In September 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released its Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (“Preliminary Plan 15”) which includes two new rulemakings that are intended to reduce Per- and...more
10/22/2021
/ Clean Water Act ,
Contamination ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Drinking Water ,
Effluent Limitations ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
NPDES ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Wastewater
The Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) recently unveiled its new Power Plants and Neighboring Communities mapping tool as part of its commitment to Environmental Justice (“EJ”). The mapping tool displays: the location of...more
On July 12, 2021, Physicians for Social Responsibility (“PSR”) issued a highly speculative report that raised concerns about a chemical approved by the EPA in 2011 for use in hydraulic fracturing fluid that “might” degrade...more
Washington recently joined California, Oregon, and British Columbia in adopting a clean fuels standard that mandates reductions in greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions attributable to transportation fuels. In the final days...more
While much of recent federal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) regulatory activity has focused on water supply and soil contamination of PFAS compounds, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) ongoing...more
In recent years, there has been no shortage of interest and commentary dedicated to a group of chemicals known collectively as PFAS. As one example, the potential designation of certain PFAS — PFOA and PFOS (perfluorooctanoic...more
PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) have garnered significant national attention in the last few years. PFAS have made recent headlines in multi-million dollar settlements, Biden campaign promises, proposed EPA rules,...more
Within the first month of the Biden administration, we have seen a high level of attention on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). Increased focus on these “forever chemicals” is setting the stage for a challenging...more
Ordinarily, the law governing how agencies create regulations — the Administrative Procedure Act — requires a thirty-day window between when a rule is published in the Federal Register and becomes “final” and when the rule is...more
President Biden has announced ambitious energy and environmental goals in an effort to combat the effects of climate change. Many of the president’s goals hinge on increasing support for alternative forms of energy...more
The Biden administration has committed to supporting increased renewable power generating capacity, calling to decarbonize the national electric grid by 2035. President Biden has already begun taking steps to support this...more
PFAS regulation is one of the hot environmental topics and a key issue to watch during this next year. In this series of posts, V&E will address the increasing regulatory attention concerning a group of chemicals known as...more
The Biden administration identified environmental justice (“EJ”) as a campaign priority1 and the Biden-Harris team has continually emphasized its commitment to environmental justice, stating that the administration would...more
PFAS regulation is one of the hot environmental topics and a key issue to watch during this next year. In this series of posts, V&E will address the increasing regulatory attention concerning a group of chemicals known as...more