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Georgia Stormwater Discharge Permit Being Updated

Published by the Atlanta Business Chronicle 12/9/2011

An additional round of public comments is expected for proposed changes to the state industrial stormwater discharge permit after poultry industry representatives raised concerns about increased costs of compliance.

 

What is a Formal Aboveground Storage Tank Inspection?

Owners/operators of petroleum-containing aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) may be subject to the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) rule.  This rule, which is administrered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) per 40 CFR 112, regulates facilities that have more than 1,320 gallons of total oil storage capacity.

 

Emergency Generator Fuel Quality Study

Sierra Piedmont, Inc. was contracted by a federal agency to complete a multi-faceted engineering project at 11 federal facilities.  The project included three facets:  (1) a regulatory compliance assessment, (2) completion of Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plans at four facilities, and (3) fuel quality assessment at each of the facilities where bulk fuel is stored.

 

The government felt that (due to infrequent usage) the stored fuel could be degrading while in storage.  As a result, the fuel might prevent the equipment utilizing the fuel (typically a boiler or emergency power generator) from functioning properly during emergency events.

 

Client Bill of Rights

You deserve a consultant that is relationship-driven, action-oriented, and technically-strong.

 

Sierra 360

Since 1996, Sierra Piedmont has enjoyed rapid success as a direct result of our proprietary process, Sierra 360, the vehicle by which our firm is able to deliver The Ultimate Customer Experience.  At Sierra Piedmont, we believe the ultimate customer experience happens when the highest level of expertise is joined with the highest level of customer service.  At this juncture, the ultimate client experience occurs. 

 

At Sierra Piedmont, every action the firm takes, from our highly selective and competitive recruiting process, to our mandatory annual technical and soft skills training program, is to ensure our customers are thoroughly cared for and satisfied.

 

The Importance of an Auditing Program for Waste Disposal Sites

Sierra Piedmont^®, Inc. (Sierra) was retained by a Fortune 500 tire manufacturer to evaluate its risks associated with contracted hazardous waste disposal sites throughout the United States and Canada.  Contracted transporters were collecting hazardous waste from each manufacturing facility and transporting it to 45 disposal sites.  Although the disposal sites were approved for this purpose, the client desired a rigorous evaluation of each vendor and the facility operations to: verify protection of human health and environment, confirm each facility was financially sound, and narrow their group of vendors to gain price competitiveness via increased volume.

 

The Appropriate Level of Research is Key to Efficient Environmental Closure

Knowing when a soil or groundwater investigation is routine or complex can be akin to fixing a toothache. It’s not so much how it’s fixed as figuring out what’s wrong so the tooth can be fixed. Efficient closures of environmentally impacted sites are not much different. Sometimes we don’t recognize that problem-solving starts with an analysis of the problem to determine if we’re looking at a typical inquiry or one that requires its own unique path to resolution.

 

The Role of the Environmental Professional in Risk Management

Who is ultimately responsible for assuring a proper investigation is completed?  The EP is responsible but in a sense, the person who contracts the EP is ultimately left with the financial loss resulting from a poorly conducted ESA.  The ESA service can no longer be viewed as a commodity in which the low-cost provider is conveniently chosen.

 

How to Hire an Environmental Consulting Firm

Hiring an environmental consulting firm is a decision, which should not be taken lightly.  There are thousands of environmental consulting firms located through out the United States so the process can be frustrating.  So before you start, you need to decide what it is you need so you can weed out unqualified firms.

 

Automating Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments

 In the world of environmental consulting, some aspects don't change substantially from engagement to engagement. in some cases, this can hold true for environmental due diligence measures that must be taken, specifically Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs). Yet, for some reason, there is an inordinate amount of time spent in the proposal generation and negotiation process between client and consultant. As the adage says, time is money, and none of us really have enough of those two things. Is there a way to streamline the process so that less time is spent on administering the transaction, thereby freeing up resources to work more quickly and efficiently? It can happen, as long as there is high level of trust between client and consultant.

 

In-Ground Hydraulic Automotive Lifts—-Replace Or Maintain?

In-ground hydraulic lifts have been a staple of automotive repair and inspection facilities since the mid-50s. Because they have been around for so long and were the only type of lifts for many years, there are many in-ground lifts that are in dire need of repair or replacement. Many of these old lifts have polluted the environment because the hydraulic fluid used in them can leak into the soil and groundwater. In some cases, the in-ground lifts can be converted to become more environmentally friendly, but in most cases full conversion to above-ground lifts is the best option.

 

Qualify for the Innocent Landowner Defense: Complying with the All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) Standar

Environmental due diligence is an essential part of any property transaction. Over time, property owners have come to see the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) e1527 for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments as the accepted and appropriate standard for pre-purchase inquiry. However, in November of 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new, tougher standard for environmental due diligence, the All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) standard. Complying with the AAI standard is now the only way to ensure that you will qualify for the innocent landowner defense. This paper’s objective is to guide you in adhering to the AAI standard to ensure you qualify for the innocent landowner defense.