--- title: Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog | STP | Environment (7) description: Environment | STP's blog giving insight into audit, compliance and risk issues for EHS, business and accounting. (7) --- [![Specialty Technical Publishers](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/STP-logo-white-orange.png)](http://www.stpub.com/) - [My Account](http://stponline.stpub.com) - 1-800-251-0381 # Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog ## [Maine enacts first US extended producer responsibility law for packaging](https://blog.stpub.com/maine-enacts-first-us-extended-producer-responsibility-law-for-packaging) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Wed, Sep 01, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/Packaging.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/maine-enacts-first-us-extended-producer-responsibility-law-for-packaging) In recent years, governments around the world have extended solid waste management efforts to support—and in some cases require—recycling and resource recovery efforts to divert more solid wastes from landfills, and to substitute reused materials or raw materials. Increasingly, specialized stewardship programs target particular types of hazardous wastes – used oils, spent batteries, etc. – the national advocacy group Product Stewardship Institute identifies more than 120 such programs spread among 34 US states (I introduced these efforts [HERE](https://blog.stpub.com/proliferating-product-stewardship-programs-facilitate-recycling)). Maine already has a number of these programs. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/maine-enacts-first-us-extended-producer-responsibility-law-for-packaging) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/maine-enacts-first-us-extended-producer-responsibility-law-for-packaging#comments-listing) Tags: [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [environmental law](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-law), [Maine](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/maine), [Recyclable](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/recyclable), [Packaging](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/packaging) ## [Proliferating product stewardship programs facilitate recycling](https://blog.stpub.com/proliferating-product-stewardship-programs-facilitate-recycling) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Wed, Aug 18, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/layout-sorting-waste-recycling.png) ](https://blog.stpub.com/proliferating-product-stewardship-programs-facilitate-recycling) Solid waste management has come a long way since enactment of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) of 1965 to address the national “landfill crisis.” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) applies SWDA authority to adopt landfill standards, which are administered by state and local governments. EPA also empowers these state and local governments to do more, not just through additional disposal standards, but through expanded requirements for recycling and resource recovery efforts designed to keep more solid wastes out of landfills. In addition, extended management programs impose “product stewardship” and “extended producer responsibility” on manufacturers. This note discusses these introduces these ideas, and summarizes the extent of state programs that apply them. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/proliferating-product-stewardship-programs-facilitate-recycling) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/proliferating-product-stewardship-programs-facilitate-recycling#comments-listing) Tags: [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [SWDA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/swda), [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [environmental law](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-law), [Recyclable](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/recyclable), [Stewardship Program](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/stewardship-program) ## [Department of Justice recalibrating enforcement policies](https://blog.stpub.com/department-of-justice-recalibrating-enforcement-policies) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Tue, Jun 01, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/nature-3092017_640.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/department-of-justice-recalibrating-enforcement-policies) Within the US federal government, the Department of Justice (DOJ) enforces many civil and criminal laws directly, and also provides the attorneys who represent federal agencies in enforcement cases. For example, DOJ’s “US attorneys” represent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cases under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, etc. In doing so, DOJ provides those attorneys with departmental policies to guide their activities – as a practical matter, DOJ policies supersede any conflicting client-agency policies. It’s therefore important, that since the Biden administration assumed office, Attorney General Garland and his deputies have moved aggressively to review and revise departmental policies inherited from the Trump administration. The remainder of this note discusses some of these changes. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/department-of-justice-recalibrating-enforcement-policies) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/department-of-justice-recalibrating-enforcement-policies#comments-listing) Tags: [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [DOJ](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/doj), [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [ENRD](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/enrd), [Climate](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/climate) ## [Avoiding false and misleading environmental advertising](https://blog.stpub.com/avoiding-false-and-misleading-environmental-advertising) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Wed, May 26, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/green-spring-forest-with-green-leaves-1.png) ](https://blog.stpub.com/avoiding-false-and-misleading-environmental-advertising) A host of laws are designed to protect consumers from abusive business practices. These laws include longstanding protections against advertising that uses “false” or “misleading” advertising to induce consumers to buy products that do not perform as advertised, or that produce consequences different from those advertised. The basic U.S. federal law protecting consumers from false advertising is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act, originally adopted in 1914; many states have enacted analogous provisions (in Canada, the Competition Act also provides analogous requirements). Organizations must meet these standards if they intend to make claims about their products or services, and should remember these provisions when reading materials prepared by others.  [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/avoiding-false-and-misleading-environmental-advertising) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/avoiding-false-and-misleading-environmental-advertising#comments-listing) Tags: [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [FTC](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ftc), [FTC Green Guides](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ftc-green-guides) ## [US joins the world in HFC phasedown](https://blog.stpub.com/us-joins-the-world-in-hfc-phasedown) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Tue, May 11, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/scientific-bg.png) ](https://blog.stpub.com/us-joins-the-world-in-hfc-phasedown) On April 30, 2021, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed rules to phase down production and consumption of specified hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HFCs), consistent with directives included in the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the United Nations-sponsored Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. These rules were authorized by the massive coronavirus relief bill (American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (AIM Act)) enacted in December 2020, which included dozens of unrelated provisions within its 5,593 pages. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/us-joins-the-world-in-hfc-phasedown) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/us-joins-the-world-in-hfc-phasedown#comments-listing) Tags: [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [climate change](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/climate-change), [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [HFCs](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/hfcs), [Montreal Protocol](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/montreal-protocol), [Ozone Layer](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ozone-layer), [AIM Act](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/aim-act), [ODS](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ods) ## [EPA Revises Multi-Sector General Permit For Industrial Stormwater Discharges](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-revises-multi-sector-general-permit-for-industrial-stormwater-discharges) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Wed, May 05, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/water-flow.png) ](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-revises-multi-sector-general-permit-for-industrial-stormwater-discharges) Effective March 1, 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a revised “National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit for Discharges from industrial Activities” (MSGP).” This new 2021 MSGP replaces EPA’s 2015 MSGP (which expired in 2020 but was continued by administrative fiat). Compliance begins May 30, 2021 for facilities that have been subject to the 2015 MSGP. Even though EPA's direct permit authority applies only in limited parts of the country, the new MSGP provides a reminder to organizations nationwide that stormwater management efforts need to be thorough and up-to-date. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-revises-multi-sector-general-permit-for-industrial-stormwater-discharges) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-revises-multi-sector-general-permit-for-industrial-stormwater-discharges#comments-listing) Tags: [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [Stormwater](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/stormwater), [clean water](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/clean-water), [NPDES](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/npdes), [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [MSGP](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/msgp) ## [Biden directs agencies to review all Trump administrative actions](https://blog.stpub.com/biden-directs-agencies-to-review-all-trump-administrative-actions) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Mon, Feb 22, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/review.png) ](https://blog.stpub.com/biden-directs-agencies-to-review-all-trump-administrative-actions) President Biden is moving quickly to review and revise many of former President Trump’s administrative actions. As I discussed [HERE](https://blog.stpub.com/how-and-how-fast-can-democrats-make-environmental-policy-changes-theyve-promised), the fastest mechanisms for these reversals are executive orders (EOs) and slightly less formal executive memoranda from the President or his agency heads. One of the EOs signed on president Biden’s first day of office starts immediate action to review all Trump administrative actions. EO 13990 of January 20, 2021, “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis”, applies to all federal agencies but focuses on President Trump’s environmental actions. The remainder of this note discusses this particular EO.  [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/biden-directs-agencies-to-review-all-trump-administrative-actions) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/biden-directs-agencies-to-review-all-trump-administrative-actions#comments-listing) Tags: [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [climate change](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/climate-change), [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [Environmental Policy](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-policy) ## [How, and how fast, can Democrats make environmental policy changes they’ve promised?](https://blog.stpub.com/how-and-how-fast-can-democrats-make-environmental-policy-changes-theyve-promised) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Wed, Feb 17, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/sea-5621150_1920.