Maritime Administration, U.S. ports in environmental monitoring project

Maritime Administration, U.S. ports in environmental monitoring project    The U.S. Maritime Administration and 10 U.S. port authorities have been selected for an environmental management system assistance project, set to start in January 2004.
   Besides MarAd, the participants include the Port of Houston Authority; Virginia Port Authority; The Port of Vancouver (of Washington state); The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey; Port of Portland; Portland District Corps of Engineers; Port of Corpus Christi Authority; Port of Los Angeles; Port of New Orleans; and Port Everglades.
   An environmental management system is a set of management processes and procedures that allow an organization to analyze, control, and improve the environmental consequences of its activities. Benefits experienced by similar organizations include improved overall environmental performance, expanded pollution prevention opportunities, improved compliance, and enhanced operational control and efficiency.
   Modeled after three U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-supported environmental management system initiatives for local government, the port environmental management system assistance project is a partnership between the American Association of Port Authorities, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Policy, and the Global Environment & Technology Foundation, with participants sharing the costs of the technical guidance and facilitation of the project over the two-year project period.
   An Environmental Protection Agency grant for $50,000 to the Global Environment & Technology Foundation allowed the project to get started and leveraged an additional $500,000 in funding from participants.