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10 Things to Know About the GHG Reporting Program—Part 2 6) Facility owners and operators, not the EPA, are responsible for determining the facility’s “Designated Representative.” According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), when facilities covered by the GHG Reporting rule have more than one person sharing responsibility for reporting, “the greenhouse gas reporting rule […]
10 Things to Know About the GHG Reporting Program 1) The GHG Reporting Program covers only specific emissions. Only man-made (or anthropogenic) GHG emissions covered under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) must be reported. These are: Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), Perfluorocarbons (PFC), Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), […]
NPDES FAQs for Fracking Operations in the Marcellus Shale—Part 2 Q: If a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) were to consider accepting shale gas extraction (SGE) wastewater from a fracking operation, what wastewater information would the POTW need to collect? A: To meet the requirements of its own NPDES permit, a POTW operator would need […]
NPDES FAQs for Fracking Operations in the Marcellus Shale—Part 1 Q: Are hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” operations allowed to discharge wastewater directly to waters of the United States if they have a NPDES permit? A: The Clean Water Act (CWA) prohibits the discharge of pollutants by point sources into waters of the United States, except […]
Multiple Ski Areas Learn SPCC Compliance Lesson Over the past few years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached settlements with a number of ski areas in New England communities throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. According to the EPA, the settlements “were reached under an expedited settlement program whereby EPA agreed to resolve […]
Simple Steps for Minimizing Stormwater Pollution—Part 2 5) Although many facilities are required by different regulations to implement spill prevention, control, and cleanup plans, even those that are not should consider the potential benefits. The EPA recommends the following aspects to incorporate in such plans: Spill prevention is the best way to avoid contaminated runoff […]
Simple Steps for Minimizing Stormwater Pollution Stormwater runoff is the major contributor to the ongoing degradation of our nation’s surface and groundwater. Although we cannot control precipitation, there are plenty of ways to control its impact through measures that are both common sense and required by law. Here are some of EPA’s recommended measures for […]
Resources for Choosing Cleaner, More Efficient Vehicles The U.S. mandate to eliminate leaded gasoline became effective on January 1, 1996, following the gradual reduction of lead in gasoline that began in the early 1970s. But that was just the first step to reduce toxic air pollution from a variety of mobile sources aimed at specific […]
Impacts of Near-Roadway Air Pollution It’s the rare person that has not had the unfortunate experience of driving too close to a vehicle like a heavy-duty diesel truck and getting a car full of smelly exhaust. But the everyday impacts of the cumulative emissions on major roads are also under scrutiny by the Environmental Protection […]
Costs and Benefits of EPA’s Proposed Ozone Standards Since the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, the EPA claims harmful air pollution has been reduced “by about 70% while the U.S. economy has more than tripled,” with ground-level ozone dropping about 33% since 1980. Overall, 90% of the areas in the United States that […]