State CCR Permitting Guidance Released
The EPA has issued interim final guidance outlining the process and procedures the Agency generally intends to use to review and make determinations on state coal combustion residual (CCR) permitting programs.
Category: Regulatory Developments
Reconsideration of Vehicle Midterm Evaluation
The EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have jointly issued a formal notice of reconsideration of and an invitation to comment on the Obama EPA’s midterm evaluation (MTE) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for model year (MY) 2022–2025 light-duty vehicles. According to the agencies, the period of reconsideration is “an opportunity […]
Changes in Refrigerant Regulation: Are You Prepared?
The regulation of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment is changing. The universe of regulated refrigerants is expanding, commonly used refrigerants are being phased out, and revised refrigerant regulations are being phased in. Is your facility prepared to cope with the changes in order to avoid penalties and enforcement actions?
EPA’s 2015 HFC Rule Nullified by D.C. Circuit
In a 2-to-1 opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found that the EPA veered outside its statutory authority when it issued a rule in 2015 that ordered manufacturers to stop using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in their products because the substances contributed to climate change. Accordingly, the court remanded that part of the […]
EPA Seeks Elimination of $28 Million Monitoring Requirement
A requirement to place wireless continuous monitors on containers at off-site waste and recovery operations (OSWROs) to detect leaks from pressure relief devices (PRDs) would be eliminated under an EPA proposal (August 7, 2017, FR).
EPA Administrator’s Superfund Plan
“Returning the EPA to its core mission” of “protecting the health of Americans and the environment” has been one of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s most common refrains. That nonspecific statement has now been fleshed out with a new report with 42 recommendations on improving the Superfund program and an accompanying memo from Pruitt directing that […]
Ozone Delay: Pruitt Backs Down
Facing legal action, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt did a quick reversal of an earlier decision to delay by one year the statutory deadline for initial designation of areas under the 2015 national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone.
Final Rule Regarding CERCLA and EPCRA Reporting Vacated by Court
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently vacated a 2008 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that exempted farms from Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) reporting requirements for air releases from animal waste (Waterkeeper Alliance v. Environmental Protection Agency 853 […]
EPA and Corps Propose to Rescind WOTUS Definition
The EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (agencies) have formally proposed to rescind the definition of “waters of the United States” as implemented by the 2015 Clean Water Rule and to recodify the prior definition that has been in use since October 9, 2015. The proposed rule was published in the July 27, […]
Two Major Air Bills Passed by California Lawmakers
By a two-thirds super majority, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 398 to extend the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade program to 2030. Cap-and-trade is the state’s main tool—and, many believe, the most effective tool—for meeting its 2030 goal of a 40 percent reduction in GHGs over 1990 levels. Given the Trump administration’s withdrawal […]