Report Reveals P2 in Enforcement

The DEP Compliance and Enforcement Annual Report for fiscal year 2004 (July 1, 2003-June 31, 2004) revealed that a number of enforcement actions required actual source reduction through the modernization of various manufacturing processes. For example, several facilities replaced toxic and volatile solvents by changing to processes using low volatile and less toxic materials. Fourteen enforcement actions this year accounted for the reduction of at least 50 tons per year of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), plus small amounts of particulate matter and carbon monoxide.

DEP performs multi-media inspections of industrial facilities to ensure pollution prevention through source reduction, rather than transfer to another environmental medium. As a result, many of the environmental requirements in DEP enforcement actions are multi-media in nature. For example, enforcement actions this fiscal year will improve operations in air, water, toxics reporting, and waste management at 28 regulated facilities, reducing over 17 tons per year of VOCs, and reducing emissions of various amounts of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, hydrogen sulfide, and other hazardous air pollutants. Additional savings will be realized in six future permitting actions that were required by enforcement orders.

Many DEP enforcement actions require the replacement of pollution control equipment or the physical modification of the facility to prevent discharges. Among 18 enforcement actions with such requirements, savings include 22 tons per year of volatile organic compounds, 35 tons per year of hazardous air pollutants, and at least 5 tons per year of nitrogen oxides.