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NPDES FAQs for Fracking Operations in the Marcellus Shale—Part 1 Q: Are hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” operations allowed to discharge wastewater directly to waters of the United States if they have a NPDES permit? A: The Clean Water Act (CWA) prohibits the discharge of pollutants by point sources into waters of the United States, except […]
Spent Foundry Sands Assessment Is Good News Finding ways to safely reuse wastes generated by industry is key to reducing the need for virgin materials and for disposing of the wastes in landfills or other disposal facilities. One such waste is spent foundry sands, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), now says can be reused […]
Fracking Company Settlement In late December 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice announced a settlement with a subsidiary of the nation’s largest holder of natural gas reserves for violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA). According to the EPA, the company allegedly violated sections 301(a) and 404 of the CWA […]
Understanding Coal Ash and the New Final Rule—Part 2 Coal ash will not be considered a hazardous waste. The final requirements for coal ash disposal were established for nonhazardous waste under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), rather than under Subtitle C that covers hazardous waste. As one result, under RCRA, […]
Understanding Coal Ash and the New Final Rule—Part 1 The makeup of coal ash: Coal ash is essentially the byproduct of the combustion of coal at power plants that contains contaminants like mercury, cadmium, and arsenic associated with cancer and various other serious human health effects. Coal ash is disposed of in wet form […]
Truck Manufacturer Settles Alleged RCRA Violations In mid-November 2014, one of North America’s largest heavy-duty truck manufacturers settled with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a range of alleged RCRA violations at its Pennsylvania truck assembly plant. RCRA is the federal law that regulates how covered facilities manage the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous […]
Resources for Choosing Cleaner, More Efficient Vehicles The U.S. mandate to eliminate leaded gasoline became effective on January 1, 1996, following the gradual reduction of lead in gasoline that began in the early 1970s. But that was just the first step to reduce toxic air pollution from a variety of mobile sources aimed at specific […]
Impacts of Near-Roadway Air Pollution It’s the rare person that has not had the unfortunate experience of driving too close to a vehicle like a heavy-duty diesel truck and getting a car full of smelly exhaust. But the everyday impacts of the cumulative emissions on major roads are also under scrutiny by the Environmental Protection […]
Lightbulbs: Facts Versus Fiction The phase out of incandescent bulbs set in motion by the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 was intended, in part, to eventually eliminate inefficient incandescent lightbulbs, known as “general service lamps,” and increase use of more efficient lighting technologies. Along the way, however, confusion has grown about new […]
SPCC Violations Underscore Importance of Facility Response Plans In December 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with an Alaska-based oil field services company for multiple violations of the SPCC rule, including failure to submit an FRP. Under the SPCC regulations, there are two scenarios that require preparation and submission of […]