All News Releases By Date

EPA Performance Track Program Nears 500-Member Mark

Release Date: 10/18/2007
Contact Information: Dave Ryan, (202) 564-4355 / [email protected]

(Washington, D.C. - Oct. 18, 2007) Coca Cola, 3M and Corning facilities are among the 55 new members committing to go above and beyond environmental requirements as members of EPA's National Environmental Performance Track Program. The latest members bring the total number of environmental leaders in Performance Track to nearly 500, with members now found in 49 states.

"We are proud to have nearly 500 members who together have set more than 2,000 environmental goals," said Dan Fiorino, director of Performance Track. "These facilities are making tangible improvements in their performance that contribute to a cleaner, healthier world for their employees, their communities, and the nation."

Performance Track members come from a wide range of sectors, such as automotive, paper, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and government agencies. This 14th new membership round included first-time applications from Portland (Oregon) Veterans Administration Medical Center, City of Lawrence (Kansas) Wastewater Utility, and Corning. 3M, Coca Cola, Covanta, and Baxter Healthcare were among 13 companies already represented in Performance Track that added new facilities to the program during this latest membership cycle.

With these new members, Performance Track has also broken ground in three new states: Alaska, Hawaii and North Dakota. In addition, the U.S. Postal Service ramped up its membership with the addition of 18 new member facilities, and several more U.S. Air Force bases joined the ranks of the program.

Performance Track recognizes facilities that set three-year goals for continuous improvements in environmental performance beyond their legal requirements, have internal systems in place to manage their environmental impacts, engage in community outreach and consistently report results.

Performance Track facilities must meet all environmental regulatory requirements and typically set four goals for environmental improvement (small facilities make two). For example, the Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska is committing to an 89 percent reduction in their hazardous waste generation by implementing new technology that captures cadmium from wash water, allowing the reuse of the water. The base is also committing to reduce erosion caused by stormwater runoff, increase land and habitat conservation, and reduce transportation energy use.

Since the 2000 launch of this facility-based program, Performance Track membership has grown to 497 members in 49 states and Puerto Rico, and those members have set more than 2,000 goals to benefit the environment in both regulated and unregulated areas. Through goals that have been set since the inception of the program, Performance Track members have reported reductions in water use of 5.6 billion gallons, greenhouse gas reductions of 159,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and have conserved more than 25,000 acres of land.

Information on the National Environmental Performance Track program: epa.gov/performancetrack

Information on the new Performance Track members: epa.gov/performancetrack/round14PTFacilities.htm