The Environmental Protection Agency’s implementation of the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards “Good Neighbor Plan” (GNP) was met with a fury of legal challenges (see ELM’s previous coverage of EPA’s GNP here)....more
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment – Division of Environmental Quality (“DEQ”) submitted on July 1st to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) a document titled: Arkansas Ambient Air...more
The Clean Air Act (“CAA”) envisions states and the federal government working together to improve air quality. Under the CAA, states must develop State Implementation Plans (“SIPs”) to implement National Ambient Air Quality...more
The US Supreme Court issued on June 27, 2024 an opinion in Ohio v. EPA staying enforcement of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Federal Implementation Plan (FIP). The FIP sought to impose more stringent...more
In a 5-4 opinion on Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stayed the enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Good Neighbor Plan” under the Clean Air Act. Under the Good Neighbor rule, the EPA required...more
Co-Author Jordan Wimpy The United States Supreme Court issued on June 27th a stay on the Ozone Federal Implementation Plan (i.e, Good Neighbor Rule) while the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals hears and decides...more
The United States House of Representatives passed by partisan vote legislation denominated H.R. 7650 that would amend the Clean Air Act titled: “Air Quality Standards Implementation Act of 2024” (“Act”). The Act...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (“Court”) addressed in a March 1st Opinion an issue addressing start up, shut down and malfunction (“SSM”) provisions. See Environmental Committee of the Florida...more
On March 6, 2024, EPA published its final rule lowering the primary annual National Ambient Air Quality Standards (“NAAQS”) for fine particulate matter (“PM2.5”) to 9.0 micrograms per cubic meter (“µg/m3”). The new, more...more
Earlier this month, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals vacated most of EPA’s startup, shutdown, and malfunction SIP Call. The Court’s rationale boils down to EPA’s failure to make a predicate finding that the SIP call...more
On March 6, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published in the Federal Register its long-awaited reconsideration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM). In...more
Twenty-four State Attorneys General filed a Petition for Review (“Petition for Review”) in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit challenging a United States Environmental Protection Agency...more
Exercising one of its most important and far-reaching powers under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has lowered the primary annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for fine particulate...more
On February 7, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Final Rule lowering the primary annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) from the current level...more
In March 2023, the EPA issued its final Good Neighbor Plan, the last in a series of legislations designed to reduce emissions of ozone-forming nitrogen oxide (NO2) which cross state borders. Specifically, the Plan was...more
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to require power plants and other stationary sources in five additional states to comply with the Good Neighbor Plan to ensure that these states do not unlawfully contribute...more
Louisiana remains at the forefront of environmental justice activity. In just four days from January 19 to January 23, 2024, two courts in Louisiana offered interpretations to environmental justice efforts in the State of...more
On Feb. 7, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published an update to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter, commonly referred to as PM 2.5. The EPA announced that the annual...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced today a final rule which will tighten the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (“NAAQS”) for fine particulate matter. EPA previously: - Stated on June 10,...more
On February 7, 2024, EPA released its final rule tightening the annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard (“NAAQS”) for fine particulate matter (“PM2.5”), from 12 µg/m3 to 9 µg/m3. EPA’s decision to drop the standard to...more
On February 7, 2024, EPA finalized a rule lowering the primary annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard for PM2.5 to 9.00 ug/m3. This is a significant reduction from the current 12.00 ug/m3 standard and a victory for...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency kicked off the New Year by strengthening its guidance for investigating and cleaning up lead-contaminated soil at residential properties, especially in areas where children live and...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced that it is lowering recommended screening levels for assessing and remediating lead-contaminated soil in residential areas. The recommended screening...more
PM NAAQS: Already behind schedule is perhaps the mostly widely impactful rule change EPA has proposed in many years: a lowering of the national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). EPA has...more
The Environmental Protection Agency, under the Clean Air Act, requires states to work with the EPA to address the interstate transport of air pollution. Under the “Good Neighbor Plan,” the EPA requires each state to implement...more