All you need to know in one place
June is fast approaching and with it the IEA 39th Annual Environmental Conference! We can’t wait to see everyone next week in San Diego. Please stop by BOOTH 26—lets catch up!
The conference is June 1-2, 2023 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. For additional info, visit: https://conference.ieaca.org/
Please help us congratulate the following ACTenviro team members who were recognized in the first quarter of 2023! Our
coins are presented for model performance, safety culture, and/or positive representation of ACTenviro—specifically for going above-and-beyond the expectations of our culture.
Todd Marti—“I’m recognizing Luis Gurule (Project Manager, Albuquerque) and awarding him the Operations Coin for Q1 2023. Luis is deserving of this achievement for his tremendous teamwork, consistent work ethic and positive approach at the workplace. Throughout Luis’ career at ACTenviro as both a Driver and now Project Manager, he delivers excellent results with an ever-present positive attitude. Luis is a favorite among our customer base in New Mexico as well as within the ACTenviro family at the branches he visits and works with. Thank you to Luis and the entire Albuquerque team for the tremendous value they deliver to ACTenviro. The Albuquerque Branch has achieved a fantastic turn around over the past two years and have built a foundation for success in the coming years….well done!”
Frank Sanchez—“To David Borge for being our go to employee to train new drivers. Continually making contributions to help us operate more efficiently and safely.”
Frank Sanchez—“To Noah Price for the amount of personal growth he has attained in his time with ACT and his positive customer first attitude.” 
Frank Sanchez—“Sidney Brand for her constant contributions to support field operations. Growing into our office coordinator position and constantly looking for ways to streamline our paperwork and invoicing. Stepping in with customer service support whenever necessary.”
Bret Kyle—“Jose Dominguez has been doing an extremely good job at filling in when needed for other drivers due to illness, thinking on his feet and providing solution to customers when they have challenging situations that require immediate attention…Antonio Mercado is always quick to step in and ask if there are any extra jobs that need to be done, recognizing that we have had quite a few sick call-outs this past month.”
Operations Coin: Ernesto Andrade (Santa Fe Springs, CA)
Bill Coleman—”We recognized Ernesto Andrade for going above and beyond during our facility move month. He is always willing to help with whatever needs to be done and he always has a smile on his face.”
Operations Coin: Ruben Lara (Santa Fe Springs, CA)
Bill Coleman—”We recognized Ruben Lara for his outstanding efforts and dedication in keeping Santa Fe Springs in compliance with the 10-day logs and waste transfers. Ruben is always willing to give extra time and effort to ensure Santa Fe Springs stays in compliance.”
Sam Hartman—”I gave our Driver DZ an ops coin today for great customer service. All our customers on his route consistently say good things about him. And last week he let El Paso County take some video shots of him for a video they are making for the county!”
DJ Lopez—”Raul Your willingness to go above and beyond has made a significant impact on our team. Your hard work and dedication have been noticed and greatly appreciated. Keep up the great work.”
We are excited to once again be exhibiting at the 30th Annual TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) Environmental Trade Fair & Conference! We will be at BOOTH 1441.
The conference is May 16-17, 2023 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. For additional info, visit: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/p2/events/etfc
The 2023 electronic Verification Questionnaire (eVQ) System will be available soon (anticipated start date is July 5, 2023)! The eVQ verifies that the information on record for your EPA ID number is correct and is used to collect state-mandated fees, based on the number of hazardous waste manifests that were generated over the past year and how those waste streams were managed. The annual Verification Questionnaire is required by the California Health and Safety Code sections 25205.15 and 25205.16.
California hazardous waste handlers/generators that meet any of the following conditions are required to file the 2022 Verification Questionnaire:
Temporary ID Numbers—If you or your company had a temporary ID number, you may be exempt from filing the 2023 Verification Questionnaire if you or your company meet certain conditions. There is an exemption process required by the DTSC.
Please note that other states may have similar programs or other rules for keeping EPA ID Numbers active. This guidance is CA-specific.
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See the DTSC’s website for more information: https://evq.dtsc.ca.gov/Home.aspx
Need help? Have questions? ACTenviro’s EHS Services are at the ready! Contact your ACTenviro Account Manager or [email protected] if you would like assistance with your eVQ!
