Frequently Asked Questions |
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A. Background/General |
What is ECHO? Who can use ECHO? What
kind of information does ECHO contain? What do
the data tell me about the facilities? From where
does the information come? How frequently
are the data updated? "Real time" data are not presented on this site. Although the information is updated every month, the lag time for data to become available on the Web site varies depending on the data system, activity, and negotiated reporting cycle. For example, an inherent lag time exists between the date an inspection is performed, the entry of the inspection into the state database, the uploading of data from the state to EPA, and the posting of data on ECHO. In some situations, data will enter the system quickly, in other circumstances the lag time may be 2-3 months. Longer delays apply to data on drinking water systems; see the Drinking Water Search Help for details. What are the
benefits of ECHO? What are the key search interfaces in ECHO? 1. Find Detailed Facility Reports by City or Zip Code Find facility reports by entering a city and state or zip code. The results list facilities in the area with brief compliance information, which can be downloaded in text format. The Detailed Facility Reports are multimedia reports with Air Facility System (AFS), Permit Compliance System (PCS), Integrated Compliance Information System - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (ICIS-NPDES), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information System (RCRAInfo), and demographic information. Summary information is provided for inspections and enforcement actions. Three-year compliance status by quarter also is provided for facilities regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), and/or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). 2. Multimedia Compliance Data Search Perform detailed compliance analyses for facilities regulated under CAA (AFS data system), CWA (PCS and ICIS-NPDES database), and/or RCRA (RCRAInfo database). Search options include facilities not previously inspected, facilities with multiple violations, facilities in a sector, and facilities matching geographic criteria. Note: Information about public water systems regulated under SDWA is not yet available as part of the multimedia search, but it is available through the single-media Drinking Water Data Search. 3. Single-media Compliance Data Search (CAA, CWA PCS, CWA ICIS-NPDES, RCRA, SDWA) Perform detailed compliance analyses for facilities regulated by one of the statutes listed above. Search options are similar to the multimedia query, but vary slightly based on the statute; for example, users can search for facilities near impaired waters with the water program interface. 4. Multiple ID Search This search page is designed for companies that would like to get all data about their facilities in one query (rather than searching on all name permutations), and for other users who want to track a known list of facilities. Up to 500 identifiers may be submitted at once. Acceptable identifiers are:
5. EPA Enforcement Cases Search Search for federal enforcement case information from the Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS). ICIS tracks formal civil administrative and judicial enforcement actions taken by the U.S. EPA. Allows searches for any EPA enforcement case concluded after Sept. 30, 2000. Searches can be performed based on a variety of criteria, including facility name, penalty amount, geographic location, and statute violated. 6. EPA Enforcement SEP Search Searches for federal cases with SEPs that were concluded after Sept. 30, 2000. A SEP is part of an enforcement settlement in which a defendant/respondent voluntarily agrees to undertake an environmentally beneficial project. Allows users to learn more about such projects, which are often community-based and improve or protect public health and the environment. What reports are
available from the ECHO site? 2. The Detailed Facility Report provides information about the facility location, characteristics, regulatory category along with inspection dates, violation status, pollutants in violation, enforcement actions taken by the government, informal enforcement actions taken by the government, penalties assessed, and demographics of the area surrounding the facility. This report contains several embedded links that allow you to jump to additional detail. Facilities that have Clean Water Act permits can get a report from EnviroFacts that lists permit limits. Additional detail about TRI reported releases also are available via links to EnviroFacts. 3. The EPA Enforcement Case Report provides more details about enforcement cases that EPA has taken. This report is available as a link from the Detailed Facility Report in the "EPA Enforcement Actions" section. Note that facilities without EPA enforcement cases in the last five years will not have a link. Case reports also can be accessed by using the EPA Enforcement Cases Search or the EPA Enforcement SEP Search. How reliable is
this information? Users should be aware that information for larger facilities is much more complete than that for smaller facilities, as some data for smaller facilities may not be required to be entered by states. state environmental agencies may have more detailed information, particularly about smaller facilities. Does
EPA plan to release more information on ECHO? How can I use
the information I find on the site? Does
ECHO contain information about all environmental law violations/actions? Are all
facilities shown in ECHO default searches?