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/how-and-how-fast-can-democrats-make-environmental-policy-changes-theyve-promised) President Biden and the Democratic majorities in Congress have announced sweeping plans to reverse most of the Trump Administration’s environmental policies. The timing and practicality of these reversals depends very much on each of the targeted policy’s legal status – laws, regulations, Executive Orders, or guidance documents. The remainder of this note comments on each of these sets of situations, highlighting examples of each. I’ll discuss them in order ranging from quickest/easiest to most time consuming/difficult. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/how-and-how-fast-can-democrats-make-environmental-policy-changes-theyve-promised) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/how-and-how-fast-can-democrats-make-environmental-policy-changes-theyve-promised#comments-listing) Tags: [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [climate change](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/climate-change), [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [Environmental Policy](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-policy) ## [EPA reaffirms national particulate standards](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-reaffirms-national-particulate-standards) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Mon, Jan 18, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/natural-471949_1920.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-reaffirms-national-particulate-standards) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed a long review, and reaffirmed the primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM), including those for PM-10 (particulates with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 microns) and PM-2.5 (less than or equal to 2.5 microns; also call “fines”). On December 4, EPA announced it would retain the PM standards set in 2013, despite comments presenting recent scientific evidence – including evidence that higher pollution levels exacerbate harm from COVID-19 -- and seeking tighter standards. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-reaffirms-national-particulate-standards) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-reaffirms-national-particulate-standards#comments-listing) Tags: [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [CAA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/caa), [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [NAAQS](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/naaqs) ## [EPA revises benefit-cost analyses for air rules](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-revises-benefit-cost-analyses-for-air-rules) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Tue, Jan 12, 2021 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hubfs/clouds-3350771_1920.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-revises-benefit-cost-analyses-for-air-rules) During President Trump’s term, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken a number of steps to narrow benefit-cost analyses (BCAs), reversing expansive approaches used during the Obama Administration and thereby reducing the calculated benefits of environmental and health regulations. EPA announced what will probably be the last such step on December 4, by adopting a new Part 83 in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) entitled “Increasing Consistency and Transparency in Considering Benefits and Costs in Clean Air Act Rulemaking Process.” (I wrote about less formal guidance in a May 2019 memorandum from EPA Administrator Wheeler to his Assistant Administrators [HERE](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-takes-another-step-to-reform-benefit-cost-analyses)[.)](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-takes-another-step-to-reform-benefit-cost-analyses\).) [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-revises-benefit-cost-analyses-for-air-rules) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/epa-revises-benefit-cost-analyses-for-air-rules#comments-listing) Tags: [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [CAA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/caa), [Environment](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment), [BCA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/bca) [Previous](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment/page/6) [All posts](https://blog.stpub.com/all) [Next](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environment/page/8) ### Follow Me ### Subscribe by Email ### Browse by Topic Area - [Accounting & Tax ](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/accounting-tax) - [Business & Legal ](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/business-legal) - [Corporate Governance  ](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/?Tag=Corporate+Governance) - [Environmental ](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/?Tag=Environmental) - [Global ](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/?Tag=Global) - [Health & Safety ](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/health-safety) - [Internet ](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/?Tag=Internet) - [Transportation ](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/?Tag=Transportation) ### Browse by Tag - [Environmental (344)](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental) - [Business & Legal (309)](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/business-legal) - [Environmental risks (300)](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-risks) - [Health & Safety (296)](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/health-safety) - [EPA (283)](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa) - [Terms & Conditions](https://stphub.stpehs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/STP-Terms-of-Use-Dec-20.pdf) - [Privacy Policy](https://stphub.stpehs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/STP-Privacy-Policy.pdf) - [License Agreement](https://stphub.stpehs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/STP-License-Agreement-Dec-20.pdf) - [Sitemap](http://stpub.com/sitemap) - [Support](http://stpub.com/support) © 2021 STP ComplianceEHS - All rights reserved