Compliance Assistance

In the next twenty years cities, counties and tribes will need to spend billions of dollars to improve capital assets and remain in compliance with federal environmental laws. New technologies and asset management techniques may help local governments create a plan to finance major capital assets, ensure compliance with environmental statutes and regulations and minimize health and environmental risks.

Below is a step-by-step financial planning process that can help your community determine capital asset technical and financial needs and find available air, waste and water resources to meet your compliance goals.

EPA's Office of Compliance also provides direct assistance to local government officials through the

• EPA Regional Compliance Assistance Coordinators
• LGEAN Assistance Center
• Local government sector notebook.

EPA promotes improved environmental compliance among small communities and small local governments by allowing penalty reductions (when appropriate) for small local governments that achieve comprehensive compliance or implement an Environmental Management System (EMS).

Local governments can find further assistance through the Small Local Governments Compliance Assistance Policy which provides:

• An overview of environmental responsibilities
• Information necessary to correct violations
• A framework for correcting violations in the context of achieving and sustaining comprehensive compliance.