Category: Energy

Wastewater Standards Revisions for Oil and Gas Extraction and Coal Power Plants

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Mar 25, 2025 Energy

Updated: Mar 25, 2025

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 […]

EPA Makes Higher Ethylene Fuel Available Year-Round

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Mar 7, 2025 Energy

Updated: Mar 7, 2025

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 […]

Outgoing U.S. Ag Chief Critical of EPA Biofuel Report

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Feb 20, 2025 Energy

Updated: Feb 20, 2025

In one of his final actions before leaving office, outgoing U.S. Agriculture Chief Tom Vilsack harshly criticized the EPA’s 2025 Biofuels and the Environment Report. “The Third Report concludes that the effect of the Renewable Fuel Standard Program varies with time and the RFS Program had a modest positive effect on biofuel production and consumption […]

ASSP Updates Standards on Safety Training and Hazardous Energy

By EHS Daily Advisor Staff Dec 17, 2024 EHS Administration

Updated: Dec 17, 2024

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has revised two workplace safety standards that enable organizations to better protect workers and improve daily operations to achieve a higher level of business success. One standard guides the development of effective safety training while the other helps control hazardous energy that can seriously harm workers. ANSI/ASSP Z490.1-2024, […]

The Colorado Fight for Oil and Gas Emissions Info

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Oct 11, 2024 Energy

Updated: Oct 11, 2024

After calling for more accessible public emissions records from Colorado, the EPA abruptly changed course and “proposed to rescind its previous directive that required the State of Colorado to collect and maintain critical air pollution data from the oil and gas industry,” states a Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) press release. “A coalition of […]

EPA Adds Electronic Reporting Requirement for Stationary Combustion Engines

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Oct 4, 2024 Energy

Updated: Oct 4, 2024

On August 30, 2024, the EPA published a final rule for “National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS): Internal Combustion Engines; Electronic Reporting.” This amendment added electronic reporting provisions and made a small number of clarifications and corrections to these rules, as well as […]

Power Companies Lose Suit to Avoid Coal Ash Cleanup

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Aug 30, 2024 Energy

Updated: Aug 30, 2024

A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a win for the EPA on June 28, 2024, when it decided to dismiss Electric Energy Inc. (EEI), et al., v. EPA, et al. In the suit, a group of power generating companies sued the EPA, challenging its interpretation of its 2015 coal combustion […]

Republicans’ Letter Warns EPA Proposed Clean Power Plan 2.0 Threatens Electric Grid

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Aug 19, 2024 Energy

Updated: Sep 6, 2024

Twenty-six Republicans, led by Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA), recently sent a letter to the EPA expressing concern that the Clean Power Plan (CPP) 2.0 is likely to threaten the reliability of the PJM Interconnection grid, which serves 65 million customers across Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, […]

Clean air

Colorado Refinery Receives NOV for Alleged CAA Violations

By Lisa Whitley Coleman, EHS Daily Advisor Jul 22, 2024 Energy

Updated: Jul 22, 2024

On July 8, 2024, the EPA announced it issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc., alleging the Commerce City refinery failed to comply with air emissions laws. The NOV was issued in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The agencies allege Suncor violated or is violating […]

Back to Basics: Are You Effectively Controlling Machine Hazards?

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Jul 8, 2024 Back to Basics

Updated: Jul 8, 2024

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to comply with OSHA’s lockout/tagout standard. Lockout/tagout, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standard that’s more formally known as “control of hazardous energy,” addresses the hazards posed by equipment […]