Compliance Resources to Help you Stay Current

On April 17, 2013 an explosion ripped through the West Fertilizer Co. factory in West, Texas, killing 15 people and injuring 200 others. The US Senate has just announced a probe into why the explosion at the plant occurred. The incident has raised a number of questions regarding regulatory oversight, or lack thereof, governing the functioning of factories such as the West Fertilizer plant.

No – the new EPA Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) specifically apply to electric utility steam generating units or EGUs that are larger than 25 megawatts (MW) that burn coal or oil for the purpose of generating electricity for sale and distribution through the national electric grid to the public. These EGUs include those providing electricity for commercial, industrial and residential uses owned by:

• Investors
• The Federal Government
• Municipalities
• Cooperatives

The EPA estimates that around 1,400 units at 600 power plants will be affected by these standards, i.e.:

• Approx. 1,100 existing coal-fired units
• 300 oil fired units

Read a summary and overview of the requirements of the new MATS issued by the EPA.
 

On December 16, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the first ever national standards aimed at reducing the emissions of toxic air pollutants from power plants. The EPA was required by the Clean Air Act of 2000 to formulate and enforce these standards.

This article gives a brief overview of the new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants issued by the EPA.
 

California’s strict environmental regulations – the most stringent and complex in the US – also extend to hazardous waste management and disposal. While the state follows requirements of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, it also has additional state-specific regulations laid down in Title 22, California Code of Regulations.

This article describes how California’s hazardous waste regulations classify different types of waste and the regulatory requirements that apply to generators.

President Barack Obama has announced that federal regulatory agencies have reviewed and will soon start a rollback of outdated and cumbersome regulations. The scrapping of regulations is expected to “eliminate millions of hours in annual paperwork burdens for large and small businesses and save more than $1 billion in annual regulatory costs”.

This article details the background to this regulatory reform and its expected impact on US businesses.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has pulled DuPont’s herbicide Imprelis, blamed for killing trees in numerous states, from the market. The EPA is investigating if the company violated the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

This article describes the reasons for the ban, responses to it and the litigation resulting from the use of the herbicide.

President Barack Obama announced new fuel efficiency program for heavy duty trucks including school buses and garbage trucks. The regulations will require fuel efficiency improvements of around 23 percent by Model Year (MY) 2018.

This article discusses the background to the new standards, the expected savings and costs and summary of provisions.

On July 29, 2011, President Obama announced that the US government and thirteen major automakers had agreed on a new standard that would increase fuel economy of cars and light duty trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon for cars and light duty trucks by 2025. This article describes the background to these standards, estimated savings and proposed provisions in the new standard.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was passed by the state of California in 1970 to institute a statewide policy of environmental protection. It acted as a system of checks and balances for land-use development and management decisions in the state. The statute was passed shortly after the federal government passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

This article describes the background to this Act, its goals, applicability and requirements.
 

Occupation Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 is an internationally recognized assessment specification for occupational health and safety management systems. OHSAS 18001 was first issued in 1999 but was subject to review during 2006 and then issued as a revised standard on 1 July 2007. The standard aims to help organizations meet their health and safety obligations in an efficient manner. This article describes the background to this standard, summary of main provisions and recent updates.

The California Air Resources Board, also known as CARB or ARB, is the "clean air agency" in the government of California. Established in 1967 in the Mulford-Carrell Act, combining the Bureau of Air Sanitation and the Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board, CARB is a department within the cabinet-level California Environmental Protection Agency. California is the only state that is permitted to have such a regulatory agency, since it is the only state that had one before the passage of the federal Clean Air Act. Other states are permitted to follow CARB standards, or use the federal ones, but not set their own.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 3, 1970, after Nixon submitted a reorganization plan to Congress. It was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate. The agency is led by its Administrator, who is appointed by the President and approved by Congress. The current administrator is Lisa P. Jackson. The EPA is not a Cabinet department, but the administrator is normally given cabinet rank. The agency has approximately 18,000 full-time employees.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 3, 1970, after Nixon submitted a reorganization plan to Congress. It was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate. The agency is led by its Administrator, who is appointed by the President and approved by Congress. The current administrator is Lisa P. Jackson. The EPA is not a Cabinet department, but the administrator is normally given cabinet rank. The agency has approximately 18,000 full-time employees.

The Lacey Act was first introduced by Iowa Congressman John Lacey in the spring of 1900. It was signed into law by President William McKinley on May 25, 1900. The original Act was directed more at the preservation of game and wild birds by making it a federal crime to poach game in one state with the purpose of selling the bounty in another. It was also concerned with the potential problems of the introduction of non-native, or exotic species of birds and animals into native ecosystems.

The Lacey Act was first introduced by Iowa Congressman John Lacey in the spring of 1900. It was signed into law by President William McKinley on May 25, 1900. The original Act was directed more at the preservation of game and wild birds by making it a federal crime to poach game in one state with the purpose of selling the bounty in another. It was also concerned with the potential problems of the introduction of non-native, or exotic species of birds and animals into native ecosystems.

The Oil Pollution Act caused a major restructuring of the oil industry. It created the need for oil spill prevention and response technology and equipment. In all, the OPA had nine titles. This article describes the penalties, prevention and removal provisions in the Oil Pollution Act.

ISO 14001:2004 outlines the requirements of an environmental management system (EMS). Whatever an organization's activity, its EMS requirements are the same. Identifying the environmental aspects of an organization's activities, products and services, and determining its relative significance, are crucial while implementing EMS or conducting an Environmental Performance Evaluation (EPE). ISO 14001, ISO 14004 and ISO 14031 provide guidance on identifying significant environmental aspects.


 

Through its News Release dated Jan 24, 2010, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 has advised that all water dispensed by the Omaha Tribe’s Macy, Neb., public water system used for purposes like drinking, brushing teeth, cooking, making ice, washing dishes, or otherwise used for human consumption be boiled. The water should be boiled for up to three minutes so any bacteria or organism that may have entered the water will be killed. It has issued the notice concurrently with the Omaha Tribe to assure that the public is fully informed.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) obviously wants private equity (PE) firms to improve the environmental and financial performance of their portfolios. Towards this end it has designed a new program for use by PE firms.

A news release dated Jan 20, 2011 issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that a federal District Court judge in Washington D.C. issued an order on Jan 20, 2011 extending by 30 days EPA’s deadline to issue emission standards concerning large and small boilers and solid waste and sewage sludge incinerators. EPA would have been happier with a longer extension.