Frequent Questions about the CAMD Business System (CBS)

How do I become a Designated Representative?
How do I assign an Agent?
What are the types of Agents?
How do I register to use CBS and ECMPS?
1. Industry users
2. EPA and State users
How do I change my CBS/ECMPS password?
How do I reset a forgotten password?

1) How do I become a Designated Representative?

The primary Designated Representative (DR) is a person chosen by the owners and operator of a plant to act on their behalf to provide required submissions to the EPA. Although the DR may assign an Alternate Designated Representative (ADR) to act on their behalf, the primary DR is ultimately responsible for ensuring that accurate, complete, and timely submissions are made.

You must be recognized as a DR (primary or alternate) or an Agent of a DR in the CAPD database in order to submit data to EPA using CBS or ECMPS.

To become recognized as a DR, you can use CBS, or you can submit the paper Certificate of Representation form. If you use CBS, review the Certificate of Representation section of the help file. The help file can be accessed from any screen in CBS, including the login screen. If you use the paper form, it must be completed in its entirety, as it supersedes any previous submissions. Please read all form instructions carefully.

2) How do I assign an Agent?

An Agent is someone authorized to act on behalf of a primary or alternate Designated Representative (DR). DRs can assign Agents using CBS, or you can submit the paper Agent Notice of Delegation form. Representatives may remove Agents using either of these methods as well. If you use CBS, review the Agent section of the help file. The help file can be accessed from any screen in CBS, including the login screen. Note that the primary DR is legally responsible for actions taken by their Agents, as well as Agents of the alternate DR.

Please note that Agents for a previous plant/account representative will not be automatically assigned to a newly appointed plant/account representative. Each representative must assign their own Agents, authorizing them to perform work on their behalf.

3) What are the different types of Agents?

Note that a person may be designated as more than one type of Agent, and a representative may assign more than one person as the same agent type.

Source Management – A Source Management Agent has the authority to add or edit facility, unit, owner, operator, or representative information (Certificates of Representation); and provide facility contact information. Source Management Agents have access to all facilities and units of a representative.
Compliance – A Compliance Agent has the authority to submit optional allowance deduction information and to run compliance (includes both draft “what if” and official compliance deduction options). Compliance Agents have access to all facilities for a representative.
Allowance Trading – An Allowance Trading Agent has the authority to perform allowance transfers using CBS. Allowance Trading Agents have access to all accounts for a representative.
General Account Management – A General Account Management Agent has the authority to add or edit account information for existing general accounts (e.g., adding or editing Designated Representatives and binding party information), or they can add a new general account. General Account Management Agents have access to all accounts of a representative. Note that general accounts are NOT associated with specific facilities or units.
Retrieve Monitoring Plan, QA, and Emissions Data – A Retrieve Agent has the authority to retrieve monitoring plan, QA, and emissions data from the EPA host system and load it into ECMPS. Retrieve Agents have access to all facilities and units for a representative but CANNOT submit to the EPA host system. ECMPS Retrieve Only Agents DO NOT receive ECMPS feedback.
Submit Monitoring Plan Data – This type of Submit Agent has the authority to submit monitoring plan data from ECMPS to the EPA host system for units for which that responsibility has been assigned. All Submit Agents may also retrieve data from the EPA host system, and will receive ECMPS feedback for the plants/units to which they are assigned.
Submit Monitoring Plan and QA Data – This type of Submit Agent has the authority to submit monitoring plan and QA data from ECMPS to the EPA host system for units for which that responsibility has been assigned. If you assign a person as a Submit Monitoring Plan and QA Data Agent, you do not need to also assign the person as a Submit Monitoring Plan Data Agent. All Submit Agents may also retrieve data from the EPA host system, and will receive ECMPS feedback for the plants/units to which they are assigned.
Submit Monitoring Plan, QA and Emissions Data – This type of Submit Agent has the authority to submit monitoring plan, QA, and emissions data from ECMPS to the EPA host system, for units for which that responsibility has been assigned. If you assign a person as a Submit Monitoring Plan, QA, and Emissions Data Agent, you do not need to also assign the person as a Submit Monitoring Plan Data or Submit Monitoring Plan and QA data Agent. All submit agents may also retrieve data from the EPA host system, and will receive ECMPS feedback for the plants/units to which they are assigned.

4) How do I register for CBS and ECMPS?

For industry users, steps should be taken in the following order:
- Be appointed as either a Designated Representative or an Agent in the CAMD Business System (CBS).
- Submit a hard copy Electronic Signature Agreement (ESA) form.
  
  The ESA provides a wet-ink signature that identifies each CBS/ECMPS user and provides rules with which each user needs to comply to maintain their user name and password. You only need to submit the ESA once. EPA must receive the ESA in hard copy.
- Obtain a user name and temporary password for CBS/ECMPS.
  
  After CAPD receives and processes your hard copy ESA form, you may obtain a user name and temporary password by sending an email to AskCAMD@epa.gov.
- User names and passwords cannot be sent via email and must be given directly to the recipient. Temporary passwords are valid for 30 days.
- Log into CBS and change your temporary password.
  
  After receiving a user name and temporary password, you must log into CBS and change your temporary password. You must NOT share your user name and password with others. Please note that starting December 14, 2022 you must change your CBS password every 60 days. You will receive a reminder email 15 days before your password expires. Your user name and password are the same for CBS and ECMPS.
- Answer and maintain five challenge questions.
  
  There is a list of 20 questions from which to select. These questions are like those you might see at a banking website and ask you for information only you should know. You may change your challenge questions and answers at any time, but you must always maintain at least five questions. If you do not complete your challenge questions, you will not be able to submit data using ECMPS or CBS. CAPD cannot retrieve your challenge question answers for you.
- Providing security information upon the submission of data.
  
  Upon submission of data through CBS or ECMPS, you will have to enter your user name, password, and the answer to one randomly chosen challenge question. You will have three chances to enter this information correctly, or you will be locked out of the system(s).
For frequent questions for EPA and State users, visit here.

5) How do I change my CBS/ECMPS password?

All CBS/ECMPS users can change their password in the 'Your Profile' section of CBS. You can access 'Your Profile' on the screen immediately following your login to CBS, or by clicking on the dropdown arrow next to your name in the upper right-hand corner of any screen immediately following your login to CBS.

Please note that starting December 14, 2022, you must change your CBS password every 60 days. You will receive a reminder email 15 days before your password expires.

If you have any questions or problems with changing your password, please send an email to AskCAMD@epa.gov to request assistance.

6) How do I reset a forgotten password?

Industry users who have forgotten their password can reset their password by clicking on the 'Forgot Password?' link found on the CBS login page. For detailed information, including screen shots of the reset password process, see the 'Reset Your Password' section of the CBS Help file found at the top, right of any page in CBS, including the login page.

Due to a recent mandatory EPA security directive which went into effect on December 14, 2022, your CBS/ECMPS password will expire after 60 rather than 90 days. We will continue to to send emails reminding you to change your password starting 15 days ahead of the date on which your CBS/ECMPS password will expire.

If you have any questions or problems with your password reset, please send an email to AskCAMD@epa.gov to request assistance.