Tag: Compliance

The EHS Daily Advisor and Enviro in 5 Are on the Way!

We’re revamping our newsletter lineup to be more responsive to our reader’s interests. Effective Monday, September 14, the Environmental Daily Advisor and the Safety Daily Advisor will consolidate into the EHS Daily Advisor, which will feature topics of interest to both Safety and Environmental pros, like hazardous substances, for example. For our Environmental Daily Advisor […]

Is Bio-oil Mixed with Motor Oil Used Oil?

Changing environmental situations often requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revisit policies and interpretations of regulations even if the rules themselves are not amended. A case in point is a 1997 EPA policy that precluded the regulation of bio-oils (e.g., vegetable and animal oils) that have been used as lubricants, or for other […]

Used Oil FAQs

The RCRA used oil management standards can serve as a road map to guide used oil handlers (generators, transporters, burners, marketers, processors, and re-refiners) through the various storage, recordkeeping, and cleanup procedures to ensure used oil is handled safely. The used oil regulations are based on the presumption that used oil (i.e., oil contaminated by […]

EPCRA Lessons Learned

#1. What Went Wrong A California-based poultry company with a facility in Kelso allegedly did not meet the deadline in 2013 for reporting chemicals stored at its facility. The company apparently failed to report that it stored over 500 pounds (lb) each of ammonia and sulfuric acid, and over 10,000 lb each of carbon dioxide, […]

UST Amendments—What You Need to Know about Biofuels Compatibility

Since 1988, the UST regulations required that tanks be made of or lined with materials that are compatible with the substance stored. Since that time, many new biofuel blends have come on the market. The 2015 UST amendments add new compatibility notification, demonstration of compatibility, and recordkeeping requirements concerning certain biofuels. Notification. UST owners and […]

UST Amendments—What You Need to Know If Your UST Was Previously Deferred

No longer deferred The 1988 UST regulations deferred several types of USTs from regulations. Under the 2015 amendments, three types of tanks were removed from the referral list and must comply with the 2015 UST regulations. USTs for emergency power generators. The new UST amendments removes the deferral for USTs solely to store fuel for […]

Stay Small—Tips for Managing Universal Waste

If you have hazardous waste at your facility, you are a generator of hazardous waste. If you decide to manage some of it as universal waste, you are automatically a universal waste handler by virtue of being a generator of universal waste. Generated universal waste is not counted in a generator’s hazardous waste quantity if […]

IVAN: Big Brother Really Is Watching You

An environmental monitoring system called IVAN (Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods) is an environmental justice tool available to folks in California communities for reporting environmental concerns. What is IVAN? The partnership among local, state, and federal agencies and community groups, which started in 2009, has been implemented in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles, the Imperial […]

SPCC—Lessons Learned

An oil production company operating in Big Horn County, Wyoming was recently fined for the discharge of approximately 162 barrels of oil into a tributary of a major river. The discharge came from a leak in a pipeline at its pumping facility. The facility is on an onshore oil gathering, pumping, and storage station that […]

I’ll Have a Shot of SPCC in My Latte

There is much confusion surrounding the applicability of SPCC requirements. A question that recently came across the desk of one environmental expert involved oil in flavorings. The person asked if flavorings that contain small amounts of oil (for example, almond and hazelnut oil) count towards an inventory to determine SPCC applicability if they are stored […]