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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., reports 71 facilities in 29 states and Puerto Rico have joined or renewed their membership in its National Performance Track Program during the 10th round of membership applications and renewals since the program’s inception in June 2000.
Performance Track, a voluntary partnership, recognizes top environmental performance among participating U.S. facilities of all types, sizes, and complexity, both public and private. The program acknowledges facilities that work with their communities, set 3-year goals for continuous improvements in environmental performance, and have internal systems in place to manage environmental impacts.
The program accepts applications twice annually, from Feb. 1 to April 30, and from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31. A membership term lasts 3 years.
In this 10th round of Performance Track membership, 39 new facilities have made strong environmental commitments for the next 3 years, and 32 facilities have renewed 3-year memberships. Thirteen members also expanded the number of facilities they have participating in the program. With these additions, Performance Track now has over 50 companies with multiple facilities in the program.
The following is a cross-section of new, renewing, and expanding members:
- Coca-Cola North America Syrup Plant, Columbus, OH - This new member is committing to reduce biological oxygen demand (BOD) pollutant discharges by more than 1.5 million pounds and its water usage by more than 900,000 gallons. In its efforts to reduce high wastewater cost and return treatment capacity to the City of Columbus, the facility voluntarily installed a new secondary wastewater treatment system.
- 3M Nevada, Las Vegas - This renewing member is using Six Sigma processes in several of its membership commitments, including waste reduction of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste. The facility has also devised a new energy conservation plan that sets a reduction target of 1 percent per year.
- Ford Motor Co. Assembly Plant, Atlanta - A new member and the first from the automotive industry, the plant is committing to reducing water usage by nearly 14 million gallons and its volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by more than 24 tons. It also has committed to reducing its total energy usage by 62,630 million British Thermal Units (MMBtus).
- Louisiana Pacific - This member expanded its membership in the program, adding six new facilities. Besides its Carthage, TX, OSB plant, which has been a program member since 2003, the company’s Engineered Wood Products (EWP) plants in Hines, OR, and Wilmington, NC; Oriented Strand Board (OSB) plants in Limerick, ME, and Jasper, TX; Engineered Siding plant in Two Harbors, MN; and its Middlebury, IN, facility have joined the Performance Track rosters.
The program currently has about 370 members in 46 states and Puerto Rico. Performance Track members represent virtually every manufacturing sector, as well as public-sector facilities at the federal, state, and local levels.
Since the program started in 2000, members report that they have collectively reduced their water use by more than 1.3 billion gallons, cut their generation of solid waste by nearly 600,000 tons, and decreased their energy use by more than 8.4 trillion British Thermal Units (BTUs) - enough to power more than 80,600 homes for a year.
