Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On February 21, 2023, the EPA and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) reached an agreement for the Agency to meet deadlines for reducing smog in parts of California and Texas that have some of the nation’s worst air pollution, according to the CBD. The agreement was the result of a lawsuit filed by the […]
The EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement with Logan Square Aluminum Supply Inc., resolving alleged violations of the federal Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) regulations at renovation projects Logan Square and its contractors performed in Chicago and Chicago suburbs. Under the court settlement, Logan Square will: Implement a comprehensive program […]
The EPA continues to attempt to pass regulations banning asbestos, while industry remains committed to blocking any forthcoming laws. At this time, the only remaining form of asbestos imported into the United States is chrysotile, or “white,” asbestos, which is found in products like asbestos diaphragms, sheet gaskets, brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes/linings, other vehicle […]
On February 21, 2023, the EPA announced it would take charge of the cleanup from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that released hazardous chemicals into the environment. The Norfolk Southern train derailment occurred on February 3, 2023. The company reported that an unknown number of the 150 train cars had derailed, but 20 […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine hazardous air pollution and the EPA’s strategies for dealing with climate change. Following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that happened in early February, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has […]
The EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently issued its Fiscal Year 2023 Oversight Plan, which details the projects the OIG intends to conduct through September 2023 and identifies top management challenges faced by both the EPA and the OIG. “Oversight is at the core of the EPA OIG’s mission,” said Inspector General Sean O’Donnell […]
The EPA recently released the “Cumulative Impacts Addendum to EPA Legal Tools to Advance Environmental Justice (EJ Legal Tools).” It provides a collection of examples of the Agency’s legal authorities to identify and address cumulative impacts through a range of actions, including permitting, regulations, and grants, in order to consider the lived experience of communities […]
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Friends of the Earth sued the EPA in the Northern District of California on February 6, 2023, for failing to finalize nationwide standards that would protect U.S. waterways from harmful vessel discharges. The lawsuit states the EPA is more than 2 years behind schedule to establish standards for […]
The EPA has proposed a Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) that would prevent companies from starting or resuming the manufacture, processing, or use of an estimated 300 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have not been made or used for many years without a complete EPA review and risk determination. In the past, these chemicals, […]
On February 17, 2023, the EPA reaffirmed the scientific, economic, and legal underpinnings of the 2012 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants, which required significant reductions of mercury, acid gases, and other harmful pollutants. This reinstates an Obama-era legal finding that affirmed the science behind clean air standards, and it reverses a […]