The Final Veil: Army Announces Net Zero "Winners"

Today in sunny San Antonio, the ASA, IE&E dropped the seventh veil and revealed the names of the 17 Army/Joint installations selected for the Net Zero Energy, Water and/or Waste contest. With over 100 applicants in the three categories, the winners are as follows (drum roll please):

A Net Zero Energy Installation produces as much energy on site as it uses, over the course of a year. The Army's Pilot Net Zero Energy Installations are:

1. Fort Detrick, MD
2. Fort Hunter Liggett, CA
3. Kwajalein Atoll, RMI
4. Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, Ca
5. Sierra Army Depot, CA
6. West Point, NY.

Additionally, the Oregon Army National Guard has volunteered to pilot a unique and challenging Net Zero Energy initiative, which includes all of their installations spread across the entire state. This strategy will be included in the environmental analysis.

A Net Zero Water Installation limits the consumption of freshwater resources and returns water back to the same watershed so as not to deplete the groundwater and surface water resources of that region in quantity and quality over the course of a year. The Pilot Net Zero Water Installations are:

1. Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
2. Camp Rilea, OR
3. Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico;
4. Fort Riley, KS
5. Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
6. Tobyhanna Army Depot, PA.

A Net Zero Waste Installation reduces, reuses, and recovers waste streams, converting them to resource values with zero landfill over the course of a year. The Army's Pilot Net Zero Waste Installations are:

1. Fort Detrick, MD*
2. Fort Hood, TX
3. Fort Hunter Liggett, CA*
4. Fort Polk, LA;
5. Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA*
6. US Army Garrison, Grafenwoehr, Germany.

Net Zero Installation is comprised of three interrelated components: Net Zero Energy, Net Zero Water, and Net Zero Waste. Two installations have volunteered to be integrated Net Zero Installations:

1. Fort Bliss, TX
2. Fort Carson, CO.

At a later briefing by the DASA, E&S a timeline for NEPA was shown that indicated that the intent was to begin site specific NEPA work as early as November 2011. Since site specific work cannot be done until a project is selected and all projects will be funded via ESCP, UESC or EUL, the timeline to get RFPs out, proposals back, down selection and contracting is very tight. This, coupled with the fact that IMCOM has to reduce its civilian work force by 10,000 by October 2011 according the LTG Lynch, IMCOM CG, means a very aggressive timeline to accomplish fearsomely complex contracting with less folks to do it. I hope the benefits of being selected for this pilot program are worth it. I am reminded of the old say, “Be careful what you wish for; you might get it”. Dan Nolan

*Winner in two categories

Acronym Soup:

ASA, IE&E – Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installation, Energy and Environment

DASA, E&S – Deputy Secretary of the Army for Energy and Sustainability

NEPA – National Environmental Protection Act

ESCP – Energy Savings Performance Contract

UESC – Utilities Energy Services Contract

EUL - Enhanced Use Lease

IMCOM – Installation Management Command