Facilities nationwide that are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may soon be able to self-disclose environmental violations on the EPA Web site, according to EPA information.
The electronic self-disclosure system, or eDisclosure, is part of a pilot project announced August 7 for Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. EPA said the program should reduce transaction costs for companies by ensuring that each disclosure contains complete information. Based on the results of the pilot, EPA will consider expanding eDisclosure to other states in the near future.
Under the program, facilities will be able to use eDisclosure to disclose violations of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (for example, failure to submit toxic chemical release forms to EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory).
The agency's audit policy provides incentives to companies that voluntarily discover, promptly disclose and correct and prevent future environmental violations. EPA may reduce or waive penalties for violations if the facility meets the conditions of the policy. EPA will not waive or reduce penalties for repeat violations, or violations that resulted in serious actual harm.
EPA said that since 1995, more than 3,500 companies have disclosed and resolved violations at nearly 10,000 facilities under the audit policy.
For more information on eDisclosure, click here.
For more information on the EPA audit policy, click here.