Focus
EPA offers industrial facilities a process to avoid rules on mercury, arsenic, and other chemical emissions
Associated Press – March 27
The Trump administration is offering coal-fired power plants and other industrial facilities an opportunity to obtain exemptions from Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements designed to reduce emissions of chemicals such as mercury, arsenic, and benzene. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set up an electronic mailbox to allow regulated companies to seek permission from President Donald Trump to bypass a host of Biden-era emissions regulations. The CAA enables the president to temporarily exempt industrial sites from new rules if the technology required to meet them is not widely available and if the continued activity is in the interest of national security. Environmental groups claim this new exemption process would allow industrial facilities to evade laws meant to protect the environment and public health.
News
State AG joins lawsuit protecting EPA chemical safety rule
Times of San Diego - March 27
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday joined 16 other states in seeking to intervene in a lawsuit filed in the federal court for the District of Columbia Circuit to defend federal regulations for chemical accidents after the safety guidelines were challenged by Republican-led states. EPA’s 2024 Chemical Accident Safety Rule requires facilities, such as refineries and chemical manufacturing plants, to implement prevention plans and employee safety training and to increase public transparency. According to Bonta, the rule protects communities that are exposed to chemical accidents due to their close proximity to these facilities. The rule was challenged in a May 2024 petition by a group of 14 states, led by Oklahoma, and followed by separate challenges filed by industry groups. According to Oklahoma’s state attorney general, the rule increases costs and regulatory burdens on facilities without improving safety.
California launches first-in-nation satellite tech to curb methane leaks
The Hill – March 21
California air quality regulators last Friday announced the launch of a first-in-nation satellite data project with the aim of monitoring and minimizing methane emissions. The technology involves the use of satellite-mounted methane sensors that transmit data regarding the location of methane leaks which could otherwise go undetected, according to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). According to CARB, the project, funded by a $100 million state budget investment, serves to bolster collaboration between industry and state and local leaders to curb emissions and protect public health.
Pleasanton and Livermore fire department facilities investigated for groundwater contamination
East Bay Times – March 25
Officials are investigating several fire stations between Livermore and Pleasanton for water contamination as Pleasanton continues looking for new well sites. In 2023, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Board) started to investigate facilities for evidence of possible polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in groundwater and runoff storm water in the two cities. The Board chose to investigate the fire stations after Pleasanton in 2019 began shutting down its three wells due to significant PFAS contamination. The Board now wants to evaluate if fire-fighting foams, which contain these chemicals, were a significant source of an extensive PFAS groundwater plume.
Federal government restores delta smelt funding
San Francisco Chronicle – March 27
The federal government this week restored funding for a captive breeding program designed to ensure survival of California’s delta smelt. A five-year grant for the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory in Contra Costa County, which raises the smelt, expired last month, and many believed the funding would not be reinstated. This week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and UC Davis confirmed that the federal funding, which makes up about three-quarters of the lab’s budget, would resume.
FEMA again pushes back on renewed call to test soil after Southern California wildfires
The Mercury News – March 28
In a March 26 letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton, several Los Angeles lawmakers voiced “serious concern” over the agency’s decision not to conduct soil sampling in the Palisades and Eaton fire burn zones as part of the debris-removal underway in those areas. This week, FEMA officials reiterated the official stance against such testing, claiming that the practice is inefficient and has impeded cleanup times. “In consultation with EPA, FEMA has consistently determined that removing the top 3-6 inches of soil beneath fire debris is sufficient to address fire-related contamination and protect public health,” said Brandi Richard Thompson, a FEMA spokesperson. California officials say data shows that contamination from wildfires can go deeper than 6 inches in topsoil.
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