Regulatory Compliance & Protection of Investors and Consumers

Explain the role and function of the agency 

1. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 

SEC remains tasked with three major roles or missions, including the protection of investors, maintaining efficient, fair, and orderly markets, and facilitating the much-needed capital information. 

2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) 

The U.S. EPA plays a central role in protecting human, as well as environmental health. Additionally, the agency creates and promotes laws and associated standards that improve environmental and individual health. 

3. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 

The major functions of OSHA include assuring both the health and safety of individual workers and employees at their workplaces. 

4. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 

CPSC places great emphasis on reducing deaths, injuries, and damages from consumer products. Most importantly, it issues and enforces a variety of mandatory standards and regulations, which play a fundamental role in banning the production and distribution of inferior goods and services. 

Identify at least two significant regulations enforced by each agency relevant to Solar Co.’s business. 

SEC 

i). SEC requires any given firm, including the Solar Company to register securities that they offer and sell in the U.S. 

ii). SEC expects firms that have registered their securities to undergo periodic reporting with the sole purpose of ensuring accountability. 

U.S. EPA 

i). EPA regulates net metering by controlling the level at which homeowners or solar panel users to sell their excess solar energy to utility companies at retail prices or rates. 

ii). New buildings across the U.S should consider setting aside approximately 15% of their roofs as solar ready. 

OSHA 

i). workers must always remain attentive to any overhead power lines by staying approximately 10 feet away; given they have extremely high voltage. 

ii). Employees should use the correct equipment when it comes to touching power lines. 

CPSC 

i). Companies should not only consider spent or designate used solar panels as hazardous wastes but also universal waste. 

ii). Firms must produce and distribute safe solar panels. 

Provide recommendations for Solar Co. to ensure compliance with each of the regulations including specific action items to be taken by employees and management. 

a). The Solar Co. Inc. should prioritize registering its securities with the agency, SEC, by preparing and filing a comprehensive offering document, which discloses the company’s business activities, executive compensation, risks, management team, principle stakeholders, and financial results. 

b). The company should comply with regular or periodic reporting through appropriate bookkeeping in addition to filing its annual report with the agency. 

c). The company management should collaborate with its stakeholders, including employees and consumers in developing and implementing customer-centered net metering policies. In this way, the parties involved will find the best possible opportunity to benefit from the sale or distribution of excess electricity, while at the same time, complying with the current EPA regulations. 

d). The Solar Co. Inc. should take a leading role in creating awareness among developers and builders with the sole purpose of ensuring that they build houses that can accommodate solar panels and energy systems. 

e). The company should train its employees and workers on safety matters, including the need to remain courteous with power lines. 

Fatal electrocution is the main hazard, but burns and falls from elevations can occur while installing solar panels. 

f). The company should avoid electrocution incidences by ensuring that workers use non-conductive tools when handling solar power. 

g) The company can prevent universal hazards by creating the much-needed end-of-life recycling program. In this way, they will not produce faulty solar panels. 

h). The company should adhere to each of the solar panel production standards to ensure that its products are safe and of high quality. 

References 

CALPSC. (2019). Solar panels . Retrieved Feb. 5, 2019 from https://calpsc.org/products/solar-panels/ 

O’Connor, R., Cronin, T., & Sparks, A. (2017). Securities law 101 for community solar market participants – Orange groves, Country clubs, and solar condos . https://www.energytoday.net/economics-policy/policies/securities-law-101-community-solar-market-participants-orange-groves-country-clubs-solar-condos/ 

Erlanson, R. (2007). Universal and accessible design for products, services, and processes. CRC Press. 

OSHA. (2019). Green job hazards: Solar energy – Electrical . Retrieved Feb. 5, 2019 from https://www.osha.gov/dep/greenjobs/solar_electrical.html