ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS FOR WEB-BASED REPORTING AND TRACKING TOOLS. Kristin Wowak and Christopher Cleet TRW, E&EIS

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1 ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS FOR WEB-BASED REPORTING AND TRACKING TOOLS ABSTRACT Kristin Wowak and Christopher Cleet TRW, E&EIS In 1993, the Affirmative Procurement Reporting System (APRS) was created to assist the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) in compliance with Executive Order (EO) 12873, and in tracking the affirmative procurement of recycled materials. TRW quickly realized the potential of the Internet as a powerful tool for informing, educating, and executing Federal pollution prevention (P2) programs, and in 1996, envisioned the creation of a forum that would enable the tracking of P2 compliance quicker and more accurately than conventional methods allowed. Towards this objective, TRW worked closely with the Department of Energy s Pollution Prevention Team to design an interactive, agency-wide website to track and report compliance. The resulting interactive website was a tool that informed users of regulations, provided guidance, assisted and educated users and facilitated compliance by tracking and reporting the purchases of recycled content items 1. Through this website, Department of Energy users were able to track materials purchases faster, more efficiently, and more reliably than before. Feedback from the technology users indicated that this web-based system was both a popular and effective tool for P2 information, training, and compliance assistance. In FY 1997, purchasing and P2 compliance was done using only an online database, eliminating the manual transfer of data entirely. In 1999, the DOE website received the prestigious Closing the Circle Award. Interactive web technologies have direct future applications for a myriad of environmental compliance initiatives, which require reporting at component and agency-wide levels. Use of interactive web technologies can enhance Federal users existing online information sources by allowing environmental program coordinators to track and report compliance both real-time and online, and provide information and training across compliance, restoration, pollution prevention and waste management initiatives. This system can easily be expanded to include any environmental initiative, which requires the tracking and reporting of data. Through TRW s development and operation of the APRS, a set of lessons learned were developed for the effective use of interactive web-based systems for tracking compliance to environmental directives. At a minimum, effective websites must be user-friendly, properly 1 Due to contractual requirements, TRW transferred management of the APRS website to another contractor in 2000.

2 designed, consistently maintained, and constantly monitored for usefulness. Through the development and maintenance of environmentally based websites, TRW has emerged as a leader in assisting Federal users in identifying areas of application for enhanced compliance through the use of next generation interactive web technologies. INTRODUCTION The Affirmative Procurement Reporting System (APRS) was developed as a powerful tool that used the Internet to inform, communicate, and implement Federal pollution prevention (P2) programs. APRS is an interactive web-based system that enabled DOE users to track and report the procurement of recycled content items. This system was developed in response to Executive Order (EO) 12873, which mandated that all Federal agencies purchase recycled content items. Department of Energy (DOE) Pollution Prevention Program representatives and TRW environmental information technologists performed both a needs analysis to determine system goals and objectives, and a technology analysis to establish the current state of Internet technologies. Initial results indicated that DOE needed a real-time reporting and tracking system that would also function as an information clearinghouse of P2 information and programs. It was important to DOE that this new system be user-friendly, easily maintained and adaptable to future requirements, while fitting into its traditionally limited P2 operating budget. As a result of the needs and technology analyses, TRW provided DOE with the internet-based APRS application, which met all functionality requirements, applied current web technologies, and satisfied all criteria for adaptability and cost-effectiveness. Although many systems professionals may view this product as architecturally and technologically modest, in 1999 TRW's APRS, as part of the comprehensive DOE P2 Program, was awarded the prestigious "Closing the Circle" Award by the White House Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, which recognizes innovation and enhanced performance in achieving environmental excellence in the federal Government and is designed to encourage innovation and enhance performance toward achieving environmental excellence in the Government. APRS is an adaptable, off-the-shelf, and cost-effective system, which can easily be expanded to meet the needs of any environmental initiative requiring the tracking and reporting of data and is an effective e-business solution to a resource-intensive pollution-prevention tracking and reporting requirement. In conjunction with development of APRS, TRW developed a website to facilitate compliance with EO BACKGROUND Section 6002 of RCRA is the basis of the Greening the Government Executive Orders. Among other requirements, 6002 mandated that:

