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Compliance & Enforcement
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Compliance is the term for fully satisfying or meeting all of the regulatory requirements your establishment may be subject to. To help businesses comply with these environmental requirements, EPA offers many types of assistance (including outreach and other forms of information sharing) and incentives. Outreach may include publishing guides or manuals on how to comply or developing and distributing fact sheets or "plain English" documents that explain various regulatory requirements. Offering incentives is another method currently used by EPA to encourage compliance.
- 2008 - 2010 National Priorities for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
- Air Quality Compliance Agreement for Animal Feeding Operations
- Audit Policy
- Information on Potential Use of Unregistered Pesticides with Burlap, Jute, or Hessian Natural Fabric
- Small Business Incentives Policy
- Small Business Ombudsman
- Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) Policy
- Statute-Specific Policies
- EPA Compliance and Enforcement Annual Results - FY2007
- Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Fiscal Year 2006 Accomplishments Report (PDF) (32 pp, 993K)
Related publications from the Ag Center
Ag Center Information
Compliance and EnforcementMore information from EPA
EPA Conducts Compliance Assistance Outreach to Ethnic Marketplaces
Web-Based Compliance Tool Available for Tribes
EPA's National Strategy for AgricultureMore information from the states
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) - representing the state departments of agriculture in the development, implementation, and communication of sound public policy and programs which support and promote the American agricultural industry, while protecting consumers and the environment.
The One Plan - An innovative approach to conservation planning that enables farmers and ranchers in Idaho to identify and address multiple environmental agency requirements while ensuring a viable and sustainable approach.
Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) - assists in the implementation of agricultural pollution prevention practices on farms.
Montana State University - Animal and Range Science Extension Service: Natural Resources Links/Small Acreage Landowner Teaching Materials - These modules are designed to assist people in teaching small acreage landowner seminars. Each module contains information about various exercises and includes PowerPoint presentations that can be downloaded.
Audit Policy
The goal of the EPA's voluntary self-disclosure policy is to provide an incentive for regulated entities, such as agrichemical dealers, to self-audit, disclose, and correct environmental violations. Under the final policy, EPA will protect public health and the environment by reducing civil penalties and by not recommending criminal prosecution for regulated entities that voluntarily discover, disclose, and correct violations. The final policy applies to violations under all of the environmental laws that EPA administers, and will be applied uniformly across EPA's enforcement programs and regions.Related publications from the Ag Center
Compliance and EnforcementRelated laws and policies
Policies and GuidanceMore information from EPA
Audit Policy
Audit Policy Interpretive Guidance (PDF) (40 pp, 1.4MB)
Electronic Self-Disclosure under the EPA Audit Policy
Information on Potential Use of Unregistered Pesticides with Burlap, Jute, or Hessian Natural Fabric
On October 14, 2005, the Director of the Antimicrobials Division of EPA OPPTS sent a letter to the Dayton Bag & Burlap Company to explain the potential issues associated with using an unregistered pesticide on burlap, jute, or Hessian natural fabric.Related publications from the Ag Center
Letter Regarding the Potential Use of Unregistered Pesticides on Burlap (PDF) (1 pg, 50K)More information from EPA
Fact Sheet: Consumer Products Treated with Pesticides
Small Business Incentives Policy
To help small businesses comply with environmental regulations and achieve health, safety, and environmental health benefits, the Environmental Protection Agency has incentives for small businesses who evaluate their own operations for compliance, then voluntarily disclose and correct violations. This program is called the Small Business Incentives Policy and is intended to promote environmental compliance among small businesses by giving them special incentives to participate in compliance assistance programs or to conduct environmental audits, and then promptly correct violations.Related publications from the Ag Center
Compliance and EnforcementRelated laws and policies
Policies and GuidanceMore information from EPA
Small Business Compliance Policy (PDF) (18 pp, 43K)
Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) Policies and Guidance
Small Business Ombudsman
Established in 1982, EPA's Office of the Small Business Ombudsman (SBO) serves as an effective conduit for small businesses to access EPA and facilitates communications between the small business community and the Agency. The Office reviews and resolves disputes with EPA and works with EPA personnel to increase their understanding of small businesses in the development and enforcement of environmental regulations.The SBO's primary customer group is the Nation's small business community. Significant secondary customer groups include State and EPA regional small business ombudsmen and national trade associations serving small businesses.
In response to the identified needs of the Office's target customer groups, the SBO has undertaken a variety of major outreach efforts including:
- Serving as liaison between small businesses and the EPA to promote understanding of Agency policy and small business needs and concerns.
- Staffing a small business hotline that provides regulatory and technical assistance information.
- Maintaining and distributing an extensive collection of informational and technical literature developed by the various EPA program offices.
- Making personal appearances as a speaker or panelist at small businessrelated meetings.
- Interfacing on an ongoing basis with over 45 key national trade associations representing several million small businesses and with State and regional ombudsmen who serve businesses on the local level. Also in contact with over 400 additional national organizations that represent millions of small businesses.
- Providing guidance on the development of national policies and regulations that impact small businesses.
- Tracking development and implementation of regulations affecting small business in support of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
More information from EPA
Small Business Ombudsman
Telephone assistance from EPA
Small Business Ombudsman 1-800-368-5888
Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) Policy
A Supplemental Environmental Project is an environmentally beneficial project which a defendant/respondent agrees to undertake in settlement of an environmental enforcement action, but is otherwise not legally required to perform. In exchange for the legal commitment to undertake a SEP, some percentage of the cost of the project may be considered as a factor in establishing the penalty paid by the defendant/respondent. In this way, while maintaining a strong enforcement policy that requires alleged violators to promptly cease violations and to remediate any harm, EPA also encourages additional environmental improvements and public health protection that may not have otherwise occurred. EPA believes that SEPs may be particularly useful to promote Agency priorities, such as Environmental Justice and Pollution Prevention, Best Management Practices, and Conservation.Related publications from the Ag Center
Compliance Incentives
Related laws and policies
Policies and Guidance
More information from EPA
Supplemental Environmental Projects Policy and Guidance
Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) Policy (PDF) (3 pp, 157K)
Statute-Specific Policies
Many other policies and guidance statements have been developed under specific statutes or relate to specific environmental program areas. The following are links to those types of policies and guidance.Related laws and policies
Policies and GuidanceMore information from EPA
Clean Air Act (CAA) Enforcement
Clean Water Act (CWA) Enforcement
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA)
Hazardous and Solid Waste (RCRA)
Pesticides Enforcement (FIFRA)
Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA)
Site Remediation (Superfund/CERCLA)
Toxics and Pesticides Enforcement (TSCA)
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