Category: Sustainability

Climate Change Budget Falls Short in Congress

On March 9, 2022, the U.S. Congress passed the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2471) and sent it to President Joe Biden’s desk, where it was signed into law on March 15, 2022. The bill reflects a 3.3 percent budget increase for the EPA. After years of budget cuts under the Trump […]

EHS Now: Implementing Sustainability Throughout the Supply Chain

Day 2 of EHS Now’s exclusive free online summit closes with a fireside chat about improving sustainability compliance in the supply chain. Day 2: Thursday, March 24 Fireside Chat | Implementing Sustainability Throughout the Entire Supply Chain Time: 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM EDT Sponsored by Avetta Presented by: Danny Shields, Quality, Health, Safety, Sustainability Professional, Avetta While companies recognize […]

California Allowed to Move Ahead with Tougher Vehicle Emissions Standards

On March 9, 2022, the Biden administration EPA announced it is reinstating the “California Waiver,” which provides the Golden State with its regulatory authority to set more stringent fuel efficiency and vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards. This decision reverses the previous administration’s action that had removed this authority. “Today, we proudly reaffirm California’s longstanding […]

States Challenge EPA Over Tougher Emissions Standards

Texas Attorney General (AG) Ken Paxton led a 15-state coalition in filing a petition for review of the EPA’s final rule for tougher emissions standards in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals entitled “Revised 2023 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards.” “At a time when American gas prices are skyrocketing at […]

USPS Fleet Purchasing Decision Draws Criticism

On February 23, 2022, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) issued a record of decision (ROD) and announced it will move ahead with plans to purchase 148,500 new gasoline-powered vehicles over the next decade in spite of Biden administration objections. The decision is the result of the USPS’s completion of its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on […]

EPA Announces New Actions to Comply With Endangered Species Act

Abandoning decades-long practices, on January 11, 2022, the EPA announced it is taking meaningful actions to comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) before registering new active ingredients (AI) in pesticides. Moving forward, before the Agency registers any new conventional AI, it will evaluate the potential effects of the AI on federally threatened or endangered […]

Back to Basics: Women in EHS

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine the issues that women face in EHS workplaces. In recent years, EHS leaders have been shifting focus towards becoming more sustainable and embracing concepts such as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). […]

Biden Launches Clean Manufacturing Initiative

On February 15, 2022, the Biden administration announced plans to support clean manufacturing initiatives, including the creation of a Clean Task Force, to source low-carbon materials in federal purchasing and new trade policies to incentivize manufacturers of low-carbon aluminum and steel. The industrial sector currently produces almost one-third of domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according […]

Environmental Groups Demand Regional Haze SIPs

Thirty-nine U.S. states have failed to provide their revised regional haze state implementation plans (SIPs) as required by Section 304(b)(2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), according to a Notice of Intent (NOI) to file suit dated February 7, 2022, sent to the EPA by a coalition of environmental organizations, reports a Sierra Club press […]

EPA Wants to Put MATS Back in Play

The EPA recently proposed to “reaffirm the scientific, economic, and legal underpinnings of the 2012 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants, which require significant reductions of mercury, acid gases, and other harmful pollutants,” the Agency stated in a news release dated January 31, 2022. To do so, the Agency’s proposal is to […]