The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the law that brings other environmental laws together. Passed in 1970, the function of NEPA is to consider the potential impact to the environment based on the action being proposed. The purpose of the NEPA program at Picatinny Arsenal is to ensure that all actions conducted on the installation follow NEPA regulations. Any project that uses Federal funding or is conducted on a Federal-government installation is considered a Federal project. Therefore, all actions conducted at Picatinny Arsenal are subject to NEPA considerations.

Within NEPA, there is a list of routine actions that are exempt from environmental impact analysis, for which a Record of Environmental Consideration would be prepared, when required.  However, activities that fall outside of those "categorical exclusions" must be addressed with documented environmental impact analysis in the form of either an environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS).  The EA or EIS is required to be made available to the public for review and comment.

The environmental impact analysis presented in the EA or EIS gives the command staff a means to make an informed decision regarding the potential impact to the environment from the proposed action, while also allowing the public a means to voice their concerns regarding how these projects may impact the affected communities.

In the effort to comply with NEPA, all actions proposed to take place at Picatinny Arsenal are reviewed through several means to capture both short-term and long-term projects. Projects that appear to have regulatory compliance or conservation considerations are reviewed through the Picatinny Environmental Management System (PEMS). PEMS was developed at Picatinny to better track inspections, management plans, and projects that take place on-post.  One vital aspect of PEMS is the new project/equipment checklist.  Thousands of projects occur every year on the installation and each one needs environmental review to make sure projects are conducted in an environmental responsible manner and in accordance with governing regulations.

The PEMS New Project/Equipment checklist includes, but is not limited to, the following environmental media for review:

·         Air compliance

·         Natural and cultural resources

·         Wetlands and flood plains

·         Soils management and UXO support

·         Hazardous waste management

·         Green procurement and sustainability

PEMS has proven to be an indispensable resource for tracking projects and equipment installations to allow the mission to move forward while protecting the environment and remaining in compliance with applicable regulations.

PEMS is also a database for installation activities.  This system was setup to bring Picatinny in compliance with ISO 14001 initiatives. Besides having copies of all major program management plans, policies, and regulations, it also manages the information from all regulated units/operations, under various environmental compliance medias.  PEMS tracks projects, inspections and documents in the following way:

-          Environmental Guidance such as policies, regulations, etc.

-          Individually regulated units permitted under RCRA, Air, Water, etc., with individual management plans, inspections forms and tracking mechanisms.

-          Environmental Program training

-          Environmental Quality Control Committee (EQCC) Meeting info

-          Project/Permit Checklist (required for all Service Orders/IJOs, Construction)

-          Electronic Reporting (Waste Profiles, Fuel Deliveries, waste turn-ins)

The Clean Air Act and New Jersey Administrative Code impose strict air pollution control requirements on Picatinny Arsenal. The installation works closely with the regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with all air emission standards. Each calendar year, through state inspections and self-certification, Picatinny Arsenal demonstrates compliance with permit required monitoring, record keeping and reporting requirements. The facility is regulated by a 650+ page air permit that contains all monitoring, record keeping and reporting requirements. New sources are incorporated in the air permit as required and sources emitting air toxics above reporting thresholds are screened through a health risk screening model. The model results determine if emissions controls are needed to meet acceptable health risk levels. Facility-wide air emissions are estimated on an annual basis and reported to the regulatory agency.

Specific EPCRA reporting information from the installation may be found on the NJ Online Right-to-Know Network @ Department of Health | Workplace Health and Safety | Right to Know (nj.gov).  As a federal facility, Picatinny began tracking EPCRA reporting information in 1993 under the direction of Executive Order 12856, as signed by President Clinton.  For the most part, the installation has reported Diesel and fuel oil among other substances that exceed reportable quantities.  Right to know surveys are submitted to all local emergency management offices during the March deadline and chemical inventories are submitted every July as required by law.

Picatinny Arsenal mainly conducts military research and development activities that are subject to environmental permitting requirements.  These activities as with many similar facilities generate wastes in the process of conducting its operations.  The Garrison maintains and ensures compliance with all Federal, State, and local regulations and guidance including requirements set forth under RCRA.  In performing its operations, the installation treats some of the generated HW on-base using various treatment techniques.  Picatinny has an approved RCRA Hazardous Waste operating permit, in addition to other permits for Air, Wastewater, etc. that provides the permission and approval to implement the treatment technology from Regulating agencies.  Overall, Army and Picatinny personnel continually monitor revisions and new requirements within Regulations, including learning about new and Alternative Treatment Technologies that may become available as they treat HW.

The installation Hazardous Waste (HW) Program ensures that all regulated waste is responsibly generated and managed in compliance with local, State and Federal law. The HW Program achieves sustainable goals through the training, oversight, and direct support of all installation units, directorates, tenants, and activities. Picatinny operates under an installation wide HW operating permit. This permit allows for generating points to have satellite accumulation throughout the installation, which have pick-up services through our environmental contractor.  These wastes are stored, managed, and processed for disposal at our Permitted waste storage facility.

