December 10, 2015

Website Updates Are All the Rage—Including EPA

Just like McCoy, EPA is making significant changes to its website. Did you know that one-third of users access EPA’s website via mobile devices? Some of the agency’s updates were made to take advantage of these new practices and technologies, making its features more adaptable to screen sizes ranging from phones to desktop computers.

But EPA’s updates don’t end there—the home page will be continually updated to include current topics, news, and more. The agency is reorganizing its information and data around topics to help you find what you are looking for faster, and you can browse topics like “Learn the Issues,” “Science and Technology,” “Laws and Regulations,” and “About EPA” to focus your search in the right direction. A great example of these newly organized topical pages is the one for Hazardous Waste Test Methods. This page includes testing methodologies, help lines, guidance, and links to websites outside EPA, all in one convenient location.

Are you curious to see what the agency has to say about the mercury export ban of 2008 or PCBs in the Hudson River? Just use the site’s new index with tons of frequently used terms, keywords, and topics to browse through.

Historically, seventy percent of users on EPA’s website find their environmental information using the search feature. So, the agency has updated it with a new and improved search engine that includes metadata to show summaries with your search results.

You may find that many of your old EPA website bookmarks do not work. First, try the following quick fix: replace “www” with “www2” or www3.” If that doesn’t work, search for the updated page (if there is one). For example, the Wastes—Frequent Questions webpage has been permanently moved to waste.zendesk.com. If none of the above work, be patient. These updates are still in the works, and we suggest giving it a few days to see if the agency’s programmers get that page updated and running again.

McCoy and Associates has provided in-depth information to assist environmental professionals with complex compliance issues since 1982. Our seminars and publications are widely trusted by environmental professionals for their consistent quality, clarity, and comprehensiveness.

Disclaimer

Considerable care has been exercised in preparing this document; however, McCoy and Associates, Inc. makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee in connection with the publication of this information. McCoy and Associates, Inc. expressly disclaims any liability or responsibility for loss or damage resulting from its use or for the violation of any federal, state, or municipal law or regulation with which this information may conflict. McCoy and Associates, Inc. does not undertake any duty to ensure the continued accuracy of this information.

This document addresses issues of a general nature related to the federal RCRA regulations. Persons evaluating specific circumstances dealing with the RCRA regulations should review state and local laws and regulations, which may be more stringent than federal requirements. In addition, the assistance of a qualified professional should be enlisted to address any site-specific circumstances.