Environmental Pollution Control: Regulatory Considerations and a Case in Point

1993 ◽  
Vol 9 (03) ◽  
pp. 159-166
Author(s):  
Jonathan Ross
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Laws ◽  
Environmentally Sensitive ◽  
Dry Dock ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Agencies ◽  
Laws And Regulations

During recent years, the United States has paid increasing attention to controlling and minimizing environmental pollution. One result of this attention is the development of new laws and regulations, enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and by state and local agencies. These new environmental laws and regulations are considerably more stringent than those of past years and they directly impact how shipyards must conduct their operations. This paper discusses these laws and regulations at the national, state (including California, Virginia, and Connecticut), and local levels. With the environmental regulatory background in focus, the paper proceeds to explore the effects of the regulatory trend on one particular segment of the shipbuilding and ship repair industry: floating dry docks. Floating dry docks provide an illuminating example, because of the environmentally sensitive industrial activities carried out on board, such as grit blasting and painting with antifouling paints. The operational norms of floating dry dock pollution control are discussed, starting with present day commercial and Navy facilities, and culminating with the Navy's newest floating dry dock design, the AFDB 10.

scholarly journals Geographic Response Plans: Preparing for Inland Oil Spills in California Waterways

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Burkholder
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Inland Waters ◽  
California Department ◽  
Contingency Plans ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Agencies

ABSTRACT #1141189 Emergency regulations governing the development of oil spill contingency plans in California, along with financial responsibility for inland facilities, pipelines, refineries and railroads, became effective in 2015, with final regulations being adopted in January of 2019. With the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's (CDFW's) Office of Spill Prevention and Response's (OSPR's) authority for oil spill prevention, preparedness, and response being extended to inland waters of the State, the need to develop Geographic Response Plans (GRPs) for priority watersheds with higher risk of an oil spill became a top priority. Given the successful history with developing, implementing, and maintaining the California marine Area Contingency Plans (ACPs), OSPR has implemented a similarly effective GRP program. GRPs are driven primarily by access to sites along river systems and lakes where response activities are feasible. The process of developing GRPs for the State has consisted of: 1) developing a consistent document framework based on recently developed GRPs including the Region 10 Regional Response Team (RRT) and Northwest Area Committee (NWAC) GRPs in the Pacific Northwest, the Feather River GRP developed by Union Pacific Railroad in California, as well as previously developed GRPs by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region 9 (California, Nevada, Arizona); 2) implementing a Statewide GRP Steering Committee (SGSC) consisting of State, federal and local agencies, industry, oil spill response organizations (OSROs), an environmental Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), and a tribal representative; and 3) developing partnerships with industry representatives, and federal, State and local agencies, including first responders [Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) and others] to ensure critical local expertise and information is incorporated in each, individual GRP. With the emerging trend of oil by rail transportation; historical spill threats from pipelines, fixed facilities, and truck transportation; and the promulgation of emergency regulations extending OSPR's oil spill preparedness activities to inland waters, the development of GRPs for at-risk watersheds became critical.

Linking the Eta Model with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Modeling System to Build a National Air Quality Forecasting System

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya L. Otte ◽  
George Pouliot ◽  
Jonathan E. Pleim ◽  
Jeffrey O. Young ◽  
Kenneth L. Schere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
Air Quality Forecast ◽  
Eta Model ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Air Quality Forecasting

Abstract NOAA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have developed a national air quality forecasting (AQF) system that is based on numerical models for meteorology, emissions, and chemistry. The AQF system generates gridded model forecasts of ground-level ozone (O3) that can help air quality forecasters to predict and alert the public of the onset, severity, and duration of poor air quality conditions. Although AQF efforts have existed in metropolitan centers for many years, this AQF system provides a national numerical guidance product and the first-ever air quality forecasts for many (predominantly rural) areas of the United States. The AQF system is currently based on NCEP’s Eta Model and the EPA’s Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system. The AQF system, which was implemented into operations at the National Weather Service in September of 2004, currently generates twice-daily forecasts of O3 for the northeastern United States at 12-km horizontal grid spacing. Preoperational testing to support the 2003 and 2004 O3 forecast seasons showed that the AQF system provided valuable guidance that could be used in the air quality forecast process. The AQF system will be expanded over the next several years to include a nationwide domain, a capability for forecasting fine particle pollution, and a longer forecast period. State and local agencies will now issue air quality forecasts that are based, in part, on guidance from the AQF system. This note describes the process and software components used to link the Eta Model and CMAQ for the national AQF system, discusses several technical and logistical issues that were considered, and provides examples of O3 forecasts from the AQF system.

Studying the Nighttime Visibility Performance of Retroreflective Pavement Markers

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (9) ◽  
pp. 334-344
Author(s):  
Fan Ye ◽  
Adam Pike
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Performance Criterion ◽  
Visual Performance ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Pavement Markings ◽  
Driving Speed ◽  
Study Results ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Agencies

Retroreflective pavement markers (RPMs) supplement or substitute for pavement markings and provide superior visibility during wet nights when the visibility of most pavement markings is significantly reduced. Many state and local agencies in the United States install and maintain RPMs even though they are not required to use them by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. A lack of visual performance criterion for in-service RPMs results in non-uniform installation and maintenance of RPMs from agency to agency. There is a need to better establish guidance on the visual performance of RPMs. This paper develops a visibility level (VL) model to assess the visibility of RPMs, based on drivers’ visual demands. After validating the VL model for RPMs, the impacts of retroreflectivity, spacing, number of RPMs, glare, and driving speed on the visibility of RPMs are explored using the VL model. The study results not only confirm the superior visual performance of RPMs over pavement markings but also suggest the RPM performance criteria including placement criteria and minimum luminance/retroreflectivity levels.

