency and intensity of storm events and rising sea levels due to a changing climate. The NACCS provides tools and information, including a nine-step Coastal Storm Risk Management Framework that can be used by communities, states, tribes, and the Federal government to help identify coastal risk and develop strategies for reducing those risks.

The Consent Agreement and Final Order, signed by EPA and US DOE today, addresses two independent Resource Conservation and Recovery Act violations, which occurred in 2013. In the first case, EPA alleged that US DOE moved 136 fifty-five gallon drums of hazardous waste from a permitted area to an unpermitted area, without seeking or obtaining the required permit authorization. In the second case, US DOE submitted a closure plan (in October, 2013) for eight storage units that lacked all the required information as required under an earlier settlement. The plan did not detail how and when any remaining waste and contamination would be removed and disposed of as the project was completed. US DOE is now working with the Washington Department of Ecology to amend the plan to include the needed closure information. As part of this agreement, US DOE will pay a $44,722 penalty.

EPA recognized 14 WasteWise participants this year, which include research institutes, retailers and local governments. The winner in the category for the Federal Government Partner of the Year for 2014 is the Presidio Trust. The WasteWise program helps organizations and businesses apply sustainable materials management practices to reduce municipal and industrial wastes. WasteWise participants reported preventing and diverting a total of nearly 7.6 million tons of waste from being disposed in landfills or incinerators in 2013. This amount of waste diversion represents a reduction in greenhouse gases equivalent to taking more than 2.3 million passenger vehicles off the road for one year.

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, Office of the Chief Financial Officer is requesting comments on the development of an E-Enterprise for the Environment portal and announcing three public meetings in the form of internet webinars. The portal, a Web site that functions as a point of access to information and tools, may provide consolidated entry points for businesses and citizens to efficiently locate, obtain access to, and interact with relevant EPA, state, and tribal environmental programs and resources. The goal is to reduce regulatory burden and optimize information technology resources across government entities. EPA is seeking comment on the value of establishing a portal and the functions that it should provide. The EPA will host a series of webinars for the public to learn about the portal, ask questions and learn how to provide comments. While open to any participants, the first webinar on 2/19/15 will be oriented towards states and other co-regulators; the second webinar on 2/23/15 will be for the regulated community; and the third on 3/5/15 will be aimed at the general public. POC is Shana Harbour at tel: 202-566-2959; fax: 202-501-0648; email: epa.gov">harbour.shana@epa.gov (Federal Register; 26 Jan 2015 [Notices], pages 3962-3964).

EPA's Office of Air and Radiation's (OAR) Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) is hosting a community conference call about updates to several rules. January 2015 Conference Call Topics: Clean Power Plan; Ozone NAAQS; and the Methane Strategy. January 28, 2015

The Administration is announcing a new goal to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40 - 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025, and a set of actions to put the U.S. on a path to achieve this ambitious goal.