For 18 years the Environmental Education Center (EEC) in the Civil Engineer and Services School at AFIT has funded environmental education for Air Force military and civilian members, enabling them to reach the highest level of environmental program proficiency. At the end of this fiscal year, however, the EEC will cease operations.

In 1991 the Department of Defense had recently lost its sovereign immunity regarding environmental laws and regulations and for the first time was subject to fines and sanctions that could seriously impact its mission. Compounded by the passage of new regulations, the Air Force needed to greatly expand the workforce that managed environmental compliance and restoration. While most of the people entering the areas of environmental compliance and restoration had degrees and experience to support their efforts, keeping current on the rapidly changing requirements was a problem. To assist this situation, Gary Vest, then the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Environmental Safety, established the Environmental Education Center at AFIT in the Civil Engineer and Services School. The center’s mission was to ensure that Air Force personnel would have easy access to any environmental education or training that they might need.

The EEC started with an initial budget of just over $2 million per year and with it typically funded more than 1200 persons. Established initially with seven people, the EEC offered several services to Air Force personnel in addition to funding TDY and course costs. The EEC maintained a catalog of all environmental courses available from both public and private sectors and also maintained a database of course critiques so that students interested in a course could obtain a summary of the evaluations of previous students. The EEC was also the first organization in AFIT to use the Internet for online registration.

Several factors have contributed to the closing of the EEC. Having obtained a cadre of highly educated environmental managers who are almost entirely civilians, the Air Force does not have the environmental education requirement that it once did. Also, the number of new environmental laws and regulations that have been enacted in the last ten years have decreased considerably. These trends are reflected in that in FY2008 the EEC funded fewer than 400 students. The end of the EEC was finally brought about by a personnel reduction. The EEC had become essentially a one-person operation, where the position was supported by the Installation Restoration Account, a special account reserved for activities associated with the environmental cleanup of bases. This year the environmental program managers at AETC informed AFIT that they were recalling the position to the MAJCOM at the end of FY2009. With the reduced demand for the service and the loss of the position, CE made the decision to close the EEC at the end of FY2009.