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The EPA has issued its first biannual update of its work on a proposal for a final rule that would subject facilities holding hazardous substances to the same requirements applying to facilities holding threshold amounts of oil. The update indicates that the proposal is still in its early stages, and therefore, any views on what […]
If you are planning a small construction project now or in the future, did you know that you may qualify for a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or your state permitting authority? Projects that qualify for the waiver are exempt from the Clean Water Act’s (CWA) National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is modernizing its approach to environmental compliance and efficiency through a project called “E-Enterprise for the Environment.” Today we will review EPA’s plans for E-Enterprise as outlined in the Agency’s 2017 budget pertaining to air quality, water quality, and inspections. Tomorrow we will look at EPA’s budgetary plans for […]
The Senate voted 52 to 40 to override President Obama’s veto of Senate Joint Resolution (S.J. Res.) 22, which was written to prohibit the Agency from implementing its Clean Water Rule. The vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto.
Earlier this year, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was brought to trial on charges of conspiracy to violate mandatory federal mine safety and health standards, conspiracy to impede federal mine safety officials, making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and securities fraud. Blankenship faced up to 31 years in prison on the […]
Outreach. A CBP3 requires timely communication on progress, feedback, and forward planning. Key outreach points a municipality must consider include: Effective and well-documented transparency and participation; Opportunities for stakeholders, property owners, businesses, and institutions to become partners in planning and implementation; Access for stakeholders to all relevant documents, plans, meetings, and reports; Measurement and evaluation […]
What Is a CBP3? The EPA has been promoting CBP3 programs to help municipalities meet their stormwater management program needs. A traditional P3 is a performance-based contract between the public sector and the private sector to arrange financing, delivery, and typically long-term operations and maintenance of public infrastructure. The CBP3 includes many features of the […]
Who Will Be Paying the Compliance Costs? The EPA estimates $160 million in annual compliance costs for the final UST regulation. Motor fuel retailers, which account for roughly 80 percent of UST systems, are expected to bear approximately 70 percent of the total costs. Previously deferred tanks—emergency generator tanks, airport hydrant fuels distribution systems, and […]
What WOTUS Does Briefly, WOTUS redefines which waters are waters of the United States and, by doing so, decides whether your project will need a permit. According to the EPA, the rule does not alter existing exemptions from Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction, including exemptions for normal farming, ranching, and silviculture activities. The major and most […]
According to the EPA, while information on sources and causes of releases show that releases from tanks are less common than they once were, releases from piping and spills and overfills associated with deliveries have emerged as more common problems. The Agency attributes the lack of proper operation and maintenance of UST systems as a […]