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The EPA claims that there are sufficient regulatory reasons for TSDFs to be in contact with local authorities concerning emergency procedures. The Agency points to 40 CFR 264.30 to 264.37 and 40 CFR 265.30 to 265.37, the requirements that TSDFs develop preparedness and prevention plans, and specifically 40 CFR 264.37 and 40 CFR 265.37, where […]
Note: Each ISO standard is part of a series of related documents. This article will give a brief review of the first standard in the series. The year noted with each standard represents the last time the standard was revised, e.g., ISO 9001:2008 is the current standard for quality management systems and was last revised […]
An “EMS” is a framework that helps you achieve your organization’s environmental goals through consistent control of operations. The assumption is that this increased control will improve your organization’s environmental performance. The EMS itself does not dictate a level of environmental performance that must be achieved; each company’s EMS is tailored to the company’s business […]
Owners of equipment with charges of more than 50 pounds (lb) of refrigerant are required to repair leaks in the equipment when the leak rates exceed a certain percentage of the charge over a 12-month period. For commercial and industrial process refrigeration, the leak rate requiring repair is 35 percent or more of the charge […]
Although it may seem obvious that if you ever owned or operated an underground storage tank (UST) that you are responsible for compliance or cleanup in case of a leak, the fact is that many USTs have long and complicated histories, and identifying the responsible party when, for example, the tank had multiple owners is […]
Ethanol is a renewable, domestically produced fuel that can be made from grains, such as corn or wheat, or from cellulose sources, such as prairie grass or agricultural, forestry, or municipal wastes. In the United States, ethanol is primarily made from corn. EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks regulates tanks storing petroleum and biofuels. Under […]
Some of us remember what it was like before the first Earth Day, and all of us have been exposed to the lore. For example: Visible smog enveloping our major cities. Native-American chieftains crying in canoes afloat burning rivers. Brown sludge and odor emanating from industrial complexes—some residents of communities with such facilities referring to […]
As a generator of HSM, you ultimately decide whether the material is safely managed. The decision to send your HSMs to an off-site recycling business should be followed by a careful review of the qualifications of available recyclers. Improper management can increase liability of the originating company (remember RCRA’s “cradle-to-grave” mandate). Environmental managers investigating recycling […]
In the June 11, 2014, Federal Register (FR), the EPA published an Information Collection Request (updated in the October 14, 2014, FR) asking for public comment concerning the hazardous waste generator rules under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Specifically, the Agency asked that the comments address the following components of the generator rules: […]
Under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) rules, and most state variations of the RCRA rules, there are three classes of generators: large quantity generators (LQGs), small quantity generators (SQGs), and conditionally exempt small quantity generators (CESQGs). Note: It is critical to remember that most states have been delegated the authority to run […]