Tag: Biden administration

Outgoing Administration Awards $1.6 Billion in Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Feb 4, 2025 Environmental

Updated: Feb 4, 2025

In sunset actions before leaving office, the Biden administration announced the selection of 105 applications for the Community Change Grants Program, totaling nearly $1.6 billion in awards, to advance local, on-the-ground projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Community Change Grants Program […]

Back to Basics: The Biden Administration’s Final New Auto Emissions Standards

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Apr 1, 2024 Back to Basics

Updated: Apr 1, 2024

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine the federal government’s new final auto emissions standards. On March 20, 2024, the EPA announced final national pollution standards for passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2027 […]

The Biden Administration’s Environmental Justice Progress

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Feb 8, 2024 Enforcement and Inspection

Updated: Feb 13, 2024

President Joseph Biden Jr.’s campaign platform carried a commitment to confront long-standing environmental/climate injustices and inequities. Considering the historical fact that industry has been held accountable for pollution damages and largely bears the financial costs of pollution control measures in response to regulatory actions to address environmental justice (EJ) issues, these initiatives have significant impact […]

Revisions to Endangered Species Act Regulations

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Aug 4, 2023 EHS Administration

Updated: Aug 4, 2023

Biden administration officials announced final regulations to allow the easier relocation of animals and plants outside of their historical habitats. This action is considered a last resort measure for species that are on the verge of extinction due to climate change. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized revisions to section 10(j) regulations under […]

Environmental Justice in Action

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor May 18, 2023 EHS Administration

Updated: May 18, 2023

The Biden administration made it clear from day 1 that addressing environmental justice (EJ) issues would be a top priority. With the initial groundwork completed, the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an interim resolution agreement in their EJ investigation into the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Lowndes […]

National Drinking Water Standard for PFAS

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Apr 4, 2023 Chemicals

Updated: Apr 4, 2023

On March 14, 2023, the Biden-Harris administration announced its proposal for a first-ever National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The legally proposed enforceable limits are 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). If finalized as proposed, public water systems (PWSs) have 3 […]

Biden’s Transportation Decarbonization Blueprint

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Feb 21, 2023 EHS Administration

Updated: Feb 21, 2023

The U.S. transportation sector is responsible for one-third of all domestic carbon emissions. In response, the Biden administration released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization: A Joint Strategy to Transform Transportation early this year. Developed by the Departments of Energy (DOE), Transportation (DOT), and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the EPA, it is […]

Biden’s Challenges in Strengthening Environmental Rules

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Feb 21, 2023 EHS Administration

Updated: Feb 21, 2023

President Joseph Biden Jr.’s first term in office is a little more than half over since his inauguration on January 20, 2021. His election platform was characterized as the most ambitious climate action platform of any U.S. president to date.  Environmental advocates have expressed concern that he is running out of time to strengthen environmental […]

Biden Administration’s Guidance on Climate Change and Environmental Justice

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Feb 10, 2023 EHS Administration

Updated: Feb 10, 2023

In the last few weeks, the Biden administration issued guidance in two areas: 1) Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change and 2) Environmental Justice (EJ) in Air Permitting. To be prepared for new regulatory actions and practices, it’s important for industry seeking federal permitting or funding to be informed about how their projects will be […]

Biden-Harris Buy Clean Task Force Announces Initiatives

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Oct 31, 2022 Construction

Updated: Oct 31, 2022

The Biden-Harris administration’s Buy Clean Task Force recently announced new actions under its Federal Buy Clean Initiatives program to support low-carbon construction materials and American jobs. While visiting the Cleveland-Cliffs Direct Reduction steel plant in Toledo, Ohio, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan, and Deputy National Climate Advisor Ali […]