Contamination

April 18, 2023

Earth Day 2023–Investing in a Balanced Approach to Emerging Contaminants

In the 1962 book, Silent Spring, Rachel Carson brought to the forefront of public attention contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). CECs, or emerging contaminants, are chemicals or materials that can be characterized by a perceived, potential or real threat to human health or the environment. Continue reading

CERCLA, Contamination, Emerging Contaminants, TSCA, Water

CEC, CERCLA, Contamination, Corporate Environmental Lawyer, Daniel Robertson, Earth Week, ECHA, Jenner & Block LLP, PCB, PFAS
May 19, 2022

U.S. EPA Updates Regional Screening Levels to Add Five New PFAS Chemicals

On May 18, 2022, U.S. EPA updated its Regional Screening Level tables to include five new per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The five new PFAS compounds added to the RSL tables are hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid and its ammonium salt (HFPO-DA – sometimes referred to as GenX chemicals), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic… Continue reading

CERCLA, Climate Change, Contamination, Emerging Contaminants, Groundwater, RCRA, Sustainability, Water

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease, ammonium salt, CERCLA, Contamination, Corporate Environmental Lawyer, EPA, GenX chemicals, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid, HFPO-DA, industrial soil, Jenner & Block, perfluorononanoic acid, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, perfluorooctanoic acid, PFAS, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS, Polyfluoroalkyl, RCRA, Regional Screening Level, remediation, RSL, Steven M. Siros, tap water
October 18, 2021

U.S. EPA Releases its PFAS Strategic Roadmap

On Monday, October 18, 2021, U.S. EPA released its PFAS Strategic Roadmap (Roadmap) outlining the agency’s three-year strategy for addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Roadmap notes that U.S. EPA cannot solve the problem of “forever chemicals” by tackling only one route of exposure or one use at a time. Continue reading

CERCLA, Climate Change, Emerging Contaminants, Sustainability, Water

CEQ, CERCLA, Contamination, Corporate Environmental Lawyer, Emerging Contaminants, Jenner & Block, PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, Steven M. Siros, Water
June 3, 2021

Analysis of Recent and Forthcoming State Legislation on Toxic Chemicals in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products and Preemptive Effects of Existing Federal Legislation

According to a report released in February 2021 by the organization Safer States, at least 27 US states will consider proposed legislation to regulate toxic chemicals in 2021. While a large driver of the proposed state laws is growing public concern over drinking water contamination from “emerging contaminants,” including PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances)… Continue reading

Emerging Contaminants, Groundwater, TSCA, Water

adverse human health effects, California, commerce, Contamination, Cosmetics, drinking water, Emerging Contaminants, exposure, FD&C Act, Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, Federal Regulation, Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act of the 21st Century, high-priority chemicals, New York, personal care products, PFAS, polyfluorinated alkyl substances, products, regulated, risk of injury to health or environment, Safer States, Toxic Chemicals, Toxic Substrates Control Act, TSCA
April 23, 2021

Earth Day 2021: CERCLA and RCRA in The Biden Administration: Elevating Climate Change and Environmental Justice in Addressing Hazardous Wastes

We close out the Corporate Environmental Lawyer Blog’s weeklong celebration of Earth Day with the two federal programs aimed at cleaning up existing toxic waste sites and preventing the creation of new ones, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA”) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”). Continue reading

CERCLA, Climate Change, Emerging Contaminants, RCRA, Sustainability

2019 GAO Report, American Jobs Plan Fact Sheet, American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, ARAR, Biden Administration, Brownfields, CERCLA, chemical manufacturer, chemicals, clean water, Climate Change, Contamination, criminal prosecution, dioxane, Earth Day, Earth Week, electric power generation, Electric Utilities, Emerging Contaminants, Environmental Law, environmental review requirement, EPA, federal appropriations, federal clean air, financial responsibility exemption, hazardous substance, NPL, petroleum and coal, PFAS, RCRA White House, regulatory role, regulatory rollback, remedial role, SDWA, Superfund Strategic Plan, Superfund Task Force, sustainability, Trump Administration
April 5, 2021

Unexplained PFAS Contamination at Petroleum Spill Site Mystifies Environmental Regulators

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is continuing to investigate an unexplained source of per-fluorinated compounds (PFAS) contamination that may be associated with the deployment of a fire-fighting compound in response to a major gasoline release by the Colonial Pipeline system on August 14, 2020. Continue reading

Consumer Law and Environment, Contamination, Groundwater, Hazmat, Water

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March 23, 2016

Flint Water Advisory Task Force Issues Final Report on Flint Water Crisis

On March 21, 2016, the Flint Water Advisory Task Force (FWATF) issued its Final Report regarding the Flint water crisis. The FWATF is a 5-member task force appointed by Governor Rick Snyder and charged with conducting an independent review of the contamination of the Flint water supply. The FWATF report contains some harsh criticism of… Continue reading

Sustainability, Water

Allison A. Torrence, Contamination, Crisis, Emergency Manager, EPA, Flint, Governor Rick Snyder, Lead, MDEQ, SDWA, Water