Legal Aspects of Vendor Design

This article traces and specifies various recent developments in the legal field which compel cooperation between industrial source operators and equipment vendors. Moreover, suggestions are made as to modes of avoiding costly litigation including the utilization of administrative review procedures for appealing adverse compliance determinations. Finally, an attempt is made to prepare the pollution control equipment vendor for litigation by detailing specific defenses on which the vendor can rely.     

A Practical Look at Environmental Audits

Company self-auditing has become an increasingly attractive option for both government and industry in achieving compliance with environmental laws. For government, it can diminish the need for continual compliance inspections, and, for industry, it can prevent substantial liability. However, auditing can be conducted in a number of ways, and it is important for company management to be aware of its options before selecting a particular approach. This is particularly true of companies with relatively limited resources for such a project. The following article describes some of the more basic options to be considered In identifying an optimal auditing strategy. It also discusses factors which may make one strategy preferable to another. The article concludes with the interesting observation that, in some cases, a formal audit may be neither necessary nor desirable.