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FAQs About the Definition of Solid Waste (DSW) Rule—Part 1 Q: What was the impetus for the DSW final rule? A: According to the EPA, the 2014 DSW final rule addresses “significant regulatory gaps in the 2008 rule” that could result in negative impacts on “communities adjacent to third-party recyclers, including disproportionately impacting minority and […]
Climate Change and Worker Health—Rising Risks Employers in the United States have long been governed by laws and regulations designed to provide a safe and healthy environment for workers. But climate change presents a new set of worker risks that are just beginning to be understood. Although many of the actual risks are the same […]
E3 Green Suppliers Network—How It’s Working In 2006, Sermatech, in Connecticut, a provider of high-performance coatings to the aerospace industry, decided to partner with the GSN to address both lean and green manufacturing. An assessment was performed on the company’s surface coating process line that sprayed helicopter hubs, and it found that because the parts […]
EPA Levies Second Largest Civil Penalty for Alleged CWA Violations In a joint enforcement action announced in September 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) settled with a West Virginia-based oil and natural gas company for multiple violations of the CWA. […]
General Hazardous Waste FAQs for Construction, Demolition, and Renovation Q: Which regulations—federal or state—apply to C&D debris containing hazardous wastes? A: Hazardous wastes are regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and most states are authorized to implement their own RCRA programs. These programs must be at least as stringent as the federal […]
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 […]
Environmental Cleanups—A Changing Landscape In the United States, according to the EPA, 51 percent of the population live within three miles of one of the 156 million sites involved in cleanup under control of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER). Of these, 30% (or 91 million) are brownfields, 35% (or 106 million) […]
Highlights from OSWER Accomplishments 2013 Report The OSWER’s job is a big one encompassing diverse industries, practices and waste streams, as well as state and local regulatory agencies, emergency response agencies and organizations, and the public. Overall, however, the goal is to protect the environment and the public from contamination, whether from a spill, leak […]
Risk-Based Decision Making Basics RBDM is used more and more to facilitate effective and appropriate characterization and cleanup of UST releases. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), RBDM “is a process that utilizes risk and exposure assessment methodology to help UST implementing agencies make determinations about the extent and urgency of corrective action and […]