CERCLA
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In the Absence of Any Federal Movement, States Continue to Attempt to Legislate Carbon Rules or Taxes
As reported in Salon and Law360 (sub. req.), states, the “laboratories of democracy,” continue to attempt to experiment with legislation carbon rules or taxes. Washington and Oregon are the latest examples, although such efforts have so far failed. Washington’s proposal would have taxed carbon emissions, whereas Oregon’s proposal would have established a cap-and-trade program. Continue reading
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Who Wants to Buy a Superfund Site?
On July 25, 2017, Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) administrator Scott Pruitt’s “Superfund Task Force” issued a final report revealing the Task Force’s recommendations for streamlining the remediation process of over 1,300 Superfund sites currently overseen by the EPA. Continue reading
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Lawsuit Challenging Trump’s 2-for-1 Executive Order Dismissed
In a win for the White House, a D.C. federal judge dismissed a complaint filed by several public interest groups that challenged President Trump’s executive order that required that two federal regulations be repealed for every new regulation that is promulgated. Continue reading
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FERC Rule Seeks to Expand Role of Electric Storage Resources in Wholesale Electricity Markets
On February 15, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) unanimously voted to remove barriers for electric storage resources to participate in the capacity, energy, and ancillary services markets operated by regional transmission organizations (“RTOs”) and independent system operators (“ISOs”). Continue reading
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OSHA Makes a Statement on Hex Chrome Enforcement
On January 19, 2018, OSHA issued a citation to Spirit Aerosystems, Inc. alleging one willful and five serious violations of the OSHA hexavalent chromium standard (29 CFR 1910.1026) and assessing $194,006 in penalties. Continue reading
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Proposed 2019 White House Budget “Trims” U.S. EPA Budget
The White House rolled out its 2019 budget, which includes deep cuts to a number of federal agencies, including U.S. EPA. The proposed 2019 budget seeks to cut approximately $2.5 billion, or 23%, from U.S. EPA’s budget, including the elimination of approximately 20% of U.S. EPA’s workforce. Continue reading
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Will Last-Minute Petition for Review Keep Natural Gas Flowing?
On February 7, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) moved for a last-minute review to save the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline just hours before it was scheduled to be shut down. Continue reading
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FAA Proposes Record $1.1M Fine for Shipment of Lithium Batteries
In what should be a wake-up call for companies that ship lithium batteries, the U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) has levied a $1.1 million civil penalty for alleged violations of DOT shipping regulations. Continue reading
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ECHA Adds Seven Chemicals to REACH’s “Substances of Very High Concern” List
On January 15, 2018, the European Chemicals Agency (“ECHA”) added seven chemicals to its Candidate List of “Substances of Very High Concern” (“SVHC”) for Authorization. Continue reading
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2017: The Corporate Environmental Lawyer Year in Review
As 2017 draws to an end, we wanted to thank everyone that follows our Corporate Environmental Lawyer blog. 2017 has been an interesting year and we have enjoyed providing information on critical environmental, health and safety issues for the regulated community. As part of the year in review, we thought it might be interesting to… Continue reading