The EPA: Acts you Need to Know
Columbia Southern University
OHS 2302-19A-4A21-S1, Introduction to Regulatory Compliance
For 50 years the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been charged with
improving the air and water quality in the United States. This endeavor included establishing and
enforcing standards that are consistent with national goals, researching the adverse effects of
pollution and ways to control it, assisting in stopping pollution, and developing new policies for
protecting the environment (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2016). This essay will
discuss some of the regulations implemented by the EPA, including the Clean Air Act (CAA),
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA or Clean Water Act), and the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as well as some of the standards required by each act.
Although the CAA was originally created in 1963, it is the Clean Air Act of 1970 (CAA
1970) that was placed in the responsibility of the EPA (Haight, J.M., et.al., 2012). In 1990,
amendments to the CAA were passed by Congress, which included Section 112(r), requiring the
EPA to publish guidance and regulations to prevent chemical accidents at facilities using
substances posing the greatest risk from accidental release. This section was added to existing
codes and standards, and required companies using specifically listed flammable and toxic
substances to develop a Risk Management Program (RMP), regardless of company size (EPA,
2020). These plans must include hazard assessments detailing potential effects of accidental
release, including any history of accidents in the preceding 5 years, as well as evaluating worst-
case scenarios. The RMP must also provide a prevention program including safety precautions
and maintenance, monitoring and training, as well as an emergency response designating
emergency personnel, employee training, and methods for notifying the public and responding
agencies in the event of an occurrence (EPA, 2020). The Florida Department of Environmental
, Protection (FDEP) has committed to improving the air quality in the state through monitoring,
permitting, and compliance with state and federal regulation. Emissions are at an all-time low
(Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), n.d.). This is of great importance to
my family and friends in the state.
Categorical pre-treatment standards were developed under the CWA to place limits on
indirect dischargers (industry) that discharge into local public owned treatment works (POTW)
(Haight, J.M., et.al., 2012). The EPA has established effluent limitation guidelines (“ELGs”) for
Industrial Users and are specific to industrial categories, based on the largest reductions of
pollutants that are economically achievable to each industry. These are technology-based and
apply regardless of a POTW having an approved pre-treatment program (EPA, 2020). The EPA
uses “ELGs” to set the minimum level of controls that must be imposed in issuing a permit
(Haight, J.M., et.al., 2012). Recently, the FDEP has assumed the majority of the CWA Section
404 permitting program concerned with the discharge of dredge and fill material into waterways
in the state (Martin, S.R., & Sanatan, R.B. (2021). This is important to me as it protects the
waters that I fish and is better understood by the state in terms of the wildlife and habitat it is
designed to protect.
Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the EPA has categorized
hazardous waste generators into three categories: very small quantity generators (VSQGs), small
quantity generators (SQGs), and large quantity generators (LQGs). VSQGs generate 100
kilograms or less hazardous waste per month or 1 kilogram or less of acutely hazardous waste.
The VSQ is required to identify all hazardous waste generated, keep accumulation to less than
100 kilograms, and ensure disposal is done by a person or facility authorized to manage it.
VSQGs are conditionally exempt providing they stay in compliance with 40CFR 262.14. SQGs
generate more than 100 kilograms but less than 1000 kilograms of hazardous waste monthly.
With exception, they can accumulate on-site up to 180 days provided they do not exceed 6000
Columbia Southern University
OHS 2302-19A-4A21-S1, Introduction to Regulatory Compliance
For 50 years the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been charged with
improving the air and water quality in the United States. This endeavor included establishing and
enforcing standards that are consistent with national goals, researching the adverse effects of
pollution and ways to control it, assisting in stopping pollution, and developing new policies for
protecting the environment (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2016). This essay will
discuss some of the regulations implemented by the EPA, including the Clean Air Act (CAA),
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA or Clean Water Act), and the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as well as some of the standards required by each act.
Although the CAA was originally created in 1963, it is the Clean Air Act of 1970 (CAA
1970) that was placed in the responsibility of the EPA (Haight, J.M., et.al., 2012). In 1990,
amendments to the CAA were passed by Congress, which included Section 112(r), requiring the
EPA to publish guidance and regulations to prevent chemical accidents at facilities using
substances posing the greatest risk from accidental release. This section was added to existing
codes and standards, and required companies using specifically listed flammable and toxic
substances to develop a Risk Management Program (RMP), regardless of company size (EPA,
2020). These plans must include hazard assessments detailing potential effects of accidental
release, including any history of accidents in the preceding 5 years, as well as evaluating worst-
case scenarios. The RMP must also provide a prevention program including safety precautions
and maintenance, monitoring and training, as well as an emergency response designating
emergency personnel, employee training, and methods for notifying the public and responding
agencies in the event of an occurrence (EPA, 2020). The Florida Department of Environmental
, Protection (FDEP) has committed to improving the air quality in the state through monitoring,
permitting, and compliance with state and federal regulation. Emissions are at an all-time low
(Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), n.d.). This is of great importance to
my family and friends in the state.
Categorical pre-treatment standards were developed under the CWA to place limits on
indirect dischargers (industry) that discharge into local public owned treatment works (POTW)
(Haight, J.M., et.al., 2012). The EPA has established effluent limitation guidelines (“ELGs”) for
Industrial Users and are specific to industrial categories, based on the largest reductions of
pollutants that are economically achievable to each industry. These are technology-based and
apply regardless of a POTW having an approved pre-treatment program (EPA, 2020). The EPA
uses “ELGs” to set the minimum level of controls that must be imposed in issuing a permit
(Haight, J.M., et.al., 2012). Recently, the FDEP has assumed the majority of the CWA Section
404 permitting program concerned with the discharge of dredge and fill material into waterways
in the state (Martin, S.R., & Sanatan, R.B. (2021). This is important to me as it protects the
waters that I fish and is better understood by the state in terms of the wildlife and habitat it is
designed to protect.
Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the EPA has categorized
hazardous waste generators into three categories: very small quantity generators (VSQGs), small
quantity generators (SQGs), and large quantity generators (LQGs). VSQGs generate 100
kilograms or less hazardous waste per month or 1 kilogram or less of acutely hazardous waste.
The VSQ is required to identify all hazardous waste generated, keep accumulation to less than
100 kilograms, and ensure disposal is done by a person or facility authorized to manage it.
VSQGs are conditionally exempt providing they stay in compliance with 40CFR 262.14. SQGs
generate more than 100 kilograms but less than 1000 kilograms of hazardous waste monthly.
With exception, they can accumulate on-site up to 180 days provided they do not exceed 6000
