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EPA’s Corrective Actions to Tighten Control of Unmonitored Chemical Releases In September 2014, the OIG released its report titled, More Action Is Needed to Protect Water Resources From Unmonitored Hazardous Chemicals, which provided a look at how, despite current regulations, hazardous chemicals continue to be discharged from publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). The OIG investigations […]
10 Things to Know about the Proposed Dental Amalgam Rule—Part 2 6. New Category—Dental Industrial Users. When the EPA promulgates categorical industrial pretreatment standards, the affected dischargers are called, in general, “Categorical Industrial Users (CIUs).” For the proposed new rule, the EPA is establishing a new CIU tailored to the dental offices covered, which is […]
2014 TSCA Work Plan Assessment Update—The Chemicals As noted yesterday, Action Plan chemicals are the most important identified by the TSCA Work Plan for Chemical Assessments, and in 2014, the following chemicals and chemical groups were added: Bisphenol A (BPA)—Ranked high for hazard and exposure; Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE)—Ranked high for hazard, exposure, and persistence/bioaccumulation; Hexabromocyclododecane […]
10 Things to Know about the Proposed Dental Amalgam Rule—Part 1 1. The problem with amalgam discharges. Mercury is a toxic metal that can have serious neurological and developmental effects on animals and humans. Elemental mercury in dental amalgam is highly concentrated and when discharged to a POTW is generally separated with about 10 percent […]
EPA Adds New TRI Reporting Category for Nonylphenol Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) requires facilities that manufacture, process or otherwise use chemicals listed in the TRI to report a variety of data regarding those chemicals. The EPA is authorized to add new chemicals to the TRI when those chemicals […]
Recent RMP Settlements Underscore Compliance Pitfalls On September 24 and 29, 2014 the EPA announced settlements with three different companies in two states for violations of to RMP regulations. The first two settlements were at facilities in Idaho, one a corn-based ethanol production facility in Burley and the other a manufacturer of agricultural chemicals in […]
Nutrient Pollution—What It Is and What to Do About It According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the impacts of nutrient pollution are found in all types of our nation’s water bodies. In fact, “More than 100,000 miles of rivers and streams, close to 2.5 million acres of lakes, reservoirs and ponds, and more […]
EMS for Higher Ed—Common Compliance Deficiencies The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was passed in 1976 with the goal of regulating the handling and disposal of hazardous wastes. RCRA was strengthened and amended in 1984 and has become the backbone of the national strategy to safely manage hazardous and non-non-hazardous wastes, conserve resources, and […]
EMS for Higher Ed—5 Tips for Success Tip #1 — Reconnect with top administrators to ensure ongoing commitment and support. Administrators come and go so it is important to open communications with new staff, including presidents, chancellors, deans, and senior administrative and operations people. When communicating your EMS strategy, take the time to focus on […]
National Highlights from the 2013 Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program Mandatory reporting of GHGs became law in October 2009 for sources emitting 25,000 metric tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year in the United States. Reporting began in 2010 and in 2011, the EPA published the first GHGRP report setting a benchmark for […]