Environmental Compliance Program

Environmental Management Systems

An Environmental Management System integrates environmental considerations, including both legal requirements and objectives for improvement (e.g. energy conservation, waste reduction, etc.), into an organization’s day-to-day activities.  It is a formal management framework that provides a systematic way to review and improve environmental performance, create awareness, and manage progress towards the Department’s environmental objectives, including Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan goals. 

Environmental Compliance:

Environmental Complaince is an integral part of environmental protection. Compliance with the nation's environmental laws is the ultimate objective and is a vital part of encouraging governments, businesses and companies who are regulated to meet their environmental obligations.  The goal of the Department’s environmental compliance program is to proactively inspect and assess facilities and operations for compliance with applicable Federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, and E.O.s to avoid Notices of Violation (NOV), monetary fines, and criminal penalties, and to remain good stewards of the environment.

Environmental Quality Assessments

In applying the principle of continuous improvement the Department has developed the concept of environmental quality assessments (EQA).  EQA’s are designed for OU-level environmental programs and are completely voluntary on the part of OUs.  They are intended to be non-punitive in nature and attempt to apply the Environmental Management System tenant of continuous improvement.  EQAs are designed to:

 

  • Integrate environmental leadership into every level of management by promoting full awareness through effective training and by clearly defining environmental quality expectations.
  • Implement a quality assessment program that clearly defines internal and external assessments yet is flexible and tailored to the needs of the OU.
  • Identify problems and their root causes, identify and implement quality improvements and pollution prevention opportunities, and develop corrective action plans including identification of funding sources.
  • Provide OUs and their chains-of-command with the tools and technical expertise necessary to verify whether effective management processes are in place, resources are adequate and efficiently used, and compliance is achieved, and
  • Provide technical assistance for corrective actions through an effective support network.

Environmental Liabilities

Environmental liability is an umbrella term.  The term "environmental liabilities" crops up in many discussions of environmental issues.  Yet there is much confusion about the term.  Often, "environmental liabilities" is used to refer to the potential for fines, penalties, and jail terms for violations of environmental laws.  "Environmental liabilities" also frequently serves as short-hand to refer to the cleanup obligations under the federal Superfund and state counterpart laws for contaminated sites.  Another common usage is to label the costs involved in complying with regulations as "environmental liabilities."  In contrast, when organizations perform or commission "environmental liability" assessments, they want to know their exposure to potential environmental liabilities even when they are in complete compliance with regulatory standards.

Office of Administrative Services
Office of the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce

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Page last updated:June 14, 2012