Unpacking California's 2024 Zero Emission Fleet Mandate
West Virginia vs. EPA Part II: U.S. Supreme Court Applies the Major Questions Doctrine to limit EPA Regulatory Authority
[Webinar] Growing Greener: Navigating Environmental Laws in the Cannabis Industry
Nota Bene Episode 101: Catching up with Global Climate Regulation with Nico van Aelstyn
Schoenbrod: SCOTUS Ruling Helps EPA Deal With a "Stupid Statute"
Law Prof: The Clean Air Act Needs a Reboot
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a pre-publication version of a proposed rule that would remove affirmative defense provisions from certain Clean Air Act New Source Performance Standards...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published in the December 1st Federal Register proposed amendments to the Clean Air Act National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for the oil and gas...more
On July 21, 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a long-awaited final rule that will make it difficult for sources to continue to rely on an “emergency” to avoid liability for permit violations under...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a final rule in the July 21st Federal Register that removes the emergency affirmative defense provisions found in the regulations for state and federal Title V...more
In the United States, environmental and public health measures often correlate to variables like education, income, and a community’s racial makeup. In the five decades since Congress began to create comprehensive...more
In 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took the policy position that state implementation plans, or SIPs, cannot provide for relaxed air emission standards during Startup, Shutdown, and Malfunction...more
Why is the legal challenge of EPA’s approval of the affirmative defense provisions in Texas’ state implementation plan (SIP) the subject of a venue battle? Why did the Sierra Club and eight other environmental groups...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published an April 29th Federal Register Notice stating it was considering alternative interpretations regarding affirmative defenses in Clean Air Act State...more
Time to Pay More: EPA Increases Maximum Civil Penalties - Remember the days when the maximum civil penalty EPA could assess for a violation of environmental law was $25,000 per day? Those days disappeared 26 years ago...more
On Wednesday, EPA published certain amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in the Federal Register. EPA describes most of the changes as “technical corrections,” but there is one important substantive change. ...more
Affirmative defenses commonly relied upon by facility operators to avoid civil and administrative penalties for violations of air emissions limitations during periods of facility startup, shutdown or malfunction (“SSM”) may...more
EPA has issued a final rule that requires 36 states to revise their State Implementation Plans to eliminate a well-known and often-used Clean Air Act defense for excess emissions. While specific elements of the defense...more
In response to a petition for final rule-making filed by the Sierra Club, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued on May 22, 2015, its final action requiring 36 states to revise their state implementation plans...more
Action Item: In response to pressure from environmental groups, EPA has removed Clean Air Act affirmative defenses previously available to the regulated community for startups, shutdowns, or malfunctions (SSM Rule). The...more
EPA proposes eliminating all startup, shutdown and malfunction affirmative defense provisions from SIPS. On September 17, 2014, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a supplemental notice of...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rule on September 5, 2014 that would prevent states from including affirmative defenses in their Clean Air Act state implementation plans (SIPs) for emissions...more
This month, the Sierra Club filed a petition for review challenging certain provisions of nine EPA rules that provide for affirmative defenses against alleged Clean Air Act violations in the case of unavoidable malfunctions....more