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On September 4, 2024, the EPA finalized its Reclassification of Major Sources as Area Sources Under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) rule. “This rule implements the [CAA] language that allows a ‘major source’ of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) to reclassify as an ‘area source’ after acting to limit emissions,” according to the […]
According to an EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) memo dated September 4, 2024, the EPA’s failure to timely report fraudulent activity by a business entity resulted in the U.S. Attorney’s Office declining to pursue criminal charges against the business owner. “In early 2024, the EPA OIG and partner law enforcement agencies presented information to […]
The EPA recently announced Starbound, LLC, a subsidiary of Aleutian Spray Fisheries, Inc., in Seattle, Washington, reached a consent agreement with the Agency that includes penalties of $168,000 for alleged Clean Water Act (CWA) violations at operations off the coasts of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. CWA NPDES permit regulations The CWA prohibits the “discharge of […]
A coalition of environmental groups filed suit against the EPA on September 3, 2024, challenging the Agency’s final emissions rule for coke ovens and coke oven batteries. The coalition includes the Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP), the Clean Air Council, the Hoosier Environmental Council, Just Transition Northwest Indiana, PANIC, PennFuture, and the Sierra Club […]
The EPA recently announced a settlement with All American Asphalt over claims the company failed to provide complete and accurate reports of its releases of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), potentially toxic chemicals that can harm human health, from its asphalt manufacturing plant in Irvine, California, during 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Although these releases were […]
On September 9, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) reminded the state’s employers to protect workers from unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke. The Line Fire is currently affecting air quality in California’s Inland Empire, the areas around San Bernardino and Riverside. Cal/OSHA’s Protection from Wildfire Smoke standard requires employers to protect workers […]
Officials from the EPA, the City of Detroit, and the Detroit Water & Sewage Department (DWSD) gathered on August 9 to celebrate the city’s progress in removing lead from its drinking water. “Since 2022, Detroit has received $90 million in federal funding to help replace lead pipes, including $85 million distributed by the Michigan Department […]
The EPA recently announced a proposal to designate five chemicals as high-priority substances (HPS) for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the nation’s chemical safety law. If the designations are finalized as proposed, the Agency will immediately move forward with risk evaluations on the chemicals. “Studying the safety of these harmful chemicals […]
The EPA recently announced it issued emergency orders to suspend all registrations for the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). “This is the first time in almost 40 years EPA has taken this type of emergency action, following several years of unprecedented efforts by the Biden-Harris […]
According to EPA data, methane emissions from landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 14.4% of these emissions in 2022. “These emissions heat the atmosphere at about 80 times the rate of carbon dioxide over 20 years, but the methane that rises from the decomposing food […]