Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Suppliers, if you’re breathing a sigh of relief because so far the EPA has not targeted you to reduce your GHG emissions, don’t settle back just yet. Walmart, et al. may be doing the Agency’s job for it. Recap: Scope 3 emissions include indirect GHG emissions from sources not owned or directly controlled by the company […]
Today we will discuss how the EPA categorizes GHG emissions and why its approach doesn’t affect just large sources. Tomorrow we will look at how large companies are doing EPA’s job and finding some success in reducing overall GHG emissions by leaning on smaller companies such as their vendors. ‘Scope’ It Out! The GHG emissions […]
According to the EPA, while information on sources and causes of releases show that releases from tanks are less common than they once were, releases from piping and spills and overfills associated with deliveries have emerged as more common problems. The Agency attributes the lack of proper operation and maintenance of UST systems as a […]
A refrigerant formulator was recently fined $300,000 by the EPA and the Department of Justice for violations of SNAP regulations. First, let’s look at what the pertinent regulations say, then at what the company allegedly did, and finally what the fix will be. Note: Under SNAP, a “producer” is any person who manufactures, formulates, or […]
Many refrigerants have been determined to be ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and have been targeted for phaseout under the Montreal Protocol. Chemicals used in the Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning industrial sector is one group for which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reviewed and identified substitutes under the Clean Air Act’s (CAA) Significant New Alternatives Policy […]
Two Conditions Under Which You May Not Need a Permit The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or your state may waive applicable requirements in a permit for a stormwater discharge from construction activities that disturb fewer than 5 acres. The intent of the waivers is to waive only sites that are highly unlikely to have […]
It’s a Small Project—Do You Need a Stormwater Discharge Permit? The operator of a small construction activity site is required to obtain coverage under a stormwater discharge permit if: The construction project will disturb more than 1 acre but fewer than 5 acres. The construction project will disturb less than 1 acre of land but […]
As an employer, you can promote shared transportation among your employees in several ways. Employer-sponsored vanpools. The employer buys or leases vans, but employee/drivers may be responsible for planning routes, recordkeeping, collecting fares, and maintaining the van. Drivers are often allowed to use the vans during nonworking hours. Vanpools/Buspools. Third-party firms operate vanpool fleets and […]
The Senate Majority Leader is itching to pass legislation that allows your state to opt out of the Obama administration’s CPP rule. Some states are trying to pass laws so that their legislatures will be able to veto the rule, and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin recently issued an Executive Order prohibiting the state’s Department of […]
BLR Legal Editor Tim Fagan offers tips on the process for submitting your Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reports this year.