ISO 14001 succeeds at St. Clair Power Plant

Power, Dec 2004 by Hylko, Jim

In the 1920s, Detroit Edison, now a subsidiary of DTE Energy, began installing electrostatic precipitators in its power plants to reduce the release of flyash. More than 80 years and several billion investment dollars later, DTE Energy's proactive, environmentally conscious approach has led to the company's adoption of an ISO 14001-compliant environmental management system to maintain its competitiveness.

Environmental stewardship is probably one of the best-kept secrets in the utility industry today. Big energy companies have realized that reducing the environmental impact of power generation has a positive effect on their business and their competitiveness. Many have made great strides toward making their power plants cleaner. For example, between 1974 and 2003, Detroit Edison (a subsidiary of DTE Energy) reduced its NOx emissions by 60%, its SO2 emissions by 63%, and its mercury emissions by 17% while increasing its electricity production by 39%.

In the 1980s, local and national environmental regulations on hazardous waste disposal became more stringent, forcing companies to switch from landfilling to treatment and recycling. The new rules also motivated companies--including utilities--to look for ways to reduce their waste production and disposal costs. That search resulted in the development of pollution-prevention techniques and company-specific environmental management systems (EMS) primarily to address specific hazards and to reduce the risk of penalties. However, few companies chose to implement an EMS, due to lack of guidance and structure and the perception that the cost of doing so would be high.

In 1996 a better way to demonstrate a long-term commitment to environmental stewardship emerged in the form of the International Organization for Standardization's Environmental Management System, also known as ISO 14001 EMS. (Point your browser to www.iso.ch/iso/en/ISOOnline.openerpage for detailed information on establishing an ISO 14001 EMS system at your plant.)

ISO 14001 is a voluntary standard that provides organizations with all of the elements needed to develop an effective EMS. It details the structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes, and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing, and maintaining environmental policies. ISO 14001 also is a tool that enables an organization of any size or type to manage its economic and environmental goals simultaneously. The standard spells out how to identify specific environmental aspects, set targets and objectives at all relevant levels, and comply with all applicable regulations and laws aimed at pollution prevention. (For more information on the activities of the ISO 14001 Technical Committee, go to www.tc207.org.)

First steps

Earlier this decade, Detroit Edison's St. Clair Power Plant (Figure 1) already had an established and effective EMS program in place, but management felt it was time to take that next step toward ISO 14001 certification. Skiles Boyd, the utility's director of environmental management and resources, recalls that "there was a lot of discussion inside the company regarding ISO 14001, and there was concern that the effort would require significant resources to implement."

However, the deciding factor was the ever-increasing level of expectations on the part of customers, regulators, and shareholders. Outstanding past performance became the norm. "We wanted to move from a compliance-based program to really looking for opportunities to meet and exceed expectations," Boyd explains. "When the idea was proposed to the plant managers, they immediately saw its value. Management agreed and provided the resources to make it happen."

One very important point won the support of Detroit Edison's management: ISO 14001 does not require an organization to retool its existing EMS activities. An effective and well-documented EMS and pollution prevention program can serve as the nucleus for ISO certification and significantly shorten the time needed to implement a fully functioning ISO program.

Teamwork required

Success in implementing any program that touches every department and person in a plant requires cooperation and teamwork. At St. Clair, the cooperative vehicle took the form of cross-functional teams (CFTs) whose members included representatives of Local 223 of United Utility Workers of America as well as managers responsible for activities ranging from plant operations to maintenance to fuel supply. The CFTs' first charge was to develop a gap analysis comparing the existing plant EMS program to the ISO 14001 core requirements. The results of this analysis, which was completed in 2001, were used to develop a comprehensive manual detailing the elements required to document the plant's conformance to ISO 14001. The manual's mission statement page is shown in Figure 2.

The critical first step by one team was to define the EMS as required by the ISO instruction. The result was St. Clair's first official ISO policy: Environmental Aspects (ISO Standard 4.3.1). The policy defined and identified environmental issues and their impacts on various plant products and services. Another CFT then evaluated all aspects of the policy to determine those having a significant environmental impact and to establish and prioritize objectives and targets in support of the policy. Procedures were then developed for ensuring that adequate controls and monitoring activities were in place. The CFTs then developed a number of other processes and procedures relating to all areas of plant operations, including operational controls (ISO Standard 4.4.6), emergency preparedness and response (ISO Standard 4.4.7), monitoring and measurement (ISO Standard 4.5.1), and EMS corrective and preventive actions (ISO Standard 4.5.2).