Implementing an environmental quality assessment program at the naval air station patuxent river

The Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River is proactively establishing an environmental quality assessment program (EQAP) for environmental excellence in accordance with emerging Navy policy to implement such a program. The EQAP will replace the Navy's Environmental Compliance Evaluation (ECE) program. Under the ECE program, shore-based Naval installations were required to annually perform a self-ECE of their compliance status. Under the new program, Naval installations will be required to develop and execute an internal assessment plan that addresses environmental quality within the “fenceline.” The assessment will address all applicable compliance requirements on a schedule based on the environmental concerns, vulnerabilities, and risks and may also cover program management processes, the environmental management system (EMS), and measures of merit. Implementation of the EQAP is especially critical at the NAS due to the tremendous growth that it has experienced as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC). Presented in this article is a description of the NAS's EQAP and how it evolved from the predecessor ECE program.