This handbook summarizes the actions and responsibilities of engineer forces with respect to environmental operations associated with contingency situatlons. It discusses enviroimental management activities during predeployment beddown sustainment and redeployment time frames. These time frames are addressed in the context of deployments and exercises in the United States deployments to overseas US installations and deployments to non-US installations overseas.

Recent experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans have highlighted the importance of environmental considerations. These range from protecting soldier health and disposing of hazardous waste to building water supply systems and other activities that help achieve national goals in the post-conflict phase of contingency operations. The Army has become increasingly involved with environmental issues in every contingency operation and must be better prepared to deal with them. This study assesses whether existing policy, doctrine, and guidance adequately address environmental activities in post-conflict military operations and reconstruction. Findings are based on reviews of top-level policy and doctrine, analysis of operational experience, extensive interviews with diverse Army personnel, and a review of operational documentation and literature. From these sources, a database of 111 case studies was created. The research showed that environmental concerns can have far-reaching and significant impacts on the Army, both direct and indirect, especially in terms of cost, current operations, soldier health, diplomatic relations, reconstruction activities, and the ultimate success of the operation or the broader mission. Some evidence suggests that environmental problems may have even contributed to insurgency in Iraq. Recommendations include updating current policy and doctrine to fully address environmental considerations in contingency operations; ensuring that contractors are carefully selected and managed; and transmitting proactive field environmental practices and lessons throughout the Army.

Field technicians and emergency response personnel are often faced with the dangers of flammable, combustible, and chemically unstable materials. Although there are numerous procedures set forth by regulatory agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for effectively and safely dealing with such environmental hazards, up until now there has been no single resource for training in this area. Based on the author's twenty-plus years of field experience, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Manual is a comprehensive text that covers the complete curriculum requirements set forth by OSHA and HazWOPER. Highly accessible and broad in focus, the book is equally useful as a technical resource for training, a hands-on reference for field operations, and a textbook for environmental courses in a variety of areas. Coverage includes:Methods recommended by professional societies and regulatory agencies including the National Fire Protection Association, OSHA, EPA, and NIOSHPractical examples and assignments in each chapter to supplement the text and enhance usefulness to students.