Not long ago, the standard practice for environmental reporting included filling out ready-made forms by pen followed by mailing or faxing the document to the respective federal or state agency. As the digital age progresses, and regulators are favoring online reporting (i.e., electronic reporting, or e-reporting), the “old-fashioned” method of using a pen and paper is highly likely to go extinct.
It’s easy to get uneasy about e-reporting. Not many folks look forward to reporting site-specific information to state or federal agencies. However, the reporting must be done.
A variety of regulatory programs require some type of e-reporting through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Central Data Exchange (CDX), including Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know (Tier II and TRI) and National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting. It is expected that more federal and state environmental regulatory programs will make this transition to e-reporting.
