Lab wins Department of Energy pollution prevention awards

LIVERMORE — Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory received two 2007 Pollution Prevention (P2) Awards for Environmental Stewardship from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The awards recognize the Laboratory’s contributions to environmental and transportation goals of the National Nuclear Security Administration and DOE.

An award in the category of Alternative Fuels and Fuel Conservation acknowledges the Laboratory’s ethanol fueling station, which dispenses an alternative vehicle fuel called E85 – a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent unleaded gasoline. The Laboratory has 267 E85 alternative fuel vehicles. The use of alternative fuels such as E85 helps reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and the nation’s dependence upon petroleum-based gasoline.

An award in the Waste/Pollution Prevention category recognizes the Laboratory’s success in recycling or reusing materials and reducing waste generation during building demolition activities at the Laboratory.

E85 Fueling Station
The Lab’s E85 Fueling Station began operation in May 2007, and dispenses approximately 63,000 gallons of E85 annually. The Laboratory’s fleet of 267 E85 compatible vehicles is the largest alternative fuel vehicle fleet in the DOE complex and possibly the largest E85 fleet in a single location in California. In collaboration with the California Air Resources Board, the Lab will serve as a test bed for E85 operations in the state.

The Lab’s core E85 Team members include former Fleet Management Superintendent Mishell Pendleton, Fleet Manager Jose Pineda, E85 Project Manager Dean Yoshida and Construction Manager Tim Kemper.

The Lab’s Fleet Management Group has previously garnered recognition for its efforts in the areas of environmental, energy and transportation management. In 2003, the group received the Federal Energy and Water Management Award from DOE and the Federal Interagency Energy Committee, as well as DOE ’s Departmental Energy Management Award.

Construction Recycling Program
LLNL’s Space Action Team manages the demolition of Lab facilities that are no longer cost-effective to maintain due to age, condition, changing missions or obsolescence. During the demolition of a 149,987 sq. ft. building in 2007, the team recycled or reused 89 percent of demolished materials. This included 1,665 tons of metals, 7,399 tons of concrete and 14,580 gallons of dielectric fluid. The team’s efforts also reduced the project cost by 11 percent.

Since 2002, the team has recycled or reused 32,075 tons of asphalt/concrete, more than 5,000 tons of metal, 673 pounds of Freon and 201 cubic yards of wood.

The Space Action Team members include William Collins, Matt Robison, Michael Auble, Kenneth Lane, Lisa Crawford, Paul Corrado, Joseph Albert and Douglas Murray.

In 2006, the Space Action Team received a Best In Class DOE Pollution Prevention award for its Assets for Value Program. In 2001, the team garnered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greening the Government Award for recycling and reusing material from decontamination and demolition projects.