Programs

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OVERVIEW

In January 2004, the Port of Corpus Christi Authority developed and implemented an Environmental Management System (EMS) through a Port EMS Assistance Project. It was a partnership effort with American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF) for eleven ports to develop an EMS modeled after the ISO 14001 Standard. An EMS is a set of management processes and procedures that allow an organization to analyze, control, and improve the environmental consequences of its activities. The development and implementation took two years to complete and since that time PCCA has been maintaining an award-winning EMS program.

EMS Fence Line
The PCCA selected port-operated facilities for its fence line, to include the Bulk Terminal, the and the Maintenance Facility. These facilities are not geographically adjacent, but PCCA personnel operate each of them. The Bulk Terminal consists of Bulk Dock #1, Bulk Dock #2, a public storage pad, and a maintenance facility. It is located on the north side of the Tule Lake Channel in the Inner Harbor. Coal, ore, minerals, and other dry bulk commodities can be discharged directly from vessels to railcars or trucks at Bulk Dock #1. This facility can also be used to load vessels when special handling is required. Coal, petroleum coke, and other dry bulk commodities can be loaded directly to vessels from bottom dump railcars, dump trucks, or storage at Bulk Dock #2. Port personnel maintain the cranes and conveyor system and equipment associated with the loading and unloading activities. The Maintenance Facility consists of several buildings, open storage, hazardous and non-hazardous waste storage areas, a vehicle and equipment fueling area, and a covered vehicle and equipment wash area. Vehicle and equipment maintenance and repairs occur inside the buildings. Maintenance personnel are also responsible for janitorial services to all port facilities and grounds maintenance on all PCCA properties including some leased properties. The Maintenance fleet includes gasoline-, diesel- and propane-powered tractors and associated lawn equipment, front-end loaders, dump trucks, cranes, and forklifts.
The fence line of the EMS program includes the port operations and activities conducted by port personnel or port contractors within the fence line as described above. Longshoremen operations that occur at the Bulk Terminal in conjunction with port operations are not included in the EMS fence line. The maintenance and repairs on port infrastructure, janitorial maintenance, and grounds maintenance conducted by port personnel or port contractors throughout the port area and not specifically within the above mentioned facilities are included in the EMS fence line, although the physical location is not included in the EMS program. PCCA is also in the process of expanding this fence line to include our northside and southside public cargo dock areas, as well as the supporting laydown and storage areas.

Environmental Policy		EMS Organizational Structure
A requirement of an EMS Program is to develop an environmental policy that states the intentions and principles in relation to the overall performance of the organization. The environmental policy is the commitment that directs PCCA in its environmental management. Our environmental policy was approved by the Port Commission on November 9, 2004 and is commonly referred to as the 4 C’s. ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY		The EMS Program is supported by Senior Management, guided by a Steering Committee, and facilitated by an Environmental Management Representative (EMR), a Core Team and a Site Implementation Team. Senior Management consists of PCCA’s Executive Staff including the Directors and Deputy Directors for each department. The Steering Committee is comprised of the Director of Operations, Director of Engineering, and the Facility Managers for the facilities within the EMS fence line. The EMR is the PCCA’s Environmental Compliance Manager. The Core Team is comprised of volunteers from the shop floor of the facilities within the EMS fence line that can provide a broad representation of the activities that occur and the employees within the EMS fence line. The Core Team is made up of a Senior Maintenance Worker and a Maintenance Worker from the Maintenance Facility, an Operator/Maintenance Technician from the Bulk Terminal, and the Senior Environmental Specialist and the Environmental Specialist from the Engineering Department. The Site Implementation Teams consist of volunteers from the shop floor from each of the facilities within the EMS fence line that represent specific program areas and assist the Core Team with implementation of the EMS. The teams comprised of volunteers from the shop floor are periodically substituted. All other employees in the organization are responsible for being aware of the EMS program and the specific roles and responsibilities as documented in the EMS policies, procedures, and Environmental Management Programs (EMPs).

Key Reasons For Adopting An EMS

The PCCA intended to develop an EMS for several reasons. Port staff wanted to integrate the existing individual environmental programs under a single framework. PCCA also wanted to create a culture of environmental awareness among all our employees, as well as improve teamwork and interdepartmental coordination through the development and implementation of an EMS. PCCA has found that the EMS has created a proactive attitude among employees to help improve operational efficiency and pollution prevention. Improving operational efficiency has also reduced operational costs. The PCCA currently has representation in various community organizations aimed at pollution prevention and environmental awareness. The PCCA wanted to demonstrate to the public and the regulatory community, the commitment within the PCCA of environmental protection and pollution prevention through the ongoing EMS program.

