High Penalties Stand Up to Review in Alaska Trenching Fatality
A construction company must pay fines issued by Alaska OSHA in a trench collapse that took the life of an employee in a grisly trenching accident.
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Objections to OSHA Silica Rule Dismissed by D.C. Circuit
On December 22, 2017, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (panel) issued an opinion that denied challenges to all but one provision of OSHA’s March 2016 amendments to its 1971 standards for occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica.
Senators Look for Answers on Methane Proposal from EPA
Several federal lawmakers continue to press the EPA for information about the impact of its proposal (October 15, 2018, Federal Register (FR)) to weaken the Obama administration’s New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) governing air emissions from the oil and natural gas (O&G) sector (June 3, 2016, FR).
Clean Diesel (Really Does) = Cleaner Air
Federal Lead Action Plan Focuses on Children’s Health
The Trump administration’s new Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts comprises four goals that will be pursued by many of the 17 federal agencies that make up the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children, which was formed in 1997 by Executive Order.
Spill Reporting
Q. Would flavorings that contain small amounts of oil (for example, almond and hazelnut oil) count towards an inventory to determine Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) applicability if they are stored in 55 gallon drums or greater?
New GHS Deadlines Coming
The GHS changes to the HCS are being phased in beginning with the revisions to the HCS that were finalized last year (HazComm 2012) through June 2016. The following table shows the deadlines for compliance with the HCS: Effective Completion Date Requirement(s) Who December 1, 2013 Train employees on the new label elements and safety […]
EPA Proposes Updated Recommendations for Sustainable Products Purchasing
The EPA recently announced a proposed update to its Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing, which help federal government purchasers and other buyers use private sector standards and ecolabels to buy products that are more sustainable and climate-friendly and contain safer chemical ingredients. This update marks the first time in nearly 10 […]
EPA Makes Higher Ethylene Fuel Available Year-Round
On February 21, 2025, the EPA announced it will allow the year-round sale of higher ethylene E15 fuel. The biofuel industry, corn growers, and lawmakers from the Midwest have requested annual sales of this type of fuel for many years. “E15 is a blend of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline,” states the Iowa Renewable Fuels […]
Innovative Zero Waste to Landfill Strategies—Part 2
Even as more colleges and universities add “sustainable” degree programs, they are also seeing the light when it comes to their own waste management practices. One of these is American University (AU), in Washington D.C., where the zero waste mantra became a fight song in 2010 when the school adopted a 100% Zero Waste Policy. […]