Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In a petition filed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on June 19, 2020, 23 advocacy groups represented by Earthjustice sued the EPA and asked the court to overturn the current administration’s updated benefit-cost analysis (BCA) for limits on coal-fired power plants’ mercury emissions. The existing Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) regulations took […]
On June 24, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced the adoption of new workplace safety standards to protect agricultural employees who work at night. The new standards to protect agricultural workers who harvest, operate vehicles, and perform other work between sunset and sunrise are the first lighting standards in the nation.
The EPA proposed a new rule on June 11, 2020, that would impose specific requirements for the Agency to utilize uniform and transparent “high-quality analysis” in its statutory obligations in the rulemaking process under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Many statutes, including the CAA, include cost consideration language but do not provide exact guidelines or […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule on June 8, 2020, that revises the hazardous waste regulation at 40 CFR 261.21, which addresses how the characteristic of “ignitability” is identified as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
Earlier this month, the EPA finalized its “Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule,” which aims to increase the transparency and efficiency of the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 water quality certification process to promote the timely review of infrastructure projects.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
Citing sales disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the EPA is proposing to revise a Clean Air Act (CAA) compliance deadline for residential wood heating devices.