EPA proposes new National Enforcement initiatives

September 24th, 2015 by Dakota Software Staff Industry News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed three new National Enforcement Initiatives on Sept. 15. These proposed expansions of environmental regulations come in time to possibly affect the next cycle of enforcement if enacted, according to Hogan Lovells, a global legal services provider. This is the first time in six years that expansions or significant changes were made to the NEIs. There are three major changes:

1. Toxic air emissions protection 
To reduce toxic air emissions further, the EPA's proposal focuses on expanding organic liquid storage tank emissions and on toxic emissions that occur from the handling of hazardous waste. 

The EPA wants to use advanced monitoring techniques, such as infrared cameras, to monitor organic liquid storage tank emissions. According to Jenner & Block, a law firm, the agency said using these techniques it can see emissions violations due to design, maintenance or production expansion flaws without the need for any other emission controls. 

Those techniques will be used on hazardous waste emissions as well. According to Hogan Lovells, the EPA is concerned with the amount of violations that come from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The newly proposed expansions will alleviate the agency's fears. 

2. Keeping the nation's waters free of industrial pollutants
In keeping America's water clean, the EPA's proposal targets mining, chemical manufacturing, food processing and metals manufacturing as the top contributors to industrial pollutants in the waterways. According to Hogan Lovells, this varies greatly from the agency's efforts with the Clean Water Act that has garnered so much interest in recent years. That act focuses on municipal wastewater systems and treatment plants. 

3. Reducing industrial accidents and their impact
The EPA proposes to focus on facilities considered high-risk. This means they deal with highly toxic substances and have a proximity to heavily populated areas or they have a history of accidents and issues. According to Jenner & Block, this high-risk group includes some 2,000 facilities across the U.S., though the EPA has not named them publicly. 

According to Jenner & Block, the previous NEIs were air pollution from large sources, toxic air pollution, production and energy extraction pollution, mineral processing pollution, contaminated stormwater and sewage and animal waste pollution in the water. The EPA said, according to Jenner & Block, that the new NEIs were created because the EPA is mindful of their declining resources. 

The EPA is seeking comments from the public until Oct. 14, 2015. After that it will be determined if the proposed environmental regulations are implemented.