The Legal and Practical Challenges of California's Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation
Nota Bene Episode 101: Catching up with Global Climate Regulation with Nico van Aelstyn
Schoenbrod: SCOTUS Ruling Helps EPA Deal With a "Stupid Statute"
EPA’s controversial “Once in, always in, Rule” (Once in Rule) was recently rescinded under the Congressional Review Act, a statute which gives Congress the authority to overturn agency rules if such action is taken within...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a major shift in regulatory policy—to rescind the agency’s 2009 “Endangerment Finding” and to repeal all resulting emission standards for new motor vehicles and...more
This proclamation addresses the EPA’s April 5, 2024 final rule, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Ethylene Oxide Emissions Standards for Sterilization Facilities Residual Risk and Technology Review, 89...more
On June 11, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") announced a proposed rule to repeal key amendments to the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards ("MATS") for coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam...more
On June 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published a proposed rule to repeal the amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (“MATS”) adopted by the Biden administration in 2024. These...more
Grants a two-year exemption from the EPA's updated Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule for certain stationary sources, citing the lack of commercially viable emissions-control technology needed to meet the rule’s...more
On March 13, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would move forward with reconsideration of the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding (Endangerment Finding) as directed in President Trump’s Executive Order...more
EPA has proposed to revoke the Trump administration finding in 2020 that it is not appropriate and necessary to regulate emissions of air toxics from coal- and oil-fired electric generating units. Instead, EPA proposes to...more
Can you still build a bulkhead along the shoreline in coastal Virginia to protect your property? Well, it depends, but now the answer is more likely to be “no.” Major changes to how Virginia tidal waterfront property owners...more
Yesterday, EPA finalized its decision to retain the existing PM2.5 NAAQS of 12 ug/m3, rejecting substantial scientific evidence that PM2.5 causes significant harm at concentrations below 12 ug/m3. In fact, as noted in one of...more
President Trump makes agricultural water demands priority for new office - U.S. News & World Report – October 13 - President Donald Trump this Tuesday created what he called a “subcabinet” for federal water issues,...more
U.S. Shale Producers Race for Federal Permits Ahead of Presidential Election - "Federal permitting in the largest U.S. oilfield in the Permian Basin, located in Texas and New Mexico, is up 80 percent in about the last three...more
Bayer to pay more than $10B to resolve lawsuits over Roundup, PCBs, and Dicamba - Bullet NPR – June 24 - Bayer will pay more than $10 billion to end tens of thousands of lawsuits filed over its Roundup weedkiller, the...more
Since its creation under President Nixon five decades ago, EPA has, for the most part, been an independent agency utilizing the best science available, even where the science led it to policy results contrary to the...more
California sues Trump administration to block water rules - Bullet ABC News – February 20 - California sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block new rules finalized this week that would let farmers take more...more
In November, Democrats won control of the House of Delegates and kept control over the Commonwealth’s Senate. Now, Democrats control both the Executive and Legislative branches of government in the Commonwealth of Virginia....more
EPA filed a status report on October 15 in the slow-moving mercury and air toxics (MATS) litigation, which is now Murray Energy Corp. v. EPA, No. 16-1127 (D.C. Cir., filed April 26, 2016). The case is a challenge to EPA...more
Last month, I noted that EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards had released a draft reassessment of the particulate matter NAAQS. In a bold moment of speculation, I indicated that it would be difficult for EPA to...more
Even as investigations deepened into the harms caused by vaping and e-cigarettes, the Trump Administration confounded those concerned with public health and the environment with rollbacks of legal ways to get vehicles to be...more
Revised Definition of "Waters of the United States" - Proposed Rule - "The agencies' proposal is the second step in a two-step process to review and revise the definition of 'waters of the United States' consistent with...more
U.S. Army Corps Stands by Permit for Dakota Access Oil Pipeline - "The U.S. Army Corps said that a permit it granted for the Dakota Access Pipeline last year was environmentally sound, handing a setback to tribal and green...more
The Trump Administration announced a long-awaited proposal to roll back the Obama-era Clean Power Plan late last month. (Chicago Tribune). The action had been promised by the President and his appointees at EPA, who pursued...more
Appalachian Region Looks to Asia to Revive Economic Hopes - "A Thai chemical company and, more recently, its new South Korean partner, are taking halting steps toward building a multibillion-dollar petrochemical plant in...more
Through a combination of memoranda and a recently proposed rulemaking, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is moving to affect longstanding and fundamental components of EPA programs. The merits (or lack thereof) may be lost as...more
2017 was an unusual year for environmental regulation, particularly under the Clean Air Act. A new President and new EPA Administrator have brought about significant changes to the environmental policies of their...more