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Air emissions, pollution

A Look at EPA’s Finalized Amendments for Organic Liquids Distribution Facilities

On March 12, 2020, the EPA finalized its rule amending the 2004 National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Organic Liquids Distribution (OLD NESHAP). Organic Liquids Distribution (OLD) air toxics standards regulate chemical and petrochemical facilities that manufacture, distribute, and store organic liquids, except gasoline and its derivatives. These standards limit the quantity of […]

Air pollution, pollutants, smokestacks

Technological Advancements Reflected in Site Remediation NESHAP Amendments

In 2003, under the Clean Air Act (CAA), the EPA established the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Site Remediation (40 CFR Part 63, Subpart GGGGG). In 2006, the rule was revised to address questions and clarifications, as well as technical errors in the original version. Many years later, in 2019, the […]

Construction workers and technology

Emerging Safety Technologies Show Promise

Government researchers and private-sector developers deliver technological advancements all the time. Some could significantly transform the safety function—like in-vehicle monitoring systems that could improve driving performance by identifying risky driving behaviors and reducing the number of motor vehicle crashes. Wearable sensors that could alert construction workers of nearby vehicles and equipment, potentially eliminating struck-by hazards. […]

Paper Factory

Court Rules EPA Must Set New Limits for Omitted HAPs

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia decided in April 2020 that the EPA is required under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to set additional emissions limits on hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from pulp mills covered by the National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Chemical Recovery Combustion Sources at […]

Reopening

National Safety Council Urges Caution in Reopening Business

Employers should reopen only when they can do so safely, the National Safety Council (NSC) said in response to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for office workers returning to work during the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Vehicle emissions

Attorneys General Take Trump Administration to Court on Rollback of Passenger Vehicle Emissions Standards

On May 27, 2020, 23 attorneys general and a handful of city attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles (SAFE) rules revising extant fuel efficiency and emissions standards for passenger vehicles. SAFE effectively undoes President Barack Obama’s 2010 Clean Car Standards (CCS), which set forth aggressive fuel economy and greenhouse […]

Chemical chain

The Persistence of PFAS: The ‘Forever Chemicals’ Coming Under Regulatory Scrutiny

Environment, health, and safety (EHS) professionals and their organizations should be following the ongoing conversation surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We continue to learn more about this large family of chemicals and their impact on both human health and the environment—and PFAS are increasingly coming under more expansive regulatory scrutiny.