Tag: CERCLA

Environmental Cleanups—A Changing Landscape

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

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 […]

Clearing Up Confusion About EPCRA Exemptions

One of the most confusing exemptions under EPCRA is that for “routine agricultural use” (Section 311(e)(5)) under Sections 311 and 312, which cover Safety Data Sheet (SDS) reporting and Tier I/Tier II Inventory reporting, respectively. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the exemption is “designed to eliminate the reporting of fertilizers, pesticides, and other […]

$850K in Fines for Stormwater Violations

Industrial stormwater has been regulated for decades under the Clean Water Act (CWA) but violations continue to plague both regulators and our nation’s waterways. In a joint operation between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington Department of Ecology, four Seattle-area firms from diverse industries received penalties amounting to almost $850,000 for failure […]