Inspiring sustainability efforts inside and outside WAPA

As one of four Department of Energy Power Marketing Administrations, WAPA markets a substantial portion of the West’s hydropower. The region’s rivers, streams and reservoirs provide a renewable source of water that WAPA’s sister generating agencies sustainably convert to electricity and WAPA reliably transmits to our customer utilities, who in turn serve around 40 million consumers.

“Just through carrying out our organizational mission, ​WAPA plays a critical role in sustainability by transmitting power from carbon-free energy generation sources to homes and businesses across the West,” said Sustainability and Environmental Management System (EMS) Program Lead Meg Frew.

The concept of sustainability – to create and maintain conditions for humans and nature to exist in productive harmony while protecting the social and economic needs of future generations – is built right into WAPA’s strategic plan.

“Safeguard a sustainable energy future,” stands as one of three overarching strategic goals of Power Forward 2030. WAPA’s nascent Sustainability Program aims to move WAPA’s needle toward this goal by achieving more sustainable and efficient operations, reducing environmental impacts and contributing to resource conservation by prioritizing sustainability in everyday business practices.

“Within WAPA, we are also contributing to a sustainable future by building out a robust Sustainability Program that puts our internal organizations on a path to improve energy efficiency, conserve resources, minimize waste and promote environmental stewardship,” Frew continued.

Federal leadership in sustainability practices

In 2006, the Department of Energy and 20 other federal agencies signed the Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings Memorandum of Understanding, committing to federal leadership in improving the energy and water efficiency of facilities government-wide. Since then, several additional laws, executive orders and policies articulated goals and requirements for federal agencies like WAPA to continue reducing their impacts on the environment and build a more resilient future.

WAPA’s Sustainability Program is charged with prioritizing, reporting and supporting implementation of these requirements and aligning the effort with WAPA’s Power Forward 2030, using the strategic plan as its guide star.

“By implementing the program, our team contributes to the achievement of Power Forward 2030’s goals of ‘Safeguarding a Sustainable Energy Future’ and ‘Modernizing the Grid,’” Frew said. “We are planning and integrating sustainability into WAPA’s culture and business practices, while monitoring WAPA’s sustainability performance and accomplishments.”

The Sustainability Program’s purview includes taking concrete actions to maximize WAPA’s energy and water efficiency, minimize carbon emissions, promote renewable and other clean-energy adoption, enhance climate adaptation and resilience, and conserve natural resources – all while executing mission activities.

“Environmental stewardship is woven into WAPA’s carbon-free energy mission, and I believe it’s one of the reasons our employees come to work each day,” Management Analyst Miguel Flores said. “WAPA’s core value to ‘Respect self, others and the environment’ reflects this ideal, and the strategic plan further emphasizes and articulates ‘Resource Stewardship’ as a key strategic objective.”

A drier future may lie ahead

As the impacts of the West’s two-decade drought add new constraints to hydropower operations, sustainability efforts outside WAPA can directly impact WAPA’s core mission to, “Safely provide reliable, cost-based hydropower and transmission to our customers and the communities we serve.”

“As aridification in the West limits hydropower generation, business and government leaders across the region must consider their operational and organizational impacts on water systems used to generate electricity,” Flores said.

Flores collects WAPA’s sustainability data on greenhouse gas emissions, water use, energy efficiency and fleet acquisition, which the program reports to DOE and uses to inform and adapt WAPA’s sustainability performance.

“WAPA and its employees can all do our part to facilitate water and energy conservation and reduce demand on natural resources. Small actions can incrementally improve drought resilience and will ultimately determine the future of WAPA’s power transmission,” Frew added.

Setting the bar for sustainability

This year, the Sustainability Program stood up the Sustainability Leadership Implementation Committee. SLIC facilitates the development and implementation of cohesive and collaborative sustainability strategies and prioritizes WAPA’s goals, as required in laws, executive orders and DOE orders. The SLIC comprises a cross-functional, interdisciplinary group leveraging expertise from a broad range of organizations within WAPA.

As of fiscal year 2024, SLIC’s priorities for sustainability at WAPA include increasing zero-emissions vehicle procurement for WAPA’s fleet, reducing GHG emissions, and cutting water and energy use in facilities.

SLIC provides WAPA-wide coordination and guidance pertaining to aspects of sustainability, while SLIC subgroups create plans to meet specific targets.

Currently, three subgroups are working to complete plans to meet priority targets. Environmental Protection Specialist Kathy Edwards and Facility and Property Manager Robert Scyoc are leading a subgroup addressing planning for energy and water reductions at WAPA facilities.

“SLIC and its target-specific subgroups are taking up the mantle and guiding WAPA offices in transitioning to more sustainable business practices,” said Property Management Specialist Robert Stanley, who is leading a SLIC subgroup responsible for adding EV chargers to the WAPA portfolio and transitioning select WAPA vehicles to ZEVs.

“Each subgroup intends to include representatives from WAPA regions and functional areas that have a nexus to the target,” said Environmental Manager Jen Beardsley, who leads the SLIC subgroup tasked with helping WAPA meet GHG reduction targets. “This allows for collaboration with offices impacted by the target and the creation of a guiding document that identifies realistic options for implementation that can be used WAPA-wide.”

“Like the SLIC, the subgroup provides an open space for sharing ideas and information, with the goal of creating a target plan for meeting their Priority Sustainability Target,” Frew explained.

As the Sustainability Program Lead, Frew makes recommendations to SLIC and the subgroups, supports the creation of target plans and tracks sustainability performance against the program’s targets.

Despite the challenges facing the energy industry, WAPA continues to adapt. The Sustainability Program offers a way for employees to effect positive change that drives the organization forward.

“Through its hydropower and transmission services, WAPA remains an integral part of the renewable, carbon-free energy landscape of the West,” Chief Administrative Officer and SLIC senior sponsor Jennifer Rodgers said. “Similarly, the Sustainability Program aims to inform and inspire WAPA employees to foster a culture of sustainability and apply that grassroots leadership to its business practices.”

Interested in learning more about sustainability or joining a Sustainability subgroup?  Reach out to Meg Frew or Miguel Flores.