Regulatory Timeline Adaptation through Policy and Guidance

摘要

The U.S. Air Force has been striving to cost-effectively sustain its Air Quality Compliance Program and has met success through Asset Management (AM) and Environmental Management System (EMS) principles. The Air Quality Program integrates environmental impact analysis, operational risk management, and pollution prevention methodologies into the EMS to institute sustainable practices across the AF mission to reduce both regulatory risk and the Air Force's environmental footprint. Per Executive Order (EO) 13693, Planning for Federal Sustain ability in the Next Decade, the Air Force must establish and maintain an EMS which conforms to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 Standard, Environmental Management Systems - Requirements with guidance for use, in accordance with federal and Department of Defense guidelines. AM, EMS, and ISO 14001 form the framework for continued program and process improvements through clearly defined environmental roles and responsibilities, planning requirements, budgeting, effective implementation and operation, and management review. The Air Force has developed a sustainable Air Quality Compliance Program through applying the ISO 14001 and its fundamental principle known as the Deming cycle or Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) process. ISO 14001 and the PDCA cycle provides the Air Force with the foundation for developing and sustaining an Air Force-wide proficient Air Quality Compliance Program. The approach was to apply PDCA cycles to ensure development, continuous improvement, and control of the management system. The Air Force is set up to complete one PDCA cycle each year; raising the program's proficiency with each of the Air Quality Compliance Program improvement cycles. The AF's Sustainable Compliance Program effort was initiated in 2012 enabling the AF to immediately adapt to regulatory changes, and continues to yield regulatory adaptation and a sustainable compliance program.