Category: Regulatory Developments

Hefty TSCA Fee Hikes Proposed

The EPA in November released a notice to modify and supplement its proposed revisions to the Fees for the Administration of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Rule. The proposed fee increases are substantial. The TSCA Fees Rule was first promulgated in 2018. The 2016 Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21stCentury Act directs […]

EPA Announces Lead Exposure Reduction Strategy

The EPA recently unveiled its “Strategy to Reduce Lead Exposures and Disparities in U.S. Communities” to advance its objectives to protect the public from lead, with a renewed focus upon high-risk communities. The Agency announced the strategy during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week in Omaha, Nebraska, which was once home to a large lead smelter […]

More Stringent Heavy-Duty Emissions Standards on the Way

The EPA is planning more stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks and large trailers in 2023, Reuters reports. In March 2022, the Agency published a proposed rule to set more stringent pollution reductions regulations applicable to heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting with model year (MY) 2027.  The vehicle types expected to be […]

California Enacts Carbon Capture Laws

Three bills recently signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsome are expected to clear the path for the state to meet its stringent carbon reduction/neutrality goals in 2030, 2038, and 2045. The bills address new regulation of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and carbon dioxide (CO2) removal (CDR) projects in the state. Senate […]

EPA Proposes Crackdown on Fugitive Emissions Exemptions

A proposed rule issued by the EPA on October 13, 2022, signifies the Agency’s intent to include additional large industrial sources in the requirements to account for “fugitive emissions” in determining whether a physical or an operational change at their facility is a “major modification,” which would need a major New Source Review (NSR) permit […]

Ethylene Oxide Under Fire and Increased Scrutiny

A recent jury ruling in Cook County, Illinois, granting a $360 million win to plaintiff Sue Kamuda in her damages suit against medical sterilizer Sterigenics’ Willowbrook plant does not bode well for facilities using ethylene oxide (EtO). In the suit, Kamuda claimed she contracted cancer from breathing emissions from the facility over three decades. According […]

EPA Issues 2022–2032 Vision for Water Quality

Radhika Fox, the EPA’s assistant administrator for water, issued the memo 2022–2032 Vision for the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Program to the EPA regional administrators in September. Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) authorizes the EPA to assist states, territories, and authorized tribes in listing impaired waters and developing total maximum daily […]

SEC Reopens Comment Periods Due to Computer Glitch

A computer glitch that caused some public comments not to be received by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has resulted in the agency’s reopening the comment period for 11 proposed rulemakings and one  request for comment. One of the impacted proposed rulemakings is the controversial climate-related disclosures, The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures […]

Speed-Limiter Rulemaking Among Top Industry Concerns

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) proposal for requirements for speed-limiting devices on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) is among the top concerns in the trucking industry, according to a new American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) report. On October 22, the ATRI released its 18th annual top industry issues report, identifying leading industry concerns, such […]

Kigali Amendment for HFC Emissions Gets Senate Approval

Last month, the U.S. Senate consented to ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The vote, 69–27, showed strong bipartisan support for the measure. The United States will soon join 137 other countries that have already ratified the Kigali Amendment, according to a media note issued […]