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The relentless advance of importation calls for a shift from the traditional emphasis on border inspections of imports to an approach that identifies high-risk segments in a product’s life cycle and verifies the safety of the product at those junctions. That’s the view of eight federal agencies, including EPA, which in 2009 issued a draft […]
A product safety management program is an organizational structure that encourages good import practices. Such a structure typically includes clearly defined job functions and responsibilities; established procedures, including those for oversight and quality systems; adequate training for personnel; and appropriate communication mechanisms. Recommended elements in a product safety management program include: Establishing a clear management […]
According to critics, at least eight proposed or final EPA rules (air, water, and waste) may force the retirement of up to 81 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired generating capacity. (The Energy Information Administration says the total installed generating capacity of the U.S. electric power grid is about 1,119 GW with approximately 330 GW coal-fired.) About […]
Planning The next step is planning—by far the most difficult step. You need to identify all the significant environmental aspects of your operation. ISO 14001 defines an “environmental aspect” as an “element of an organization’s activities, products, or services that can interact with the environment.” So, you need to look at what you do throughout […]
Regulators from both the financial and environmental areas will need to play a stronger role if valuation of BES is to become more of a component of business activity. In the meantime, momentum toward a stronger role for BES valuation in business is being addressed by a variety of organizations. For example, determining BES values […]
Develop a rare-earth inventory. One bill would direct the U.S. Geological Survey to develop a rigorous methodology for determining which minerals are critical and then use that methodology to designate critical minerals. The bill would establish a collaborative effort between USGS and the U.S. Energy Information Administration to generate annual reviews of domestic mineral trends […]
While US numbers are fewer than China’s, there are substantial rare earth deposits in the lower U.S. and Alaska. But rare earth mining may have environmental implications not to mention the long process of obtaining mining permits cast doubts on the near-term ability of the U.S. to develop the volume of rare earths needed for […]
Not Required But Still a Good Idea It is important to keep in mind that ISO 14001 is not a legal requirement. It is a voluntary set of management standards that may improve your environmental performance. EPA encourages industries to adopt these standards but offers no specific incentives (such as reduced frequency of inspections) in […]