40 CFR 122.22 – Signatories to permit applications and reports (applicable to State programs, see § 123.25)
(a) Applications. All permit applications shall be signed as follows:
(1) For a corporation. By a responsible corporate officer. For the purpose of this section, a responsible corporate officer means: (i) A president, secretary, treasurer, or vice-president of the corporation in charge of a principal business function, or any other person who perfoms similar policy- or decision-making functions for the corporation, or (ii) the manager of one or more manufacturing, production, or operating facilities, provided, the manager is authorized to make management decisions which govern the operation of the regulated facility including having the explicit or implicit duty of making major capital investment recommendations, and initiating and directing other comprehensive measures to assure long term environmental compliance with environmental laws and regulations; the manager can ensure that the necessary systems are established or actions taken to gather complete and accurate information for permit application requirements; and where authority to sign documents has been assigned or delegated to the manager in accordance with corporate procedures.
EPA does not require specific assignments or delegations of authority to responsible corporate officers identified in § 122.22(a)(1)(i). The Agency will presume that these responsible corporate officers have the requisite authority to sign permit applications unless the corporation has notified the Director to the contrary. Corporate procedures governing authority to sign permit applications may provide for assignment or delegation to applicable corporate positions under § 122.22(a)(1)(ii) rather than to specific individuals.
(2) For a partnership or sole proprietorship. By a general partner or the proprietor, respectively; or
(3) For a municipality, State, Federal, or other public agency. By either a principal executive officer or ranking elected official. For purposes of this section, a principal executive officer of a Federal agency includes: (i) The chief executive officer of the agency, or (ii) a senior executive officer having responsibility for the overall operations of a principal geographic unit of the agency (e.g., Regional Administrators of EPA).
(b) All reports required by permits, and other information requested by the Director shall be signed by a person described in paragraph (a) of this section, or by a duly authorized representative of that person. A person is a duly authorized representative only if:
(1) The authorization is made in writing by a person described in paragraph (a) of this section;
(2) The authorization specifies either an individual or a position having responsibility for the overall operation of the regulated facility or activity such as the position of plant manager, operator of a well or a well field, superintendent, position of equivalent responsibility, or an individual or position having overall responsibility for environmental matters for the company, (A duly authorized representative may thus be either a named individual or any individual occupying a named position.) and,
(3) The written authorization is submitted to the Director.
(c) Changes to authorization. If an authorization under paragraph (b) of this section is no longer accurate because a different individual or position has responsibility for the overall operation of the facility, a new authorization satisfying the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section must be submitted to the Director prior to or together with any reports, information, or applications to be signed by an authorized representative.
(d) Certification. Any person signing a document under paragraph (a) or (b) of this section shall make the following certification:
I certify under penalty of law that this document and all attachments were prepared under my direction or supervision in accordance with a system designed to assure that qualified personnel properly gather and evaluate the information submitted. Based on my inquiry of the person or persons who manage the system, or those persons directly responsible for gathering the information, the information submitted is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment for knowing violations.
(e) Electronic reporting. If documents described in paragraph (a) or (b) of this section are submitted electronically by or on behalf of the NPDES-regulated facility, any person providing the electronic signature for such documents shall meet all relevant requirements of this section, and shall ensure that all of the relevant requirements of 40 CFR part 3 (including, in all cases, subpart D to part 3) (Cross-Media Electronic Reporting) and 40 CFR part 127 (NPDES Electronic Reporting Requirements) are met for that submission.