Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On September 17, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted an administrative stay on the EPA’s implementation of its rollback of oil and gas methane and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions limits.
On September 15, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued revisions to its construction industry standard for cranes and derricks (85 FR 57109). The new clarifications and exemptions reflect situations in which Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations preempt OSHA standards.
The EPA announced final revisions to specific effluent guidelines and standards for “steam electric” power plants on August 31, 2020. The final rule leverages improved and less expensive pollution-control technologies and provides a more flexible implementation approach.
California Assembly Bill 2954 (AB 2954) proposes unique legislation to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from “working lands” (including agricultural, grazing, and forest) and “natural lands.” Additionally, the bill seeks to implement carbon sequestration programs on the lands that would be regulated by the bill.
On August 24, 2020, the EPA published proposed rules that, if enacted, will amend the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for the control of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) at major sources from new and existing industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) boilers and process heaters.
The EPA released a final memorandum on “Guidance on Plantwide Applicability Limitation (PAL) Provisions Under the New Source Review (NSR) Regulations” on August 5, 2020.
On August 31, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a final rulemaking amending the construction and shipyard standards for beryllium exposures (85 FR 53910). The amendments take effect on September 30.
Oregon has proposed an emergency temporary standard for workplace coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission. While there is no federal workplace safety and health standard for coronavirus exposures, California has an airborne transmissible disease standard for certain workplaces, and Virginia approved an emergency temporary standard for COVID-19 in July.
On August 13, 2020, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced two final rules related to the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for the oil and natural gas industry.
Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and U.S. Representative Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) introduced the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act of 2020 (PACTPA) bill into Congress on August 4, 2020. The purpose of the bill, if passed, is to protect consumers, farmworkers, and children from harmful pesticides.