Tag: EPA

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 […]

Electricity Providers Say Proposed CSAPR Plan Threatens Grid Reliability

The EPA’s proposed expanded Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) program to further reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from large industrial sources includes an allowance-based trading program for 25 states. This action is expected to resolve the good neighbor provisions for those states in meeting the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for NOx. The […]

EPA Must Tighten Airline GHGs

Twelve states and a coalition of environmental groups are fighting the EPA over lax greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for airlines in two different lawsuits at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Both suits petition the D.C. Circuit Court to review the final action by the EPA entitled “Control of Air Pollution from Airplanes and […]

SCOTUS Decision is Blow to EPA CAA Authority

The energy industry celebrates while environmental advocates weep on the heels of a June 30, 2022, U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision severely limiting the EPA’s authority to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for existing power plants. The decision is a heavy blow to the Biden administration in its quest to transition the United States […]

Petition Urges EPA to Address Alleged TCEQ Air Permitting Violations

Thirteen organizations, led by environmental advocacy heavy hitters Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, and the Sierra Club, petitioned the EPA on June 28, 2022, urging the Agency “to take action in Texas, where the state’s air permitting program has for years failed to meet public participation and environmental justice obligations under federal environmental and civil rights […]

A Closer Look at Proposed Changes to the 401 CWA Water Quality Certification Rule

In June 2022, the EPA issued a proposed rule to update regulatory requirements under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Trump administration issued the first changes to these rules in 50 years, known as the 2020 Rule. Many felt the 2020 Rule removed long-standing state and tribal rights to block federal water […]

Back to Basics: Universal Waste Requirements

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine the Environmental Protection Agency’s requirements for universal waste. Hazardous waste management is a topic that encompasses a wide variety of wastes and procedures that helps to keep the harmful effects of […]

Tougher Vehicle Emissions Proposed

In a steady march toward a carbonless future, the Biden administration continues to take actions to push industry and consumers into making choices that use less fossil fuel. On June 21, 2022, the EPA released a regulatory update advising it plans to propose tougher emissions standards through at least 2030 vehicle model years by March […]

EPA Issues New PFAS Drinking Water Health Advisories

On June 15, 2022, the EPA released four drinking water health advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the latest action under President Joseph Biden Jr.’s action plan to deliver clean water and EPA Administrator Michael Regan’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. Drinking water health advisories indicate a level of a contaminant below which adverse health […]

EPA Seeks Battery Recycling and Labeling Information

The EPA published a request for information (RFI) in the Federal Register on June 9, 2022, to develop “best practices with respect to the collection of batteries to be recycled, as well as establishing a program to promote battery recycling through the development of voluntary labeling guidelines for batteries and communication materials for battery producers […]