Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On November 2, 2020, a final rule addressing the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Electronic Reporting Rule (eRule) was published by the EPA in the Federal Register.
A group of 10 environmental groups allied on October 29, 2020, to sue the EPA in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia over claims that the Agency has failed to reduce toxic air pollution at gas processing facilities, municipal solid waste landfills, petrochemical plants, and other large industrial sites.
On October 22, 2020, the EPA finalized a rule to streamline and improve the Clean Air New Source Review (NSR) permitting process. It specifically clarifies the process to evaluate when an NSR preconstruction permit is required when an existing major emitter facility makes changes.
On October 27, 2020, soybean farmers breathed a sigh of relief when the EPA announced it would approve new 5-year registrations for two dicamba products and will extend the registration for an additional dicamba product.
On October 9, 2020, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler issued a memorandum to EPA regional administrators addressing “the question of whether and when it may be permissible for a state to include certain types of provisions governing periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction (SSM) in state implementation plans (SIPs) developed pursuant to section 110 of the […]
On October 19, 2020, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler released the U.S. Federal Strategy for Addressing the Global Issues of Marine Litter at an event at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Several federal agencies, including the EPA, the Department of Energy (DOE), the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the U.S. Agency for […]
On October 15, 2020, the EPA proposed Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) revisions to reduce summertime nitrous oxides (NOx) emissions from upwind power plants in 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Did you know that products to sanitize, disinfect, and sterilize surfaces are considered pesticides and are regulated by the EPA under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)?
Chlorpyrifos, a chemical used to prevent insect infestation in crops, has been linked to neurodevelopmental issues, including impaired working memory and lower IQ levels for children who had prenatal exposure to the chemical. Although the chemical has been banned from most household uses, many farmworkers, including pregnant women, still face regular exposure.
In the third quarter (Q3), the EPA finalized 327 settlement agreements with companies small and large across the United States. This represents a significant increase in enforcement actions—up from 162 penalties issued in Q2 for 2020. The actions taken resulted in $6,367,710 in fines. Here are some of the highlights.