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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.
Well, you’re just getting used to new obligations under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2015 Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) for stormwater discharges associated with industrial facilities. Do you really have to start thinking about the next iteration of the MSGP? The answer is yes—and not just for those currently subject to the federal industrial MSGP […]
America’s wastewater treatment infrastructure has logged impressive achievements over the 40-plus years since the Clean Water Act (CWA) was enacted. For example, the EPA reports that between 1968 and 1995, oxygen-depleting pollution discharged from sewage treatment plants nationwide declined by 45 percent despite increased industrial activity and a 35 percent growth in population.
The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) have granted requests from stakeholders seeking to have the agencies extend the comment period on the Agency’s proposed recodification of the definition of waters of the United States ((WOTUS), July 27, 2017, FR). The comment period has now been extended by 1 month to September 27, […]
The EPA continues to respond to requests for reimbursements from entities involved in remediating the Gold King Mine release, which occurred near Silverton, Colorado, on August 5, 2015. In the latest action, the Agency has issued guidance explaining its understanding of eligible response costs emerging from the incident, as that term is defined in the […]
An influential state Supreme Court recently ruled that stormwater rules can be applied retroactively, that is, to projects that were approved before the rules were in effect. Can this happen to your project? Let’s take a look.
Following a magnitude 4.3 earthquake that struck Edmond, Oklahoma, on December 29, 2015, the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Division ordered oil and gas (O&G) operators within a 15-mile radius of the epicenter to restrict their underground water injection activities. Edmond is less than 15 miles from Oklahoma City, the state capital.