The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a news release on September 6th, stating it was making available $232 million in grant funding through the federal agency’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving...more
For most of this century, I’ve been asked with some regularity whether Superfund was dead. I’ve always considered that question to be a victory of hope over expectation. Notwithstanding frequent criticism, frequently...more
On July 8, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Final Rule in the Federal Register officially designating Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) as “hazardous substances” under...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced in a May 23rd news release Brownfield grants have been awarded to the following Arkansas entities: Arkansas Department of Energy & Environment...more
On Friday, April 19, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced its final rule designating perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous substances under the...more
On April 19, 2024, EPA issued its long-awaited Final Rule officially listing two key per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or so-called “forever chemicals,” as “hazardous substances” under the Comprehensive...more
This week, Inside EPA (subscription required) ran a story indicating that EPA is trying to figure out how to juggle some increasingly expensive cleanups with shortfalls in Superfund tax revenue. The story notes that EPA is...more
On November 16, 2023, Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH-10) and Mikie Sherill (D-NJ-11) reintroduced the bipartisan Brownfields Redevelopment Tax Incentive Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6438) (BRTIRA). BRTIRA is designed to provide...more
Yesterday, I spoke with Sarah Mattalian, an Inside EPA reporter writing a story about the suggestion by an EPA official that EPA might require additional PFAS investigations and clean up at properties that had already been...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Region 6 Office released a June 7th news release describing three Arkansas recipients of brownfield grants. The State of Arkansas is in EPA’s Region 6....more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced in a May 25th news release that it is providing $215 million to expedite the assessment and cleanup of Brownfield sites....more
The Association of State and Territorial Waste Management Officials (“ASTSWMO”) issued a position paper addressing the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) Brownfields program. The position paper...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a March 9th news release addressing the Biden Administration’s fiscal year 2024 budget request. The Biden Administration is requesting $12 billion in...more
The Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (“ESA”) is the quintessential environmental diligence tool for transactions involving real property. A Phase I ESA includes a site inspection and review of current and past uses and...more
For transactions in 2023 and going forward, parties who purchase property will want to be aware of an update applicable to Phase I reports. By final rule issued on December 15, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...more
The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (“ASTSWMO”) issued a December 2022 guidance document titled: Technical Assistance Resources to Support the Reuse of Brownfield Sites (“Guidance”)...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a document titled: EJ Action Plan – Building Up Environmental Justice in EPA’s Land protection and Cleanup Programs (September 22) (“Action Plan”)...more
On August 25, 2022, Husch Blackwell’s Energy team kicked off the first of a series of webinars focusing on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Attendees were able to submit their most-pressing questions related to changes in...more
EPA announced today that it is proposing to list PFOA and PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA. EPA appears to be sanguine about how the listing will play out in the real world. EPA is focused on holding responsible...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of rulemaking to adopt a new national standard for Phase I environmental site assessments. While the EPA had hoped to adopt the new Phase I standard more...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has received to date 14 comments addressing both a proposed rule and direct final rule amending 40 CFR Section 312.11 which would amend the Comprehensive Environmental...more
Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known also as Superfund, in 1980 to address the horror of sites like Love Canal where discarded toxic chemicals began...more
In its June 25, 2021 Press Release, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) presented its plan for utilizing $50 million dollars, allocated to the agency under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021/Covid-19 stimulus...more
The Region 6 Office of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced two Brownfield grants related to Arkansas. EPA is providing $300,000 to each of the following public entities: Chicot...more