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About Compliance AssistanceEPA is committed to helping entities comply with regulatory requirements and improve environmental performance through compliance assistance (CA). Compliance assistance is defined by EPA to include activities, tools or technical assistance which provide clear and consistent information for:
Compliance assistance must be related to achieving or advancing regulatory compliance. Compliance assistance may also help the regulated community find cost-effective ways to comply with regulations and/or go "beyond compliance" thus improving environmental performance through the use of
Compliance assistance is provided by a variety of government and
non-government entities. Although EPA and other Federal Agencies
provide direct compliance assistance, the states are the primary
providers. In addition, many trade associations provide compliance
assistance directly to their members; and universities and the
consulting industry are a growing source of compliance assistance
information. Background Goal 9 of EPA's Strategic Plan states that EPA will ensure full compliance with laws intended to protect human health and the environment. Compliance assistance is one of four tools that EPA uses for promoting or addressing compliance with environmental laws and regulations. The others are compliance monitoring, compliance incentives, and civil and criminal enforcement. EPA develops and implements CA activities to meet the needs of the regulated community, other CA providers, and the public. CA may help providers and the regulated community implement new regulations; address problems with existing regulations; or address national, regional, geographical, local or facility-specific environmental issues. There are also some targeted regulatory requirements for compliance assistance. Section 507 of the Clean Air Act and The Small Business Regulatory Fairness Act (SBREFA) mandate specific services to small businesses and communities. Small businesses and small entities are often not as well equipped to comply with environmental laws as large, sophisticated corporations. SBREFA requires EPA to develop compliance guides to accompany new regulations that have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. In addition, as a matter of policy, EPA will develop either a compliance guide or a self-audit checklist for federal regulations with an "economically significant" impact of $100 million or more on companies and/or government facilities.
Other EPA Headquarters Offices also provide compliance assistance. Typical activities include developing and distributing regulatory guidance materials, developing and conducting workshops and training courses, developing web-based tools, operating telephone "hotlines" and responding to regulatory questions from the regulated community and trade associations. EPA's Headquarters media offices (e.g., air, water, pesticides and toxics) also develop the compliance guides required by SBREFA or Agency policy to accompany certain new rules. Regional compliance assistance activities include developing and conducting workshops and training sessions, responding to questions from the regulated community, developing and distributing guidance materials, and providing direct on-site compliance assistance. Each Region has designated a central Compliance Assistance Coordinator. To find out more about compliance assistance, use the navigational links on the left side of the page. . More information about our offices.
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