3 each procuring agency which procures any items designated in such guidelines shall procure such items composed of the highest percentage of recovered materials practicable (and in the case of paper, the highest percentage of postconsumer recovered materials ), consistent with maintaining a satisfactory level of competition considering such guidelines. The section allows three justifications for not purchasing items with recovered content. These justifications are: 1) the items are not available within a reasonable amount of time, 2) the cost is prohibitive, or 3) the quality does not meet necessary standards. Affirmative procurement is the process of purchasing resource efficient products to meet RCRA 6002 requirements. Resource efficient products are products manufactured with materials, which would otherwise be discarded. The two primary types of resource efficient materials are recycled-content and biobased products. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines recycled-content products as products, which are made with waste materials and byproducts that have been recovered from a solid waste stream. Biobased products are products, other than food or feed, that use biological products or renewable domestic agricultural (plant, animal, and marine) or forestry materials in place of nonrenewable sources. An example of a biobased product is the replacement of diesel fuel with soybean oil. Signed on October 20, 1993, EO 12873, Federal Acquisition, Recycling and Waste Prevention (58 FR 54911) was designed to streamline the process of complying with This executive order provides several measures to assure that the Federal Government maximizes the use of recycled materials through an affirmative procurement program. An affirmative procurement program is a strategy for maximizing purchases of environmentally preferable products. EO 13101, Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition (63 FR 179), superceded EO President Clinton signed EO on September 16, The order mandates that the head of each executive agency incorporate procedures that will ensure waste prevention and recycling. These procedures should foster the creation of a larger market for recycled content products through the affirmative procurement of such items. EO also requires the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE) to prepare a biannual report to the President on Governmentwide progress towards compliance and ensure that agencies are striving to meet their goals for the purchase of recovered content.

4 DEVELOPMENT OF APRS The Affirmative Procurement Reporting System (APRS) was developed by TRW 2 in 1993 to facilitate DOE compliance with EO Prior to this time, DOE used paper-only procurement reporting methods. These methods proved time consuming and costly, were open to data error, and lacked instant data validation capabilities. The original version of APRS was a DOS-based program that required field-site users to mail floppy disks to DOE for data collection, a process which was slow and prone to human error from repeated cut and paste data entries. Despite this, users regarded the early computer-based system as an improvement over the paper-only methods. However, the growing popularity of and the increasing availability of the World Wide Web (web), coupled with advances in interactive web technologies enabled TRW to upgrade APRS into an interactive web-based reporting system. In 1996, APRS was made available via the web and on disks (with both the Windows and DOS versions of the system) for sites not connected to the web. Through the development of the web based system, DOE and TRW ensured that the system was compliant with DOE Order (DOE O) Information Management Program. Compliance with this order ensured that the system met all Departmental programmatic needs, used sound business practices, and complied with applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, this ensured APRS supported the operating elements of the Department in the accomplishment of its missions and functions in both an efficient and effective manner. This web-based system was cheaper, less error prone, and did not require the mailing of any disks or paper. Unlike previous versions, the web-based version of APRS provided users with instant data validation. Additionally, the web-based system expanded upon the areas in which data validation was possible. APRS became an integral component of a website that TRW developed to facilitate compliance with EO and serve as an information clearinghouse on all EO issues, including procurement reporting. DOE managers and TRW developers envisioned an easy to use yet powerful tool to assist Federal agencies with EO The website brought together various information sources on how to apply, comply with, and report on EO Some features of this website included: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs); Laws, regulations and guidance on compliance with EO 13101; Reporting results (past and current); A forum for intra- and inter-agency communication on EO 13101; and Links to other useful sites. 2 BDM began this work for DOE in 1993 and was later acquired by TRW, which continued its commitment to this effort.

5 An added benefit of this website was that it was maintained regularly to ensure that all the current regulations and guidance on EO were available to users. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND SPECIFICATIONS As mentioned before, the genesis of APRS was a DOS-based system requiring users to mail diskettes to a central data repository. This original format was a screen-based program written using FoxPro with fields for data input instead of a typical DOS prompt. Later versions of this system, which included a Windows based system in addition to the DOS based system, still relied on the mailing of disks for data transfer heralded the introduction of the initial web version of APRS, with a browser-based screen interface (see Figure 1). Fig. 1. Screen shot for web-based APRS. TRW developed the web-based APRS using HTML to create the user interface and ColdFusion to generate the data validation and tracking system. The construction of a webbased interactive form structure enabled users to easily input their data directly into the database on the web-server. Before the data is entered into the database in final form, it is validated using a process of server-side validation. Server-side validation checks for required fields or invalid values after a form has been submitted. Server-side validation is the most flexible form of instant data validation and is browser-independent. This browser independence enhances the usefulness and flexibility of APRS since users are not required to use any particular browser.

6 Server-side data validation retrieves data with the structured query language (SQL) and uses ColdFusion to apply Boolean logic. The APRS required a data storage system that was flexible and robust. With these criteria in mind, Microsoft Access was used to create a structured database which was then used to store and report the data input by remote Web users. Once all data was entered, Access queried the data necessary for a specific compliance report and then the reports were formatted and generated by the APRS manager (see Figure 2). Fig. 2. Screen shot of a typical P2 compliance report generated in Access A typical web-based APRS session started with the user logging in with a username and password and then entering the reporting system. The user entered procurement tracking information on each item purchased, such as paper, concrete, and retread tires, in the fields provided. In the web-based APRS, the user entered the data directly into the central database and the data was validated prior to final entry into the database through a series of checks instituted with the ColdFusion language. This process eliminated most avenues for data entry error. Figure 3 illustrates the behind-the-scenes processes that occured in APRS.

