Category: Special Topics in Environmental Management

EPA Approves Ohio Plan to Reduce Western Lake Erie Algae Blooms

On September 28, 2023, the EPA approved Ohio’s plan to reduce the amount of phosphorus flowing from the Maumee River into Lake Erie’s western basin. The plan establishes a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for phosphorus for the Maumee River Watershed. “The TMDL is a ‘pollution diet’ dictating the maximum amount of pollution the water […]

EPA Addresses Issues Associated with Additions to HAP List

On September 13, 2023, the EPA published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to amend the General Provisions for National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) to address applicability and compliance issues resulting from the addition of a compound to the list of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) under the Clean Air Act (CAA). […]

Feds Struggle to Find Takers for Funding to Find and Replace Lead Pipes

The EPA estimates approximately 9.2 million lead pipe lines are used to carry drinking water to homes across the United States. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made $15 billion available through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) to provide loans in support of lead pipe replacement projects in cities across the nation. “Washington, Oregon, Maine […]

Wyoming Geared to Launch Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage Projects

Wyoming officials, using federal funding and state tax dollars, are moving forward with the state’s vision to build the perfect regulatory environment to launch a low-carbon energy industry devoted to collecting carbon dioxide from industrial sources to pump it deep underground for permanent storage. “Wyoming, according to Gov. Mark Gordon and other state officials, is […]

The Reality of Cutting GHG Emissions by Pushing EVs

To say that the EPA’s most ambitious plan to date to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from passenger vehicles has been met with skepticism is an understatement. The overriding reason is that the plan isn’t realistic. The truth is clear, according to a variety of sources, for multiple reasons. The plan On April 12, 2023, […]

Doing Business in CA May Require Mandatory GHG Emissions Reporting

California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253) was approved by the state assembly’s Committee on Natural Resources in July 2023. If passed into law, it will require U.S. companies doing business in California with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion to annually report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including supply chain disclosures, beginning with reporting […]

DTE Moves Up Transition to Clean Energy

DTE Energy, one of Michigan’s largest energy providers, recently announced plans to retire all its coal power plants by 2032 and invest $11 billion into its transition to clean energy. On July 25, 2023, the company announced approval of its CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). “This approval comes […]

EPA and DOE Announce $1.5 Billion in Funding for Methane Emissions Reduction

On July 24, 2023, the EPA, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) released a Notice of Intent (NOI) announcing the first in a series of funding opportunities to monitor and reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector and for environmental restoration of well sites. Methane […]

EJ Permitting Bill Advances Through PA House

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 […]

EJ Permitting Bill Advances Through PA House

A Pennsylvania House of Representatives committee in June approved H.B. 652, a bill that would require developers of proposed industrial projects in environmental justice (EJ) areas to develop and submit a cumulative impact statement of the projects. “Environmental racism is a longstanding issue in the commonwealth,” Pennsylvania State Representative Donna Bullock says, according to The […]