EPA Holds Webinars on eDisclosure, the Agency’s Plan to Modernize the Implementation of the Audit Policy and the Small Business Compliance Policy

Release Date:  06/15/2015

EPA held webinars on June 10 and June 15, 2015 to describe its plan to modernize the implementation of its Audit Policy and Small Business Compliance Policy. The plan is called eDisclosure– a new centralized, web-based system for more efficiently receiving and processing violations disclosed to EPA under these policies. Issued in 2000, these policies offer penalty mitigation and other incentives for companies that discover, promptly disclose and expeditiously correct environmental violations, and take steps to prevent future violations.

What Was the Purpose of the Webinars?

• To present EPA’s plan to streamline how disclosures are submitted and processed to save transaction costs, increase efficiency, and provide quicker responses;
• To answer questions from the public on how eDisclosure will be designed and implemented; and
• To provide an opportunity for interested stakeholders to share their views on this modernized approach.

Who Attended?

• Over 300 attendees
• Regulated entities and their representatives with an interest in the implementation of the Audit Policy and the Small Business Compliance Policy
• Others interested in EPA’s policies to encourage self-policing and the disclosure, correction and prevention of environmental violations
• Federal, state and local government officials

For More Information:

• eDisclosure Webinar Presentation(30pp, 1MB, About PDF) (June 10 and June 15, 2015)
• eDisclosure Information Sheet (2pp, 347K, About PDF) (June 2015)
• The Audit Policy, including the New Owner Policy.
• The Small Business Compliance Policy.

The Small Business Compliance Policy (PDF) (5 pp, 256K, About PDF) promotes environmental compliance among small businesses (those with 100 or fewer employees) by providing incentives to discover and correct environmental problems. EPA will eliminate or significantly reduce penalties for small businesses that voluntarily discover violations of environmental law and promptly disclose and correct them. This Policy implements section 223 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (PDF) (29 pp, 99K, About PDF). (Additional Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act Information).

A wide range of resources are available to help small businesses learn about environmental compliance and take advantage of the Small Business Compliance Policy. These resources include:

• EPA Small Business Resources Information Sheet, training, checklists, compliance guides, mentoring programs and other activities.
• Businesses with more than 100 employees may be eligible for the Policy on Incentives for Self-Policing, known as the Audit Policy, which also provides potential penalty reductions for voluntary discovery disclosure and correction of environmental violations.

Businesses can find more information through these Web-based resources:

• EPA's Small Business Ombudsman's office serves as a conduit for small businesses to access EPA and facilitates communications between the small business community and the Agency. The Office reviews and resolves disputes with EPA and works with EPA personnel to increase their understanding of small businesses in the development and enforcement of environmental regulations.
• Compliance Assistance Centers Exitaddress real world issues in plain language. Through Web sites, telephone assistance lines, fax-back systems and e-mail discussion groups, the Centers help businesses, local governments and federal facilities understand federal environmental requirements and save money through pollution prevention techniques.