Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Legal Editor Amanda Czepiel says that in the beginning of 2012, we will see EPA issue the 2012 Stormwater Construction General Permit (CGP). It will include a number of changes due to the implementation of the Construction and Development Rule, as well as changes to the appearance of the permit, new requirements for site inspections, […]
She points out that mandated by a 2009 court decision, EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Pesticide General Permit (PGP) went into effect for point source discharges from pesticide application to U.S. waters. The PGP is believed to be the first permitting requirement of its type many small farmers will face in 2012. State-issued […]
EPA’s Criminal Enforcement Division (CID) has changed priorities in recent years and has been seeking prosecution of individual defendants as high up the corporate hierarchy as there is evidence. For this the Agency offers one simple reason–corporate managers will think twice about deliberately breaking the law if they understand that they face jail time and […]
Simply put, antidegradation means that no pollutant discharges or activities will be permitted if these may cause surface waters already meeting water quality standards to drop below those standards. But the various colorations within that general meaning provide states with many opportunities to permit activities that do in fact degrade surface waters. As EPA notes […]
EPA estimates that there are 156,000 water systems in the United States, with more than 94 percent serving fewer than 3,300 persons. Obtaining a representative financial picture for such a large universe of regulated entities is a complex undertaking. However, the Agency periodically attempts to do so in its Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and […]
Industrial stormwater requirements are contained in national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permits; the critical element in such permits is development and implementation of a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP). These compliance tips cover key points that are sometimes overlooked in company SWPPPs and related compliance activities. Except in a relatively few cases where individual […]
Do I need a NPDES permit if my stormwater exposure is only in the parking lot? It may depend on several factors, including, but not limited to, the proximity of the parking lot to surface waters; the size of the parking lot; and the type of parking lot surface. A possible option that may apply […]
Now, the interest in Florida is high because it is the first time EPA has taken over a water quality standards-setting process from a state. Stakeholders are wondering if this precedent will be repeated in other regions of the country. EPA’s Action In November 2010, EPA issued new numeric water quality criteria for phosphorus and […]
These new threats are so widespread that EPA has released a strategy to place more emphasis on protecting healthy waters. And, existing resources may have to be spread even thinner to meet standards. According to EPA, sources of stress vary regionally, but mainly comprise agriculture; stormwater runoff; habitat, hydrology and landscape modification; invasive species; the […]
Permit coverage must be obtained by either the facility owner or the operator. These are frequently the same. However, if they are different, the responsibility to obtain coverage falls on the one who has day-to-day operational control at the facility. So if the owner does not have operational control, the operator bears the responsibility to […]