Over the years, Mark Twain’s wisdom has proven to be true. Taking things for granted always bites you in the ass.

I’ve seen it again and again in my own work and in the hundreds of reports I’ve reviewed, and not just from consultants. When we get stuck believing we already know all we need to know, then we stop learning. The world is always changing. We have to keep an open mind and stay current, or we will surely mess things up.

So, I’m here to share the things I’ve learned during my 25+ years as an environmental regulator. Environmental compliance is sheerly a matter of will. We know how to do anything. It’s just a matter of understanding what the desired outcome/endpoint is, then doing it. To do that, we must be open to input from others to help us see around our blind spots.