Three Navy Region Midwest installations are winners in the fiscal year 2011 Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Energy and Water Management Awards competition.  The Aug. 29 announcement names Naval Station Great Lakes (NSGL) and Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South, Tenn., as gold-level winners, indicating a “very good to outstanding” energy program, while NSA Crane, Ind., won a blue-level award, indicating a “well-rounded” energy program.
    Award criteria emphasize the Department of the Navy’s energy and water consumption goals and requirements. These include achieving a 50 percent energy consumption reduction by 2020, achieving a 50 percent reduction in vehicles’ petroleum fuel use by 2015 and increasing the use of alternative and renewable energy technologies.
    “This kind of success doesn’t come overnight,” said Navy Region Midwest Commander, Rear Adm. Rick Williamson. “It takes a well-planned, sustained, and well-executed effort to get results like this, and this level of effort is just what will help the Navy achieve Secretary Mabus’ energy goals. ”
    Capt. Rod Worden, region engineer and commanding officer, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Midwest said, “Fiscal year 2011 was a challenging year for bases in our region, but we still achieved a net decrease in energy intensity, saving roughly $400,000.
    “This continues our region’s positive trend to exceed SECNAV’s 2020 goals. We are ahead of the glide slope to reach those goals for both energy and water intensity, and with continued help from our tenants, we will stay ahead of the curve.”
    Awards are based on scored evaluations of each activity’s annual energy report, a comprehensive report that describes the installation’s progress over the fiscal year. The report describes the installation’s energy management program — and senior leadership involvement in it--the qualifications and training of energy staff, the degree to which energy is incorporated into all aspects of the installation’s activities, recent accomplishments in sustainable design, and efforts to reduce energy and water consumption and improve energy awareness.