Category: Sustainability

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 […]

Infographic: The Fundamentals of ESG

The modern workplace is changing because of many different factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Great Resignation, and younger generations entering the workforce. Employees are demanding more from companies, in terms of what the company can do for them, and within a broader social context. To deal with this shift in values, employers are turning […]

Back to Basics: The Fundamentals of ESG

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 definition, history, and workplace implementation of ESG, and how it can lead to a more sustainable workplace. The modern workplace is changing because of many different factors, including the COVID-19 […]

North Carolina GHG Executive Order

On January 7, 2022, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued Executive Order (EO) 246, which affirms “North Carolina’s commitment to a clean energy economy and [directs] next steps in the state’s plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and create economic opportunities for North Carolinians across the state, especially in underserved communities,” states the governor’s […]

EPA Says It’s Time to Clean Coal Ash

On January 11, 2022, the EPA announced coal-fired power plants will be required to clean up their coal-ash waste ponds as the Agency begins enforcing regulations to remove decades of coal combustion residue (CCR). Facilities impacted by this announcement are located in New York, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, and Kentucky, reports CNN. CCR […]

Streamlined CWA Permitting Final Rule Issued

On December 27, 2021, the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) issued a final rule for the reissuance and modification of nationwide permits (NWP), which authorizes “certain activities under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA) of 1899 that have no more than minimal individual […]

NY’s Draft Plan to Reach GHG Goals

On December 20, 2021, the New York State Climate Action Council unanimously approved a new draft of its scoping plan to achieve compliance with the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The Act was enacted in 2019 to continuously set increasingly more ambitious goals to reduce statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 60% […]

EPA: 2021 Highlights

On December 28, 2021, the EPA released a list of key accomplishments the Agency achieved in 2021 under the Biden administration. The Agency’s achievements include: Tackling the climate crisis Issuing the most ambitious federal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks ever; Finalizing action to establish a comprehensive program to dramatically […]

2022 Regulatory Watchlist

Political pressure is heating up for the Biden administration to make changes to achieve climate change goals through regulatory action. Unfortunately for President Joe Biden, his Build Back Better (BBB) bill, the centerpiece for his domestic policy plan, is in trouble after Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he would not vote for the bill in […]