Environmental Management Assessment & Performance Program
Over the course of three years, Benesch provided services for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Division of Environmental and Cultural Resources Management, such as auditing, reviews, technical assistance, management briefings and training.
Auditing: As part of the Environmental Management Assessment & Performance (EMAP) team, Benesch assisted with 252 Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and 209 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) EMAP audits, as well as 409 Environmental Management Systems (EMS) conformance reviews as a subconsultant. Our team conducted audits in accordance with the requirements set forth in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO) and IA Auditors Guidebook – The EMAP Audit Program.
The audit process follows ASTM Standard Practice for Environmental Regulatory Compliance Audits (E2107-06) and includes pre-visit activities (audit plan, records review, and scope development); entrance briefing for facility staff; field inspections; interviews; records reviews; compliance determination for environmental requirements and standards; identifying root causes of suspect area of non-compliance (AON); report preparation and database entry; stringent quality assurance of reports by peer auditors; recommendations for corrective and preventive action; exit briefing for facility staff; and technical support and follow-up to ensure corrective action has been taken.
Reviews: Conducted 50 safety reviews and 42 CAFO reviews.
Information Technology (IT)/Technical Assistance: Developed, supported, and implemented IA Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) technology tools including the following: EMS, SMS, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Tracker, Superfund/Environmental and Disposal Liabilities (EDL) Tracker, and Compliance Tracker.
Management Briefings: Conducted and led BIA/BIE Quarterly and Annual Management Briefings. Developed statistical correlations and conducted trend analyses. Prepared BIA/BIE Quarterly and Annual Reports, Program-specific reports, IA Performance Index Reports, and EPA Semi-Annual Reports. Quarterly and Annual Reports presented a statistical analysis of AONs, root causes, corrective actions, and recommendations for program innovations and efficiencies.
Training: Conducted 50+ onsite trainings/conferences for BIA and BIE; led and implemented IA quarterly environmental training weeks.