In addition, Picatinny operates 90-day areas and treatment operations for our energetic/explosive wastes.

The installation HW Management Course is offered throughout the year for appointed personnel which are scheduled through the organizational supervisors and are held either on-site at the operation or utilizing the Teams online.

HW Program personnel conduct compliance inspections and manage the Installation Permitted Storage facility.  Waste commonly managed at the permitted facility include:

-       Non-Energetic Hazardous Waste chemicals

-       Non-Regulated waste waters and non-regulated solid spill debris

-       Universal Wastes (batteries, fluorescent lamps, pesticides, mercury contained items)

Due to the danger oil spills cause to public health and the environment, every effort must be made to prevent oil spills and to clean them up promptly once they occur. The purpose of the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule is to help facilities prevent a discharge of oil into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. 

The SPCC rule requires facilities to develop, maintain, and implement an oil spill prevention plan, called an SPCC Plan. These plans help facilities prevent oil spill, as well as control a spill should one occur. A Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) plan (Oil Pollution Prevention regulation 40 CFR part 112) is a facility-specific comprehensive description of measures designed to prevent oil spills and effectively respond to them if they occur. 

The SPCC rule requires the owner or operator of the facility prepare and implement an SPCC Plan if the facility stores > 1,320 gallons of oil, stores 55 gallons of oil (typically drums and totes), or the facility that have a “reasonable expectation of an oil discharge” to water. The Plan must be maintained at the location of the facility that is normally attended at least four hours per day.

In accordance with the Installation Spill Contingency Plan for Picatinny and site-specific contingency plans, please call 911 for all outdoor, or large quantity spills.  Personnel are required to clean-up their own spills if manageable, especially within the interior of a facility.  Spill Debris must be turned in through normal waste turn in procedures.

The TSCA Program at Picatinny is larger than other military installations due to the age and the operational uses of the installation over the years.  Most buildings on the base have some type of asbestos, or lead paint associated with them. The following are the four major TSCA categories managed by the TSCA Program Manager at Picatinny:

-       Lead Based Paint (LBP)

-       Asbestos

-       Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl’s (PCBs), and

-       Radon

All Asbestos and LBP abatements are performed by NJ state licensed and certified contractors through our service order desk. All LBP, asbestos and PCB waste is managed by our Hazardous waste Program Manager.

The Radon program at Picatinny is coordinated through our DPW Operations Division, for testing of potential areas suspected of RADON.

Picatinny complies with all applicable Federal, State and local laws and regulations regarding stormwater, wastewater and safe drinking water. The Env. Affairs Division identifies and implements pollution prevention initiatives, and applies conservation measures, protection, restoration, and mitigation to surface water resources including streams, lakes and groundwater. The installation also works to identify and protect floodplains and wetlands by obtaining permits required for wetland and soil disturbances and limiting development in these areas to prevent impacts downstream.

Picatinny Arsenal’s water quality report is now available. View the report by clicking on the link below.

www.amwater.com/ccr/picatinnyarsenal.pdf

The Cultural Resources Management Program at USAG Picatinny identifies, evaluates, and protects historic properties and other cultural resources within the installation in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act and its enforcing regulation 36 CFR 800 in addition to various other statutes, Executive orders, acts, regulations, and memos that protect cultural resources. USAG Picatinny protects roughly 275 historic properties which includes: 5 historic districts and their contributing historic buildings and structures, landscapes, historic objects, and viewsheds as well as numerous archaeological sites both prehistoric and historic. USAG Picatinny has a responsibility to engage with the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Officer, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 5 Federally recognized tribes with ancestral ties to Picatinny Arsenal, and several other publicly interested parties.

Picatinny’s Natural Resources Program focuses on the preservation and protection of the installation’s Natural Resources and is given highest consideration in all project work from planning to completion.

The maintenance and enhancement of biological diversity are high priorities and accomplished through the implementation of specific management practices identified in the Installation Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP). The INRMP guides natural resource management programs and conservation actions on Picatinny Arsenal.

Programs include threatened and endangered species, wetlands, streams and waterbodies, forests and fuelwood and the Sportsmen Program (bolded to take the viewer to the Sportsman page with training and requirements).  Additionally, the Natural Resources Program coordinates with the Picatinny Fire Dept. for implementation of the installation’s Wildfire Management Plan.

Mission Statement: To administer the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) and ensure that all Installation Restoration Program (IRP) and Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) operations conducted on the installation are in compliance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and federal, state, local, and Army environmental regulations and policies.  The IRP and MMRP programs are designed to identify, investigate and remediate hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, and military munitions from past operating practices. The overall mission of the IRP/MMRP Program is to protect human health and the environment.