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The energy industry celebrates while environmental advocates weep on the heels of a June 30, 2022, U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision severely limiting the EPA’s authority to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for existing power plants. The decision is a heavy blow to the Biden administration in its quest to transition the United States […]
Thirteen organizations, led by environmental advocacy heavy hitters Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, and the Sierra Club, petitioned the EPA on June 28, 2022, urging the Agency “to take action in Texas, where the state’s air permitting program has for years failed to meet public participation and environmental justice obligations under federal environmental and civil rights […]
In June 2022, the EPA issued a proposed rule to update regulatory requirements under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Trump administration issued the first changes to these rules in 50 years, known as the 2020 Rule. Many felt the 2020 Rule removed long-standing state and tribal rights to block federal water […]
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 Environmental Protection Agency’s requirements for universal waste. Hazardous waste management is a topic that encompasses a wide variety of wastes and procedures that helps to keep the harmful effects of […]
In a steady march toward a carbonless future, the Biden administration continues to take actions to push industry and consumers into making choices that use less fossil fuel. On June 21, 2022, the EPA released a regulatory update advising it plans to propose tougher emissions standards through at least 2030 vehicle model years by March […]
On June 15, 2022, the EPA released four drinking water health advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the latest action under President Joseph Biden Jr.’s action plan to deliver clean water and EPA Administrator Michael Regan’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. Drinking water health advisories indicate a level of a contaminant below which adverse health […]
The EPA published a request for information (RFI) in the Federal Register on June 9, 2022, to develop “best practices with respect to the collection of batteries to be recycled, as well as establishing a program to promote battery recycling through the development of voluntary labeling guidelines for batteries and communication materials for battery producers […]
A leaked EPA list reveals more than 160 unlined coal ash ponds across the United States are under investigation for closure. Coal combustion residuals (CCR), or coal ash, which is a byproduct of power plants that burn coal, contain contaminants like arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. According to EPA estimates, more than 140 million tons of […]
The Biden administration continues to take actions to advance its goals to elevate environmental justice (EJ) and address past injustices by enforcing pollution laws to create equity for overburdened communities. The latest action is the release of “EPA Legal Tools to Advance Environmental Justice (EJ Legal Tools), dated May 26, 2022, by the EPA Office […]
On June 6, 2022, the EPA issued the first Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) test orders to the Chemours Company, DuPont De Nemours Inc., National Foam Inc., and Johnson Controls Inc. The orders require the companies to conduct and submit testing on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In October 2021, the Agency announced its PFAS […]