John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) is located in Hancock County, Mississippi approximately 55 miles northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. The facility tests and flight certifies propulsion systems for current and future space transportation systems and provides test services for govennnent and commercial customers. The center's main activity for more than 25 years has been to test the main engines that power the Space Shuttle during its 8 1/2-minute flight into orbit. Stennis also manages NASA's program for earth science applications within the Earth Science Enterprise. Efforts are directed at utilizing remote sensing technology in fields such as natural resource management, community growth and infrastructure, environmental assessment, and disaster management. Through the years SSC has evolved into a unique federal city housing more than 30 federal, state, academic and private organizations engaged in technical pursuits.
SSC was selected as one of three NASA Centers to participate in a pilot program for the development of environmental management systems (EMS). The study was undertaken to understand implementation costs and resource requirements, identify benefits, and provide lessons learned for Agency-wide implementation. The pilot program was based on the ISO 14001 Standard and on the requirements of Executive Order 13148.
The SSC EMS program includes NASA and NASA contractors only. The other federal agencies on site will meet the requirements of the Executive Order within their own organizations.
NASA Headquarters solicited Center management support for the EMS by writing a letter to each Center Director. The Environmental Officer discussed the management programer with the Director and obtained the Director's support. The Director agreed to make an appearance in a video introducing the implementation of the EMS to NASA SSC personnel and all NASA contractors. Ongoing communication includes quarterly briefings to the Center Director and other Senior Management. It should be noted that Senior Management is also subject to annual audits. Internal audits of the EMS program are conducted by NASA and NASA contractor personnel. For purposes of ISO 14001 recertification, external audits are conducted by a third party auditor.
The EMS was designed to have as little impact as possible on regular operations. The foundation of the EMS was essentially in place but not formalized prior to implementation. Similarly, the Center was already certified to the ISO 9001 standard. As a result, many EMS requirements were already being met.
Current goals and objectives are described in a series of Environmental Management Program Plans that were developed from a risk matrix produced by an EMS Core Team. The goals and objectives include commitments made to the EPA's National Environmental Performance Track Program, pollution prevention initiatives, compliance with federal and state regulations and efforts toward implementation of Executive Orders.
Introductory training is provided to every employee. Training consists of a site-specific video followed by a question and answer period. New employees are provided training on the EMS during orientation briefings. The EMS video also is available on the SSC Intranet for employees to view at any time.
Additionally, employees that have specific responsibilities related to enviromental compliance or environmental objectives and targets are provided with job-specific training on an as needed basis supplemented with written work instructions to use as a reference. Other tools used to disseminate information include flyers, the SSC monthly newsletter, posters, etc.
Metrics have been developed for each of the objectives and targets identified in the Environmental Management Program Plans. SSC has also developed a database to track corrective actions and continuous improvements identified during internal audits.