Search Frequent Questions
Filter By:
- Air Emissions Inventories Total results: 34
- Asbestos Total results: 141
- Butte Area/Silver Bow Creek Total results: 17
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Total results: 33
- East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment Total results: 148
- Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Total results: 301
- Fuel Program Total results: 693
- Great Lakes Funding Total results: 49
- Lead Total results: 401
- MOVES Total results: 57
- Norwood Landfill Site Total results: 30
- Oil Regulations Total results: 96
- Permitting Under the Clean Air Act Total results: 13
- Radiation Total results: 1
- Risk Management Program (RMP) Total results: 285
- Southeast Minnesota Groundwater Total results: 11
Active filters:
Remove all filtersDisplaying 1 - 15 of 19 results
-
What is the definition of “overburdened community” that is relevant for EPA Actions and Promising Practices?
EPA Actions and Promising Practices apply the description of overburdened communities articulated in EPA’s Plan EJ 2014. The term is used to describe the minority, low‐income, tribal and indigenous populations or communities in the United States that potentially experience disproportionate environmental harms and risks due to exposures or cumulative impacts…
- Last published:
-
What state or federal agencies are responsible for evaluating records from the PADOH cancer registry? Are all types of cancers considered in this evaluation [including rare and/or environmentally associated cancers]?
A few important items to note regarding the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry: PADOH’s Pennsylvania Cancer Registry is a statewide data system responsible for collecting information on all new cases of cancer diagnosed or treated in Pennsylvania. It is part of the National Program of Cancer Registries administered by the Centers for…
- Last published:
-
Are permit applicants required to adopt the Promising Practices?
EPA is not requiring permit applicants to adopt the Promising Practices. Promising Practices are simply that: good ideas in the form of suggestions to permit applicants. Permit applicants may benefit from applying these Promising Practices. EPA hopes that when permit applicants practice early and meaningful dialogue with the community, they…
- Last published:
-
EPA Actions does not require EPA regional offices to prioritize the same types of permits and adopt the same outreach activities. Why doesn’t EPA require regional offices to always prioritize certain permits and always do certain outreach activities?
EPA Actions strikes an important balance between national consistency and regional flexibility. The Agency‐wide guidelines establish national consistency by providing EPA’s expectations for the regional implementation plans. At the same time, EPA recognizes that the regional offices need the flexibility to take actions suited to the types of permits and…
- Last published:
-
Does EPA Actions apply to permits that are jointly issued by EPA and a state, tribal, or local permitting authority with partially delegated permitting authority?
EPA regional offices will decide whether a permit that EPA jointly issues with a state, tribal, or local permitting authority should be considered for prioritization for enhanced outreach as described in EPA Actions on a case‐by‐case basis. EPA will take into account its role and authority in issuing the specific…
- Last published:
-
Why doesn’t EPA do enhanced outreach for every permit?
Robust public outreach and engagement can consume a substantial amount of resources from all stakeholders in a permitting process and would not be warranted for every permit action. EPA recognizes that its regional offices cannot enhance engagement for every EPA‐issued permit and that overburdened communities might be overwhelmed with process…
- Last published:
-
How will an EPA regional office determine whether a permitted activity may have significant public health or environmental impacts?
Permit applications provide information on the proposed project consistent with the requirements of particular statutes and regulations. EPA may also do its own assessment of the environmental and public health impacts of a proposed project, using modeling and monitoring data for example. Such information would inform an EPA regional office’s…
- Last published:
-
How will EPA Actions apply to EPA‐permitted activities that may impact multiple EPA regions?
A permitted activity could potentially impact an area that straddles two or more EPA regions. The EPA region where the permitted activity is located usually has the lead for issuing the permit. EPA regions with the lead for issuing the permit routinely engage other regions impacted by the permitted activity…
- Last published:
-
Is there a Pennsylvania registry that tracks non-cancer diseases or immunological disorders?
PADOH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services do not have a registry for multiple sclerosis (MS), MS-related diseases or immunologic disorders. Despite extensive research on the mechanisms of MS development and progress, the exact mechanism is not known and there are no definitive studies to show causation…
- Last published:
-
Products authorized for use on oil discharges
Does EPA maintain a list of products that are authorized for use on oil discharges? If so, how can a manufacturer have their product included on the list? Section 311(d)(2)(G) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) directs EPA to prepare a schedule of dispersants, other chemicals, and oil spill mitigating…
- Last published:
-
If a permit is prioritized for enhanced outreach, does this mean that EPA will require stricter emission or discharge limits, or deny a permit?
An EPA regional’ office’s decisions on whether to issue a permit and, if so, the conditions to impose within a permit are distinct from the EPA regional office’s decisions about the outreach EPA may perform during the permitting process. EPA’s decisions on whether to issue a permit and what permit…
- Last published:
-
Why is it difficult to establish a link between cancers or other illnesses and environmental exposures?
The complex nature of cancer makes it inherently challenging to identify, interpret, and address cancer clusters. Cancer is a term describing different diseases that share a similar characteristic: uncontrollable cell growth and division. As a group, cancers are very common. Cancers are the second leading cause of death in the…
- Last published:
-
How do we know our drinking water has not been affected over the past 40+ years when the landfill was operating and after it closed since there were no regulations governing its operation or closure?
The Norwood community is serviced by a public drinking water source. The public water supply must meet federal and state Safe Drinking Water Act Standards. Public water systems are required to share annual reports that describe what, if anything, is found in the water supply.
- Last published:
-
If an EPA regional office finds that a permit may not have significant public health or environmental impacts, or may not impact an already overburdened community, can the permit still be prioritized for enhanced outreach? Will the permit receive any outreach at all?
EPA regional offices have the discretion to use other considerations to prioritize EPA‐issued permits for enhanced outreach that do not meet either or both of those criteria. One important consideration would be whether a community has expressed concerns over a permit application or renewal. EPA regional offices may consider prioritizing…
- Last published:
-
If EPA is not changing the permitting process, why did EPA issue EPA Actions and associated regional implementation plans?
EPA is issuing EPA Actions to better meet its responsibilities under Executive Order 12898 by increasing meaningful engagement of overburdened communities in EPA’s permitting process in a way that is transparent and provides national consistency while maintaining some regional flexibility. As some commenters noted, EPA already has a legal obligation…
- Last published: