Environmental Compliance & Reporting
Environmental Compliance and Reporting
What Is Environmental Compliance?
Obtaining a permit is a milestone, but remaining in compliance with it is an ongoing job. Most facilities are subject to several overlapping air, water, waste, and chemical reporting requirements at the local, state, and federal levels, and even careful operators can miss one. Compliance is usually shown through records and reports, and records that exist but are incomplete, inconsistent, or kept the wrong way can still count as violations. Many fines come from paperwork problems, and not from what came out of a stack or off a site.
We can handle the recurring work that keeps a facility current: the inspections, sampling, calculations, and reports that are easy to fall behind on when your team is focused on running the operation.
Compliance Audits and Agency Support
An audit is the most direct way to find out whether your records and practices would hold up during an agency inspection. We review your facility’s air, water, waste, and chemical reporting obligations, compare them to what’s actually being done and documented, and give you a clear list of what needs attention. Findings stay with you. If an agency is already involved, we can work with them on your behalf, from preparing for an inspection to responding to a notice of violation.
Our Audit and Agency Support Services Include:
- Facility compliance audits
- Agency inspection preparation and support
- Responses to notices of violation and agency correspondence
Air Permit Recordkeeping and Reporting
Most air permits require you to show compliance with hourly and annual emission limits for pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Permits often require other records as well, including stack observations, filter inspection and maintenance logs, safety data sheets, equipment specifications, and audio, visual, and olfactory (AVO) inspection logs. Federal standards such as NESHAPs and NSPS can add their own recordkeeping and reporting on top of the permit, and Title V facilities have additional obligations. Missing a report deadline carries consequences of its own, separate from your emissions.
Our Air Compliance Services Include:
- Title V Federal Operating Permit compliance reporting
- 40 CFR Part 63 Subparts MMMM, WWWW, XXXXXX, and HHHHHH
- 40 CFR Part 63 Subpart PPPP
- 40 CFR Part 60 Subpart OOO
- Storage tank emission calculations (AP-42)
- Permit by Rule recordkeeping
- New Source Review permit recordkeeping
- Emission calculations
- Visible emissions observation (EPA Method 9)
- Air emissions inventories
Stormwater Compliance
Once a facility has stormwater permit coverage, the permit typically requires routine inspections, sampling, benchmark monitoring, and periodic reports. Facilities that discharge to impaired waters often have additional monitoring requirements. Missed inspections and late sampling are some of the most common stormwater findings, and they’re entirely preventable with a set schedule.
Need permit coverage, a new SWP3, plan updates, or staff training?
See Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans.
Our Stormwater Compliance Services Include:
- Monthly and quarterly stormwater inspections
- Routine sampling and monitoring, including benchmark and impaired water monitoring
- Coordination of laboratory analysis through accredited labs
- Semiannual and compliance report preparation
Waste Compliance
Waste requirements begin with knowing what you have. How a waste is classified determines how it must be stored, transported, disposed of, and reported. Misclassifying a waste stream can put you out of compliance before it ever leaves your property.
Our Waste Compliance Services Include:
- Waste coding and classification
- Waste program management
- Waste vendor coordination
- Annual waste summary preparation
- Industrial and hazardous waste reporting
Chemical Reporting and Spill Response
Facilities that store hazardous chemicals or petroleum above certain thresholds have annual reporting obligations and must be prepared to prevent and respond to releases.
Need an SPCC plan, plan updates, or a non-applicability certification?
See Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plans.
Our Chemical Reporting and Spill Services Include:
- Tier II reporting
- TRI Form R reporting
- Spill reporting assistance
Need a new air permit or a change to an existing one?
See Air Permitting.