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The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) issued a split 5-to-4 decision, narrowly deciding in favor of the city of San Francisco in San Francisco v. the EPA on March 4, 2025. The decision makes it more difficult for the EPA to regulate the discharge of raw sewage that occasionally occurs during heavy rains in the city […]
On February 3, 2025, the EPA announced it launched the largest wildfire hazardous waste cleanup in the history of the Agency as it assists local governments and residents in the wake of catastrophic fires in Los Angeles County. As of that date, the EPA had completed reconnaissance at 6,022 properties, which included 3,636 properties impacted […]
A federal grand jury has indicted Houston-based Phillips 66 on several charges related to alleged Clean Water Act (CWA) violations. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the CWA and four counts of knowingly violating the CWA in incidents that allegedly discharged thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater from the Phillips Carson oil […]
U.S. District Court Judge James Cain Jr. of the Western District of Louisiana recently approved a $3.5 million settlement in a creosote contamination case. The settlement resolves claims against Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Occidental Petroleum Corp, owned by Shreveport Creosoting Company and International Paper Co. (IP), respectively. “The settlement, which benefits a class of local […]
Reports are due by March 1, 2024, for facilities subject to Biennial Hazardous Waste and Tier II Hazardous Chemical Inventory Reporting regulations. Biennial Hazardous Waste Reporting Biennial hazardous waste reports are used to compile data on the generation, management, and minimization of hazardous waste. Facilities required to report: Large quantity generators (LGQ), or those that […]
The EPA and an Alaska hospital recently entered into an Expedited Settlement Agreement and Final Order to resolve alleged Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste regulations violations. The EPA inspected the facility May 11–12, 2022, and identified several violations. This particular case highlights the importance of understanding waste accumulation requirements. Storage of hazardous […]
Over 2 months later, cleanup continues after a fiery February 3, 2023, train derailment in Ohio. At the time, Norfolk Southern reported that an unknown number of the 150 train cars had derailed, but 20 of the cars were listed as carrying hazardous materials. Five of the derailed cars were loaded with vinyl chloride, which […]
On February 21, 2023, the EPA announced it would take charge of the cleanup from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that released hazardous chemicals into the environment. The Norfolk Southern train derailment occurred on February 3, 2023. The company reported that an unknown number of the 150 train cars had derailed, but 20 […]
For the last few years, many “big box” retailers have found themselves the subject of hazardous waste enforcement suits after California enforcement agencies conducted “dumpster dive” inspections to determine exactly what kind of waste is being disposed of by these companies. These retailers include Target Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Whole Foods Market California Inc., and […]
In our latest installment of Ask the Expert, brought to you by the team of industry experts at EHS Hero®, we look at a recent question from a subscriber asking about the disposal process for waste paint-related materials. See what the experts had to say. Q: If my waste disposal destination processes waste paint-related material (liquid) […]