REM case studies
REM · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Registered Environmental Manager (REM®) is one of the professional credentials issued by the National Registry of Environmental Professionals® (NREP®), a not-for-profit accrediting organization founded by Dr. Richard Young in 1987. The REM case studies are 5 cases and about 2,967 words.
1Opacity Deviation and Title V Certification Pressure
Your company operates a rotary dryer at an asphalt shingle plant subject to a Title V permit. The permit limits particulate matter to 0.02 gr/dscf and opacity to 10% as a 6-minute average.
621 words, about 3 min2Chlorinated Solvent Plume: Is MNA Defensible?
Groundwater beneath a former dry cleaner contains PCE at 120 µg/L at the source well MW-1 and 35 µg/L at MW-3, 150 ft downgradient. Sentinel well MW-5, 400 ft downgradient, has shown 8-10 µg/L for three years.
594 words, about 3 min3Satellite Accumulation Gone Wrong at a Truck Shop
At a truck maintenance facility, a 55-gallon drum of spent parts-washer solvent (toluene 45%, MEK 30%, mineral spirits 25%) has been in the satellite accumulation area for 200 days. Next to it are three more 55-gallon drums of the same solvent, a 5-gallon pail of used oil, and an open 5-gallon bucket of aqueous parts-washer sludge with pH 12.7.
582 words, about 3 min4Internal Audit Findings Before the Certification Body Arrives
During an internal ISO 14001:2015 audit at a 300-employee electronics manufacturer, you find: (1) the aspect register was last updated 18 months ago and omits refrigerant R-410A from the chiller maintenance shop and diesel from the backup generator; (2) management review minutes are 11 months old and do not address audit results or compliance obligations; (3) a corrective action for a 2023 solvent spill is marked 'closed' but the only evidence is an email saying 'training will be done'; and (4) 12 of 40 maintenance employees have no training records for hazardous waste handling. The environmental manager tells you the certification body arrives in three weeks and asks you to record the findings as 'observations' rather than nonconformities, saying 'we will fix everything after the audit.' You are the lead auditor and the company is your employer.
600 words, about 3 min5Construction Stormwater Exceedance and a Contractor's Silence Request
At a 22-acre residential construction site covered by a state construction general permit, the SWPPP requires weekly inspections, a sediment basin sized for the 2-year, 24-hour storm, and a turbidity benchmark of 50 NTU as a daily maximum at Outfall 001. After a 1.2-inch rain, your sampling technician reports 210 NTU at the outfall.
570 words, about 3 min