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The key idea is that a permit can serve as a shield by tying enforcement to the permit’s specific terms. When a facility holds a valid permit, regulators focus on whether the facility is complying with what the permit requires. If new regulatory requirements come into effect after the permit is issued, they generally won't automatically apply to that facility unless the permit is updated or reissued. So, the permit can protect the operator from being cited for those new rules as long as the operation stays within the permit’s bounds.

Liner and leak detection requirements, organic air emission provisions, and land disposal restrictions are the kinds of standards that would already be addressed within the permit or regulatory framework governing the facility. The shield concept specifically addresses protection from newly enacted rules, not the existing permit terms themselves.