Clean Water Act, Compliance

10 Tips for Handling an EPA Environmental Audit

Oberheiden P.C. on 8/21/2024

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expects companies to self-police their environmental compliance efforts. While the EPA regularly conducts inspections focused on assessing environmental compliance, it also...more

The PFAS Matrix: Potential Risks, Corrective Actions, and Regulatory Compliance

McGlinchey Stafford on 7/5/2024

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often dubbed “forever chemicals,” are increasingly scrutinized for their environmental persistence and possible health risks. Businesses that manufacture, use, or dispose of PFAS...more

EPA Compliance in 2024: 10 Key Areas of Concern (and 5 Tips for Success)

Oberheiden P.C. on 6/11/2024

Companies in a wide range of industries are subject to the oversight of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA enforces numerous environmental laws, environmental regulations, and executive orders to...more

Citizen Suit Action/Clean Water Act: Environmental Integrity Project Notice of Intent to Sue U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 5/13/2024

The Environmental Integrity Project (“EIP”) sent a May 2nd Clean Water Act Notice of Intent (“NOI”) to sue to the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) for alleged violation of a nondiscretionary duty under that statute....more

EPA's New Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Policy: Will Enhanced Coordination Lead to More Criminal Enforcement?

K&L Gates LLP on 5/7/2024

On 17 April 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Policy designed to improve collaboration between its civil and criminal enforcement offices, with the goal of...more

EPA Issues New Rules Regarding Response and Risk Management Plans

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP on 4/25/2024

The Accidental Chemical Release Rules have an effective date of May 10, 2024, and includes a number of situations requiring compliance, generally by May 10, 2027. The new Clean Water Act facility response plan...more

PFAS/Refinery: Denver Trout Unlimited Files Administrative Challenge to Colorado of Public Health and Environment NPDES Permit...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 4/18/2024

Denver Trout Unlimited, GreenLatinos, and the Colorado Sierra Club (collectively “Trout Unlimited”) filed an April 5th Request for an Adjudicatory Hearing (“Request”) before the Colorado Department of Public Health and...more

Waters of the United States/Clean Water Act: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memorandum Providing Post-Sackett Guidance

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 3/29/2024

The Office of Assistant Secretary Civil Works of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) issued a March 22nd Memorandum titled: Civil Works Actions to Sustain and Advance the Nation’s Waters and Wetlands After the...more

Wastewater Enforcement: Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment - Division of Environmental Quality and City of Dumas Enter...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 2/13/2024

The Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment – Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and City of Dumas, Arkansas, entered into a January 12th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations of a...more

The Ultimate Guide to Clean Water Act Compliance in 2024 (and Beyond)

Oberheiden P.C. on 1/26/2024

Companies that produce and discharge pollutants are subject to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversight under the Clean Water Act. The EPA routinely conducts inspections focused on federal laws like Oil Pollution...more

Proposed Rule: Avoiding a Worst-Case Scenario for Worst-Case Discharges

Williams Mullen on 1/19/2024

EPA is poised to issue a final rule (the Rule) requiring stringent planning requirements for facilities with the potential for a “worst-case discharge” that could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm to the...more

Wastewater Enforcement: Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment - Division of Environmental Quality and City of Nashville...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 12/18/2023

The Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment - Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and the City of Nashville, Arkansas, (“Nashville”) entered into October 16th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged...more

Microplastics: Nurdle Law and Regulation Update

Goldberg Segalla on 9/29/2023

Seventy-nine percent of plastic waste ends up in landfills or the environment, much of which eventually ends up in our oceans. A March 8, 2023 study, estimated the average amount of small plastics in the ocean surface layer...more

Wastewater Enforcement: Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment - Division of Environmental Quality and City of Joiner Enter...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 8/3/2023

The Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment – Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) and City of Joiner, Arkansas, (“Joiner”) entered into a May 25th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations...more

Stormwater Enforcement: Alabama Department of Environmental Management and Woodstock Recycling/Salvage Yard Enter into Consent...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 6/29/2023

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (“ADEM”) and PK Business LLC (“PK”) entered into a May 25th Consent Order (“CO”) addressing alleged violations of the Alabama Stormwater Clean Water Act Stormwater...more

Environmental Justice Update: Differing State and Local Approaches to Federal Civil Rights Actions

ArentFox Schiff on 6/6/2023

Addressing environmental justice (EJ) issues has been a primary concern for the Biden Administration. Recent developments — one in Chicago and one in Louisiana — show different ways local and state regulators have reacted to...more

Wastewater Enforcement: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and City of Dixon, Missouri, Enter into Consent Agreement

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 3/1/2023

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and City of Dixon, Missouri, entered into a January 23rd Complaint and Consent Agreement/Final Order (“CA”). See Docket No. CWA-07-2022-0117. The CA provides that...more

USEPA FY2022 Enforcement and Compliance Results Highlight Environmental Justice

King & Spalding on 1/30/2023

The annual results of the agency’s enforcement and compliance efforts repeatedly discussed Environmental Justice (EJ), touting general trends and specific enforcement actions related to potential communities of concern. The...more

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Enforcement and Compliance Annual Results: Fiscal Year 2022 Report

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 12/21/2022

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a document titled: Enforcement and Compliance Annual Results for Fiscal Year 2022 (“Report”)...more

NPDES Permits/Clean Water Act: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Association of Clean Water Administrators Announce Reduction...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 12/7/2022

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and Association of Clean Water Administrators (“ACWA”) announced in separate documents that there has been a major improvement in compliance with Clean Water Act...more

Wastewater Enforcement: Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality and City of Hazlehurst Enter into Agreed Order

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 12/6/2022

The Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality (“MCEQ”) and the City of Hazlehurst, Mississippi (“Hazlehurst”), entered into a September 21st Agreed Order (“AO”) addressing alleged violations of a Clean Water Act...more

Citizen Suit Enforcement/Clean Water Act: Federal District Court Addresses Alleged Violation by Wetland Biofilter Stormwater...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 11/9/2022

A United States District Court (W.D. Washington) (“Court”) addressed in an October 31st Order a Clean Water Act citizen suit action seeking an injunction to remedy alleged illegal discharge of pollutants into a lake and its...more

Inquiry into Jackson, Mississippi, Drinking Water Emergency: U.S. EPA Office of Inspector General Project Notification

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 9/22/2022

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) issued a Project Notification titled: Inquiry into Jackson, Mississippi, Drinking Water Emergency (“Project Notification”)...more

Environmental Criminal Enforcement: Memphis, Tennessee, Environmental Consulting Firm CEO Sentenced for Allegedly Filing False...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 9/21/2022

The United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a September 12th news release stating that DiAne Gordan (“Gordon”) had been sentenced to 36 months in prison for allegedly fabricating discharge monitoring reports...more

Compliance Tips for Small Wastewater Treatment Lagoons with Clean Water Act Discharge Permits: U.S. Environmental Protection...

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on 7/7/2022

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance issued a March 2022 document titled: Compliance Tips for Small Wastewater Treatment Lagoons with Clean Water Act...more

Clean Water Act › Compliance

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