by Brittany Tofinchio Palmer

The ISO 14.001:2004 and new 2015 Standards require that organizations evaluate laws that are applicable to their operations.  Regulatory agencies around the world conduct audits and inspections to determine whether organizations are in compliance with applicable environmental, health, and safety laws.  Today, many organizations have places of business in more than one country or in more than one area of a country.  Each country, and in many cases, each state or province within a country, have their own laws that organizations are required to comply with.  The regulatory landscape is constantly changing, which makes it near impossible to keep up with the latest laws and amendments to laws, let alone which of those may be applicable to an organization’s operations.  This is why having a good legal register is of paramount importance.

Legal registers contain a list of laws that are applicable to an organization’s operations and can be provide information at the federal, state, and/or municipal levels. They can be tailored and built with varying degrees of information in order to meet compliance standards in a particular country.  For example, one country may only require that an organization maintain a list of laws it has found to be applicable while another may require that list plus the specific sections of each law that are applicable.  In addition, an organization may want as much detail as possible in their register to make it easier to maintain compliance, regardless of what a country or state requires.  This could include not only the applicable laws and sections but the text of the particular section or a summary of the requirements and tasks that the company needs to do in order to maintain compliance with that section.

by Brittany Tofinchio Palmer

Listed below are the names of key regulations, acts, and legislation that have been enacted, proposed, updated and passed in 2015 at the federal level.  Topics covered include air, chemicals, enforcement, underground storage tanks (USTs), waste, and water.  Updates and changes are centered on actions of the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice, and Congressional legislation that affect general manufacturing operations with limited air emissions and at times, corporate offices.  Links, when available, have been provided for the reader’s convenience.

New Regulations, Acts, and Laws

1.    Air
           a.    Phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons
                        i.     http://www.epa.gov/ozone/intpol/HFC_Amendment_2015_Summary.pdf
            b.    Refrigerant Management Update
                        i.    https://federalregister.gov/a/2015-26946
            c.    Clean Power Plan
                        i.    http://www.epa.gov/airquality/cpp/cpp-final-rule.pdf
            d.    Ozone Rule
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/10/26/2015-26594/national-ambient-air-quality-standards-for-ozone

2.    Chemicals
            a.    TSCA Section 5 Reporting Requirements         
                        i.    https://federalregister.gov/a/2015-17737
            b.    Microbeads Ban
                        i.    https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1321/text
            c.    I-bromopropane under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/11/23/2015-29799/addition-of-1-bromopropane-community-right-to-know-toxic-chemical-release-reporting

3.    Enforcement
            a.    Corporate Wrongdoing - targeting individuals
                        i.    http://www.justice.gov/dag/file/769036/download
            b.    Prosecutors encouraged to jointly prosecute environmental and safety violations
                        i.    http://www.justice.gov/enrd/file/800431/download

4.    USTs
            a.    Revising Underground Storage Tank Regulations
                        i.    http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=201410&RIN=2050-AG46

5.    Waste
            a.    Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Definition of Solid Waste
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/01/13/2014-30382/definition-of-solid-waste

6.    Water
            a.    Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/06/29/2015-13435/clean-water-rule-definition-of-waters-of-the-united-states
            b.    Ambient Water Quality Standards
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/06/29/2015-15912/final-updated-ambient-water-quality-criteria-for-the-protection-of-human-health
            c.    National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/06/16/2015-14792/final-national-pollutant-discharge-elimination-system-npdes-general-permit-for-stormwater-discharges
            d.    Clean Water Act Electronic Reporting Rule
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/10/22/2015-24954/national-pollutant-discharge-elimination-system-npdes-electronic-reporting-rule

Proposed Regulations, Acts, and Laws

1.    Air
            a.    Cross-State Air Pollution Rule
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/12/03/2015-29796/cross-state-air-pollution-rule-update-for-the-2008-ozone-naaqs

2.    Chemicals
            a.    TSCA Reform Bill (awaiting final revisions and signature by the President)
                        i.    https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2576/actions
            b.    Significant New Use Rule for Trichloroethylene
                        i.    https://federalregister.gov/a/2015-19348

3.    Enforcement
            a.    EPA Proposed Enforcement Initiatives
                       i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/09/15/2015-23056/public-comment-on-epas-national-enforcement-initiatives-for-fiscal-years-2017-2019

4.    Waste
            a.    Hazardous Waste Pharmaceutical Rule
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/09/25/2015-23167/management-standards-for-hazardous-waste-pharmaceuticals
            b.    Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/09/25/2015-23166/hazardous-waste-generator-improvements
            c.    Hazardous Waste Import-Export Rule
                        i.    https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/10/19/2015-25348/hazardous-waste-export-import-revisions

5.    Water
            a.    Congressional Disapproval of Waters of the U.S.Rule (pending presidential review)
                        i.    https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/22/actions

In the Pipeline

1.    Air
            a.    Modernization of accidental release prevention regulations
                        i.    http://yosemite.epa.gov/opei/rulegate.nsf/byRIN/2050-AG82

2.    Chemicals
            a.    Expansion of facilities subject to the EPCRA
                        i.    http://yosemite.epa.gov/opei/RuleGate.nsf/byRIN/2025-AA33#1
            b.    Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Reassessment and Use Authorizations
                        i.    http://yosemite.epa.gov/opei/RuleGate.nsf/byRIN/2070-AJ38

3.    Waste
            a.    Financial Responsibility under Comprehensive Environmental Response,  Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
                        i.    http://yosemite.epa.gov/opei/RuleGate.nsf/byRIN/2050-AG56

4.    Water
            a.    Addressing stormwater discharges from developed sites
                        i.    http://yosemite.epa.gov/opei/rulegate.nsf/byRIN/2040-AF13