--- title: Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog | STP | Environmental (31) description: Environmental | STP's blog giving insight into audit, compliance and risk issues for EHS, business and accounting. (31) --- [![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 ## [New Alberta Energy Regulator to Streamline Regulatory Process](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185587/New-Alberta-Energy-Regulator-to-Streamline-Regulatory-Process) Posted by [STP Editorial Team](https://blog.stpub.com/author/stp-editorial-team) on Wed, Sep 04, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-285226502-jpg/images/power_plant.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185587/New-Alberta-Energy-Regulator-to-Streamline-Regulatory-Process) **** [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185587/New-Alberta-Energy-Regulator-to-Streamline-Regulatory-Process) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185587/New-Alberta-Energy-Regulator-to-Streamline-Regulatory-Process#comments-listing) Tags: [Business & Legal](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/business-legal), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [Oil & Gas](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/oil-gas), [Canadian](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/canadian) ## [Motor Carrier Registration Systems to be Upgraded and Web-Based](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/186121/Motor-Carrier-Registration-Systems-to-be-Upgraded-and-Web-Based) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Fri, Aug 30, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-284355850-jpg/images/truck.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/186121/Motor-Carrier-Registration-Systems-to-be-Upgraded-and-Web-Based) Last week the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published major changes in the registration requirements it imposes on “motor carriers” that use roads and highways to transport materials—including [hazardous materials](http://www.stpub.com/federal-toxics-program-commentary-online).  Over the next two years, these changes will consolidate four separate registration systems into a new web-based **Unified Registration System (URS)**, designed to cover every domestic entity subject to FMCSA authority.  Most elements of the new regulations will take effect on October 23, 2015, to allow FMCSA to develop additional URS features and to conduct several related rulemakings, and to allow regulated entities to prepare for the changes in compliance requirements. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/186121/Motor-Carrier-Registration-Systems-to-be-Upgraded-and-Web-Based) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/186121/Motor-Carrier-Registration-Systems-to-be-Upgraded-and-Web-Based#comments-listing) Tags: [Health & Safety](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/health-safety), [Environmental risks](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-risks), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [Hazcom](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/hazcom), [Transportation](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/transportation) ## [Obama Issues Executive Order On Chemical Facility Safety](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185680/Obama-Issues-Executive-Order-On-Chemical-Facility-Safety) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Wed, Aug 21, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-272851594-jpg/images/chemical_fire_(cropped).jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185680/Obama-Issues-Executive-Order-On-Chemical-Facility-Safety) One small but critically important sub-category of chemical incidents consists of those that can produce mass casualties, usually when a cloud of toxic or superheated gases are spewed out by a fire or explosion.  Given America’s fragmented approach to [hazardous materials](http://www.stpub.com/chemcheck-handbook) regulation, it’s no surprise that separate regulatory programs have grown up to address these concerns—leading inevitably to overlaps and gaps in coverage. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185680/Obama-Issues-Executive-Order-On-Chemical-Facility-Safety) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185680/Obama-Issues-Executive-Order-On-Chemical-Facility-Safety#comments-listing) Tags: [Corporate Governance](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/corporate-governance), [Business & Legal](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/business-legal), [Health & Safety](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/health-safety), [OSHA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/osha), [Environmental risks](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-risks), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [EHS](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ehs), [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [Greenhouse Gas](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/greenhouse-gas), [Hazcom](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/hazcom) ## [Free Webinar: GRI G4 Materiality Aligns Sustainability Reporting and Strategy](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185622/Free-Webinar-GRI-G4-Materiality-Aligns-Sustainability-Reporting-and-Strategy) Posted by [Melanie Powers](https://blog.stpub.com/author/melanie-powers) on Mon, Aug 19, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-17056855-jpg/images/opps-for-learning-plus-stc-logo1.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185622/Free-Webinar-GRI-G4-Materiality-Aligns-Sustainability-Reporting-and-Strategy) **Date: **Wednesday, August 28, 2013 [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185622/Free-Webinar-GRI-G4-Materiality-Aligns-Sustainability-Reporting-and-Strategy) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185622/Free-Webinar-GRI-G4-Materiality-Aligns-Sustainability-Reporting-and-Strategy#comments-listing) Tags: [Corporate Governance](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/corporate-governance), [Business & Legal](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/business-legal), [Training](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/training), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [Webinar](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/webinar) ## [EPA Excludes Solvent-Contaminated Wipes From RCRA Regulation](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185180/EPA-Excludes-Solvent-Contaminated-Wipes-From-RCRA-Regulation) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Wed, Aug 14, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-263580801-jpg/images/solvent_wipes.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185180/EPA-Excludes-Solvent-Contaminated-Wipes-From-RCRA-Regulation) All hazardous wastes are not created equal.  The basic model is that: [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185180/EPA-Excludes-Solvent-Contaminated-Wipes-From-RCRA-Regulation) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/185180/EPA-Excludes-Solvent-Contaminated-Wipes-From-RCRA-Regulation#comments-listing) Tags: [Business & Legal](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/business-legal), [Employer Best Practices](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/employer-best-practices), [Health & Safety](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/health-safety), [Environmental risks](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-risks), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [EHS](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ehs), [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [RCRA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/rcra) ## [Environmental Compliance: One Chemical, Many Regulations](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/184457/Environmental-Compliance-One-Chemical-Many-Regulations) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Fri, Aug 02, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-240370649-jpg/images/hazchem_sign.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/184457/Environmental-Compliance-One-Chemical-Many-Regulations) If government provided a unified approach to [chemical regulation](http://www.stpub.com/chemcheck-handbook), then each chemical might be subject to a single set of requirements, which ideally would be tailored to reflect chemical-specific hazards throughout its life cycle.  Instead, each chemical is subject to its own loosely connected (some would say haphazard) collection of environmental, health and safety (EH&S) requirements.  