On Tuesday July 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced a proposed rule to repeal its 2009 finding that greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions from new motor vehicles contribute to pollution and endanger...more
8/4/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Chevron Deference ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Reform ,
SCOTUS ,
West Virginia v EPA
On July 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced a direct final rule and companion proposal extending several compliance deadlines related to coal combustion residuals (“CCR”). The direct final...more
Because the risks posed by superfund sites pale in comparison to the risks posed by air pollution and broader water pollution issues regulated under the Clean Water Act, I have been and remain deeply skeptical of the Trump...more
On May 16, in Texas v. EPA, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected EPA’s nonattainment designation for two counties in Texas. What I find most interesting about the case is the reaction to it. Inside EPA (subscription...more
5/27/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Air Pollution ,
Appeals ,
Chevron Deference ,
Clean Air Act ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Judicial Review ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Texas
On Monday morning, the Supreme Court denied certiorari in Juliana v. United States. The cert. denial leaves in place the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that ordered the case dismissed for lack of standing. At least for...more
I’ve always taken the position that, no matter how much I disagree with the President, the Senate should confirm his executive branch nominees (nominations to the Judicial Branch are different, since judges don’t work for the...more
3/4/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Budget ,
Government Agencies ,
Nominations ,
Permits ,
Pollution Control ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
President Trump began his second term by issuing a barrage of executive orders, memoranda, and other directives, many of which targeted U.S. energy policy and the federal employees who implement it. Trump had campaigned on...more
1/24/2025
/ Clean Energy ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Energy & Climate Debates ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Offshore Wind ,
Paris Agreement ,
Permits ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration ,
Wind Power
Earlier this week, the Montana Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling in favor of plaintiffs in a climate case based on certain provisions of the Montana constitution. Specifically, the court ruled that:
- The...more
12/20/2024
/ Citizen Suits ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Impact Statements ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Injunctions ,
Montana ,
MT Supreme Court ,
Permits ,
State Constitutions
Last week, EPA released two final rules under TSCA. The first rule bans all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE). The ban is subject to several temporary exemptions for certain uses under § 6(g) of TSCA. The second rule bans...more
12/12/2024
/ CERCLA ,
Chemicals ,
Contaminated Properties ,
Contamination ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Groundwater ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
According to a story in Inside EPA (subscription required) last week, EPA’s promulgation on October 8, 2024, of its “2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements” has already led to disputes among stakeholders regarding what should...more
On October 16, 2024, the United States Supreme Court shot down requests from states and industry groups to stay the implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule to reduce carbon emissions from coal-fired...more
10/17/2024
/ Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Utilities Sector
Sometimes, a blog just has to be written. For those of us of a certain age, Sterling Hayden's speech as Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove concerning the Communist plot to fluoridate our water is iconic. Well, it turns out...more
10/2/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Chemicals ,
Chevron Deference ,
Citizen Suits ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Judicial Review ,
Statutory Authority ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Inside EPA (subscription required) reported this week that a group of Democratic state attorneys general have filed an amicus brief supporting EPA’s appeal of a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision holding that EPA had...more
In this Issue: Permitting Reform, the Supreme Court, EV’s, and Climate Week 2024 -
After nearly a decade as New York State’s environmental chief, I recently joined Foley Hoag to help the firm’s clients emerge as global...more
9/19/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Electricity ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Reform ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
Utilities Sector
For most of this century, I’ve been asked with some regularity whether Superfund was dead. I’ve always considered that question to be a victory of hope over expectation. Notwithstanding frequent criticism, frequently...more
Late last month, I noted that the overturning of Chevron did not mean the end of judicial deference to agency expertise. Earlier this week, a decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals provided some confirmation that...more
8/15/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Air Pollution ,
Chevron Deference ,
Citizen Suits ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Government Agencies ,
Judicial Authority ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Regulatory Authority ,
SCOTUS ,
Statutory Interpretation
Greenwire (subscription required) had an article yesterday with the breathless headline “Post-Chevron era tests courts’ readiness to tackle science.” The article noted that, in the recent Supreme Court decision in Ohio v....more
7/31/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Chevron Deference ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Government Agencies ,
Judicial Authority ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Scientific Evidence ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 706 ,
Statutory Interpretation
Yesterday, in SEC v. Jarkesy, the Supreme Court ruled that the defendants in a securities fraud case brought by the SEC were entitled to have the SEC’s claims for civil penalties decided by a jury. The question now is how...more
Last Friday, EPA formally designated perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) – including their salts and structural isomers! – as hazardous substances under CERCLA. I cannot really quarrel with...more
4/23/2024
/ CERCLA ,
Contamination ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Groundwater ,
Hazardous Substances ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Superfund
On Tuesday, in Ohio v. EPA, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals denied several challenges to EPA’s decision to restore California’s authority under § 209(b) of the Clean Air Act to regulate emissions from motor vehicles. It’s...more
4/10/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
Air Quality Standards ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Motor Vehicles ,
NGOs ,
Preemption ,
Regulatory Requirements
This week, Inside EPA (subscription required) ran a story indicating that EPA is trying to figure out how to juggle some increasingly expensive cleanups with shortfalls in Superfund tax revenue. The story notes that EPA is...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
3/11/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
Air Quality Standards ,
Appeals ,
Citizen Suits ,
Electricity ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Florida ,
NAAQS ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Vacated
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
As I’ve noted many times, criticizing CERCLA is like shooting fish in a barrel. Apparently, however, my criticism is not universally shared. According to WBUR, some legislators around the country are so pleased with how...more
Late last month, the Interagency Working Group on Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases quietly released a three-paragraph memo on how agencies should determine the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions. I hesitate to call it...more