On April 30, 2025, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) issued the first draft of the Ecological and Environmental Code (the Draft Code) for public comment. This legislation is designed to integrate...more
On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed two rules to expand the Agency’s authority to address releases of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants at...more
Add electric and hybrid vehicle batteries to the growing list of products subject to extended producer responsibility (EPR) mandates. On January 8, 2024, New Jersey enacted the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Battery Management...more
As part of an effort to improve the recycling and management of wastes from the generation and storage of renewable energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that it is developing a proposed...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering and seeking public comment on potentially significant amendments to the hazardous waste regulations concerning the management, recycling, and disposal of drums and...more
On May 24, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) issued guidance on the potential applicability of the nation’s hazardous waste regulatory program under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act...more
On September 22, 2022, the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) issued an Order finalizing a recent decision of an EPA Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) that rejected...more
Key Takeaways:
• What Happened: DOE finalized rules to apply the 45 lumens per watt “backstop” efficiency standard to general service lamps and to include five categories of specialty incandescent lamps, incandescent...more
Key Takeaways:
• What Happened: DOE finalized rules to apply the 45 lumens per watt “backstop” efficiency standard to general service lamps and to include five categories of specialty incandescent lamps, incandescent...more
Key Takeaways:
• What Happened: DOE proposed to apply the 45 lumen per watt “backstop” efficiency standard to general service lamps, which would effectively prohibit the manufacture, distribution, and sale of most...more
Key Takeaways:
• What Happened: DOE issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to adopt revised definitions of general service lamps and general service incandescent lamps, which would impose strict energy efficiency standards...more
On January 29, 2021, the China State Council issued Regulations on Management of Pollutant Discharge Permits with an effective date of March 1, 2021 (Regulations). These Regulations complete legislative efforts on the...more
On June 8, 2020, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a final rule to “modernize” the ignitability characteristic under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which is one of...more
On April 29, 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (“NPC”) approved an amendment to the country’s solid waste statute. The revised solid waste law will take effect on September 1, 2020. The amendment...more
New Yorkers will soon have a convenient way to ensure that their unwanted and unused paints are properly recycled. On December 16, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed into law the Postconsumer Paint Collection Program, a law that...more
On November 15, 2019, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a final rule to classify and regulate hazardous aerosol can wastes as “universal wastes” under the federal Resource Conservation...more
Beginning in December 2019, the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention will prohibit shipments of hazardous waste from OECD countries to non-OECD countries for disposal or recovery. While the Ban Amendment was originally...more
On April 2, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed numerous changes to the ignitability characteristic under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which is one of the methods used to...more
On December 11, 2018, the Acting Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or "the Agency”) signed a final rule establishing special management standards for pharmaceutical wastes that are classified as...more
On November 13, 2018, the Acting Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the “Agency”) signed an interim final rule establishing a conditional exemption from federal hazardous waste regulatory...more
China enacted its Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law on August 31, 2018. The law is the first national statute in China specifically addressing soil contamination. It will take effect on January 1, 2019, and is...more
On March 5, 2018, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) signed a proposed rule to classify and regulate hazardous aerosol can wastes as “universal wastes” under the federal Resource...more
On March 6, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (“D.C. Circuit”) issued a ruling that revises its 2017 decision on the definition of solid waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery...more
On July 7, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (“D.C. Circuit” or the “Court”) issued a decision invalidating two key elements of the regulatory definition of solid waste under the Resource...more
1 Introduction -
On October 28, 2016, the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA” or the “Agency”) signed a final rule that completely overhauls the long-standing requirements for generators of...more