WHAT DOES AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST DO?

Updated: Jun 11, 2025 - The Environmental Compliance Specialist ensures compliance with local, state, and federal regulations by monitoring reporting requirements, sampling schedules, and permit renewals. This position tracks permit statuses, prepares regulatory submissions, and supports facility managers in maintaining environmental compliance. This role serves as a liaison with regulatory agencies, representing the organization in hearings, meetings, and conferences.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Environmental Compliance Specialist

1. Environmental Compliance Specialist Duties

  • Compliance Data Collection: Ensure all required compliance data is collected (permits and regulations) and verify all are within range.
  • Compliance Calendar and Checklist Preparation: Assist in preparing compliance calendars, permit requirement summaries, and compliance checklists.
  • Monitoring Data Management: Gather Compliance Assurance Monitoring (Title V req) and Periodic Monitoring data such as check data and ensure it is in range; follow up to resolve with Operations when out-of-range.
  • Data Review and Quality Assurance: Help review Title V data/permit for accuracy and completeness and provide review for quality.
  • Agency Reporting: Assist with any required agency reporting, by permit, Federal or State regulation, including NSPS, NESHAP, NPDES, RCRA, and other reports such as Tier II and SARA 313 TRI reporting.
  • Environmental Data Collection: Complete the monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual environmental data collection sheets (e.g., GHG data) and submit to reporting team(s).
  • EHS System Input: Direct input to computer-based EHS system.
  • Compliance Status Reporting: Support Operations and Regional EHS Business Unit Partners to analyze, review, and report the status of compliance monthly.
  • Water Usage and Discharge Reporting: Gather information for water usage reporting and discharge, assist with report submittal.
  • Hazardous Waste Management: Assist in hazardous waste management program implementation.
  • Operations Compliance Verification: Routine verification that Operations is handling, storing, and documenting materials

2. Environmental Compliance Specialist Details

  • Waste Management: Help with waste/off-spec material inventory management.
  • Waste Disposal: Assist with the proper disposal of universal, hazardous, and non-hazardous waste.
  • Record Maintenance: Ensure all required manifest copies and records are correct and maintained.
  • Report Preparation: Aid in the preparation of annual hazardous and special waste reports.
  • LDAR Database Management: Work with third-party to ensure LDAR database is maintained, reporting is accurate, and repairs are made.
  • LDAR Compliance Review: Review the monthly LDAR reports for compliance issues, accuracy, and completeness.
  • Change Management: Participate in Management of Change committee meetings and associated environmental action items.
  • Emergency Drills: Assist with Facility Response Plan drills.
  • Water Well Monitoring: Conduct and oversee the water well and monitoring wells' performance and data collection.
  • Incident Investigation: Assist and lead incident investigations for environmental releases and non-compliance(s).
  • Stormwater and SPCC Inspections: Perform routine annual or quarterly stormwater and SPCC inspections.
  • Environmental Audit Preparation: Assist supervisors in preparing for Corporate and third-party environmental audits.

3. Environmental Compliance Specialist Responsibilities

  • Release Event Reporting: Help with inputting release events and spills, and agency reporting.
  • Inspection Management: Perform and manage annual tank, berm, and secondary containment inspections, and any corrective actions.
  • Performance Testing Coordination: Coordinate environmental performance testing, including third-party testing.
  • Self-Audit Support: Assist and teach Operations to look at and for self-audit requirements.
  • Corrective Action Development: Work with Operations to develop Corrective Action Plans to address any non-compliance.
  • Collaboration: Work collaboratively with team members with different backgrounds and perspectives.
  • Corporate Standard Rollouts: Work collaboratively with corporate subject matter experts on rollouts of corporate standards or guidance initiatives.
  • Goal Achievement Assistance: Assist other employees in the accomplishment of Huntsman company goals.
  • Task Execution: Follow instructions and perform other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.
  • EHS Participation: Participate in Environmental, Health, & Safety initiatives as set forth by the company.
  • Training Program Participation: Participate in and complete company-required training programs.

4. Environmental Compliance Specialist Job Summary

  • Regulatory Advisory: Advise management of current and future laws, rules, and regulations that have the potential to affect the facilities.
  • Reporting Compliance: Monitor that all state, federal, and local reporting requirements are timely submitted.
  • Compliance Support: Support facility managers and senior staff to achieve compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
  • Permit Renewal Assistance: Assist in the preparation of permit renewals and applications.
  • Reporting Monitoring: Monitor State, Federal, and local reporting requirements to ensure timely submittal.
  • Sampling Schedule Monitoring: Monitor sampling schedules for compliance with annual priority pollutants, quarterly categorical, plant quarterly, and monthly permit requirements.
  • Permit Tracking: Track compliance permit reporting, compliance dates, and status of permits.
  • Pretreatment Assistance: Assist during pretreatment inspections and preparation of pretreatment notices and issuance of IU permits.
  • Regulatory Liaison: Serve as liaison between the organization and regulatory agencies, representing the organization, as appointed, on task forces, at agency hearings, and regulatory meetings and conferences.
  • Compliance Coordination Support: Support facility compliance coordinators and perform other duties.

