Assistant secretary maps out future of environmental remediation

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Schneider
  • AFCEE Public Affairs
SAN ANTONIO --  The assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics, addressed the new direction of the Air Force environmental restoration program and other key environmental initiatives during his keynote address at the Air Force Restoration and Technology Transfer Workshop on March 8 here.

Terry Yonkers said the accelerated site completion policy for environmental restoration shifts the focus from putting remedies in place to actually achieving site closure when it is technologically and financially possible to do so.

"We must reset our milestones and metrics and focus on our most important objectives," Mr. Yonkers said. "We are turning the Air Force program around to refocus on PBR (performance-based remediation) approaches."

Performance-base remediation, which is expected to typically use fixed-price contracting, will be an important tool in meeting the ambitious goals of the program. It focuses on achieving contract objectives without specifying the processes or technologies used to satisfy the objectives, often resulting in use of innovative technologies, Mr. Yonkers said.

Mark Correll, Air Force deputy civil engineer, also spoke at the workshop, and underscored that achieving the aggressive goals will require a partnership between the Department of Defense, regulators and industry. Achievement of these goals can result in savings of 20 to 30 percent when compared to the cost of traditional site cleanups, Mr. Correll said.

Another environmental initiative discussed during the event was the establishment of a National Environmental Policy Act Planning Center of Excellence at the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

The center will provide reach-back for headquarters, major commands and installations with project execution, technical support and consultation for major Air Force Environmental Impact Analysis Process requirements as part of an effort to improve time and cost efficiency.

Other environmental areas that will receive attention include pollution prevention, recycling, and water conservation and management programs. Program officials will also focus their efforts on reducing open enforcement actions, with emphasis on achieving the goal of zero enforcement actions.

"The Air Force will build a lasting culture of sustainability," Mr. Yonkers said. "At the end of the day, we will be judged on what we do, not on what we hoped to do."

The workshop, which is hosted by AFCEE, continues through March 11 and brings together more than 600 professionals from military services, industry, academia, and local, state and federal agencies to focus on the latest in environmental restoration approaches and solutions, with an emphasis on restoration policy and program management.