environmental compliance

February 24, 2016

Thirty-four senators and 171 representatives argue in a brief filed February 23, that the EPA overstepped its boundaries in creating the carbon-cutting Clean Power Plan. In short, the brief states that they feel that Congress never gave the EPA a clear statutory directive or authority to transform the nation’s electricity sector. The brief points out that the EPA seeks to make “decisions of vast economic and political significance” under a “long-extant statute,” and in doing so must point to a “clear statement from Congress.”

Yesterday’s brief comes just two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the EPA cannot begin enforcing the rule until legal challenges filed by 25 states and four state agencies are resolved.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on the merits of the states’ case on June 2.

With the brief it is clear that the Clean Power Plan is not only facing legal challenges but also political ones. It may be left for the next Administration to pick up this pieces and decide the fate of the Plan.

Posted by Diane Samuels at 11:19 pm

February 10, 2016

Stormwater_Header_SCS_EngineersBusinesses attending California’s Storm Water Workshop know that the State Board is currently considering a tiered approach for storm water fees. Toward that end, the Board is reviewing the industrial storm water fee schedule with the intent of updating it by this summer.

Current rates are flat fees where permittees pay approximately $1,800 for a permit whether you have one acre of industrial operations or 100. The proposed rates would consider criteria such as total acres of activity exposed to storm water, permeability, and percent of property used for industrial operations. If you would like to comment directly to the Water Board, email your suggestions to 

A panel of experts will convene on Tuesday, March 1, 2016, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. at the Civic Building #8P-Presentation Hall to provide businesses with information necessary to determine if they need to comply or are exempt.  The building is located at 10601 Magnolia Avenue in Santee, CA.

Register with Amy Snyder at 1-619-464-1200 or via email at 

The session is free and will cover these topics:

  • Who needs to comply, including the listed SIC or NAICs codes, and many businesses that previously did not need to comply.
  • Compliance basics – How and what to file.
  • Who is exempt from the permit?
  • What value creation opportunities are available to minimize cost and still comply
  • Liability issues – Can I be fined? How much? What is my recourse?
  • As a tenant, what is my liability to a property owner and what steps should I take to protect myself?
  • As a property owner, am I liable? What steps should I take during a purchase or lease to protect myself?

Panel of Experts:

Bill Fischbeck, Esq., and the moderator is an attorney in East San Diego County since 1976, Bill’s practice is concentrated in real estate, including transactions and dispute analysis as well as land use matters before public agencies throughout the County.

Cory Jones, P.E., ToR, is a storm water program manager at SCS Engineers. Jones manages complex projects for private and public clients that include site/civil, water/wastewater and storm water engineering. He has completed a wide variety of special studies in storm water management and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) compliance for federal, state and municipal public agencies.

An Environmental Attorney will also join the panel. The educational session is sponsored by Commercial Properties Group and the San Diego East County Economic Development Council.

Link to more information about storm water management

Posted by Diane Samuels at 9:36 am

November 10, 2015

Technical bulletins provide salient information in a condensed format. These summaries are useful to understand and start to plan for potential impacts to your business. Both bulletins posted today include deadlines and additional resources with contact information to help answer your questions. The two bulletins posted today are as follows:

  • Summary of the Clean Power Plan includes the final standards for new and existing Electric Utility Generating Units (EGUs). The Technical Bulletin reviews the U.S. EPA determination that  the best system of emission reduction (BSER) consists of three building blocks; how the EPA determines the degree of emission limitation achievable through the application of the BSER for each type of unit; and how quickly and to what extent the measures encompassed by the building blocks could be used to reduce emissions. States will be required to submit a final plan, or an initial submittal with an extension request, by September 6, 2016. The types of plans and cost-effective strategies suggested for states to tailor their plans to meet their respective energy, environmental, and economic needs and goals, and those of their local communities is in the final sections.
  • Summary of Proposed Oil and Gas NSPS U.S. EPA promulgated an amended Standards of Performance for Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production, Transmission and Distribution (NSPS). Specifically, EPA proposed amendments to 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 60, Subpart OOOO and proposed an entirely new Subpart OOOOa. EPA also promulgated a draft control technique guidelines (CTGs) document for the oil and natural gas industry. The CTG is intended to provide state, local and tribal air agencies with information to assist them in determining reasonably available control technology (RACT) for reducing volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions from select oil and natural gas industry emission sources in ozone nonattainment areas. Comments on the proposal are due November 17, 2015, and the final rules are slated to be promulgated in June 2016. Rule details are provided in the Technical Bulletin and table within the Technical Bulletin.

Clicking the title of each Technical Bulletin will take you to the full text. Each Bulletin may be shared, emailed, or printed.

 

About Pat Sullivan:

Pat Sullivan, Sr. VP, SCS Engineers
Pat Sullivan, Sr. VP, SCS Engineers

Pat Sullivan, BCES, CPP, REPA, is a Senior Vice President of SCS Engineers and our National Expert on the Landfill Clean Air Act and the New Source Performance Standard (NSPS). Mr. Sullivan has over 25 years of environmental engineering experience, specializing in solid and hazardous waste-related issues.

