Energy Northwest is committed to protecting the environment for current and future generations. As part of that commitment, we have developed, implemented, and maintain a comprehensive Environmental Management System (EMS). Our EMS was designed to meet the rigorous requirements of the globally recognized International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 standard with additional emphasis on compliance, pollution prevention, and communication.
In April 2005, Energy Northwest’s EMS was registered to the international ISO 14001:1996 standard, by NSF-ISR, an accredited EMS registrar. Periodic audits of the EMS are required to maintain ISO 14001 registration, which helps ensure that our system remains effective and continually improves. The company was recertified to the current ISO 14001:2004 standard in March 2008.
Environmental Stewardship Policy
Energy Northwest is committed to strong environmental protection programs and procedures to integrate environmental stewardship into everything we do. The Energy Northwest Environmental Stewardship Policy is the cornerstone of the EMS. It demonstrates management commitment, defines the framework for the EMS, establishes expectations, and helps us set goals. Energy Northwest's Board of Directors and Executive Board have approved the Policy.
Energy Northwest CEO Vic Parrish has made environmental stewardship a top priority: "In order to implement this policy, we need to create and foster a culture that promotes consideration of the environment in everything we do. We all impact the environment constantly – from turning on the coffee maker in the morning, driving to work, or copying a document, to maintaining and operating our power plants. In both our personal and professional lives, when we make decisions or conduct our daily work, we need to think not just about the impact for us and our business today, but also the impact on future generations, and try to reduce that impact. It is a question of conscience."
EMS Program
An EMS is a systematic approach to managing environmental hazards and potential impacts. It helps us identify potential environmental risks and prevent negative impacts by putting necessary controls and programs in place, monitoring and measuring environmental performance, continually improving, and sharing our progress with interested parties. An EMS reduces risk while improving efficiency and effectiveness.
Significant Environmental Aspects
Energy Northwest has identified Significant Environmental Aspects associated with our activities. An “aspect” is a potential hazard (or benefit) to the environment. This information is used to develop prioritized goals, objectives, and targets for continually improving operations and programs to prevent or mitigate potential impacts.
Pollution Prevention and Renewable Energy
Energy Northwest maintains a pollution prevention (P2) program to reduce the use of hazardous materials and the generation of wastes. Our pollution prevention program addresses energy efficiency and conservation, water efficiency and conservation, waste minimization, spill prevention, and chemical management.
Key program activities include developing implementation plans for the environmental stewardship objectives and targets, increasing employee awareness and communication of EMS and P2 activities, and providing technical assistance on new P2 related initiatives. In 2007, P2 program activities included:
- Revised key performance indicators to measure, assess and improve environmental performance.
- Performed Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessments for fleet vehicle use, cafeteria operations, and janitorial operations.
- Enhancing internal and external communications, including company incentives, to promote environmental awareness.
In addition to integrating environmental protection measures into our operations, we are committed to developing cost-effective renewable energy. Renewable energy projects include:
For More Information
We would like to hear your comments about our environmental policy and programs. If you have comments or questions, contact EMS Coordinator Dave Nylander at (509) 377-4505 or send an e-mail to dcnylander@energy-northwest.com.