The transportation community faces a vast array of environmental laws, regulations, and responsibilities. (See Summary of Environmental Laws Affecting Transportation). Recent years have seen an increase in the use of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) by organizations, including transportation agencies, as a means to achieve environmental compliance and organizational efficiency.

An EMS is the organizational structure and associated responsibilities and procedures to integrate environmental considerations and objectives into the ongoing management decision-making processes and operations of an organization.

According to an EPA summary, an EMS is a continual cycle of planning, implementing, reviewing and improving the processes and actions that an organization undertakes to meet its business and environmental goals. Most EMSs are built on the "Plan, Do, Check, Act" model. This model leads to continual improvement based upon:

• Planning, including identifying environmental aspects and establishing goals [plan];
• Implementing, including training and operational controls [do];
• Checking, including monitoring and corrective action [check]; and
• Reviewing, including progress reviews and acting to make needed changes to the EMS [act].

Organizations that develop EMS programs may be eligible for certification under ISO 14001. ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization, located in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO promotes the development and implementation of voluntary international standards. ISO 14000 refers to a series of voluntary standards in the environmental field under development by ISO, including the ISO 14001 EMS Standard.

A recent survey of state transportation agencies by Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO found that as of the Spring of 2003, seven state DOTs had implemented EMSs, 14 states had EMSs under construction, and three states were considering EMS implementation.

The survey found a variety of benefits, including:

• Cost savings/cost avoidance and improved use of available resources;
• Regulatory oversight eased as regulatory agencies gain confidence in a DOT’s environmental management processes, and
• More timely regulatory reviews.

For a detailed explanation and information on EMSs for transportation agencies, please link to the EMS Implementation Guide and other information from the 2003 Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO workshop.

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