Federal Environmental Regulations Seminar in Las Vegas, Nevada

March 22-23, 2010

October 4-5, 2010

at the Orleans Hotel and Casino

NOTE: This course has been approved by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene for 2.0 Industrial Hygiene certification maintenance points.

First Day  (8:30 am - 5:00 pm)

 Regulatory Overview

This session will provide you with an overview of the key federal environmental statutes and the inter-relationship among them. You will learn how Congress and EPA formulate environmental laws and regulations. You will also learn about the roles of the legislature, the regulators, the regulated communities, citizens and public interest groups:

• Federal, state and local agency interaction 

• Latest development and emerging trends

• Federal Rulemaking process

• Organizational structure of the US EPA

• Overview of major federal regulations

• General enforcement issues

• Public participation

• Status of reauthorization

• How to work effectively with agencies

 Clean Water Act

This is by far the most comprehensive environmental statute ever enacted by Congress. It has been time tested in courts and is rigorously enforced by EPA. You will learn the following key elements of the Act:

• The NPDES permitting process

• Definition of "navigable waters" of the US

• How to get a mixing zone for your discharge

• New source performance standards

•  Implications of Discharge Monitoring Reports

• Water quality criteria and standards

• Technology based effluent limitations

• Pretreatment standards and POTW

• Anti-backsliding and non-degradation  

• Strategy on dealing with citizen law suits

• Best management practices 

•  Storm water management plans

• Spill Prevention and Control Countermeasures

• Clean Water Act enforcement

Noon - 1:00 pm Lunch break

 Clean Air Act

Learn how the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 unify local and state air regulations. You will find out how the CAA affects your permitting requirements through the Title V operating permits. You will also learn about the new accidental release prevention program (Risk Management Plan) mandated under Section 112 (r) of the Act.  Specifically, this session will discuss the meaning of:   

• National ambient air quality standards

• State implementation plans

• Attainment and nonattainment areas

• Title V operating permit requirements

• How to maintain maximum operational flexibility

• National emission standards for hazardous air pollutants

• New source performance standards

• Prevention of Significant Deterioration requirements

• Key elements of the Risk Management Plan

•   How the Clean Air Act is enforced

Emergency Planning and Spills Reporting

Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act as a result of a chemical accident that killed several thousand persons in India. You will learn how this and other reporting requirements affect your operation and what you need to do to comply with its requirements. This session covers:

• Community Right to Know requirements

• The list of lists

• Tier I and Tier II reporting

• Reportable quantities and reporting requirements

•  What to do before, during and after a spill

• Toxic release inventory (Form R)

• How EPCRA is enforced

 Second Day  (8:30 am - 5:00 pm)

 Hazardous Wastes Management and Superfund

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is a stringent "cradle-to-grave" management program that governs all aspects of your hazardous waste activities. The Superfund program (CERCLA) takes it beyond the grave! It holds generators eternally liable for their hazardous wastes disposal practices retroactively.  This session will discuss the RCRA rules and regulations and the implications on Superfund. You will learn about:

• How to identify and manage hazardous wastes

• Accumulation, storage and handling requirements

• How to manage satellite accumulation point

• Manifests preparation and recordkeeping

• Key elements of a RCRA contingency plan

• Selecting TSDFs and transporters to minimize your liability

• Land disposal restrictions

• Superfund's joint, several and strict liability 

•  The meaning of Potentially Responsible Party (PRP)

• How to negotiate an equitable settlement with EPA 

• The National Contingency Plan and cleanup process

• How EPA's Superfund mandate affect you as the PRP

•  Implications on property acquisitions

• EPA's lender's liability policy 

• How RCRA and CERCLA are enforced

 Noon - 1:00 pm Lunch break

 Inspections, Enforcement and Liability

You will learn practical ways to minimize your liability and what to do before, during and after an inspection. You will receive copies of EPA's various Inspection Manuals on a CD-ROM. This session covers:

• EPA’s multi-media inspections

• Why EPA conducts inspections

• How to prepare for an agency inspection

• How to conduct yourself in the opening and closing conferences

• Your rights during an inspection

• When should you contact your attorney

• Different types of inspection

• EPA's enforcement and penalty policy 

• How to negotiate penalties and fines

• What to do with Consent Decrees and deadlines

• How to avoid criminal prosecution

• How to develop an "internal early warning system"

• Ways to manage your staff to ensure compliance

Environmental Management Systems and Auditing

A good Environmental Management System (EMS) can be a very useful tool for ensuring environmental compliance. In this session you will learn:

• The key elements of a cost-effective environmental management system

• Management audit vs. compliance audit

• The pros and cons of environmental audits

• Practical ways of protecting your audit information

• What questions to ask during an audit and how to ask them

• EPA’s Audit and self-disclosure Policy

•  US Department of Justice Guidelines for Prosecution

• EPA's internal policy on investigative discretion

• Practical ideas on staying in compliance

Certificate of Completion, Course Manuals and CD-ROM.  As an attendee of our seminar, you will receive a Certificate of Completion and a 400-page e-Reference book written in PDF format that is both searchable and printable. You will also receive a CD-ROM containing over 250 files of key EPA policies, guidance documents, and numerous practical environmental compliance tools.

Your Seminar Instructor

 Norman S. Wei will share his 34 years of practical hands-on environmental experience with you - including 9 years as the senior corporate environmental manager for a Fortune 500 company with 15 manufacturing facilities worldwide. You will benefit from his in depth and first-hand working knowledge of all the major environmental regulations covered in this seminar. For example, you will learn how he played a key role in resolving a major citizen lawsuit under the Clean Water Act.  Norman is a Registered Professional Engineer and a former professional member of the National Speakers Association.

 The cost of this 2-day seminar is $895 per person. $800 per person if two or more persons from the same organization attend.

Click here to register for this seminar.

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Last modified: 09/15/09