Recently, EPA issued an Interim OECA Guidance on EPA and state roles on managing enforcement and compliance assistance. See, Interim OECA Guidance on Enhancing Regional—State Planning and Communication on Compliance Assurance Work in Authorized States. While EPA is seeking to emphasize cooperative federalism in modifying the emphasis of the 1986 revised policy on state/EPA enforcement agreements, as provided in the first footnote of the Guidance, the policy issued on January 22, 2018, appears to make the states the primary enforcer of environmental laws and provides a secondary role for EPA in that regard.
EPCRA
| 02.01.2018 |
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| 02.05.2017 |
In January 2017, both EPA and OSHA increased civil penalties for new enforcement cases. While the increases became effective just days before the new Administration took office, the increases are a result of Congressional action in 2015 to annually adjust civil penalties for inflation by January 15 of each new calendar year. |
| 01.02.2016 |
Businesses and companies seeking to qualify for penalty mitigation and relief by submitting voluntary self-disclosures under EPA’s Audit Policy need to be aware of significant changes and modifications that took effect in December 2015. |
| 06.06.2015 |
On June 2, 2015, the U.S. EPA and DOJ announced a $3 million dollar settlement with Millard Refrigerated Services, a company specializing in refrigeration and distribution services to retail, food service, and food distribution companies. The settlement resolves alleged violations of the EPA’s Risk Management Program, the Clean Air Act’s General Duty Clause, and CERCLA and EPCRA release reporting requirements stemming from three releases of the industrial refrigerant anhydrous ammonia from the facility’s Mobile Marine Terminal in Alabama. Among the release incidents was an August 2010 release involving hospitalization and medical treatment of individuals who were offsite working on decontaminating ships in response to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. |
| 04.07.2015 |
On March 10, 2015, EPA issued a new revised 2015 Update to its Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) Policy, thereby superseding prior SEP policies. |
| 12.01.2013 |
EPA and OSHA continue to target companies that store and use the industrial refrigerant anhydrous ammonia as reflected in recent EPA Risk Management Plan (RMP) enforcement and OSHA enforcement of the Process Safety Management (PSM) regulations. Failures in the Mechanical Integrity requirements were prevalent in both enforcement cases. |
| 11.25.2013 |
On November 12, 2013, OSHA Region 7 announced a new Local Emphasis Program applicable in the states of Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri, that will specifically target companies for OSHA inspections based on their Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) submissions to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). |
| 08.13.2012 |
Beginning January 1, 2014, businesses subject to EPA’s Tier I and Tier II EPCRA hazardous chemical storage inventory reporting requirements will be required to submit more detailed information as part of a new EPA final rule recently published in the Federal Register, 77 Fed. Reg. 41,300 (July 13, 2012). |
| 08.13.2012 |
In a first-of-its-kind enforcement action in the nation, EPA Region 3 has entered into a consent agreement with Talisman Energy USA Inc. for violations of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) at natural gas exploration and production sites involved in fracking operations in Pennsylvania. |