Compliance with Applicable Laws and Regulations
We will learn and abide by federal, state, and local laws that affect our campus roles-
This means that each member of the campus community
- Gains familiarity and complies with applicable laws and regulations
Perspective: A Real World Illustration
An October 2004 New York Times newspaper article reported on a private college located in the state of New York that agreed to pay a $43,000 penalty and to educate other colleges and universities about the safe handling of hazardous wastes, after the federal Environmental Protection Agency cited the college for mishandling chemicals and paint from its science laboratories and art studios.
The violations, which centered on the improper storage and disposal of the wastes at the campus came to light after an unannounced inspection in the spring of 2002, officials said.
In September 2004, the agency issued an administrative complaint containing six counts, including failing to determine whether materials were hazardous and neglecting to alert local health officials about their use on campus, said a spokesperson for the EPA's regional office in New York.
The original penalty was $97,000, but agency officials lowered it after the college agreed to undertake two environmental initiatives.
First, the college will go beyond current legal requirements by installing equipment to cut the generation of solvent wastes in its biology and chemistry labs. Second, the college will also conduct workshops for academic institutions, including high schools, to help them avoid violations.
"This agreement with [the college] will have far-reaching environmental benefits," said the EPA's regional administrator. "Not only will [the college] improve the environment on its campus, it will also help improve the environment at other schools by educating them."
The inspection turned up problems in the college's science laboratories and in some art studios, where paint waste and other chemicals were not labeled or stored properly. In addition, the college lacked a permit to store certain hazardous wastes.
According to a college spokesperson, the college had just hired a director of environmental health and safety, a new position, shortly before the inspection occurred. "The process here had begun, but unfortunately we had a ways to go in terms of compliance, "he said.
He said the complaint from the agency "woke certain people up on the campus" to the necessity of "being an expert on how to address these issues." Agency officials said the college had corrected all the violations in the complaint.
The environmental agency's Region 2 office, which covers New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, has aggressively pursued campuses since 1999, when the so-called Colleges and Universities Initiative began. The office held workshops for administrators, created a Web site and warned of imminent inspections.
Last Revised 5/23/2006