EPA Says There’s No Need for New Hazardous Spill Regs
In a recent “final action”, the EPA announced that it will not “at this time” promulgate new regulations to prevent spills of hazardous substances (HSs) under Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 311.
Tag: EPCRA
A Few FAQs About EPCRA
Since January 2011, the Preparedness Unit in the EPA’s Region 8 Office has published a quarterly newsletter that provides the public with “information on any and all aspects of preparedness.” One general goal of the newsletter is to educate the public and industry about federal programs specifically intended to prevent releases of hazardous substances that […]
EPA Exempts Animal Waste Air Emissions from EPCRA Reporting
In a final rule, the EPA has exempted air emissions from animal waste at farms from the emergency release notification requirements of Section 304 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
EPA Inspectors Find TRI Data Errors for Publicly Owned Treatment Works
According to a rare Management Alert from the EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), information reported to the Agency on chemicals released to the environment by publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) conflicted with information the OIG obtained separately from the Agency.
Agricultural Combustible Dust and EPCRA Reporting
In response to one frequently asked question (FAQ) on the EPA’s emergency management site, the Agency clarified when combustible agricultural dusts are subject to reporting under Section 312 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
‘Groundbreaking’ PFAS Plan Floated by EPA
With considerable fanfare, including news conferences in every EPA region, the Agency unveiled its Action Plan for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a large class of manufactured chemicals that have proven to be highly effective in many industrial applications and have also spread risks to human health through sources of drinking water across the nation. […]
Tier II: How to Avoid Enforcement—and Costly Fines
The Tier II hazardous chemical inventory reporting deadline is quickly approaching. Are you prepared to submit your report by March 1st?
It’s Our First Enviro Enforcement Roundup of 2019!
Although the EPA is at the moment essentially crippled in the midst of the ongoing government shutdown, we have a few enforcement items to report from late 2018. Our latest roundup of five cases includes RCRA, EPCRA, and TSCA violations.
Chemical Release Notifications: The Who, What, and When
A spill or release of a chemical just occurred at your facility. What do you do? Does it need to be reported? What information needs to be reported, to whom, and how soon?
What’s EPA Enforcement Like at Other Federal Facilities and Agencies?
The EPA’s enforcement of violations of environmental laws and regulations at federal facilities is a complicated business that has been addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court (Ohio v. United States Department of Energy, 1992, which affirmed federal facility sovereign immunity with respect to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)), presidential Executive Orders, and by […]