Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By law, the EPA cannot consider costs when setting a health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). Nonetheless, to inform stakeholders, the Agency typically calculates the costs of meeting the NAAQS as well as the monetary benefits. Note: The current health-based ozone standard is 75 ppb. The EPA estimates costs at $3.9 billion in 2025 […]
Who Has to File a TRI Report? Facilities in different industry sectors, facilities in Indian country, and federal facilities must annually report how much of each toxic chemical they managed through recycling, energy recovery, treatment, and environmental releases. Either a facility’s owner or operator may file the TRI report, but both will be held responsible […]
After a Flood If your UST has been in a flood, take the following actions, depending on site-specific conditions: Do not assume everything is OK because water didn’t actually flood over the station. The water table could have risen and caused problems. Make sure the power to any UST-related equipment is off (such as power […]
Let’s face it. If someone in your community has a complaint about your facility, you would much rather hear from them than having the EPA alerted first. It’s all about communication. We’ve discussed some of these ideas before, but some of them bear repeating. These tips can help you in developing an open relationship with […]
When the EPA publishes a press release about an enforcement case, the release will likely contain a statement about how the Agency came to uncover the violations. Sometimes a routine inspection, sometimes a surprise inspection, but often you will find that the inspection was prompted by a citizen complaint. In essence, your neighbors are tattling […]
Civil Penalties With a few exceptions, most violations of RCRA’s hazardous waste regulations carry a civil penalty of up to $37,500 per day per violation and the possible suspension or revocation of the violator’s permit. Criminal Penalties Knowing violations of hazardous waste rules can result in fines of up to $50,000 per day per violation […]
NPDES permits establish allowable discharge limits or effluent limitations that include both concentration and volume of flow. Section 402(k) of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) provides for what is known as a “permit shield.” This means that if you are in compliance with your NPDES permit, then you are deemed to be in compliance […]
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 […]
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 […]
Step 1: Know Which Agency Rules Apply The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), OSHA, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) each have separate training rules, but there is often overlap among the various training requirements. For example, an employer may have workers managing hazardous waste and have the […]