Army National Guard Environmental Program
What is it'
The paramount goal of the Army National Guard's Environmental Program is to focus on the triple bottom line of mission, community, and environment in order to sustain the maximum use of training lands and facilities to train Soldiers. The number and complexity of environmental regulatory requirements continue to increase as the availability and quality of natural resources decrease. This is being accelerated as the demand for resources grows at an exponential rate. To accomplish this goal the Army National Guard strives to move beyond compliance by integrating sustainability, incorporating cost effective pollution prevention practices into daily operations, preserving cultural and natural resources while increasing available training lands, and identifying and remediating contamination from past practices.
What has the Army National Guard done'
Recent accomplishments include:
Aca,!Ac Transferred eligible clean-up sites to the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) and received approval to use DERP funding for historically used sites with potential munitions issues thus ensuring a steady funding stream.
Aca,!Ac Continued to expand the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program by providing additional funding for four training centers.
Aca,!Ac Continued sustainability planning initiatives in Minnesota, Colorado, and Arizona. Other initiatives include renewable energy projects in Nevada (solar) and Pennsylvania (geo-thermal), and the filming of eco-documentaries in Minnesota, Nevada, South Carolina, and Texas.
Aca,!Ac Reduced the number of violations in FY09 thereby reducing the potential of fines, training limitations, facility closure, and/or impacts to mission.
What continued efforts does the Army National Guard have planned for the future'
The Army National Guard continues to expand sustainability initiatives while complying with applicable laws and regulations. Through coordination with surrounding communities and through the use of legislative authority, the Army National Guard continues to expand the ACUB program by partnering with private, local, and state organizations for acquisition of easements to limit incompatible development in the vicinity of its installations.
Why is this important to the Army and the Army Guard'
Training lands and facilities are the cornerstone of readiness. Evolving transformation actions, increasing pressure on natural resources, and increasing environmental regulatory requirements necessitate the need to maximize our maneuver and firing range capabilities, mitigate the effects of encroachment from urbanization, and ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations to ensure Soldiers are able to conduct realistic training in support of missions at home and abroad.
Resource:
<a href=" http://www.arng.army.mil/Pages/Default.aspx " target="_blank"> Army National Guard Web site </a>
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