Environmental Regulations - Syllabus · 2018. 1. 19. · SAMPLE 1 Syllabus . ESP 340/ESP 540 - Environmental Regulations . Fall 2017 . Course Instructor: Dr. Travis Wagner . Department

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Syllabus

ESP 340/ESP 540 - Environmental Regulations Fall 2017

Course Instructor:

Dr. Travis Wagner Department of Environmental Science & Policy 106 Bailey Hall, Gorham Campus University of Southern Maine, 207.228.8450 [email protected]

Office Hours:

OFFICE HOURS: Tuesdays 11:00 am-3:00 pm; Wednesdays 10:30-12:00; Thursdays, 10:30-12:00; and by appointment via Skype.

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

- Outline the major statutory and regulatory requirements for environmental quality

and public health at the federal and state (Maine) levels.

- Analyze the applicability and requirements of regulations and rules to a specific

operation, facility, or geographic area.

- Develop a written analysis of the application of a federal and/or state laws, rules,

or regulations to a particular circumstance.

Skills Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

- Demonstrate competency in regulatory research by locating and citing state and

federal laws and regulations.

- Perform critical thinking, analysis, and technical writing skills related to

environmental laws and regulations.

Course Overview:

This course is an intensive introduction to the federal and Maine legal and regulatory

structure involving the protection of the environment. Successful completion of this

course is a crucial element in achieving basic competency in environmental science,

policy, and planning. By its nature, the environmental regulatory field is based on

jargon, specialized definitions, seemingly illogical structures, and rote memorization.

Nevertheless, understanding the process by which to find, interpret, and apply

regulations will provide you with a valuable professional skill. In this course, you will go

Copyright 2018 Travis Wagner

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beyond mere factual recall of definitions and regulations; you are expected to

understand the requirements sufficiently to apply them to specific circumstances.

Course Delivery:

This is an online course. Each week you are required to complete a series of modules

and the weekly quiz. To prepare for the quiz, you need to study the multiple modules

designated for that week. You should expect to spend a minimum of six hours each

week to prepare for the quiz. Quizzes will include material from the modules, assigned

readings, news items, and information from searchable databases. Each video module

runs from 15 to 20 minutes; there will be from three to six modules per week. Modules

will be activated on the Monday of each appropriate week. Quizzes will be activated

only during the scheduled week and must be completed in the allotted time by the due

date, generally Sunday; late assignments are not an option in this course.

Course Textbook:

Environmental Law Handbook, 22nd edition. (2014). Sullivan, T.F.P., Ed., Lanham, MD: Government Institutes. (The assigned readings for each week are listed in the far right-hand column

in the table below.)

Schedule of Topics*

Class Week Topics Textbook Reading &

Quiz/Test Assignments

1

Aug 28 – Sep 3

Introduction 1. Introduction to the Course 2. The Rulemaking Process 3. Implementation Basics 4. Federal/State Relationship 5. Quiz Tips

Chapter 1 Practice Quiz (highly

recommended, but not required)

Live Quiz 1

2

Sep 4-10

Permits and Enforcement 1. Introduction to Compliance 2. Environmental Management Systems 3. Permits 4. Enforcement 5. CERCLA Liability

Chapter 2 Chapter 14 Chapter 17 Quiz 2

3

Sep 11- 17

Drinking Water Protection

1. Drinking Water Overview 2. Drinking Water Standards 3. Public Water Supply Systems 4. Groundwater Protection

Chapter 8 Quiz 3 Topic Idea for Regulatory Analysis Due


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4

Sep 18-24

Solid Waste 1. Introduction 2. Municipal Solid Waste Management 3. MSW Landfill Criteria 4. Non-hazardous Industrial Waste 5. Local MSW Ordinances

Chapter 3 (sect. 1-3 & 5 only)

Quiz 4

Regulatory Application Matrix Table Due (ESP 540 students only)

5

Sep 25 – Oct 1

Hazardous Waste 1. Introduction 2. Hazardous Waste Identification 3. Generators of Hazardous Waste 4. Hazardous Waste Management 5. Universal Waste

Chapter 3 (sections 4-10) Quiz 5

Proposal for Regulatory Analysis Due

6

Oct 2-8

Storage Tanks 1. Underground Storage Tanks 2. Aboveground Storage Tanks 3. Corrective Action 4. Compliance Assessment Tools

Chapter 4 Quiz 6

7

Oct 9-15

Chemical Release Reporting

1. Introduction to Release Reporting 2. Hazardous Chemical Use Reporting 3. Chemical Release Reporting 4. Spill Reporting

Chapter 6 (section 10 only)

Chapter 15 Quiz 7

8

Oct 16-22

Clean Water - Part 1 1. Introduction 2. Water Quality Standards 3. Water Quality Monitoring 4. Total Maximum Daily Loads

Chapter 6 (sections 1-5, 11) Quiz 8

9

Oct 23-29

Clean Water - Part 2 1. NPDES Permits 2. Background on CSOs 3. Stormwater Management 4. Indirect Discharges

