Category: Regulatory Developments

Is There Danger Ahead for EPA Endangerment Filing?

On January 20, 2025, the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term, among the 26 Executive Orders (EOs) initially signed was EO 14154, “Unleashing American Energy.” Section 6 (f) of that order states, “Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Administrator of the EPA, in collaboration with the heads of any […]

White House

Federal Funding Freeze Repercussions

The federal funding freeze has had immediate impacts on industry and services across the United States. On February 10, 2025, U.S. District Judge John “Jack” McConnell Jr. issued an Enforcement Order that clarified his previous Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), which ordered the Trump administration to release federal funds. Federal programs and agreements impacted by the […]

President Orders Deregulatory Review

President Donald J. Trump ordered all federal agencies to compile lists of regulations for possible removal in an Executive Order (E.O. 14219) signed February 19 and published February 25 (90 Fed. Reg. 10583). The president directed agency heads to conduct a process of regulatory review, coordinating with the director of the Office of Management and […]

‘Fork in the Road’ for Trump’s EPA

President Donald Trump hit the ground running in his second term, issuing 36 Executive Orders (EO) in his first week of office compared with only four EOs in the first week of his first term in office. EOs impacting the EPA The following initial EOs provide insights into this administration’s agenda and directly affect EPA […]

Agencies Ordered to Remove 10 Rules, Guidelines for Each New One

Under an Executive Order (E.O.) signed January 31 by President Donald Trump, all federal agencies must now identify 10 existing regulations or guidance documents to be repealed for each new rule, regulation, or guidance promulgated (E.O. 14192, 90 Fed. Reg. 9065). The E.O. also directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure agencies […]

EPA Enforcement Roundup Q4 2024

In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024, the EPA finalized 215 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a decrease in enforcement actions—down from 482 penalties issued in Q3. The actions taken resulted in $7,739,116 in fines. Here are some of the highlights. CAA violations yield biggest fine from […]

EPA Proposes Tighter NOx Standards for Stationary Combustion Sources

The EPA recently announced a proposed regulation to strengthen limits on emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from most new, modified, and reconstructed fossil fuel-fired stationary combustion turbines. The regulation, if finalized, will “ensure that new turbines built at power plants or industrial facilities—especially large ones that could operate for decades—would be among the most efficient […]

EPA Issues Interim Guidance for 2024 AEZ Rule

The EPA recently released interim guidance and additional materials to support the regulatory community in implementing the requirements of the final rule for the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ). An AEZ is defined as an area immediately surrounding pesticide application equipment during an outdoor pesticide application. The final rule defines additional […]

EHS On Tap: Best of 2024

As we near the end of the year, we’re taking a look back at some of our highlights from 2024. Here are some of the EHS On Tap episodes that stand out from the past 12 months. E197: Maintaining an Effective Safety Culture in a Large Organization On episode 197 of EHS On Tap, Greg […]