Click on Pat’s name to see his full qualifications and experience.

 

Posted by Diane Samuels at 6:31 pm

November 2, 2015

Transparency initiatives established by EPA as part of its Next Generation Compliance initiative mean increased reporting and recordkeeping for refineries.
Transparency initiatives established by EPA as part of its Next Generation Compliance initiative mean increased reporting and recordkeeping for refineries.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule on September 29, 2015, seeking to further control emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from petroleum refineries.

This action finalizes the residual risk and technology review conducted for the petroleum refinery source category regulated under the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP; 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart UUU), including the refinery Maximum Achievable Control Technology Standard (MACT) 1 and Refinery MACT 2.

Click here to read the Technical Bulletin 

Posted by Diane Samuels at 2:10 pm

October 26, 2015

Denver, PA. – SCS Engineers is opening a new office in Denver, Pennsylvania. The professional engineering staff currently serving clients in Reading will be joined by additional environmental consulting staff moving to the larger office space on November 1, 2015. The new office is located at:

The SCS office in Pennsylvania is larger and more conveniently located to serve clients in Lebanon, Lancaster, and Reading.
The SCS office in Pennsylvania is larger and more conveniently located to serve clients in Lebanon, Lancaster, and Reading.

SCS Engineers
22 Denver Road, Suite E
Denver, PA 17517
Tel: +1-610-382-3050

Denise Wessels, P.E., and SCS Project Manager stated, “We are strengthening our commitment to the Commonwealth, and the new location enables us to broaden our environmental services in the region, including SCSeTools®.”

SCS provides quality environmental consulting and construction services to municipal and private sector clients, and has recently expanded SCSeTools®, a platform for organizing big data collected at landfills. The tools collect data, and then organize the data into analyses, graphs, and maps that allow landfill owners and operators to predict, assess, and plan the operation and maintenance of their facilities. This insight helps with decision-making for operational excellence and helps to improve the bottom line.

Posted by Diane Samuels at 9:55 am

October 1, 2015

SCS Engineers’ Vice Presidents Tom Rappolt and Dan Johnson have collectively been named the 2015 IEA Associate of the Year by the Industrial Environmental Association (IEA) of San Diego. An award will be presented at the 31st Environmental Awards Luncheon on October 29, 2015, at the San Diego Convention Center.

IEA promotes responsible, cost-effective environmental laws and regulations, facilitates environmental compliance among member companies and provides educational activities for the San Diego community and Southern California.

“This award recognizes SCS Engineers’ many years of support for IEA and our mission,” said Meridith Marquis, President of IEA. “Several SCS staff members have provided critical technical expertise, helped IEA members and staff in evaluating the impacts of regulatory and legislative proposals, and actively participated in several IEA committees and conferences.”

Learn more about SCS Services by clicking here.

Posted by Diane Samuels at 6:01 am

September 30, 2015

SCS Engineers will evaluate the collection, hauling, and processing of organic material and food waste for Placer County, California in compliance with the state's mandatory organics recycling law.
Placer County, California

 

SCS Engineers will evaluate the collection, hauling, and processing of organic material and food waste for Placer County in compliance with California’s recently adopted mandatory organics recycling law. According to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the state disposes of approximately 30 million tons of waste in landfills each year, of which more than 30 percent could be used for compost or mulch.

Read more by clicking here.

Posted by Diane Samuels at 6:00 am

September 3, 2015

Environmental assessments are part of the City’s environmental management plan to protect the health and welfare of citizens when implementing infrastructure projects.

environmental engineer miami
SCS Engineers provides environmental services and engineering to the City of Miami.

MIAMI, FL. – SCS Engineers is working with the City of Miami by providing professional environmental engineering services on public infrastructure projects. The SCS project team, led by Eduardo Smith, Vice President at SCS Engineers, and a Registered Professional Engineer in Florida.

SCS Engineers provides sustainable environmental consulting and engineering services to the City of Miami including design, construction documents, construction administration and various reports for environmental engineering related projects. SCS Engineers is one of the leading environmental consulting and construction firms in the nation. SCS has extensive experience in all facets of environmental management including air and water regulatory compliance and permitting in the state of Florida.

“The City of Miami continues to deliver significant project accomplishments of the hundreds of projects under development in the Capital Improvement Plan,” said Eduardo Smith. “SCS professionals have a positive history working with the City, its citizens, and Florida regulatory agencies on public and private projects because we help the State meet tougher environmental regulatory policy standards.”

 

Posted by Diane Samuels at 9:30 am

May 29, 2015

by Jim Walsh, P.E., BCEE

President and CEO
President and CEO

Welcome to SCS Engineers’ redesigned website, including our new technical blogs. On the new website, you will find the environmental resources and solutions we offer and the industries we serve, starting with five inspiring projects and clients. Navigate to pages describing our environmental services and governing policies along with related resources such as: project case studies, articles, white papers, technical bulletins, upcoming events, and blogs written by our resident experts about the environmental information you seek.

Posted by Diane Samuels at 9:30 pm
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