Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
New Mexico is known as the “Land of Enchantment,” but it is also a state without a lot of bodies of water. When the Trump administration changed the “navigable waters” definition to include only waters that flowed year-round, both New Mexico and Arizona were particularly hard hit, as the majority of their waterways don’t have […]
As we reported this summer, the EPA has embarked on a study to find alternatives to the common practice of disposing of produced water from oil and natural gas (O&G) development into underground injection wells. Since then, there have been two developments linked to the study.
The EPA and several departments of the state of New Mexico recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which the parties will explore the opportunities, benefits, cost, and risks of making further use of wastewater from oil and gas (O&G) operations in the state. O&G wastewater, more commonly called produced water, is defined in […]
Q. Will the 2017 federal construction general stormwater permit change my current requirements?
The EPA is proposing to reissue its hotly debated Pesticide General Permit (PGP) under authority of the CWA Section 402—the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The existing 5-year PGP expires midnight, October 31, 2016. According to the Agency, the proposed reissued PGP has the same conditions and requirements as the existing PGP. The proposal […]
Are bees an occupational hazard? In 2007, three workers were stung by bees while harvesting almonds in Texas; one of them was stung more than 60 times and had to be taken to the hospital. In 2008, a worker in California was stung while driving a tractor and died of an allergic reaction. It’s not […]
Record Settlement Will Pump Billions into Cleanup Activities January 20, 2015, marked the last day for any appeals in the historic settlement with a Woodlands, Texas, energy company to address deadly uranium and other wastes. However, because no appeals were submitted, the $5.5 billion in payments are now secure. In the announcement, the EPA noted […]
Industrial stormwater requirements are contained in national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permits; the critical element in such permits is development and implementation of a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP). These compliance tips cover key points that are sometimes overlooked in company SWPPPs and related compliance activities. Except in a relatively few cases where individual […]