News Releases from Region 08

EPA and Utah DEQ establish procedures and policies for administration of State's self-audit law

SALT LAKE CITY  (July 28, 2020) -- Today, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement to establish procedures and policies for administration of the Utah Environmental Audit Law (self-audit law).

Under this Agreement, EPA recognizes that Utah’s self-audit law and policy encourages greater compliance with laws and rules protecting public health and the environment.  EPA values its partnership with Utah on environmental issues and is committed to providing Utah with the support and flexibility needed to effectively implement its self-audit law.

According to UDEQ Executive Director Scott Baird, the purpose of an environmental self-audit is for companies, as the regulated entity, to identify and correct noncompliance and improve future compliance.

“The environmental audit process is another compliance tool that may be utilized by the regulated community to reduce noncompliance and achieve environmental and health benefits for Utah and its citizens,” said Baird.

“EPA and UDEQ share a joint mission of securing environmental compliance,” said EPA Regional Administrator Gregory Sopkin. “This Agreement demonstrates EPA’s commitment to providing Utah with the support and flexibility needed to effectively implement its state self-audit law. This will improve participation in and the efficiency of our self-audit efforts and deliver environmental benefits for the people of Utah.”

Some of the benefits of self-audits include:  

• Improving public health and environmental protection through pollution reduction.
• Expediting corrective action, which leads to more timely pollution reductions.
• Providing future benefits by preventing re-occurrence of noncompliance. 
• Saving agency resources by allowing inspectors to focus on non-compliance at other facilities.
• Correcting non-compliance, thereby providing for a level playing field.
• Verifying current compliance for companies.
• Reducing operating costs through improvements in the production or energy-saving processes.