These programs can also be integrated with the emerging ISO 14000 series and other international environmental management standards.

E.g., under EPA's Region 1 3PC program, companies already subscribing to another EMS protocol are allowed to use that instead. Others can utilize a modified version of ISO 14001's EMS standard.
Participating firms will be given immunity from EPA sanctions for self-reporting violations, and it is not clear whether this immunity will extend to citizen lawsuits.

Moreover, There are no definitive standards for evaluating the performance of the third-party auditors, upon which the entire system depends.