Nuts and Bolts of California Environmental Regulations – Differences between U.S. EPA and State Requirements

This environmental regulation training will explain in details the differences between California Environmental Regulations and U.S. EPA and Other State Requirements.

The webinar’s instructor has over 20 years of experience in assisting clients comply with California’s tough environmental requirements, as well as defending clients in administrative, civil, and criminal cases in all of these topics. This webinar is based on the popular “Environmental Crash Course” attended by thousands of California business representatives. It covers Community Right-to-Know, air pollution regulation of stationary sources and consumer products, Proposition 65, and hazardous and universal waste.

Learning Objectives:

• Provide participants with practical understanding of differences between California and federal environmental requirements.
• Serve as a foundation for specific environmental regulation topics.

Areas Covered in the Seminar:

• Introduction: Basis for differences between California and federal environmental rules, source of regulations, regulatory organization, and enforcement trends.
• Community Right-to-Know: Covers federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA) regulation on inventory and release reporting and compares these to California Hazardous Materials Business Plans, Inventories, and Release Reporting.
• Air Pollution: Explains California’s unique system of 35 different air districts and district rules, and how federal Clean Air Act requirements are implemented for stationary sources, and enforced by both U.S. EPA and state/local officials. Also covers the State Air Resources Board’s regulations of non-stationary sources (consumer products) and engines.
• Proposition 65: This one-of-a-kind regulatory program requires warnings with respect to chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive harm provided to consumers, residents, and workers. Its enforcement by private citizens and the Attorney General has cost businesses hundreds of millions in settlement proceeds in addition to defense and compliance costs.
• Hazardous and Universal Waste: California’s Hazardous Waste Control Law and Title 22 regulations are compared to federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The substantial differences in types of wastes regulated as hazardous, more strict regulation of generators, more universal wastes than federally regulated, and unique multi-jurisdiction enforcement are covered.