Beyond Compliance

As a registered source, there are things a business must do to stay in compliance with air regulations.  These are activities required by law, through the state and federal Clean Air Acts, that are to protect the public from negative air-quality impacts as a result of conducting business.

But there are also actions businesses can take to go beyond compliance requirements.  And by doing so, a business may benefit from reduced manufacturing costs, improved energy efficiency, reduced or simplified paperwork, and/or reduced emissions.  Resulting benefits vary by business and type and degree of change.

Some examples of going beyond compliance might include:

Pollution prevention – in some cases, implementing "source reduction" and other practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants allow a business to get below certain emission-reporting thresholds, resulting in reduced registration fees.

Material substitution – using materials that produce fewer or no hazardous air pollutants or volatile organic compounds, but still result in the same or an improved product, may save a company material costs and/or reduce the administrative burden that comes with compliance.

Manufacturing method changes – advancements in manufacturing techniques can often reduce the pollution produced through production process improvements.

Combustion efficiency improvements – making equipment operate more efficiently can reduce energy consumption and reduce emissions.