Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Wins Environmental Awards

 

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) was recently declared winner of two fiscal year 2014 Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Environmental Awards, one for Environmental Restoration-Installation and one for Cultural Resources Management-Small Installation.
 
The SECNAV Environmental Awards recognize Navy and Marine Corps individuals, teams, ships, and installations for exceptional environmental stewardship. The award submittals in each of the categories are judged on five key criteria: program management, orientation to mission, stakeholder interaction, transferability, and technical merit.
 
"The environmental restoration program has been ongoing for a number of years now, starting with our initial assessment in 1983 to identify potential cleanup sites," said Cmdr. Jason Crosby, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) public works officer. "By the end of the summer, we will have completed records of decision and remedial actions for all but one site which not only shows the Navy's commitment to promote environmental stewardship, but also supports the shipyard's mission."
 
This is the fourth consecutive year PNSY has been recognized for their environmental programs. The shipyard previously won fiscal year 2011 SECNAV award for Environmental Restoration, fiscal year 2012 Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) award for Environmental Restoration, and fiscal year 2013 CNO award for Sustainability.
 
"As the oldest continuously operating naval shipyard in the nation, the cultural resources management program is faced with unique challenges . as well as areas of archaeological sensitivity," said Kerry Vautrot, NAVFAC cultural resources manager for the shipyard. "Through coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office, Portsmouth has developed relationships with key stakeholders, resulting in reduced consultation timelines and more effective project consultation."
 
As part of the announcement, the Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy commended all of the nominees and winners for the tremendous success showcased in these awards and offered his congratulations. "I applaud our civilians, Sailors, and Marines, both here and forward deployed, who are a part of our robust environmental team supporting the sustainment of our operations and resiliency of our installations."
 
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard will now move on to compete in the Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards competition.
 
"Our goal is to continuously improve our conservation efforts for the shipyard and the nation," said Shipyard Commander, Capt. William Greene. "This recognition validates that goal and inspires us to recommit to environmental stewardship and sustainability."
 
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the Navy's center of excellence for fast attack submarine maintenance, modernization, and repair.  As a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command, PNSY is committed to maximizing the material readiness of the fleet by safely delivering first-time quality, on time, and on budget.