Long term with the development of an EMS, the PCCA has seen an improvement in environmental performance. With an improvement in environmental performance, relationships with the regulatory agencies and the community would continue to improve. PCCA believes that this will also improve their confidence in PCCA business and stewardship of the environment. PCCA also anticipates that a successful EMS at our facility would enhance customer satisfaction, thereby bringing more business and diversity to our port.

“As stated in our Commission approved Environmental Policy, the involvement of all hands in this program will help the Port comply will all environmental regulations, prevent pollution from our operations, and facilitate continual environmental improvement in the years to come, all of which will foster a better quality of life for the current and future residents and tourists of the Coastal Bend’s unique natural resources. Your personal contributions to the implementation of an Environmental Management System at our Port are greatly appreciated.”

Significant Aspects, Objectives & Targets, And Environmental Management Programs

A significant aspect is an environmental aspect resulting from our operations and activities that we have prioritized for managing. PCCA annually identifies 10-15 significant aspects and develops corresponding Environmental Management Programs (EMPs) to manage the environmental impacts of each of those significant aspects. PCCA also annually identifies two to four objectives and targets for reducing the environmental impacts and has made significant progress towards meeting those goals.

OBJECTIVES & TARGETS

Benefits Of Implementing An EMS
PCCA has experienced numerous qualitative benefits from developing and implementing an EMS that cannot be directly related to a dollar amount saved. The qualitative benefits include:	PCCA has also experienced several quantitative benefits from implementation of the EMS program in which a direct cost savings can be calculated. Two of these quantitative benefits are:
Environmental awareness throughout the Port and among employees has significantly improved; Employees are making recommendations for improvements; Managing significant aspects has helped to reduce potential secondary costs; The consistent approach of the EMS has extended beyond EMS fence line; and Interdepartmental relationships have significantly improved.	PCCA shop floor employees initiated a port wide recycling program in January 2005 including cardboard, paper, and plastic. Since that time, the program has expanded to include recycling of aluminum, plastic bottles, oil, anti-freeze, all kinds of lightbulbs, print cartridges, cell phones, batteries, metal, computer equipment and electrical components. From start up of the program in 2005 to June 2009, a total of 304,581 pounds of materials, 7,859 gallons of liquids, and 4,259 individual components have been recycled. PCCA has also worked to reduce the contribution of pollutants in storm water at our Bulk Terminal Facility. We have installed filter systems at each outfall that capture particulates and sediments in storm water prior to runoff. A 95% improvement has been seen in the quality of storm water runoff at the facility. PCCA has also taken measures to reduce the use of herbicide in the port area including the development of guidelines for application.

Lessons Learned During Development

PCCA learned several lessons during the development and implementation of the EMS program. Some of the key lessons learned include:

It is very important to have Senior Management buy in to EMS, in order to facilitate buy in from the rest of the organization.
Having a Steering Committee to guide the development and implementation and having a Core Team and Site Implementation Teams doing the work worked best in
our organization because we had less scheduling conflicts and easier time getting the work done.
Completing the tasks in accordance with the development and implementation schedule is key to successful implementation.
Training is another important element of the EMS program.

“I can say with a great deal of pride that our EMS program is moving at a super pace. This exemplary progress is due to the great work of the Core Team and their fellow employees supporting their effort.”

Jerry Cotter, Former Director of Operations

Corpus Christi: Providing a Consistent Approach

The Port of Corpus Christi Authority’s EMS program has changed the way the Port manages its environmental affairs. The EMS program has significantly improved environmental awareness among employees throughout the organization, has provided a structure for reducing potential secondary costs, and has provided a consistent approach with which to manage the Port’s environmental affairs. Employees have seen the many benefits of the EMS program, including documented procedures, and are extending the consistent approach of the EMS program beyond the EMS fence line.

“The team effort of employees has been outstanding and is essential to the success of the program. No program can succeed without the support, enthusiasm, and efforts of the employees,” said Executive Director John P. LaRue. “I am proud to say that implementing this program has been a success.”

Comments from Deann Desai, Global Environment & Technology Foundation

“Your constructive outlook for the environment as well as your interest in improvement is clear indication that the system is well designed and will continue to deliver benefits for years to come. In many audits that I have done at this stage of development it is common to see eighty to more than one hundred (yes, 80 to 100+) items identified for improvement. In contrast, your system had less than twenty such opportunities. That is remarkable accomplishment in a relatively short time. ”

Other EMS Resources

Sarah L. Garza, Environmental Management Representative (361) 885-6163