5. Environmental Compliance Specialist Accountabilities

  • Regulatory Interpretation: Tracks and interprets laws or regulations impacting the business and offers suggestions to functional managers to ensure compliance.
  • Process Audits: Conducts periodic tests, audits, or inspections of organizational processes or facilities and reports findings to management.
  • Environmental Sampling Coordination: Coordinates collection and analysis of environmental samples, interprets findings, and recommends and implements corrective action.
  • Compliance Gap Identification: Identifies gaps in documentation or potential areas of non-compliance and suggests resolutions.
  • Violation Review: Conducts initial reviews of alleged compliance violations and escalates to leadership.
  • Regulatory Reporting: Develops and conducts a final review of reports to regulators, represents the company in negotiations with regulators in support of the Director and independently.
  • Training Development: Develops and delivers environmental compliance-related training sessions.
  • Permit Administration: Ensures regulatory compliance by supporting facilitie’s required environmental permit administration, monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping, and other compliance-related activities.
  • Regulatory Development Monitoring: Keeps apprised of developments in federal, state, and other environmental regulations likely to affect the company.
  • Regulatory Interpretation (Repeated): Interprets laws and regulations impacting the business and offers suggestions to functional managers to ensure compliance.
  • Permit Application Preparation: Prepares environmental permit applications and regulatory reports required by various regulatory programs.

6. Environmental Compliance Specialist Functions

  • Environmental Protection: Protects the Company’s assets, public health, and natural resources through responsible environmental practices.
  • Program Audits: Conducts periodic reviews or audits of environmental program data, trends, and processes.
  • Compliance and Risk Identification: Identifies potential areas of non-compliance, risks, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
  • Corrective Action Recommendations: Reports findings to management and recommends corrective action.
  • Regulatory Reporting: Prepares and conducts a final review of reports and communications to regulators.
  • Regulatory Negotiation: Represents the company in negotiations with regulators.
  • Incident Prevention: Assists field staff and management to prevent releases of pollutants and environmental incidents by investigating, identifying causes, and developing preventative measures and practices.
  • Regulatory Guidance: Assists field staff and management to understand applicable regulations and standards.
  • Cross-Business Communication: Builds successful cross-business partnerships by effectively communicating with internal stakeholders, including but not limited to Environmental, Safety, Risk Management, Human Resources, Operations, Engineering, and all other departments and employees.
  • Relationship Building: Establishes exceptional interpersonal relationships with the team and others to foster a continuous improvement environment.
  • Conflict Resolution: Collaboratively resolves individual and organizational conflict by using effective negotiation and mediation strategies.
  • Risk Management Training: Develops and implements risk management goals of training programs consistent with governmental regulations and stakeholder needs.

7. Environmental Compliance Specialist Job Description

  • Risk Mitigation: Mitigates risk exposure by identifying sources of risk and developing needed programs, policies, and procedures.
  • Legislative Awareness: Avoids legal challenges by understanding current and proposed legislation.
  • Government Relations: Supports operations dealing with government agencies on environmental matters affecting the company.
  • Environmental Program Audits: Plan, implement, and manage environmental program audits to reduce risks and consequences of non-compliance.
  • Stakeholder Satisfaction: Ensures internal and external stakeholder satisfaction by recommending best practices.
  • Process Improvement: Drives, implements, sustains, and develops quality process improvements that focus on operations and customer service.
  • Industry Collaboration: Works with trade and professional organizations to promote goals and objectives in the environmental compliance area that affect the company's business.
  • Solution Development: Provides solutions using effective approaches, including simplification of complex issues and clearly understanding the difference between critical detail and unimportant facts.
  • Environmental Compliance Support: Supports the Environmental Management Team with overall environmental compliance management, training, communications, environmental engineering and design reviews, as well as general project management and administration.
  • Regulation Monitoring: Monitoring, revising, and implementing updates in environmental regulations, laws, and reporting requirements.
  • Program Development: Developing, writing, and implementing environmental programs and procedures to drive compliance and environmental performance for the high-tech and manufacturing industries.
  • Focus Areas: Areas of focus may include waste management, hazardous waste disposal, air and water discharge permitting, among others.

