Outcome Measures (Level 3)

From National P2 Results Data System

Contents 1 Overarching Issues Related to Outcome Measures: 2 Units: 3 Cost Data: 4 Hazardous Materials 4.1 Changes to Allow for Capturing Mercury Reductions Separately: 4.2 New Mercury Measure: 4.3 Other New Measures: 5 Air Emissions 5.1 Changes to Allow for Capturing Mercury Reductions Separately: 5.2 New Measures: 6 Water Pollution 6.1 Changes to Allow for Capturing Mercury Reductions Separately: 6.2 New Measures: 7 Energy 7.1 New Measures:

Overarching Issues Related to Outcome Measures:

• A way to capture assumptions that are used in calculating outcome measures - for quality assurance purposes and information gathering on calculators

• Upstream impacts should be captured in the System as long is there is relative certainty that those impacts are not otherwise being captured in the System. For example, if there are reductions in paper use that result in upstream environmental results, those results should be captured in the System. However, upstream impacts should be aggregated separately from direct results, i.e., results from within the fence line.
  
• By the definition of P2, projects that result in horizontal negative impacts are not considered P2. However, where horizontal impacts exist they should be captured in the system.
  

Units:

• Allow users to select from different units under each measure so they can report measures in whatever units they have them in (e.g., tons, liters, etc.)
  • Add built-in calculators to handle the unit conversions back to pounds
  • If built in converters are not possible, link to a consistent place for conversion factors
• Energy – Reduced Use - use BTU’s as default units, not Therms
• Solid Waste - use Cubic Feet as default units, not pounds

Cost Data:

• Create “Add” and “Edit” features for regional and state cost factors where placeholders currently exist; have regional and state cost factors applied retroactively to relevant existing data
• Add the ability capture costs and savings reported by clients for all metrics and override cost calculators when actual reported data is available
• Allow programs to enter cost savings for the entire project as opposed to separate cost savings associated with individual environmental outcomes
• Turn off cost calculators, or clearly label as estimated costs and estimated savings
• Be able to list “Unknown” in the various “initial cost” fields for outcome measures.
• Encourage the use of total cost accounting on a per unit of product basis to capture not only cost savings but also increased revenue that results from efficient production processes and subsequent higher levels of production.

Hazardous Materials

Changes to Allow for Capturing Mercury Reductions Separately:

• Separate mercury-related inputs from other hazardous materials:
  • Change the heading of “Hazardous Materials” to “Hazardous Materials (Except Mercury and Mercury Compounds)”
  • Add the heading “Hazardous Materials (Mercury and Mercury Compounds)”
    • The same fields should appear under this new heading as do under the existing “Hazardous Materials” (reduced use, initial cost, etc.), with the addition of two new fields:
      • “Amount collected at collection events” (in a choice of “pounds/year” or “number of units”
      • “Number of collection events”
    • Units - have a choice of either “grams/year” or “pounds/year”

New Mercury Measure:

• Pounds of mercury waste collected

Other New Measures:

• Split “Reduced Use” into “Reduced Use Going Into Product” and Reduced Use In Process”; include an explanation of each

Air Emissions

Changes to Allow for Capturing Mercury Reductions Separately:

• Separate mercury air emissions from other toxic air emissions:
  • Change the “Toxic Air” heading to “Toxic Air (Except Mercury and Mercury Compounds)”
  • Add a heading for “Mercury and Mercury Compounds” similar to those already existing for other pollutants
  • Allow the option to choose the units (grams/year vs. pounds/year)

New Measures:

• Add greenhouse gas metrics, (e.g., CH4)
• Add Highly Reactive VOC’s (HRVOC’s)

Water Pollution

Changes to Allow for Capturing Mercury Reductions Separately:

• Separate mercury and mercury compounds from other Water Pollution – Reduced Releases - Toxics:
  • Change the “Toxics” heading to “Toxics (Except Mercury and Mercury Compounds)”
  • Add a field for “Mercury and Mercury Compounds”
  • Allow the option to choose the units (grams/year vs. pounds/year)

New Measures:

• Wastewater discharged to POTW’s (in gallons/year)
• Consider removing BOD/COD - usually expressed as a concentration
• Add way to track the toxicity of pesticides rather than just volume or weight

Energy

New Measures:

• Reduced Use - Gasoline