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The EPA recently announced a consent decree with the operators of the Oasis Mobile Home Park in California to resolve violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The consent decree requires the park’s operators to upgrade its drinking water and wastewater systems and pay a $50,000 penalty. “EPA is wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that […]
On March 12, 2025, the EPA made two announcements: Background The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires the EPA to revise industry-wide wastewater treatment limits, called effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs), to keep pace with innovations in pollution control technology. “[ELGs] are national industry-specific wastewater regulations based on the performance of demonstrated wastewater treatment technologies (often called […]
The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) issued a split 5-to-4 decision, narrowly deciding in favor of the city of San Francisco in San Francisco v. the EPA on March 4, 2025. The decision makes it more difficult for the EPA to regulate the discharge of raw sewage that occasionally occurs during heavy rains in the city […]
In response to President Donald Trump’s memo titled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” the EPA delayed until March 21, 2025, the effective date of a January 2025 regulation adding nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which makes these chemicals subject to reporting requirements under the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) and […]
It’s a confusing time to work for the EPA. In February 2025, the EPA announced it placed 171 employees in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and accessibility and environmental justice on administrative leave. “Under President [Donald] Trump, the EPA will be focused on our core mission to protect human health and the environment, while Powering […]
A coalition of environmental and community groups have filed suit against the EPA due to its delay in responding to objections filed in a petition over an Arizona air pollution permit for a new heavy metals mine in the Patagonia Mountains south of Tucson, Arizona. The lawsuit, Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Patagonia Area […]
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 […]
On January 22, 2025, in a House Subcommittee on the Environment hearing, the president of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) urged Congress to immediately make specific improvements to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) program to end industry uncertainty. The hearing, titled “A Decade Later: Assessing the Legacy and Impact of the Frank R. Lautenberg […]
In a letter dated February 11, 2025, a group of leading Texas business associations urged new EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to expedite and approve Texas’ application for primacy authority to approve permits for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage wells, also known as Class VI wells. Supporters believe carbon capture and storage (CCS) deployment is the next […]
On January 20, 2025, the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term, among the 26 Executive Orders (EOs) initially signed was EO 14154, “Unleashing American Energy.” Section 6 (f) of that order states, “Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Administrator of the EPA, in collaboration with the heads of any […]