|
Streamlining & Strengthening Environmental Regulation of Biotech As part of its ongoing work, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) evaluates the environmental performance of regulated facilities and business sectors. This helps the agency determine how to direct its resources and focus its efforts to better protect the environment.
In this context, MassDEP periodically makes regulatory improvements, some of benefit to all business sectors and others responsive to the unique challenges of specific industries. For example, the agency recently amended:
- Air quality regulations to create permits by rule for engines and turbines. This will allow businesses to install small primary or back-up power supplies that meet design and emission control standards without needing to obtain site-specific permits.
- Hazardous waste regulations to strengthen environmental standards and streamline procedural and permitting requirements across a range of business sectors. These changes will allow companies to apply for case-by-case waivers from hazardous waste regulations for activities found to pose insignificant risks.
- Air quality and industrial wastewater regulations with the same streamlining and strenghtening goals, but tailored to the growing and important biotechnology industry. These changes created permits by rule for air emissions and industrial wastewater pretreatment by companies that manufacture products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as drugs, biologics, or medical devices.
Biotechnology Proposal Overview, March 2005
Summary of the MassDEP proposal to streamline and strengthen environmental requirements for Massachusetts biotechnology facilities.
MS Word 59 KB | PDF 173 KB
Notice of Extended Public Comment Period
MS Word 36 KB | PDF 156 KB |
laws and rules
