Federal Programs

Pollution Prevention and Waste Minimization Green Lights Program

State Programs

Indiana Pollution Prevention Program

In recent years, a new emphasis has been placed upon pollution prevention rather than cleaning up pollution after it occurs. At the federal level, the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (section 6605) makes funding available to states through the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances of EPA. Major state initiatives involve the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Indiana Department of Commerce. The success or failure of these initiatives is dependent upon private and local interest and involvement. Only a few illustrative programs are outlined below.


Federal Programs

Pollution Prevention and Waste Minimization

Following passage of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency developed a definition of pollution prevention and a strategy for making pollution prevention a central guiding mission. Under Section 6602(b) of the Pollution Prevention Act, Congress established a national policy that:

• pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible;
• pollution that cannot be prevented should be recycled in an environmentally safemanner whenever feasible;
• pollution that cannot be prevented or recycled should be treated in anenvironmentally safe manner whenever feasible; and
• disposal or other release into the environment should be employed only as a last resort and should be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.¹

According to the EPA definition, pollution prevention means "source reduction" as defined in the Pollution Prevention Act, but also includes "other practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants through (1) increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, or other resources, or (2) protection of natural resources by conservation."

Source reduction includes any practice which: reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) before recycling, treatment, or disposal; and reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants. Source reduction includes equipment or technology modifications, process or procedure modifications, reformulation or redesign of products, substitution of raw materials, and improvements in housekeeping, maintenance, training, or inventory control.

The exclusion of recycling from the federal definition of pollution prevention activities "has been a source of controversy. Strictly speaking, recycling is not a form of prevention. However, recycling can confer substantial environmental improvements and can aid in conserving valuable resources."

Waste minimization was one of the first initiatives in the area of pollution prevention, and it focused almost exclusively on solid wastes regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), particularly hazardous wastes.² Waste minimization is narrower than pollution prevention, which looks to reduce the entire spectrum of pollution and waste, including air emissions, releases to surface and groundwaters, and inefficient energy and materials use, in addition to waste which is sent for land disposal, treatment, or off-site recycling.


Green Lights Program

An example of a voluntary program intended to avoid creating pollution is the U.S. EPA's Green Lights Program. The pollution prevention efforts seeks to encourage partners to install "energy efficient lighting where profitable as long as lighting quality is maintained or improved. Federal partners have until 2005 to complete upgrades. EPA agrees that" a participant's "commitment to survey buildings and complete lighting upgrades is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds or third-party financing resources." The "primary purpose of the Green Lights Program" is to encourage U.S. businesses to install energy-efficient lighting to avoid creating air pollution, solid waste, and other negative environmental impacts of electricity generation.³


State Programs

"Clean Manufacturing"

"Clean manufacturing" is recognized by the Indiana General Assembly as the most-favorable strategy for addressing waste management. "[C]lean manufacturing is (A) the most reliable and effective form of environmental protection; and (B) the preferred approach to environmental protection."⁴

"Clean manufacturing" is defined by statute.⁵ The definition is complex but in general terms encourages reducing the manufacture of toxic materials and reducing environmental waste before recycling, release, handling, storage, transport, treatment, or disposal of the waste. "The term includes changes in production technology, materials, processes, operations, or procedures." The term does not, however, include practices applied after a waste exits production, waste burning for energy recovery, waste shifting, offsite or onsite recycling, or another method of "end-of-pipe management of environmental wastes."


Indiana Pollution Prevention Program

The state agency primarily responsible for administration of the pollution prevention program is the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. IDEM implements the program through the Office of Pollution Prevention and Technical Assistance (or "OPPTA").

OPPTA characterizes its roles as:

• Incorporating pro-active, and voluntary pollution prevention, initiatives within the regulatory programs of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
• Providing confidential, regulatory, and pollution prevention technical assistance.
• Administering the annual "Governor's Awards for Excellence in Pollution Prevention."
• Coordinating challenge grants for pollution prevention case studies and pilot projects.
• Promoting the advantages of pollution prevention through educational endeavors.
• Maintaining a technical resource and referral service for pollution prevention information. ⁶

The Indiana General Assembly also established the Pollution Prevention Board to assist the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in promoting industrial pollution prevention for air, water, and land.⁷ The Pollution Prevention Board was superseded in 1997 by the Clean Manufacturing Technology Board.⁸

In June 1993, the former Pollution Prevention Board selected Purdue University to operate the Indiana Pollution Prevention and Safe Materials Institute,⁹ and operations were begun in 1994. Subsequently, the name of the institute was changed to the Indiana Clean Manufacturing Technology and Safe Materials Institute. Its purpose is to act as the state's focal point for coordinating and deploying technical assistance, research, education, and planning services for the adoption of pollution prevention strategies by Indiana manufacturing facilities.¹⁰

There are several basic functions of the Indiana Clean Manufacturing Technology and Safe Materials Institute:

• Measure pollution prevention progress (3P2M)
• Develop pollution prevention (P2) plans
• Provide technical assistance services
• Coordinate and cooperate with other public and private colleges and universities
• Conduct research
• Develop curriculum and training
• Provide policy analysis

The Clean Manufacturing Technology Board is charged with assessing the progress of the Indiana Clean Manufacturing Technology and Safe Materials Institute toward achieving its charges. The Board also assists with grants programs, receives public complaints concerning application of state law directed to clean manufacturing, and provides a forum for the discussion of key issues.¹¹