Chapter 6 (sections 6-8)

Quiz 9

10

Oct 30- Nov 5

Clean Water - Part 3 1. Snow Dumps 2. Hydropower Licensing 3. Dredge & Fill – Wetlands 4. NRPA Permit-by-rule Application

Chapter 6 (section 9) Quiz 10

11

Nov 6-12

Clean Air - Part 1 1. Clean Air Regulatory Framework 2. Evolution of Clean Air Regulations 3. National Ambient Air Quality Standards 4. State Implementation Plans

Chapter 5 (sections 1-2, 4) Quiz 11


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Nov 13-19

Clean Air - Part 2 1. CAA Permits 2. Air Toxics Control

3. Acid Deposition Control 4. Clean Power Plan

Chapter 5 (sections 3-5)

Chapter 11 Quiz 12

Nov 20-26: No quiz this week Work on your Regulatory Analysis

13

Nov 27- Dec 2

Natural Resource Protection

1. Shoreland Protection 2. Vernal Pools 3. Endangered Species Protection

Quiz 13

Dec 3-9

Final Regulatory Analysis Due

Final Exam (ESP 540 students only)

*The topics are subject to change.

Regulatory Competency Evaluation:

Section Assignment* Points

ESP 340

Quizzes (13) Regulatory Analysis Topic Proposal: Regulatory Analysis Final Regulatory Analysis

130 5

10 25

ESP 540

Quizzes (13) Regulatory Analysis Topic Regulatory Application Matrix Table Proposal: Regulatory Analysis Final Regulatory Analysis Final Exam

130 5

10 10 25 60

*Submit/upload these through the assignment option in the respective content folder in BB.

Quizzes:

There are 13 open-book and open-note quizzes. Each quiz generally will have four sections to:

(1) Evaluate your knowledge of definitions/terms covered in the subject modules,

(2) Test your basic knowledge of the material covered in the modules,

(3) Evaluate your ability to locate state and/or federal regulations and rules, and

(4) Assess your ability to apply what you have learned to a specific regulatory scenario.


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The quizzes are based on all the material posted for the week: video lectures,

textbook readings, assigned topical readings, posted news articles, audio files, and so

forth.

The quizzes will be offered on-line through Blackboard only. Each quiz will be

available from about Monday afternoon until Sunday at 5:00 p.m. The times will NOT

be extended for ANY reason - so plan your week accordingly. Be sure to find and

have access to a computer at home, work, a library, or the university. Note that to meet

the quiz deadline, you must complete the quiz by 5:00 pm.

Once you start the quiz, you will have 90 minutes to complete it. You can start

the quiz at anytime it is available during the week, but once you start it you must

complete it within 90 minutes (you cannot pause or restart the quiz). Thus, in order to

have the full 90 minutes for your quiz, you must start it no later than 3:30 on Sunday. I

strongly suggest you complete your studying beforehand (including the assigned

reading) and be well organized (open all your window tabs, layout your notes, have the

book ready, etc.) to take the quiz because of the time limit. It is an open-book quiz, but

cutting and pasting from the Internet or other sources (including the slides) is

considered a violation of academic honesty (see below) and trust me, I can tell.

However, I strongly urge you type the answer in Word or Notepad and copy then paste

(using ctrl-V) the answer into the quiz in case there is a computer crash (e.g., you can

present your saved work to me for partial credit) and you can also run spell check,

which is highly recommended and appreciated.

After all quizzes for the week have been graded and your grades posted, you can

click on your quiz to see correct answers and any feedback on your answers.

Regulatory Analysis: Interpreting and communicating regulatory requirements are keys to successfully

understanding their application and limitations. In this course, to foster your

understanding and skills with the application of regulations, a detailed Regulatory

Analysis is required. Details can be found in the Regulatory Analysis folder in BB.

Academic Integrity: I take academic integrity very seriously. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to:

- Cheating (copying and pasting directly from online sources on a quiz, sharing questions or answers from other students, or assisting other students in anyway regarding the quizzes);

- Plagiarism (submitting material that in part or whole is not entirely your own work); and


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- Fabrication (falsifying or inventing any information, data, or citation). Instances of Academic Integrity will be dealt with through USM’s Academic Integrity Code. When in doubt, ask the instructor!

See http://usm.maine.edu/deanofstudents/student-academic-integrity-policy-0

Disability Support:

The university is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all university programs and services. If you think you have a disability and would like to request accommodations, you must register with the Disability Services Center. Timely notification is essential. The Disability Services Center can be reached by calling 207-780-4706 or by email at [email protected]. If you have already received a faculty accommodation letter from the Disability Services Center, please provide me with that information as soon as possible. Please make a private appointment so that we can review your accommodations.


mailto:[email protected]

Environmental Regulations - Syllabus · 2018. 1. 19. · SAMPLE 1 Syllabus . ESP 340/ESP 540 - Environmental Regulations . Fall 2017 . Course Instructor: Dr. Travis Wagner . Department

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