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Major Findings from the Second Integrated Urban Air Report to Congress Under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990, the EPA was tasked with taking action to reduce toxic air emissions and associated human health risks. In 1999, the EPA developed the Integrated Urban Air Toxics Strategy for reducing air toxics risks from all […]
How to Qualify for RMP Program Level 1 After determining that a propane storage facility is subject to the RMP regulation, the next step is to identify which program level applies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established three program levels that reflect different levels of risk and, subsequently, the level of effort required to […]
RMP Applicability for Propane Storage Facilities As early as November 2013, seven states had already declared states of emergency to allow for delivery of more propane, and that was a month before a massive ice storm struck, affecting power for more than 1.5 million people. By the time winter was over, the National Oceanic and […]
Settlement Preserves Rare Wetlands In mid-August 2014, the EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) reached a settlement with the owners of a California ranch for violations of the CWA involving the destruction of more than 80 acres of rare wetlands in Tehama County. According to the EPA, the wetlands, known as “vernal pool” wetlands […]
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 […]
SPCC Plan Compliance FAQs for Production, Drilling and Workover Facilities Q: Are there SPCC Plan requirements that apply to all covered oil production, drilling and workover facilities? A: Yes. 40 CFR part 112.7 provides the general requirements for SPCC Plans at all facilities covered by the regulations. Although these requirements are extensive, there are a […]
SPCC Applicability FAQs for Production, Drilling and Workover Facilities Q: What different types of activities at non-transportation, onshore oil production, drilling and workover facilities are covered under the SPCC rule? A: The SPCC rule defines “facilities” as “any mobile or fixed, onshore or offshore building, property, parcel, lease, structure, installation, equipment, pipe, or pipeline (other […]
$2.8 Million Penalty for UST Violations in Fraud Settlement In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cited a Dover, Delaware-based petroleum company for underground storage tank violations (USTs) at five of its gas stations in Maryland. In 2006, the complaint was settled, requiring the company to complete compliance measures for its USTs and imposing a […]
UST Enforcement Finds Leak Detection Lacking In June and July 2014, the EPA announced enforcement settlements that illustrate the need for all UST owners and operators, from the largest to the smallest, to comply with regulatory requirements. In early June, for example, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in Virginia certified it was in compliance with […]