Tag: Biden administration

Environmental Justice in Action

The Biden administration made it clear from day 1 that addressing environmental justice (EJ) issues would be a top priority. With the initial groundwork completed, the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an interim resolution agreement in their EJ investigation into the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Lowndes […]

National Drinking Water Standard for PFAS

On March 14, 2023, the Biden-Harris administration announced its proposal for a first-ever National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The legally proposed enforceable limits are 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). If finalized as proposed, public water systems (PWSs) have 3 […]

Biden’s Transportation Decarbonization Blueprint

The U.S. transportation sector is responsible for one-third of all domestic carbon emissions. In response, the Biden administration released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization: A Joint Strategy to Transform Transportation early this year. Developed by the Departments of Energy (DOE), Transportation (DOT), and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the EPA, it is […]

Biden’s Challenges in Strengthening Environmental Rules

President Joseph Biden Jr.’s first term in office is a little more than half over since his inauguration on January 20, 2021. His election platform was characterized as the most ambitious climate action platform of any U.S. president to date.  Environmental advocates have expressed concern that he is running out of time to strengthen environmental […]

Biden Administration’s Guidance on Climate Change and Environmental Justice

In the last few weeks, the Biden administration issued guidance in two areas: 1) Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change and 2) Environmental Justice (EJ) in Air Permitting. To be prepared for new regulatory actions and practices, it’s important for industry seeking federal permitting or funding to be informed about how their projects will be […]

Biden-Harris Buy Clean Task Force Announces Initiatives

The Biden-Harris administration’s Buy Clean Task Force recently announced new actions under its Federal Buy Clean Initiatives program to support low-carbon construction materials and American jobs. While visiting the Cleveland-Cliffs Direct Reduction steel plant in Toledo, Ohio, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan, and Deputy National Climate Advisor Ali […]

Biden Gets Climate Win With IRA Passage

After passing the House and Senate, President Joseph Biden Jr. signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 into law on August 16, 2022. Although significantly pared down from its predecessor, the Build Back America bill, it is the largest federal commitment to date to address climate change. The law provides $369 billion in funding […]

Biden Administration Says Clean Energy is the Most Cost-Effective Solution

Expect new limits on coal ash and ozone pollution from the EPA to continue the push toward the transition from fossil fuel-powered energy generation to clean energy. The Agency continues to explore other options for decarbonization as the Biden administration pushes to achieve the president’s stated campaign goals of achieving net-zero emissions by 2035. “We […]

Biden’s Continued Climate Change Battle

President Joseph Biden Jr. announced a series of executive actions on July 20, 2022, to address the “clear and present” danger to the United States presented by climate change and promised additional upcoming executive actions over the next few weeks to combat “this emergency,” states a White House Fact Sheet. Biden announced the actions at […]

Is the Biden Administration’s Clean Energy Agenda Dead?

President Joseph Biden Jr. emphatically stated climate change is the “number one issue facing humanity” during his campaign and vowed to shepherd the United States through the tough changes to transition the nation away from fossil fuel use to clean energy sources during his presidency. Biden has been stalled and hampered at almost every turn […]