Note that EPA does regulate other facilities beyond those in the ECHO site. For example, the ECHO site does not include Superfund enforcement data. What is the
difference between larger facilities shown in ECHO and
smaller (e.g., "minor") facilities? Are
all facilities within ECHO operating, or could they be closed down? What role do
the states have in the maintenance and accuracy of the site? Is it safe
to release facility data? What is the Sector
Facility Indexing Project (SFIP)? How is ECHO related to SFIP? The Sector Facility Indexing project was retired in December of 2004. Most of the information previously found in SFIP can now be found in ECHO using the Sector Facility Indexing Universe field in the ECHO Multimedia Query form. The ECHO Sector Facility Indexing Universe field provides compliance and inspection history and demographics information for the five SFIP industry sectors. ECHO does not provide detailed information regarding chemical releases and spills; however, chemical release information can be obtained from EPA's TRI Explorer, and spill data can be obtained from the National Response Center . To learn more about SFIP, please visit EPA's SFIP Archive page. What if I need help? Does ECHO allow searching for Performance Track facilities? Did EPA respond to comments submitted during the public comment period? |
B. Enforcement/Compliance |
What are the general
stages of the enforcement process? When EPA and/or the state identifies an alleged violation through compliance monitoring activities (inspections, information gathering, etc.) or as a result of self-reported information, EPA or the state often issues a warning letter or a notice of violation to the alleged violator as a first step in the enforcement process. Such notification indicates to the regulated entity that the enforcement agency believes that the entity is in violation of the law and that it should come into compliance or be prepared to defend its actions in subsequent enforcement. These alleged violation do not represent a final, legal determination that a violation has occurred until an adjudication is complete. The next step or, in a number of cases, the first step in the enforcement process is the initiation of a civil administrative action or civil judicial action (in some serious cases, criminal enforcement actions may be taken). A civil administrative action is taken by the EPA or a state under its own authority, without involving a judicial court process. It typically begins with the issuance of an Administrative Order to bring about compliance. Civil judicial actions are formal lawsuits, filed in court, against individuals or entities that failed to comply with statutory or regulatory requirements or with an Administrative Order. These cases typically are brought to court by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the EPA or by the states' Attorneys General on behalf of the state regulatory agency. Civil administrative and judicial actions often end with a settlement, an agreed upon resolution to an enforcement case. Settlements in civil administrative actions are often in the form of Consent Agreements/Final Orders. Settlements in civil judicial actions are generally embodied in Consent Decrees, signed by all parties to the action and filed in the appropriate court. In the settlements, EPA or the state often requires injunctive relief (actions needed to return to compliance and correct environmental damage) and the payment of penalties. Settlements also may include Supplemental Environmental Projects, which are environmentally beneficial projects which a defendant/respondent agrees to undertake in settlement of an enforcement action, but which the defendant/respondent is not otherwise legally required to perform. Violation, noncompliance, significant noncompliance, high priority violation, and serious violator are all terms used by the ECHO site to describe the facility status in regard to compliance with the law. In many cases, these terms reflect determinations made by EPA or states when conducting inspections or reviewing facility self-reports. These determinations assist the government in tracking resolution of violations through the enforcement process and do not necessarily represent a final adjudication by a judicial or administrative body. In such cases, these characterizations should be considered alleged violations. Does EPA use this
information in its enforcement and compliance program? How
is compliance and enforcement work performed by EPA and states? What does
it mean if a facility has not been inspected in the last five years? How
do EPA and states respond to violations of environmental laws? Do
all violations receive formal enforcement actions? What does it mean
if a facility is in violation? Violation, noncompliance, significant noncompliance, high priority violation, and serious violator are all terms used by the ECHO site to describe the facility status in regard to compliance with the law. In many cases, these terms reflect determinations made by EPA or states when conducting inspections or reviewing facility self-reports. These determinations assist the government in tracking resolution of violations through the enforcement process and do not necessarily represent a final adjudication by a judicial or administrative body. In such cases, these characterizations should be considered alleged violations. What does it mean to
be in Significant Noncompliance (SNC), High Priority Violation
(HPV), or a Serious Violator? Violation, noncompliance, significant noncompliance, high priority violation, and serious violator are all terms used by the ECHO site to describe the facility status in regard to compliance with the law. In many cases, these terms reflect determinations made by EPA or states when conducting inspections or reviewing facility self-reports. These determinations assist the government in tracking resolution of violations through the enforcement process and do not necessarily represent a final adjudication by a judicial or administrative body. In such cases, these characterizations should be considered alleged violations. Does the absence
of violations mean a facility is in full compliance with the law? What
does "Resolved Pending" mean under the Clean Water Act (CWA)? What is the
cause of permit exceedances shown under the Clean Water Act (CWA)? Why is
there limited information on Maximum Contaminant Levels and contaminant
measured values in the drinking water data? Why
does ECHO show that there are public water systems that have had formal
enforcement actions issued, but have not returned to compliance? Why
doesn't ECHO show a full list of systems that are in compliance? What
caveats should I know about the data in the Drinking Water
Data Search? |
C. Technical |
How does
ECHO relate to other EPA information and data management initiatives? How does
ECHO differ from other data on the EPA Web sites? Are there
differences between facilities listed in EnviroFacts versus those in ECHO? Can I search for
multiple facility names or multiple SIC codes? I tried searching
for a particular facility, but could not find it in the database. What
can I do? Is any additional
information available on permitted discharges and chemical releases? Is
there a downloadable version of the data included in ECHO? |
D. Comments/Corrections/Data Quality |
What can I do
to notify EPA of possible data errors found in ECHO reports? Can I request
that an old violation be designated as resolved in the database because
it has been corrected? As an employee
or official of a facility, I am aware of violations at a facility, yet
none are listed in the report. What should I do? Who can I
contact if I have any questions or comments? |