EPA AUDIT POLICY SEEN BOLSTERING LIABILITY REPORTS FOLLOWING MERGERS

EPA says its self-audit policy, which encourages companies to voluntarily disclose and correct environmental violations, is gaining wider industry acceptance, particularly in sectors witnessing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, such as the telecommunications sector. The development is significant because many companies were initially skeptical that the 10-year old policy would provide sufficient protection from future EPA enforcement, although some industry officials are still concerned that voluntary disclosures to the agency do not adequately protect them from additional state enforcement...