Category: Regulatory Developments

Senate and House Agree on Coal Combustion Legislation

A major environmental provision in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act (S. 612) would give states the authority to establish, implement, and enforce their own permitting programs for the management and disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) from electric power plants. Lawmakers from both the House and the Senate recently reached a […]

Sending VSQG Hazardous Waste to an LQG – A Win/Win

The final Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule (Rule), published in the Federal Register on November 28, 2016, contains two of what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refers to as “voluntary programs”—meaning that generators of hazardous waste have the choice of whether to comply with the new programs’ requirements. The first program is a set […]

Subsurface Component Added to Superfund Ranking System

In a final rule, the EPA has added a subsurface intrusion component to the hazard ranking system (HRS) the Agency uses when considering whether to add sites to the Superfund’s National Priorities List (NPL). Until this action, the HRS, which was promulgated in 1990, did not consider the threat posed by subsurface intrusion when evaluating […]

Safety Lawyer Shares Predictions About OSHA in the Trump Era

Americans are getting an indication of President-elect Trump’s plans and priorities in some areas. But so far OSHA, and labor issues for that matter, haven’t been the subject of his tweets and other statements. An attorney who specializes in job safety offers insight on what may be in store for the next four years.

Trump Nominates Andrew Puzder for Labor Secretary; Safety Community Reacts

President-elect Donald Trump announced that he plans to nominate Andrew Puzder to serve as Secretary of Labor in Trump’s administration. If confirmed, he would oversee the Department of Labor and its many agencies, which include OSHA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and many others.

Monitoring Changes Issued for O&G GHG Reporting

In a final rule revision, the EPA has provided petroleum and natural gas facilities (Part 98, Subpart W) subject to the Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) with a burden-reduction option for detecting GHG leaks from equipment. The amendment would allow Subpart W reporters to use monitoring methods for detecting leaks from oil and gas […]

First 10 Chemicals Announced for TSCA Evaluations

Asbestos—a known human carcinogen the EPA was virtually powerless to regulate under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)—is the most noticeable member of the Agency’s list of the first 10 chemicals it will evaluate under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended the 1976 law. Other well-known chemicals […]

PBT Flame Retardant Added to TRI

In one of its major end-of-year actions, the EPA on Wednesday released its final renewal fuel standards (RFS) for 2017 and, for biomass-based diesel, for 2018. The Agency increased the RFS percentages across all categories of biofuels, an action that was welcomed by RFS advocates and criticized by the petroleum industry as burdening consumers with […]