An Analysis of the Relationship between Environmental Management and Environmental Compliance at Marine Corps Installations

Environmental compliance on military is challenging for a number of reasons, including the complexity of regulations, and the variety of operations which impact the environment. At times, public concerns and penalties stemming from environmental issues has infringed upon the United States Marine Corps\u27 (USMC) ability to use all installation resources without restriction. This thesis examines which facets of environmental management are closely associated with high levels of compliance. Five variables of interest: Total Compliance, Total Management, Audit Management, Policy Management, and Training Management were isolated from 1998-2004 USMC environmental audit data, and subjected to statistical analysis. Through the examination of four specific research questions, it was found that a) the Marine Corps has been meeting environmental compliance and management standards despite limited resources, b) in all areas, high Management scores were associated with high Total Compliance scores, c) the level of Management in all areas has improved over time, and d) difficulties with non-compliance are most often associated with a lack of Resources