CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. --
The Secretary of Defense has recognized Camp Lejeune's
Environmental Restoration team as the winner of one of its 2014 Environmental Awards
in a formal memorandum issued today. According
to the letter, "each year since 1962, the Department has honored individuals,
teams, and installations for their outstanding achievements in environmental
excellence without compromising mission success." Eight other awards in various environmental
categories were issued to DoD installations across the country.
"We are extremely proud of our Environmental
Restoration team, led by program managers Ms. Charity Delaney and Ms. Jenni
Reed, and supported by Ms. Patti Vanture, Mr. Carl Fowler, Ms. Nikki Hall and
Ms. Adrienne Rogers along with great support from NAVFAC team and
contractors," said John Townson, Director of Camp Lejeune's Environmental
Management Division. "They have all
made the environment a measurably cleaner and safer place by their commitment,
professionalism, and solution-oriented leadership. Winning the Secretary of Defense award this
year is a great honor and is a tribute to the many years of success the
Environmental Restoration program has had at Camp Lejeune."
The mission of the Environmental Restoration program is to
identify and evaluate the nature and extent of a release of hazardous waste or
constituents at a site and implement appropriate corrective action necessary to
protect human health and the environment.
Currently, the Environmental Restoration team manages over
80 active sites for investigation and cleanup, encompassing over 4,600 acres,
under different environmental programs; including Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) that covers the Installation
Restoration Program (IRP) and Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP),
Resource Conservation, and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Underground Storage
Tank (UST) program. The objective of the
Environmental Restoration Program is to evaluate and remediate sites that pose unacceptable
risk to human health and the environment with an ultimate goal of delisting
MCIEAST-MCB CAMLEJ from the NPL. In
addition to the 80 active sites, the team has completed environmental response
activities at over 900 sites.
Earlier this month, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune received
two awards from the Secretary of the Navy for their environmental restoration
and cultural resources management programs, and Ms. Alicia Filzen, Camp
Lejeune's Quality Recycling Program manager, received an individual award for
her support of the installation's environmental quality programs.
"I couldn't be more honored and pleased by the
Department of Defense's recognition of the tremendous efforts of the unsung
professionals who lead Camp Lejeune's environmental restoration mission,"
said Brigadier General Robert F. Castellvi, commanding general of Marine Corps
Installations East - Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. "The award is a worthy reflection of the
exceptional commitment and dedication to the stewardship of this base demonstrated
every day by the entire Environmental Management Division."
Over the past decade, Camp Lejeune has received 14
environmental awards by the Secretary of the Navy and two runner-up
recognitions by the Secretary of Defense. According to EMD, this is the highest environmental
award the base has received in recent memory.
For more information on the award, visit http://go.usa.gov/kRM3.
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