Is your business required to maintain a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)? Remember – All dischargers regulated under the California Stormwater Industrial General Permit (IGP) are required to submit an Annual Report online by July 15th of each year. Discharges of storm water associated with industrial activity are regulated pursuant to Clean Water Act section 402(p)(3)(A).
The Annual Report is a list of questions for dischargers to show that they are addressing all applicable IGP requirements for the reporting year or to explain any areas not in compliance. The Report also includes a certification that the Annual Evaluation was completed.
The Annual Report must be submitted through the “Stormwater Multiple Application and Report Tracking System” (SMARTS). It can be entered by any SMARTS user that is linked to the facility but can only be certified and submitted by the facility’s Legally Responsible Person (LRP) or Duly Authorized Representative (DAR) if they have a valid eAuthorization form on file.
If the LRP or DAR have changed, are no longer with the company, or will not be available to submit the report by July 15th, then it is very important to assign a new LRP or DAR and submit the eAuthorization form to the Water Board for processing as soon as possible. Consultants or other SMARTS users who have a Data Entry Role will NOT be able to certify and submit for you.
See the Water Board’s website for more information: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/stormwater/industrial.html
Need help? Have questions? ACTenviro’s EHS Services are at the ready! Contact your Account Manager or [email protected]. Requests must be received by June 27th to guarantee completion by July 15th.
Background
The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a national and publicly available database that contains detailed information on nearly 650 chemicals and chemical categories that are released by various industries and managed in a variety of ways.
Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), facilities that meet TRI reporting requirements must report details about their pollution prevention and waste management activities, including releases, of TRI-listed chemicals that occurred during the prior calendar year to EPA’s TRI Program by July 1 of each year.
In general, chemicals covered by the TRI Program are those that cause:
Not all industry sectors are covered by the TRI Program, and not all facilities in covered sectors are required to report to TRI.
Reporting Changes for RY 2022
The changes below apply to RY 2022 TRI forms, which are due to EPA by July 1, 2023.
TO QUALIFY:
See source on EPA’s website for additional information: https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program
Need help? Have questions? ACTenviro’s EHS Services are at the ready! Contact your ACT Account Manager or [email protected]. Requests must be received by June 1st to guarantee completion by July 1st.
In April we had one employee celebrate his 10-year anniversary with our ACT Treatment team! DJ is Supervisor at our TSDF and we greatly appreciate his dedication these past 10 years.
Pasquale Paduano, our VP of TSDF had this to say:
“I have enjoyed working with DJ for the last 10 years and have watched him grow into a Leader for the team. He has done a great job building a solid staff. The performance of the facility these last several years was due largely in part to his efforts and leadership. I look forward to continuing to work alongside him for many years to come. Congratulations DJ achieving this major milestone in your ACTenviro career.”
Congratulations and thank you, DJ! We wish you all the best!
The goal of the ACTenviro Coin Recognition Program is to recognize and honor our employees for their exemplary performance and/or positive representation of ACTenviro.
PRESIDENTIAL COINAn employee with outstanding performance, superior dedication, and positive attitude on the job and throughout the year
CFO COINAn employee that provided decisions that were
sound, profitable and strategic
Q1 Nancy Lopez, Q2 Jeff Ruhl, Q3 Paul Schultz
SALES COINA key individual who supported sales through leadership, innovation, execution, and teamwork
Q1 Warren Meneses, Q2 Jessica McCombs, Q3 Tyler Ashcraft, Q4 Bryan Klar
RECOGNITION COINAn individual with model performance, safety culture, and positive representation of ACTenviro
Q1 Rozy Sazo, Q2 Max Graham, Q4 Sameei Al Khafaji
OPERATIONS COINAn employee who was recognized by a client, the community, and/or within ACTenviro (winners below)
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
| Noreen Strout | Keith Feeley | Kevin Shields | Adrian Villipando |
| Glen Murk | Tyler Gianna | Hugo Aguilar | Andrew Starkey |
| Nick Iverson | Rua Lino | Eric Salcido | Justin McCall |
| Joseph Williams | Eric Keiser | Manuel Gonzalez | Luis Hernandez |
| Brad Larson | David Zsitvay | Michael Florie | |
| Louie Thomas | Andrew Starkey | Justin McCall | |
| Sherry Loftin | Joaquin Flores | ||
| Jacob Clairmont | Jeff Koch | ||
| Efrain Flores | Kevin Rains | ||
| Brian Shepley | Tasha Budlong | ||
| Kevin Wright | |||
| Dylan Haggerty | |||
| Tremaine Roots | |||
| Israel Perez | |||
| Erica Serna | |||
| Kevin Nip | |||
| Kristen Brown |
CONGRATULATIONS and thank you to all our 2022 winners! We appreciate you!