Some are federal, some are state (or provincial if you’re in Canada), and others are regional and even local.  You may need to refer to agencies at all three levels (federal, state and local) to identify your regulators and their requirements – although many organizations only deal with the agency responsible for permitting and inspecting day-to-day activities. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/184457/Environmental-Compliance-One-Chemical-Many-Regulations) 1 Comment [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/184457/Environmental-Compliance-One-Chemical-Many-Regulations#comments-listing) Tags: [Audit Standards](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/audit-standards), [Environmental risks](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-risks), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [EHS](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ehs), [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [Hazcom](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/hazcom), [MSDS](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/msds), [mact](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/mact) ## [Court Vacates SEC’s Resource Extractors’ Reporting Requirements](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/183732/Court-Vacates-SEC-s-Resource-Extractors-Reporting-Requirements) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Fri, Jul 19, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-229689039-jpg/images/extractors.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/183732/Court-Vacates-SEC-s-Resource-Extractors-Reporting-Requirements) One of the Dodd-Frank Act’s many directives to the [Securities and Exchange Commission](http://www.stpub.com/securities-aw-a-guide-to-the-1933-and-1934-acts-and-their-amendments-including-sarbanes-oxley-and-dodd-frank-online) (SEC) was to require annual disclosures by publicly listed “resource extraction issuers” of payments they make to the U.S. federal government or foreign governments, related to commercial development of oil, natural gas, or minerals.  SEC thought it met this directive when it issued **Rule 13q-1 and associated Form SD **in August 2012.  However, on July 2, 2013 a federal judge decided that SEC misapplied its authority, and so vacated these provisions and remanded the issue to SEC to try again (*American Petroleum Institute v. SEC*).  Since Dodd-Frank required issuer reporting to begin no less than one year after SEC issued rules, the issuer reporting requirement is now on hold—but the statutory requirement remains in place so further rulemaking should be expected. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/183732/Court-Vacates-SEC-s-Resource-Extractors-Reporting-Requirements) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/183732/Court-Vacates-SEC-s-Resource-Extractors-Reporting-Requirements#comments-listing) Tags: [Corporate Governance](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/corporate-governance), [Business & Legal](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/business-legal), [SEC](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/sec), [International](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/international), [Health & Safety](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/health-safety), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [Greenhouse Gas](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/greenhouse-gas), [ghg](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ghg), [fracking](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/fracking), [hydraulic fracking](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/hydraulic-fracking) ## [Obama Administration Announces Climate Action Plan](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/183392/Obama-Administration-Announces-Climate-Action-Plan) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Wed, Jul 17, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-224594851-jpg/images/white_house.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/183392/Obama-Administration-Announces-Climate-Action-Plan) Partisan divides in Washington are preventing legislative action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and climate change, but President Obama recently announced administrative initiatives to advance these efforts even without Congressional action.  His new **Climate Action Plan** reaffirms domestic initiatives led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and international GHG emission reduction and climate change efforts.  The Plan has the following three main “pillars”: [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/183392/Obama-Administration-Announces-Climate-Action-Plan) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/183392/Obama-Administration-Announces-Climate-Action-Plan#comments-listing) Tags: [Environmental risks](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-risks), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [EPA](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/epa), [Greenhouse Gas](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/greenhouse-gas), [ghg](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ghg), [climate change](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/climate-change) ## [STP Launches New Industry-Specific MACT Standards Guides](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/182261/STP-Launches-New-Industry-Specific-MACT-Standards-Guides) Posted by [Lorraine O'Donovan](https://blog.stpub.com/author/lorraine-odonovan) on Fri, Jul 12, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-17056855-jpg/images/opps-for-learning-plus-stc-logo1.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/182261/STP-Launches-New-Industry-Specific-MACT-Standards-Guides) Organizations increasingly need specialized guidance in order to self-audit and show efforts to **comply with legislation,** and **demonstrate due diligence**. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/182261/STP-Launches-New-Industry-Specific-MACT-Standards-Guides) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/182261/STP-Launches-New-Industry-Specific-MACT-Standards-Guides#comments-listing) Tags: [Corporate Governance](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/corporate-governance), [Business & Legal](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/business-legal), [Audit Standards](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/audit-standards), [Environmental risks](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-risks), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [EHS](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ehs), [mact](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/mact) ## [Environmental Compliance: TRI Reports Due](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/182152/Environmental-Compliance-TRI-Reports-Due) Posted by [Jon Elliott](https://blog.stpub.com/author/jon-elliott) on Fri, Jul 05, 2013 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.stpub.com/hs-fs/file-71253328-jpg/images/barrells_2.jpg) ](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/182152/Environmental-Compliance-TRI-Reports-Due) July 1 was the deadline for subject facilities to file their annual toxic chemical release inventory (TRI) reports with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and their state, on one of two EPA-mandated forms, Form R or Form A.  These TRI reports are mandated by Section 313 of the **Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA)**, which was adopted as the first Congressional response to the December 1984 toxic gas disaster in Bhopal, India. [Read More](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/182152/Environmental-Compliance-TRI-Reports-Due) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.stpub.com/bid/182152/Environmental-Compliance-TRI-Reports-Due#comments-listing) Tags: [Corporate Governance](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/corporate-governance), [Business & Legal](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/business-legal), [Health & Safety](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/health-safety), [Environmental risks](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental-risks), [Environmental](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental), [EHS](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/ehs), [Hazcom](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/hazcom) [Previous](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental/page/30) [All posts](https://blog.stpub.com/all) [Next](https://blog.stpub.com/topic/environmental/page/32) ### 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