MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Kaneohe Bay -- Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England has announced that Marine Corps Base Hawaii is the recipient of two distinguished environmental awards.
The base will travel to the nation's capitol in May to receive top honors for best natural resources conservation and best environmental quality.
Secretary England said the level of competition was high in the 2003 Environmental Awards Competition, which is a direct reflection of the efforts that Navy and Marine Corps teams devote to the environment, every day.
Next, qualified military installation winners will compete in the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2003 Environmental Awards Program.
Colonel Richard C. Roten, deputy commander of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, extended personal congratulations to the Environmental Compliance and Protection Department and its director, Maj. Robert L. Rouse. The department has received 20 awards in the past 27 years from the Department of the Navy and DoD.
The mission of the Environmental Compliance and Protection Department is to carry out the functions of compliance; pollution prevention; conservation; installation restoration; and training, education and outreach such that the department contributes to combat readiness and protects human health and the environment.
As well, the department strives to increase the awareness of personnel here about environmental matters, to improve hazardous waste management and to design systems to minimize negative impacts, restoring areas under the cognizance of the installation to their natural state, whenever feasible.