It has now been more than six months since Congress allowed the statutory authority for the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program (6 CFR Part 27) to expire on July 28, 2023. EPA recently advised all...more
The textile manufacturing sector cannot escape EPA’s rush to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). EPA recently requested comment on an Information Collection Request (ICR) to finish the process. Response to...more
Clock is Ticking as EPA Proposes Ban of the Manufacture, Processing and Commercial Use of the Widely Used Chemical TCE -
EPA recently proposed a ban of trichloroethylene, commonly known as TCE, under the Toxic Substances...more
Meat and poultry producers (MPP) have a unique opportunity to normalize costs anticipated for new EPA wastewater treatment requirements. The requirements appeared publicly for the first time in a pre-publication version of...more
The Clean Water Act (CWA) section 401 Water Quality Certification (401 WQC) is a big deal. The certification is required for all direct discharge permits and CWA section 404 Permits to dredge or fill waters of the United...more
The first three quarters of 2023 have seen an unprecedented number of rulemakings under the Clean Air Act. The Biden administration has released a new suite of proposed rulemakings with a particular focus on climate change...more
EPA recently revised the national emission standard for hazardous air pollutants for certain coating manufacturers. The result is new performance tests and controls for existing affected sources adding metal hazardous air...more
EPA’s Big Plans for 2023: Top Air Rulemakings We Are Watching -
An environmental lawyer walks into a cocktail party. An often-asked question is: What is happening at EPA in your world? What should we be watching that...more
4/4/2023
/ Air Quality Standards ,
CERCLA ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
EPCRA ,
Executive Orders ,
Final Rules ,
Hazardous Substances ,
NAAQS ,
NESHAP ,
Ozone ,
PFAS ,
Proposed Rules ,
RCRA ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Safe Drinking Water Act
In response to a petition filed under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (“EPCRA”), EPA is adding 12 chemicals to the list of toxic chemicals subject to annual reporting under EPCRA and the Pollution...more
EPA is proposing revisions to the new source review (“NSR”) permit program (“2022 Proposed Fugitive Emissions Rule”) under the federal Clean Air Act (“CAA”), which will codify the requirement that modifications account for...more
EPA Proposes to Expand TRI Reporting Requirements for PFAS and Other Chemicals of Special Concern -
EPA is proposing to add per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) subject to reporting under the Emergency Planning...more
In a recent “Enforcement Alert,” EPA set out its intent to target owners and operators of stationary engines for compliance with Clean Air Act emissions requirements. According to the Enforcement Alert, “EPA has been...more
As a general rule, the law will not allow plaintiffs to sit on legal rights indefinitely. Superfund actions are no exception. The 6th Circuit recently applied this principle, finding a declaratory judgment of liability...more
Four years ago, EPA published its “Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR): Aggregation; Reconsideration” (New Source Review (NSR) Aggregation Action). 83 Fed. Reg. 57324...more
EPA’s proposed reporting and recordkeeping requirements for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) may be notable for what they do not do. In particular, the proposal does not...more
New Approach: Proposed PFAS Regulation Erodes TSCA Exemptions -
EPA’s proposed reporting and recordkeeping requirements for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) may be...more
1/21/2022
/ ASTM ,
Clean Air Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Motor Vehicles ,
PFAS ,
RCRA ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
EPA recently issued significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for three chemical substances as a result of their premanufacture notices (PMNs). These rules require affected persons to...more
Like everything else today, the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) ebbs and flows depending on which political party holds office. However, while the Biden Administration gets...more
10/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Bodily Injury ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Defense Strategies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Groundwater ,
Information Reports ,
Obama Administration ,
Property Damage ,
Public Comment ,
SNUR ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States
The EPA decision to add 1-Bromopropane (“1-BP”) to the list of Hazardous Air Pollutants (“HAP”) has implications that go beyond the addition of another chemical to the HAP list. Industry received a glimpse of how far the...more
Can you still build a bulkhead along the shoreline in coastal Virginia to protect your property? Well, it depends, but now the answer is more likely to be “no.” Major changes to how Virginia tidal waterfront property owners...more
7/23/2021
/ Air Pollution ,
Air Quality Standards ,
Biden Administration ,
Boiler MACT Rule ,
Climate Change ,
Coastal Real Estate ,
Comment Period ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Permits ,
Property Owners ,
Rising Sea Levels ,
Sea Levels ,
Trump Administration ,
Wetlands
Since the November presidential election, most trade journals have expressed the same or similar headlines: “The Joe Biden/Kamala Harris administration will elevate enforcement for violation of environmental rules and...more
Arguably, the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is one of our society’s most important numbers. The SCC is used in all climate decisions and will now be considered in all significant governmental decisions and federal actions. How...more
3/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Chesapeake Bay ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Coastal Real Estate ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Hazardous Waste ,
New Guidance ,
Obama Administration ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
US Army Corps of Engineers
The threat of EPA administrative action often drives industry to consider quick, administrative settlements with state or local environmental agencies for even the slightest environmental violations. Unless the Biden...more
Federal environmental policies are likely to undergo significant changes at DOJ and EPA under the Biden administration, including alteration of many Trump administration enforcement policies. Since many of these existing...more
1/12/2021
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
Clean Water Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Energy Sector ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Regulatory Agenda
If Joe Biden is elected President there will be significant changes in environmental regulation for American businesses. Some changes can (and likely will) take place very quickly, with the stroke of a pen. These could...more
10/28/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Boiler MACT Rule ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Testing ,
General Elections ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Regulatory Agenda