Air Force works to protect natural resources

  • Published
  • By Maj. Gen. L. Dean Fox
  • Air Force Civil Engineer
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The U.S. Air Force is a leader and devoted guardian of the environment. As trustee to more than 8 million acres of natural habitat, the Air Force takes considerable measures to defend and enhance America’s rich landscape and cultural heritage.

The natural resources we protect -- air, land and water -- are a great source of strength, providing capability to build, equip, train and deploy the world’s most powerful and agile air force.

Today, the Air Force environmental program works to ensure valuable natural resources are available to meet flying, training and other operational needs. To meet current needs in fighting the war on terrorism and future mission requirements, we must harmonize environmental management goals with military operations.

This new management philosophy called Natural Infrastructure Management, or NIM, allows the Air Force to sustain, restore and modernize its environmental resources, or “natural infrastructure,” in full compliance and support of air readiness challenges. Our new mantra is "compliance and beyond" as we transform to a more proactive, performance-based approach to “operationalizing” the environment.

Our recently published 2006 Environmental Strategic Plan introduces this new concept of applying asset management to environmental stewardship. Sustaining the Air Force mission through effective NIM is the overall goal of this plan.

Additionally, the plan seeks to prevent encroachment, boost compliance, restore contaminated property and improve land use compatibility, all while increasing efficiencies and reducing costs. To achieve these objectives, the environmental program will expand its stakeholder partnerships, employ new innovative technologies, implement performance and risk-based approaches to decision-making, streamline our activities in sync with Air Force Smart Operations 21 to be “lean and green,” and train our Airmen to be even more environmentally conscious and responsible.

Our environmental troops are making great strides toward these goals. To date, the Air Force Restoration Program has cleaned up more than 4,500 contaminated sites, completing two-thirds of its restoration obligations. Through innovative methods, such as EPA’s systematic investigation tool and process optimization techniques, the Air Force saved more than $100 million in life-cycle cleanup expenses. For example, at King Salmon Air Force Base, Alaska, six soil vapor extraction systems and one “pump and treat” system were shut down, saving $25 million in projected life-cycle operating costs.

The Air Force also has had phenomenal success with performance-based contracting, avoiding more than $100 million of additional outlay. Air Combat Command provides the best example of applying private-sector expertise and experience to a multi-base contract, saving $36.7 million, and reducing cleanup time by nine years, closing 44 of 46 environmental sites within the performance period.

Additionally, Air Force conservation has had an impressive year managing training and installation lands that provide habitat to more than 70 threatened and endangered species. One of this year’s highlights was at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn., where the enforcement strength of the Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan actually resulted in the removal of the Eggert’s sunflower from the Federal list of threatened species. The delisting was a first for the Department of Defense, demonstrating our flexibility in land-use management and speaking volumes on our good relations with the regulators and conservation community.

Lastly, pollution prevention continues to be a priority. The Air Force diverts large amounts of non-hazardous waste from landfills and has broad acquisition and supply programs to procure more environmentally preferable products. 

In 2005, we avoided more than $60 million in solid waste disposal costs by effectively diverting 87 percent of the construction and demolition debris and 46 percent of non-hazardous solid waste from landfills and incinerators. We have reduced hazardous waste disposal by more than 57 percent.

The Air Force is also expanding usage of alternative fuels like ethanol in its military and government fleet vehicles, and continues to seek new opportunities to buy green power and apply eco-friendly products and services to our day-to-day operations.

The Air Force will continue to lead by accomplishing mission objectives through prudent environmental management. Our commitment to restoration, conservation and pollution prevention will continue to show results, ensure military readiness and protect our natural world for generations to come.