Analysis of the Air Force's Clean Water Act Notice of Violations as a Managerial Tool in Achieving Compliance
Abstract
In 1988, the General Accounting Office released the report Water Pollution: Stronger Enforcement Needed to Improve Compliance at Federal Facilities. The report claimed Federal Facilities were in noncompliance of environmental statutes at twice the rate of nonfederal facilities. The Air Force chain of command, from Chief of Staff to Commander and Chief, emphasize environmental compliance is expected at all Air Force Facilities. To enhance the Air Force's Clean Water Compliance Program, past noncompliance violations were compiled and an analysis performed assessing the value of the past violation trends as managerial tools in achieving compliance. The database chosen for the analysis was the Clean Water Act Notice of Violations (NOVs) received at Air Force Installations from Fiscal Year 1986 to mid-1994. The analysis revealed the following about the Air Force's past noncompliance: the most frequently observed violations were limits exceeded, unauthorized discharges, and administrative deficiencies; the majority of violations were not trivial infractions; the amount of NOVs received varied geographically; the varying regulatory agencies' enforcement policies differed significantly; and the amount of NOVs received varied over time. Although the research proved trends of past noncompliance are useful as a managerial tool to improve compliance, it also identified weaknesses in the Air Force's historical records of violations. The database should be improved to emphasize consistency, completeness, and accuracy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA284701
Entities
People
- Sandra J. Beneway
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology