Tag: CAA

Transportation fuel oil gas

GHG Program in Oregon Found (Appropriately) Discriminatory

In a majority opinion, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit found that Oregon state violated neither the dormant Interstate Commerce Clause nor a provision of the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) when it assigned a carbon intensity value to transportation fuels produced out of state and imported into Oregon, […]

gasoline pump

An Update on RFS Actions

This summer saw three important actions in the EPA’s implementation of the Clean Air Act’s (CAA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). First, in June, the Agency proposed its renewable fuel percentage standards for 2019 and for 2020 for biomass-based diesel. Second, several days later, the EPA issued its second report to Congress on the environmental and […]

EPA Offices, Washington DC

EPA Puts a Greater Focus on Compliance Assistance

A new memo from Susan Bodine, the EPA’s assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), suggests that the Agency will continue to revamp its enforcement activities by placing a stronger emphasis on compliance assistance.

GHG, vehicle emissions

Dissecting the Revocation of California’s CAA Waiver

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) and the EPA’s proposed amendments (August 24, 2018, Federal Register (FR)) to regulations governing corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards (NHTSA) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (EPA) for model years (MYs) 2021–2026 passenger cars and light trucks will likely face legal challenges should the agencies promulgate final rules […]

The Latest Enviro Enforcement—From RMP to SPCC

Sorry, no million-dollar fines or penalties in our latest environmental enforcement roundup … but there are still some six-figure ones! These four recent cases cover compliance slip-ups ranging from risk management violations to spill prevention mishaps, and one company faces a half-million dollar fine.

Gavel, court decision

EPA’s 20-Month Delay of RMP Amendments Vacated by Court

Stating that the Trump EPA cannot use a general provision of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to negate a specific provision of the Act, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated an Agency final rule that sought to delay by 20 months the effective date of the Obama EPA’s […]

Balancing environmental enforcement and business

The Million-Dollar Environmental Penalties Just Keep Coming!

In our first environmental enforcement report for August 2018, there were two fines of over $1,000,000. In our second roundup for the month, there’s another one! Of course, there was also a fine for a mere $350, so it’s a wide range. Take a look at six recent cases and the penalties that were doled […]

GHG, vehicle emissions

California GHG Emissions Standards Would Be Rolled Back By EPA/NHTSA Proposal

In a joint press release, the EPA and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles, which seeks to establish new 50-state fuel economy and tailpipe carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions standards. The proposed SAFE Vehicles rule would revise […]

Landfill

EPA Sued by State AGs Over Delayed Landfill Rules

The AGs from eight states plus the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection have together filed suit against the EPA for its alleged failure to implement the Obama administration’s 2016 municipal landfill emissions guidelines (August 29, 2016, Federal Register (FR)) according to the timeline mandated by the Clean Air Act (CAA).