7 Fig. 3. APRS Process Flow. FUTURE APPLICATIONS The use of APRS is not limited to the tracking of the procurement of recycled materials. An additional requirement of EO is that agencies are directed to buy biobased products. Once the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) develops its biobased product list, agencies will be required to report the acquisition of these products. APRS can easily be expanded to meet these additional requirements. Interactive web technologies also have direct future applications for a myriad of environmental compliance initiatives, including other Executive Orders on Greening the Government. For example, EO 13123, Greening the Government Through Efficient Energy Management mandates agencies to track energy expenditures and the procurement of energy efficient products such as Energy Star components. EO Greening the Government Through Leadership in Environmental Management requires monitoring of facility emissions, reduction of toxic chemical use, phase out of procuring Class I ozonedepleting substances, promotion of sustainable management of Federal facility lands and emergency planning/response data. Finally, EO Greening the Government Through Federal Fleet and Transportation Efficiency directs agencies to track and report their petroleum fuel use and the purchase and use of alternative fuel vehicles. All Federal agencies will be required to develop a compliance program to meet the mandates of each of these Executive Orders.

8 Additionally, APRS can be used as a component of DOE compliance initiatives such as DOE O 413.3, Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets, which requires project managers to submit monthly or quarterly status reports or DOE Manual (DOE M) A Safety Management Functions, Responsibilities, and Authorities Manual which requires program managers to track, store and disseminate reports on safety data. Other DOE orders and policies, which do not have a specifically mandated reporting component, but still require the tracking and storage of data, could be easily handled by this system. For example, DOE Policy (DOE P) 450.5, Line Environment, Safety and Health Oversight requires that walk-through data is tracked and stored, and APRS can easily manage this data to allow for convenient report generation as needed. The Affirmative Procurement Reporting System can be used as the backbone of a compliance program for any or all of these and modified or built upon to meet the needs of individual program managers. Use of interactive web technologies can enhance Federal users existing online information sources by allowing environmental program coordinators to track and report compliance both real-time and online, and provide information and training across P2, compliance, restoration, and waste management initiatives. This system can easily be expanded to include any environmental initiative, which requires the tracking and reporting of data. Users could track compliance under environmental laws such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Air Act (CAA), or the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and establish controls over hazardous materials purchasing, use, transport and disposition using a web-based system. For example, existing systems such as EPA s automated Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reporting software and the Command Core System, which was developed by TRW for the Air Force Surgeon General Information Management System, could be expanded to make the most of interactive web-based technologies to improve the efficiency and efficacy of these programs. LESSONS LEARNED Early DOE and TRW experiences with the APRS resulted in a set of lessons learned for the effective use of interactive web-based systems for tracking compliance of environmental directives. Through the experiences with previous versions of APRS, it was determined that mailing data was expensive, slow and unreliable, and a better data collection method was needed. The older systems, which were DOS or Windows based, had several pathways for error, including data entry, lost or damaged disks, database version control and data transposing (cut and paste) errors. With the progression of APRS to a web-based system, site reporting compliance and data accuracy have increased. One of the initial lessons learned from the new web-based APRS and the corresponding website was that the site had to be easy to use to be effective. Users reported the main reason they preferred to use the website over previous platforms was that the reporting system and website were easy to use and had a logical flow of information.

9 To ensure the quality of the data reported, it was learned that additional data validation checks were needed beyond those already in place. For instance, some users were not justifying the reasons for not purchasing all materials with recycled content. To remedy this situation, additional checks were developed to ensure users reported their justifications. Another early lesson learned in operating the website was that it needed to be updated and maintained regularly so the most up to date information was available. Since regulations and guidance are constantly changing, it became essential for the website to continually progress to be useful. The controllers of the website needed to keep current with EO and other P2 issues to best support the users. An later lesson learned was that a central repository of information was needed. Users liked the ability to go to a one-stop clearinghouse to get all of the information they needed. Using this website, Federal P2 managers, such as those in the Department of Energy, are able to track materials purchases faster, more efficiently, and more reliably than before. Feedback from the technology users has indicated that this web-based system is both a popular and effective tool for P2 information collection and dissemination, training, and compliance assistance. Through the development and maintenance of environmentally-based websites, TRW has emerged as a leader in assisting all Federal users in identifying areas of application for enhanced compliance through the use of next generation interactive web technologies. CONCLUSION Beginning in 1997, all DOE purchasing and P2 compliance was done through an online database, eliminating the manual transfer of data, which resulted in the 1999 Closing the Circle Award. TRW applied current technologies to create a simple yet powerful tracking and reporting system that met all of the criteria set by DOE. This system can be expanded to include newer Internet technologies, such as multimedia, as desired by the users. APRS can be used to increase the efficiency of any affirmative procurement program at any level of management in reporting compliance with EO or any other regulation or guidance with a reporting requirement. REFERENCES Forta, Ben The ColdFusion 4.0 Web Application Construction Kit. Third Edition. Que. Indianapolis, Indiana. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Section USC 6962

10 White House Task Force on Recycling. April Greening the Government: A Guide to Implementing Executive Order Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. Washington, DC.