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Ten state attorneys general (AGs) filed a 60-day Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue the EPA over New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for residential wood-burning heaters on June 29, 2023. The letter alleges the EPA failed “to timely review and revise the [NSPS] for Residential Wood Heaters (wood heaters) under the Clean Air Act (CAA),” […]
On July 17, 2023, the EPA announced proposed new regulations for the solvent carbon tetrachloride (CTC). The proposed regulations would impose new restrictions and ban some uses of CTC to better protect workers and communities. CTC is a solvent used in commercial settings as a raw material for producing other chemicals like hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) used […]
In certain parts of the country, it’s been a hot summer. In others, it’s been filled with unrelenting rain doing plenty of damage. So we’re going with Garbage’s alt-rock classic “Only Happy When It Rains” for EHSDA Song of the Week. Written as an ironic poke at the generally morose vibe given off by much […]
Last month, a Pennsylvania House of Representatives committee approved H.B. 652, a bill that would require developers of proposed industrial projects to be located in environmental justice (EJ) areas to develop and submit cumulative impact statements of the projects. “Environmental racism is a longstanding issue in the commonwealth,” Pennsylvania State Representative Donna Bullock said, according […]
On July 20, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed revising the agency’s construction industry personal protective equipment (PPE) standard to require that PPE properly fit affected employees (88 Fed. Reg. 46706). OSHA’s general industry and maritime PPE standards explicitly require that PPE fit properly, according to the agency, and the proposal would clarify […]
In June 2023, the Texas Supreme Court narrowly ruled that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is protected by sovereign immunity laws, which generally protect government entities from civil lawsuits. In a 5–4 ruling, the all-Republican court found that ERCOT, which manages most of Texas’s power grid, qualifies for sovereign immunity because it “provides […]
On July 17, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released the text of a final rule requiring certain employers in designated high-hazard industries to electronically submit injury and illness data contained in OSHA Form 300—Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses and Form 301—Injury and Illness Incident Report. The final rule retains existing requirements for […]
For many years, the 85-mile stretch of chemical plants located in southeastern Louisiana and stretching from Baton Rouge to New Orleans has been nicknamed “Cancer Alley.” Home to approximately 83 chemical plants and 45,000 residents, who are predominantly low-income black families, the region’s high rates of cancer have been blamed on pollution from the plants. […]
On July 13, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the launch of a National Emphasis Program (NEP) of outreach and enforcement focused on warehouses, postal processing facilities, distribution centers, and high-risk retail establishments. According to OSHA, warehousing and distribution centers have seen tremendous growth in the past 10 years and now employ more […]
On July 12, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced it’s conducting targeted inspections to protect workers from heat illness during a heat wave forecast to affect parts of the state over several days. “Our team is out in full force, conducting targeted high heat inspections with a focus on construction, agriculture, landscaping, […]