The Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk Installation Internal Environmental Assessment Program

摘要

For years, the Army has recognized the value of conducting internal environmental assessments as a means to attain, sustain, and monitor compliance with applicable federal, state, Army, and local environmental regulations. Army Regulation (AR) 200-1, "Environmental Protection and Enhancement," requires all installations to conduct internal assessments using established Army-approved protocols. Historically, to comply with the Army's internal assessment requirement, Fort Polk conducted periodic compliance inspections of those installation organizations and facilities using hazardous materials or generating hazardous waste. The compliance inspections resulted in a reduction in the number of installation compliance deficiencies identified by federal, state, and Army compliance inspectors during external inspections. Although the periodic compliance inspections met the intent and regulatory requirements of AR 200-1, the opportunity existed to expand compliance inspections and develop a more comprehensive internal assessment program. To that end, Fort Polk developed the Internal Environmental Assessment Program (IEAP) in 2004.