California Senate Bill 14, or SB 14, is the Hazardous Waste Source Reduction and Management Review Act of 1989. It focuses on pollution prevention by way of hazardous waste source reduction. SB 14 also encourages managing hazardous waste using the following hierarchy of recycling, then treatment, and last of all discharge or disposal where source reduction, the primary method, is not feasible. SB 14 requires qualifying generators to prepare and maintain hazardous waste source reduction plans, evaluate implementation performance, and summary progress reports. Effective source reduction plans might involve cross-functional participation and support across a given company from top management leadership to the daily operations personnel. The following parameters apply:
SB 14 Plan Consist of Three Parts
SB 14 plans are based on designated reporting years (mandated by statute), on a four-year cycle. For the current cycle, the Plan, Performance Report, and SPR are due by September 1, 2023, for the 2022 reporting year. See Table 1 for Plan Cycle.
| Table 1 | ||
| Reporting Year | Completion Date | Baseline Year* |
| 2022 | 09/01/2023 | 2018 |
| 2026 | 09/01/2027 | 2022 |
| 2030 | 09/01/2031 | 2026 |
Qualifying generators first need to identify their reporting year so the correct waste data can be organized and analyzed. Once applicable waste streams and their processes are recognized, potential source reduction measures can be explored. Source-reduction measures include (but are not limited to):
Finally, a forward-looking, numerical goal (i.e., SMART) needs to be set for feasible waste reduction measures and a schedule for implementation should be established (e.g., 10% reduction by 2026). Once prepared, the Plan can be amended as needed based on production or process changes. The Performance Report is a retroactive review of waste minimization performance with respect to the previous period’s Plan.
The law no longer requires generators to submit documents to the DTSC OPPGT; however, generators must maintain all documents on-site and have them available to DTSC and the Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) for review during routine inspections.
Picture source: https://dtsc.ca.gov/sb14/sb14-introduction-and-overview/
This blog highlights some of the main aspects of SB 14 requirements. The deadline is approaching quickly, and your SB 14 may require cross-functional collaboration from engineering, facilities, finance, EHS, and other functions. For assistance or questions, the ACTenviro team if consultants are here to help! Contact us with any inquiries at [email protected], or for existing clients, please reach out to your Account Manager.
What is e-Manifest?
EPA established a national system for tracking hazardous waste shipments electronically. This system, known as “e-Manifest,” facilitates the electronic transmission of the UHWM and lives inside of RCRAInfo.
RCRAInfo is EPA’s comprehensive information system, providing access to data supporting the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA).
The system enables cradle-to-grave waste tracking.
Cradle-to-Grave: RCRA gives EPA the authority to regulate hazardous waste from “cradle-to-grave”
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Anyone can make a user account on RCRAInfo: https://rcrainfo.epa.gov/rcrainfoprod/action/secured/login. Once you link your account to a facility and your access is accepted, you’re in! This means you can view electronic manifests and download/print paper manifests.
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Learn more at: https://www.epa.gov/e-manifest/hazardous-waste-electronic-manifest-system-e-manifest-advisory-board
Webinar: Join EPA’s e-Manifest team, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 2:00 pm Eastern time for the next e-Manifest monthly webinar. During this webinar, the team will discuss updates to the e-Manifest system. You can access the link to the March webinar as well as the slides and recordings of past e-Manifest webinars on our Monthly Webinars about the Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest (e-Manifest) webpage.