Accountability in Collaborative Federal Programs—Multidimensional and Multilevel Performance Measures Needed: The Case of Wildland Fire Prevention

2021 ◽  
pp. 027507402110503
Author(s):  
Charles R. Wise
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measures ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Collaborative Networks ◽  
Fire Prevention ◽  
Federal Programs ◽  
Private Sector Organizations ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Agencies

Collaborative programs among Federal agencies, state and local agencies, and private sector organizations are often prescribed to address difficult interdisciplinary and intersectoral problems. Accountability for these efforts is difficult to achieve and has frequently proved elusive. This research explores the nature of the accountability dilemma in collaborative programs and analyzes and illustrates them in the context of wildland fire prevention in the United States. It suggests a multilevel–multimeasurement approach is key to achieving a fuller picture of accountability in collaborative networks.

scholarly journals Enforcement of Alcohol-Impaired Driving Laws in the United States: A National Survey of State and Local Agencies

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 533-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darin J. Erickson ◽  
Kian Farbakhsh ◽  
Traci L. Toomey ◽  
Kathleen M. Lenk ◽  
Rhonda Jones-Webb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Impaired Driving ◽  
Alcohol Impaired Driving ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Agencies

Introduction: New Perspectives on Public Health Policy

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
James Mohr
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Public Health Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal Programs ◽  
The Public ◽  
Private Interests ◽  
International Perspectives ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Agencies

The makers of public health policy face enormous challenges in the twenty-first century. In the past, their field has been imprecisely defined, deeply conflicted, poorly organized, and constantly changing. Lines of responsibility within the field are blurred at best, and groups with similar goals sometimes find themselves at cross-purposes. In the United States, state and local agencies interact with each other, with federal programs, and with powerful private interests. Many decisions that profoundly affect the health of the public are made for reasons largely unrelated to public health per se. Since the human and financial stakes involved in public health policies are immense, these challenges are, to say the least, serious issues. Underlying this volume is the belief that historical analyses and international perspectives can help policymakers understand, and hopefully begin to address, some of those old challenges in new ways.

Federal On-Scene Coordinator's Investigative Role

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 609-613
Author(s):  
Captain Jeffrey D. Stieb
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Transportation Safety ◽  
Federal State ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Unified Command ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Responsible Party

ABSTRACT In the United States, the Coast Guard Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) in the role as Captain of the Port (COTP) is charged with investigating marine casualties resulting in oil spills in the coastal zone.2 The FOSC is in the challenging position of working with the responsible party as a member of the Unified Command, while simultaneously investigating the incident. Complicating the FOSC's balancing act is the likelihood that other federal, state, and local agencies will have an interest in the investigation. The parties conducting investigations (Department of Justice, National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Environmental Protection Agency investigators, and state and local investigators) report to their own senior officials and are not under the direction and control of the FOSC. This article will discuss, from a Coast Guard officer's perspective, the FOSC's conflicting roles as a member of the Unified Command working closely in cooperation with the responsible party to mitigate the incident, and as a federal officer supervising at least one of the investigations. The article will describe the dynamics of significant oil spill investigations and provide recommendations on how investigative agencies should work together to conduct thorough investigations while minimizing the impact on the Unified Command's goal of working cooperatively to mitigate the effects of the spill.

scholarly journals La protection de l'environnement au Canada et aux États-Unis

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Piette
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
The United States ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Environmental Legislation ◽  
Environmental Laws ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
Federal Constitution ◽  
Citizen Suits

This paper explains some of the main differences between the development and the structure of environmental legislation, regulations and programs in Canada and the United States. In Canada, the division of powers under the Federal Constitution between Parliament and Provincial Legislatures explains the structure and scope of Canadian environmental law. Federal laws and regulations have been mostly sectoral while Provincial laws have been broader and have been successful in integrating environmental planning instruments. U.S. environmental laws, regulations and programs are developed under the leadership of Congress. The Environmental Protection Agency and State Governments are called upon to play an important role in the implementation of Federal environmental statutes. Contrary to the Canadian situation, citizen suits and the Judiciary are instrumental in the development of U.S. environmental law.

scholarly journals Constructing a toolkit to evaluate quality of state and local administrative data

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary H. Seeskin ◽  
Gabriel Ugarte ◽  
A. Rupa Datta
Keyword(s):  
Data Quality ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Longitudinal Component ◽  
Administrative Databases ◽  
Critical Dimensions ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Administrative Dataset ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Agencies

In the United States, state and local agencies administering government assistance programs have in their administrative data a powerful resource for policy analysis to inform evaluation and guide improvement of their programs. Understanding different aspects of their administrative data quality is critical for agencies to conduct such analyses and to improve their data for future use. However, state and local agencies often lack the resources and training for staff to conduct rigorous evaluations of data quality. We describe our efforts in developing tools that can be used to assess data quality as well as the challenges encountered in constructing these tools. The toolkit focuses on critical dimensions of quality for analyzing an administrative dataset, including checks on data accuracy, the completeness of the records, and the comparability of the data over time and among subgroups of interest. State and local administrative databases often include a longitudinal component which our toolkit also aims to exploit to help evaluate data quality. In addition, we incorporate data visualization to draw attention to sets of records or variables that contain outliers or for which quality may be a concern. While we seek to develop general tools for common data quality analyses, most administrative datasets have particularities that can benefit from a customized analysis building on our toolkit.

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