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What Is ERP?
The Environmental Results Program (ERP) is an innovative approach that relies on closely linked components to achieve compliance obligations and improve environmental results. These components educate owners and operators of regulated facilities how to more effectively meet or exceed compliance obligations and enable regulators to obtain long-term, verifiable results. ERP combines compliance assistance, self-audit/certification, and statistically-based inspections and performance measurement in order to strengthen or replace an existing regulatory structure.
In ERP, responsibilities for environmental management are placed on regulated facilities - regulators educate facilities about their environmental impacts and obligations, as well as voluntary best practices they can use to alleviate potential impacts. Facilities are then required to self-evaluate and certify compliance. By conducting "before and after" inspections and applying statistical analysis, regulators can leverage limited inspection and enforcement resources to verify compliance, measure environmental performance, and institute lasting improvements.
ERP was developed by Massachusetts in 1997 to improve compliance within its dry cleaning sector. Prior to adopting ERP, Massachusetts only had data on 10 percent of its state-regulated dry cleaning population. The self-certifications and follow-up inspections that are part of the data-rich ERP process helped the state to bring the remaining 90 percent of the dry cleaning population into the regulatory fold.
The ERP approach applies three tools to enhance and measure environmental performance:
- Compliance Assistance
Compliance assistance tools consist of plain language, sector-specific workbook and introductory workshops which educate facility owners/operators about their environmental obligations. Written from the facility operator's point of view, the workbook illustrates the facility's processes and guides the user through a self-audit for compliance, as well as techniques for pollution prevention, health, and safety best practices. - Self-Certification
Based on the results of working through the ERP compliance assistance workbook and completing a self-audit, facilities either certify compliance, or develop a Return-to-Compliance plan if problems are found. Self-certification, which covers multi-media (all air, water, and waste) performance standards for the business sector, is signed by senior officials at the facilities. Self-certification creates personal accountability for compliance with the facility owners or operators. Penalties may be assessed for false, inaccurate, or misleading statements. - Performance Measurement
Measuring performance is critical to evaluat the effectiveness of ERP and to assure regulatory compliance. ERP uses industry-specific Environmental Business Practice Indicators (EBPIs) linked to selected regulatory requirements and pollution prevention to track performance. Regulators use statistical sampling methods to measure compliance with random pre- and post-certification facility checks as well as targeted inspections for non-compliant facilities. Performance measures are collected and analyzed both at the individual facility and sector levels enabling regulators to track results, determine priorities, and strategically target inspections and compliance assistance efforts.