Volume 1, Number 10

February 2006

eMDE is a monthly publication of the Maryland Department of the Environment. It covers articles on current environmental issues and events in the state. Additional monthly features include: MDE public meetings and hearings schedule, enforcement and compliance notes, and permitting activity.

Maryland Company Enjoys Energy Savings Resulting from Environmental Management System

By Laura Armstrong

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More and more organizations are discovering why Environmental Management Systems, or EMSs, can lead their facilities to untapped cost-saving opportunities. The Maryland Department of the Environment, in partnership with the Maryland Technology Extension Service, has been offering Maryland companies assistance in implementing EMSs since 2001. ATK Elkton, a rocket motor manufacturer located in Elkton, Maryland, took advantage of this program in 2003. This was the same year that ATK’s corporate headquarters in Minnesota issued a mandate for all facilities to put in place Environmental Management Systems based on the ISO 14001 global standard within three years. As a result of their participation in the program, the Elkton facility was the first to comply with this mandate.

Identification of Environmental Objectives
In addition to strengthening an organization’s environmental compliance program, Environmental Management Systems establish procedures for identifying both regulated and unregulated environmental impacts. Following this, the organization prioritizes impacts and then addresses them by setting objectives and targets. An example of an unregulated impact that has high potential for cost savings is energy usage. This was one of the key areas identified by ATK Elkton to address over the next few years.

ATK set the following objectives to reduce electricity and thermal energy usage at their facility:

• Raise employee awareness on energy conservation
• Review new technologies for energy efficient lighting
• Weather-strip doors throughout the facility
• Replace or repair windows
• Repair and replace steam traps
• Repair pipe insulation throughout the plant
• Fine tune boilers
• Install ultraviolet film on windows with southern exposure

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