Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Environmental protection has not proven to be a significant issue as the world grapples with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One unexpected positive development is an improvement in air quality. At some point in the future, agencies, advocacy groups, and industrial organizations will likely make some use of data from satellite imagery showing less air pollution […]
With the Utility Water Act Group (UWAG) at its side, the EPA successfully defended itself against allegations by environmental groups that its postponement of several deadlines in its 2015 Effluent Limitations Guidelines [ELGs] and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category (2015 Rule) violated both the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Administrative […]
After acquiring new information, the EPA has decided not to revise its June 28, 2016, Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Oil and Gas Extraction Point Source Category. That action finalized pretreatment standards for unconventional oil and gas (UOG) facilities based in part on the Agency’s understanding that no such facilities in the country […]
The EPA’s SPCC Guidance for Regional Inspectors (Guidance) notes that the applicability of the Agency’s Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations (40 CFR Part 112) to oil/water separators (OWSs) depends on the “intended use of the OWS.” One intended use that exempts an OWS from the SPCC program is wastewater treatment. The exemption means […]
Opposing opinions by three U.S. appeals courts (two issued by the same circuit on the same day) have led to a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to address the core Clean Water Act (CWA) question—Is a point source discharging pollutants to navigable water via a groundwater pathway the functional equivalent of a direct discharge […]
Back in April 2018, ex-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that the Agency intended to begin rulemaking “to provide certainty surrounding the use of ‘blending’ by wastewater treatment plants.” The EPA has now scheduled three meetings to receive public input on how blending might be permitted to account for infiltration and inflow (I/I) into separate sanitary sewers. […]
The EPA and several departments of the state of New Mexico recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which the parties will explore the opportunities, benefits, cost, and risks of making further use of wastewater from oil and gas (O&G) operations in the state. O&G wastewater, more commonly called produced water, is defined in […]
The EPA recently published a request for public comment on whether pollutant discharges into groundwater that has a hydrologic connection to waters of the United States (WOTUS) are subject to Clean Water Act (CWA) regulation (February 20, 2018, FR). The CWA contains no cut-and-dried language that clarifies this issue, an absence that over the years […]
So, your employer is making long-term capital improvement plans, and it should be a terrific opportunity to incorporate low-impact development (LID) principles from the ground up. But not everyone’s on board, and some of their objections must be dealt with. Here are some common objections to sustainable development—and how you can overcome them.
The next industrial stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) is due in 2020. Even if the current EPA officials manage to put in place its deregulation agenda, this 2020 permit is subject to a settlement that could significantly increase the industrial stormwater permitting reach and associated costs. Here’s what’s going on and what you can do.