diff --git a/java/execution/impl/src/com/intellij/execution/util/JavaParametersUtil.java b/java/execution/impl/src/com/intellij/execution/util/JavaParametersUtil.java
index 4433413eaf35..8abf465104dd 100644
--- a/java/execution/impl/src/com/intellij/execution/util/JavaParametersUtil.java
+++ b/java/execution/impl/src/com/intellij/execution/util/JavaParametersUtil.java
@@ -56,10 +56,8 @@ public class JavaParametersUtil {
     if (vmParameters != null) {
       vmParameters = ProgramParametersUtil.expandPath(vmParameters, module, project);
 
-      if (parameters.getEnv() != null) {
-        for (Map.Entry<String, String> each : parameters.getEnv().entrySet()) {
-          vmParameters = StringUtil.replace(vmParameters, "$" + each.getKey() + "$", each.getValue(), false); //replace env usages
-        }
+      for (Map.Entry<String, String> each : parameters.getEnv().entrySet()) {
+        vmParameters = StringUtil.replace(vmParameters, "$" + each.getKey() + "$", each.getValue(), false); //replace env usages
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/platform/lang-api/src/com/intellij/execution/configurations/SimpleProgramParameters.java b/platform/lang-api/src/com/intellij/execution/configurations/SimpleProgramParameters.java
index 28c34514d349..15bd92cfcf8c 100644
--- a/platform/lang-api/src/com/intellij/execution/configurations/SimpleProgramParameters.java
+++ b/platform/lang-api/src/com/intellij/execution/configurations/SimpleProgramParameters.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package com.intellij.execution.configurations;
 
 import com.intellij.execution.configuration.EnvironmentVariablesComponent;
 import gnu.trove.THashMap;
+import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.util.HashMap;
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
 public class SimpleProgramParameters {
   private final ParametersList myProgramParameters = new ParametersList();
   private String myWorkingDirectory;
-  private Map<String, String> myEnv;
+  private Map<String, String> myEnv = new THashMap<String, String>();
   private boolean myPassParentEnvs = true;
 
   public String getWorkingDirectory() {
@@ -45,15 +46,12 @@ public class SimpleProgramParameters {
     return myProgramParameters;
   }
 
+  @NotNull
   public Map<String, String> getEnv() {
     return myEnv;
   }
 
   public String addEnv(String name, String value) {
-    if (myEnv == null) {
-      myEnv = new THashMap<String, String>();
-    }
-
     return myEnv.put(name, value);
   }
 
diff --git a/platform/lang-impl/src/com/intellij/execution/util/ProgramParametersConfigurator.java b/platform/lang-impl/src/com/intellij/execution/util/ProgramParametersConfigurator.java
index af2ea11eaea4..1a11305ec0a1 100644
--- a/platform/lang-impl/src/com/intellij/execution/util/ProgramParametersConfigurator.java
+++ b/platform/lang-impl/src/com/intellij/execution/util/ProgramParametersConfigurator.java
@@ -43,13 +43,12 @@ public class ProgramParametersConfigurator {
     parameters.setWorkingDirectory(getWorkingDir(configuration, project, module));
 
     parameters.setupEnvs(configuration.getEnvs(), configuration.isPassParentEnvs());
-    if (parameters.getEnv() != null) {
-      Map<String, String> expanded = new HashMap<String, String>();
-      for (Map.Entry<String, String> each : parameters.getEnv().entrySet()) {
-        expanded.put(each.getKey(), expandPath(each.getValue(), module, project));
-      }
-      parameters.setEnv(expanded);
+
+    Map<String, String> expanded = new HashMap<String, String>();
+    for (Map.Entry<String, String> each : parameters.getEnv().entrySet()) {
+      expanded.put(each.getKey(), expandPath(each.getValue(), module, project));
     }
+    parameters.setEnv(expanded);
   }
 
   @Nullable
diff --git a/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/griffon/GriffonFramework.java b/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/griffon/GriffonFramework.java
index faa49555b9c1..f03e3b3ed3cb 100644
--- a/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/griffon/GriffonFramework.java
+++ b/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/griffon/GriffonFramework.java
@@ -55,9 +55,7 @@ import org.jetbrains.plugins.groovy.mvc.*;
 import javax.swing.*;
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.regex.Matcher;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
@@ -238,12 +236,7 @@ public class GriffonFramework extends MvcFramework {
       return params;
     }
 
-    Map<String, String> env = params.getEnv();
-    if (env == null) {
-      env = new HashMap<String, String>();
-      params.setEnv(env);
-    }
-    env.put(getSdkHomePropertyName(), FileUtil.toSystemDependentName(sdkRoot.getPath()));
+    params.addEnv(getSdkHomePropertyName(), FileUtil.toSystemDependentName(sdkRoot.getPath()));
 
     final VirtualFile lib = sdkRoot.findChild("lib");
     if (lib != null) {
diff --git a/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/mvc/MvcFramework.java b/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/mvc/MvcFramework.java
index 3617ad1fec79..c554c7c24549 100644
--- a/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/mvc/MvcFramework.java
+++ b/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/mvc/MvcFramework.java
@@ -425,13 +425,7 @@ public abstract class MvcFramework {
     if (sdk != null && sdk.getSdkType() instanceof JavaSdkType) {
       String path = StringUtil.trimEnd(sdk.getHomePath(), File.separator);
       if (StringUtil.isNotEmpty(path)) {
-        Map<String, String> env = params.getEnv();
-        if (env == null) {
-          env = new HashMap<String, String>();
-          params.setEnv(env);
-        }
-
-        env.put("JAVA_HOME", FileUtil.toSystemDependentName(path));
+        params.addEnv("JAVA_HOME", FileUtil.toSystemDependentName(path));
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/mvc/MvcRunConfiguration.java b/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/mvc/MvcRunConfiguration.java
index ccc3a35918eb..7a87dd140b2e 100644
--- a/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/mvc/MvcRunConfiguration.java
+++ b/plugins/groovy/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/groovy/mvc/MvcRunConfiguration.java
@@ -254,12 +254,8 @@ public abstract class MvcRunConfiguration extends ModuleBasedConfiguration<RunCo
 
     protected void addEnvVars(final JavaParameters params) {
       Map<String, String> envVars = new HashMap<String, String>(envs);
-
-      Map<String, String> oldEnv = params.getEnv();
-      if (oldEnv != null) {
-        envVars.putAll(oldEnv);
-      }
-
+      envVars.putAll(params.getEnv());
+      
       params.setupEnvs(envVars, passParentEnv);
       
       MvcFramework.addJavaHome(params, myModule);
diff --git a/plugins/maven/src/main/java/org/jetbrains/idea/maven/execution/MavenJUnitPatcher.java b/plugins/maven/src/main/java/org/jetbrains/idea/maven/execution/MavenJUnitPatcher.java
index 8435f6f327d3..cb612cebdc1c 100644
--- a/plugins/maven/src/main/java/org/jetbrains/idea/maven/execution/MavenJUnitPatcher.java
+++ b/plugins/maven/src/main/java/org/jetbrains/idea/maven/execution/MavenJUnitPatcher.java
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public class MavenJUnitPatcher extends JUnitPatcher {
         for (Element element : environmentVariables.getChildren()) {
           String variableName = element.getName();
 
-          if (javaParameters.getEnv() == null || !javaParameters.getEnv().containsKey(variableName)) {
+          if (!javaParameters.getEnv().containsKey(variableName)) {
             String value = resolveSurefireProperties(element.getValue());
             if (isResolved(value)) {
               javaParameters.addEnv(variableName, value);