The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule to modernize Clean Water Act reporting processes for facilities subject to reporting requirements by converting to an electronic data reporting system. This proposed rule would make facility-specific information accessible to the public through EPA’s website. Cynthia Giles – Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance – says the e-reporting rule will dramatically cut costs for states and other regulatory authorities and substantially expand transparency by making it easier for everyone to quickly access critical data on pollution. EPA expects the rule will lead to more comprehensive and complete data on pollution sources, quicker availability of the data for use and increased accessibility and transparency of the data to the public.
Municipal, industrial and commercial facilities that discharge wastewater into waters of the U.S. are required to obtain a permit under the Clean Water Act. The NPDES program requires that permitted facilities monitor and report data on pollutant discharges and take other actions to ensure discharges don’t affect human health or the environment. According to EPA – most facilities subject to reporting requirements will be required to begin electronically submitting data one year following the effective date of the final rule.
Once published in the Federal Register – there will be a 90 day review and comment period on the proposed rule.
Source: NAFB News Service