PFAS in Focus: Show-Me Insights From Chris Wieberg, Missouri Department of Natural Resources - Reflections on Water Podcast
[Podcast] Catching Up on Canadian Environmental Regulation
PFAS: Increasing Regulations and Managing Legal Liability
EPA Plan Changes PFAS Outlook For Companies, Regulators
2BInformed: The Future of Fluoride in Drinking Water, the New TSCA Fees Rule, and the Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List 5
The Great Green North: A Discussion on Canada’s Environmental Regulations
Forever Chemicals: What They are and What is being Done to Minimize Their Impact
What are PFAS and Why Should We Care?
The overturning of the “Chevron Doctrine” is already making waves. The US Air Force is refusing to comply with an EPA clean-up order, claiming federal regulators lack authority. In brief, here is the timeline of events: •...more
Class actions and multidistrict litigation (MDL) concerning perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have led to massive settlements by chemical companies that have totaled in the billions of dollars, and that has...more
“Contaminants Compass” is a monthly newsletter that provides updates, legal observations and actionable tips to navigate the evolving legal challenges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This edition discusses how...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) recently announced that it will be taking a hard look at the Texas Railroad Commission’s (“RRC”) enforcement of injection well regulatory practices (or the lack thereof). The...more
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are at the top of every environmental regulator’s list in 2024 and already this year the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken key steps toward regulating...more
On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA” or “the Agency”) released details of its highly anticipated rule listing perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (“PFOS”), two forms...more
Microplastics, plastics less than 5 millimeters in length, are becoming a growing concern due to their ubiquity and persistence in the environment and potential effects on ecological and human health. A 2017 publication by...more
On April 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (the “Regulation”) which established legally enforceable levels called Maximum Contaminant Levels...more
Two days after EPA announced Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for six PFAS in drinking water, 15 California cities and water districts filed a lawsuit seeking injunctive relief and damages, based in part on the requirements...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized its proposed rule establishing National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for certain PFAS compounds. The final rule sets Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL)...more
On April 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for six PFAS compounds. The final rule follows issuance of a proposed rule on March 14, 2023, which was...more
In the latest edition of the PFAS Primer Quarterly Update, our roundup of regulatory, litigation, and scientific actions involving PFAS, the EPA addresses PFAS for CERCLA, more states ban products containing “intentionally...more
Key Points: EPA’s proposed rules set low limits for “Forever Chemicals” in public drinking water. The EPA anticipates finalizing these regulations by the end of 2023. Upon finalization, utilities that operate public...more
Notwithstanding the increasing size and severity of wildfires over the past decade, certain plaintiff groups have sought to constrain the government’s response to wildfires. Brownstein was honored to have the opportunity to...more
The Biden administration proposed new regulations this Thursday that, if enacted, would aggressively limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The move stands to force major changes in the energy sector and is likely...more
EPA got a lot of press this week for its first ever "enforcement" action relating to the continuing discharge of the forever chemicals known as PFAS into the Ohio River in West Virginia. Many of you know that this part of the...more
EPA Aims to Mitigate Risk of Cyberattack on Public Water Systems On March 3, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its Memorandum Addressing Public Water System (PWS) Cybersecurity in Sanitary Surveys or...more
For the first time and after much anticipation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for key “forever chemicals.” The proposed rule would establish near-zero...more
On October 28, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) listed 1,4-dioxane on the Fifth Contaminant Candidate List (“CCL 5”). This is an important step to EPA’s potential regulation of 1,4-dioxane under the Safe...more
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) oversees policy and guidance for the EPA’s hazard response and waste programs. In October 2022, OLEM released its Environmental Justice...more
You may have read about the slew of lawsuits filed over the past few years by Long Island water districts seeking to recover damages arising from alleged contamination of drinking water supplies by 1,4-dioxane...more
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced two public meetings via webinar to cover a comprehensive overview of its most recent Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule ("UCMR"), UCMR 5. The two meetings will be...more
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS or PFOS, have been a key ingredient in numerous industrial and consumer products for decades. These man-made chemicals are prevalent and are also...more
On July 28, 2020, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held an oversight hearing entitled “There's Something in the Water: Reforming Our Nation's Drinking Water Standards.” The hearing...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced in a February 20th news release that it was awarding $420,000 to the Arkansas Department of Education to assist with identifying sources of lead in drinking...more