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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on August 5 dismissed a challenge to EPA guidance documents in Southern California Alliance of Publicly Owned Treatment Works, et al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Guidance documents are often issued by agencies such as the EPA to provide government entities with a means to move quickly without having […]
Seventeen Republican senators on August 23 sent EPA Administrator Michael Regan a letter urging him to waive or significantly lower the 2020 renewable volume obligation (RVO) for Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance and set the 2021 and 2022 “RVOs at levels that comport with reality.” Led by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and joined by 16 […]
Manufacturers and importers of chemical substances listed on the EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory are advised the EPA has published notice seeking comments for guidance on some of the processes applicable to TSCA Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) regulations. The comments sought apply specifically to “[p]etitions for full exemption of byproduct substances that are […]
The EPA issued an enforcement alert about Clean Air Act (CAA) emissions violations at scrap metal recycling facilities in late July 2021. Emissions from these facilities are contributing to violations of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone. “Over 250 metal recycling facilities are currently operating with a shredder in the United States,” […]
On August 18, 2021, the EPA announced it issued a final rule to stop the use of chlorpyrifos pesticide on all food crops in response to an order from the 9th Circuit. The final rule revokes “all ‘tolerances’ for chlorpyrifos, which establish an amount of a pesticide that is allowed on food. In addition, the […]
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) on August 4 issued its semiannual report, “Compendium of Open and Unresolved Recommendations: Data as of March 31, 2021.” The completion of the compendium is required by law and mandates that each inspector general prepare semiannual reports for Congress, which must include “an identification of each significant recommendation described […]
Scientists working in the EPA’s New Chemicals Division recently filed a disclosure revealing several tactics managers use that prevent adequate safety assessments of new chemicals, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). “One tactic managers have used to complete assessments within 90 days is forbidding assessors from communicating with other specialists,” according to PEER. […]
The EPA on August 5 announced proposed rulemaking regarding stronger greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks through model year (MY) 2026. The proposal also outlines the Agency’s plans for subsequent rulemakings for standards for MY 2027 and beyond. Additionally, the Agency announced upcoming rulemaking to address stricter emissions standards for […]
A federal judge earlier this month ordered the EPA to update a decades-old regulation that currently allows the use of toxic chemicals in cleaning up offshore oil spills. “The agency ‘delayed unreasonably’ by waiting at least six years to finalize draft regulations updating the 1994 rules, said William H. Orrick, a judge in the U.S. […]
On August 5, 2021, the EPA and the U.S. Department of the Army announced upcoming community engagement opportunities for public input into their efforts to revise the “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) definition. Redefining WOTUS is a two-part process for the agencies. The first rulemaking will restore the WOTUS definition to the version in […]