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JOINT EPA/CMA REPORT ABOUT NON-COMPLIANCE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS

Release Date: 07/08/99
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1999
JOINT EPA/CMA REPORT ABOUT NON-COMPLIANCE
WITH ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS

EPA and the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) today released the "EPA/CMA Root Cause Analysis Pilot Project Report," which examines the underlying causes of environmental violations in 47 federal civil enforcement cases between 1990 and 1995. Ninety-four percent of the respondents identified multiple causes for a single non-compliance event. Among the leading causes for non-compliance were individual responsibility and lack of awareness of regulatory requirements. The report highlights the role environmental management systems (EMSs) can play in promoting compliance. EMSs are unique to a company’s operation and serve to control and minimize the environmental effects of its activities. Among the respondents, 41 percent stated that CMA’s Responsible CareŽ or another EMSs would have contributed to the prevention of the non-compliance. Responsible CareŽ calls upon CMA members to continuously improve their overall health, safety and environmental performance in a manner that is responsive to the public. The report indicates that adjustments by both government and industry could help improve compliance performance. It suggests, for example, that EPA provide technical assistance and compliance assistance tools that better conform to industry needs. On the industry side, the report states that more emphasis should be placed by manufacturers on developing and maintaining comprehensive, well-integrated and clearly articulated EMSs. The Root Cause Analysis Pilot Project Report can be downloaded from https://www.epa.gov/oeca/ccsmd/. For further information, contact Tracy Back at 202-564-7076 or Jamie Conrad at CMA 703-741-5166.


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