On April 25, 2024, the EPA announced, as part of a suite of four rules for fossil fuel-fired power plants, its final greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for power plants—imposing stringent new requirements on existing coal-fired...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
Citing low compliance rates with air quality requirements, the New Mexico Environmental Department (NMED) has announced it is ramping up compliance assurance and enforcement activities at oil and gas operations within the...more
In its latest move to address climate charge, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) on September 28, 2023 issued a memorandum titled “EPA’s Climate Enforcement and...more
10/20/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
OECA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
In a decision with implications for air permitting across the West, a divided three-judge panel of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated and remanded EPA’s approval of Colorado’s state implementation plan (SIP) based...more
In the third attempt in less than 10 years, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed rule package (“Proposal”) that would apply strict greenhouse gas emissions standards to the fossil fuel-fired power sector. The...more
This article is the second in a two-part series analyzing recent proposals by federal agencies to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production. The first article addresses the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM)...more
Right out of the box, the Biden Administration took a decisive stance on the importance of climate costs in agency decision making, returning to Obama-era metrics and values. On his first day in office, President Biden issued...more
3/23/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
NEPA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Working Groups
On April 14, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to retain the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter, including both the PM10 and PM2.5 standards. The PM10 and...more
On April 10, 2019, President Trump issued a pair of Executive Orders aimed at streamlining Clean Water Act permitting of the nation’s energy infrastructure. The Executive Order on Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic...more
4/25/2019
/ Certifications ,
Clean Water Act ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
NPDES ,
Section 401 ,
Trump Administration ,
Water Quality ,
Waters of the United States