8. Environmental Compliance Specialist Overview

  • Regulatory Compliance Evaluation: Evaluate the environmental or health & safety regulatory compliance status of operating facilities.
  • Gap Identification and Improvement: Identify gaps and recommend improvements.
  • Compliance Support: Support environmental or health & safety compliance policies, programs, procedures, and management systems.
  • Training Program Development: Assist in the development and implementation of training programs.
  • Site Audits and Visits: Conducting site visits, audits, training, and meetings.
  • Audit Conducting: Conducting Environmental and/or Health & Safety audits at client locations.
  • Client Oversight: Environmental or Health & Safety oversight at client locations, including management of contractors.
  • Permit Review: Review and evaluate regulatory permits and associated documentation.
  • Technical Plan Development: Assist with the development of technical plans (e.g., spill prevention control and countermeasure plans, stormwater pollution prevention plans, Phase I Environmental Site Assessments).
  • Independent and Team Collaboration: Work both independently and with a team to provide clients with solutions to EHS&S compliance needs.
  • Client Interaction: Interact with clients, understanding needs, and conversing with regulators on behalf.
  • Team Support: Support Arcadis team members in producing high-quality work products for clients.

9. Environmental Compliance Specialist Details and Accountabilities

  • Permit Application Review: Review routine Permit to Install and Permit to Operate Applications for compliance with Federal, State, and local Air Pollution Control regulations.
  • Emission Unit Compliance: Develop emission unit-specific terms and conditions to ensure ongoing compliance with applicable requirements.
  • Testing Protocols Development: Develop pollutant-specific federal reference method testing protocols and frequencies, review air pollution control equipment for proper design, and establish appropriate parametric monitoring to ensure the proper functioning of air pollution control equipment.
  • Facility Inspections: Perform routine facility inspections to ensure compliance with Permit Terms and Conditions, document violations, find unpermitted sources, and ensure the proper functioning of air pollution control equipment.
  • Inspection Reporting: Complete inspection report containing all elements of USEPA’s Compliance Monitoring Strategy (CMS).
  • Source Reporting Review: Review industrial source reporting requirements, Continuous Emission/Opacity Monitoring data, federal reference method stack test, and Emission Inventory data for compliance with permit terms and conditions, issue Notice Violations, review compliance plans, and prepare Enforcement Action Recommendations for violations.
  • Violation Resolution Coordination: Coordinate violation resolutions with Ohio EPA, USEPA, and facility contacts through the issuance of Findings and Orders or Consent Decrees.
  • Complaint Investigation: Investigate citizen complaints regarding air pollution concerns.
  • Investigation Tools: Complaint investigation tools utilized include Air Toxic Canisters, use of Flame Ionization and Photo Ionization Detection instruments, chemical cell detection instruments, video documentation, and 40 CFR Appendix A, Method 9 Visible Emission Readings.
  • Compliance Plan Development: Develop an appropriate compliance plan to resolve issues documented during the complaint investigation.
  • Public Inquiries: Answer general and technical questions from the public, consultants, and the regulated community regarding air regulatory concerns and issues.
  • Public Hearings Representation: Represent the agency at Public Hearings and deliver presentations to agency stakeholder groups.
  • On-Call Support: Participate in 24-hour on-call complaint hotline providing weekend response support.

10. Environmental Compliance Specialist Tasks

  • Environmental Compliance Management: Manage programs meant to promote environmental compliance.
  • Regulatory Interpretation: Tracks and interprets environmental laws or regulations impacting the business and works with managers to ensure compliance.
  • Audit and Inspection: Conduct periodic tests, audits, or inspections of organizational processes or facilities and report findings to management.
  • Sample Collection and Analysis: Collects and analyzes environmental samples, interprets findings, and recommends and implements corrective action.
  • Compliance Violation Review: Conducts initial reviews of alleged compliance violations and escalates to executive leadership.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with all regulatory bodies and standards (including OSHA, EPA, etc).
  • Policy Compliance: Maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures.
  • Professional Development: Enhances professional growth and development through participation in educational programs, current literature, meetings, workshops, etc.
  • Environmental Program Management: Manage and ensure compliance in several of the following environmental programs such as NPDES Wastewater, Stormwater, MS4, GHG reporting, Title V/PAL permit, UST, Floodplain, Wetlands, Water Use, Refrigerants.
  • Data Analysis and Risk Identification: Analyze data to proactively identify compliance risks and develop procedures and best practices to remedy them.
  • Utility Collaboration: Collaborate with the Utilities Concessionaire to fulfill environmental obligations and ensure compliance in program areas.
  • Regulatory Liaison: Interface with regulatory agencies to obtain relevant guidance for streamlined implementation of regulatory actions.
  • Negotiation and Compliance: Negotiate terms and conditions to protect the interests of the UI while maintaining full compliance with requirements.
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