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TNRCC Selected to Help Local Governments Meet Environmental Goals

Release Date: 8/19/2002
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

     The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) as one of eight organizations around the country to become Local Resource Centers helping local agencies adopt environmental management systems to improve their overall environmental performance.  

     "I am pleased that the TNRCC has been selected as one of eight organizations nationwide to become a local resource center helping communities adopt environmental management systems.  Environmental management systems are essential to improving environmental performance," EPA Regional Administrator Gregg Cooke said.  

     TNRCC Chairman Robert J. Huston said, "I am particularly excited at the potential for using environmental management systems to help local governments improve their environmental performance.  The TNRCC is committed to helping local governments achieve maximum environmental benefit."

     Environmental management systems provide organizations with a structured process for identifying and then reducing a broad range of environmental impacts from their operations.  Environmental management systems, used extensively in private industry, are now being adopted by a growing number of local governments, through work led by EPA's Office of Water in collaboration with other EPA offices.  

     EPA will work with the centers to help them better serve the needs of local and state agencies that wish to learn more about environmental management systems and adopt them for their operations.  Each center will also share information on its activities through a publicly available on-line national clearinghouse of environmental management system information for public agencies.  This clearinghouse is available at http://www.peercenter.net, which also provides more information about the centers and environmental management systems.