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Change is inevitable in business. The list of potential triggers is endless, including changing personnel, requirements and resources. Furthermore, each change is unique to the specific business, industry, and circumstance, affecting varying impacts and degrees of complexity. It is natural to feel overwhelmed by change and experience difficulty determining which factors to consider and whom to involve. Fortunately, with the
The Washington Department of Ecology has reissued the Construction Stormwater General Permit to take effect on January 1, 2021. The permit authorizes stormwater and approved non-stormwater discharges associated with construction activity. Permit coverage is required for the following: Ongoing construction sites that are covered under the existing permit Construction sites that disturb one acre or more of land and discharge
In March of 2020, the EPA released its final proposed version of the Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) that will replace the 2015 version currently in force. The MSGP authorizes stormwater discharges in areas where the EPA is the permitting authority, e.g., areas not covered by a state general permit. The comment period for the proposed permit ended June 1, and
Over the past several years, regulatory authorities and nonprofits have increased their watch over stormwater compliance. Freer Consulting routinely monitors records for the state of Washington from the Region 10 office of the Environmental Protection Agency for Notices of Intent (NOI) to Sue under the Clean Water Act. In 2019, the EPA received 21 NOIs for Washington businesses and individuals.
This year, a new permit for Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) for the state of Washington went into effect. Now is a great time to look at how permit holders in King County did over the 2015-2019 period regarding stormwater violations. Data was collected from the Department of Ecology looking at all industrial stormwater violations reported in each year for
Completing Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) reports is a complex, resource-intensive process for any business, whether when establishing benchmarks for the first time or working towards well-specified goals. GRESB has successfully streamlined the reporting process, but data collection, management, and verification still pose obstacles during the annual reporting cycle. GRESB complexity comes from the same source as its elegance.
With COVID-19 clinical laboratory testing continuing to ramp up throughout the United States and worldwide, Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) applications for registration are continuing to increase. In response to the pandemic, the federal government is taking unprecedented action to ensure laboratories in the United States wishing to test for COVID-19 are expedited through the CLIA certificate application process. On
In this time of social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s challenging to comply with regulatory requirements due to disruptions in business operations or lowered staff availability. Despite these challenges, there isn’t a legal mechanism that relieves businesses of their duty of regulatory compliance. The pandemic and efforts to fight it continue, yet rain will still fall and stormwater
On March 31, 2020, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) updated CG-CVC Mission Management System Work Instructions CVC-WI-005(2) Request For Recognized Organization Internal Quality Management System Review – “Quality Case” to inform USCG Marine Inspectors to “evaluate situations where objective evidence indicates that a potential failure of a Recognized Organization (RO) or a Third Party Organization (TPO) under 46 CFR
Electronic waste is all too often making its way into local landfills or being exported to countries where it is improperly disposed of, posing a significant threat to the local people and the environment in general. Responsible Recycling Practices Standard, known as R2, was facilitated by the EPA and developed by recycling stakeholders to promote and assess responsible practices for