2012 Environmental Monitoring and Data Quality Workshop

The Department of Defense (DoD) Environmental Data Quality Workgroup is pleased to announce the 9th annual DoD Environmental Monitoring & Data Quality (EMDQ) Workshop, which includes technical training sessions, technical presentations, a plenary session featuring distinguished speakers, a Q&A forum, component meetings, a poster session / meet & greet, an update on the DoD ELAP, and networking opportunities with members of the environmental community. This workshop is open to all interested environmental professionals involved with DoD sites or projects including representatives from the DoD services, other federal agencies, state, local, and tribal governments, academia, and the private sector. 

The workshop takes place March 26 through March 29, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla, in La Jolla, California.

More information is available on the workshop website.

AFCEE Technology Transfer email newsletter

The latest AFCEE Technology Transfer newsletter is now available.

Topics covered in this issue:

• AFCEE Moves to Lackland AFB, TX
• Save the Date for the 2011 Air Force Restoration and Technology Transfer Workshop
• AFCEE FY11 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to be Advertised in October 2010
• AFCEE Announces FY10 BAA Awards
• AFCEE Offers Next Version of Sustainable Remediation Tool (SRT) – Free to the Public
• New Contact Information for Assistance with Air Force Chemistry Questions
• ITRC Offers Free Internet-based Training Classes
• ITRC 2-Day Classroom Training On Vapor Intrusion Pathway
• ITRC Fall Meeting – Save the Date
• OSD-Funded Site Demonstration Opportunity
• SERDP and ESTCP Partners Symposium – Save the Date
• Last Chance to Submit Abstracts for the 2011 RemTEC Summit

To subscribe, contact Erica Becvar at erica.becvar.1[at]us[dot]af[dot]mil.

USACE Green and Sustainable Remediation Decision Framework

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has finalized its interim guidance, Decision Framework for Incorporation of Green and Sustainable Practices into Environmental Remediation Projects.

The purpose of the document is to provide a process for incorporating green and sustainable practices into environmental remediation consistent with DoD policy and the Army Environmental Cleanup Strategic Plan during USACE execution of the Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) program. The scope of the document is to provide these processes for the entire environmental remediation lifecycle, from project inception through site closeout.

2010 DoD Environmental Monitoring & Data Quality Workshop - Call for Abstracts

The 7th Annual DoD Environmental Monitoring and Data Quality (EMDQ) Workshop will be held April 12-16, 2010, at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.  The workshop will include technical training sessions, technical presentations, a Q&A session, component meetings, and a poster session. The workshop is open to all interested members of the environmental community involved with DoD sites or projects.

Abstracts for technical presentations and a poster session are being solicited now through January 15, 2010, but early submittal is recommended as space is limited.

For more information on the workshop and submitting abstracts, visit the workshop website.

DoD Memorandum on Sustainable Remediation

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, August 10, 2009

The Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a memorandum titled "Consideration of Green and Sustainable Remediation Practices in the Defense Environmental Resotoration Program".

Consistent with Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, the DoD is considering additional options for minimizing the environmental Impact of existing and future remedial systems.

"'Green and sustainable remediation' expands upon the Department's current environmental practices and empolys strategies for cleanups that use natural resources and energy efficiently, reduce negative impacts on the environment, minimize or eliminate pollution at its source, protect and benefit the community at large, and reduce waste to the greatest extent possible.  Green and sustainable remediation uses strategies that consider all environmental effects of remedy implementation and operation and incorporates options to maximize the overall environmental benefit of cleanup actions."

The memorandum requests that each DoD Component brief the department of the Under Secretary of Defense on current efforts to implement green and sustainable remediation (December 2009) and progress towards integrating efforts into remediation programs (June 2010).  Specific efforts and considerations are requested in the following areas:

• Sustainability analysis during remedy selection
• Sustainability analysis of existing remediation systems
• Preserving natural resources
• Minimizing energy use and increasing energy efficiency
• Minimizing emissions
• Use of passive sampling where feasible
• Minimizing fresh water consumption and maximizing water reuse in treatment systems
• Maximizing recycling, reuse, and reduction of materials including waste
• Consideration and/or implementation of environmental remediation technologies with inherent sustainability aspects (e.g., phytoremediation, engineered wetlands, biowalls, etc.)
• Minimizing the overall environmental footprint of the remedial system and monitoring program