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790 Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
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Compliance Obligations

Another important part of the planning phase is identifying Legal and Other Requirements.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

For this part of planning, a facility should develop a specific procedure that describes how the facility will identify legal and other requirements that apply to its operations.

You should develop a Legal and Other Requirements Procedure that describes how you gather information, analyze it, and identify the requirements that apply to your operations. Like other EMS procedures, it describes the who, what, where, when, why, and how for this activity.

At most large operations the facility is regulated primarily under the following three regulations:

  1. the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA),
  2. the Clean Air Act (CAA), and
  3. the Clean Water Act (CWA).

You should also identify any other requirements that organizations may voluntarily implement. For example, you may be adhering to the company's policy to implement pollution prevention, improve environmental performance through objectives and targets, and communicate with the public on our environmental management progress.

Sample Programs

Here are some good examples of written EMPs that you may want to use for ideas in your own EMP.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

4-4. At most large operations the facility is regulated primarily by which of the following environmental laws?