Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In a notice and as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the EPA has issued its fourth contaminant candidate list (CCL 4). CCLs comprise contaminants that are not subject to any proposed or promulgated federal drinking water standards, are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems (PWSs), and may require regulation […]
A spill or release of a chemical just occurred at your facility. What do you do? Does it need to be reported? What information needs to be reported, to whom, and how soon?
The EPA has identified more than 66,000 EPA- and state-tracked contaminated properties and mine sites (comprising over 35 million acres) with the potential for development as solar, wind, biomass, and/or geothermal facilities. However, before launching such a project, you should take a serious look at potential liability. In a reference guide that addresses potential liability […]
The EPA recently announced that it will review site cleanups and remedies at 20 Superfund Sites and oversee reviews at 4 federal facilities across New England this year. This got us to thinking about the relationship between the Agency’s efforts in encouraging the redevelopment of these sites and liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, […]
Superfund Site Redevelopment—Removing Barriers Although the SRI has a great track record of getting Superfund sites returned to use, some sites still remain undeveloped despite being cleaned up years ago because barriers remain that hamper site desirability. To address these barriers, the SRI implemented the RTU Initiative with the goal of removing or modifying barriers […]
Superfund Site Redevelopment—Common Concerns Despite the negative connotations associated with Superfund sites, many are salvageable and reusable, not only for purposes like landfills or parking lots but also for recreational, commercial, and industrial uses. By 2014, EPA’s SRI had assisted with more than 800 sites now in continued, active, or planned reuse over its 15-year […]
Deadly Chemical Plant Releases Violate Multiple Regulations In a settlement with a multinational company that operates a chemical plant in Belle, West Virginia, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that between 2006 and 2010, eight releases of hazardous substances occurred, one of which resulted in the death of […]
Environmental Cleanups—A Changing Landscape In the United States, according to the EPA, 51 percent of the population live within three miles of one of the 156 million sites involved in cleanup under control of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER). Of these, 30% (or 91 million) are brownfields, 35% (or 106 million) […]
Highlights from OSWER Accomplishments 2013 Report The OSWER’s job is a big one encompassing diverse industries, practices and waste streams, as well as state and local regulatory agencies, emergency response agencies and organizations, and the public. Overall, however, the goal is to protect the environment and the public from contamination, whether from a spill, leak […]
