U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced on March 12, 2025, that EPA will undertake 31 distinct actions in an effort to advance President Donald Trump's Day One executive orders (EOs) to...more
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
PM NAAQS: Already behind schedule is perhaps the mostly widely impactful rule change EPA has proposed in many years: a lowering of the national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). EPA has...more
The first three quarters of 2023 have seen an unprecedented number of rulemakings under the Clean Air Act. The Biden administration has released a new suite of proposed rulemakings with a particular focus on climate change...more
Ninth Circuit blocks permits for hydraulic fracturing off California coast Bullet Los Angeles Times - June 3 The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last Friday blocked hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, off...more
EPA’s power to curb greenhouse gases faces Supreme Court scrutiny - Courthouse News Service – October 29 - The Supreme Court announced last Friday that it will hear challenges brought by the states of West Virginia...more
EPA announced yesterday that it will “reconsider” the Trump EPA’s decision not to change the PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard. I’ve blogged numerous times about the growing body of evidence that exposure to...more
I’ve frequently discussed in recent years the mounting evidence for the need to lower the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for PM2.5. There is also substantial evidence that PM exposure is an environmental justice issue....more
One thing that is clear from the 2020 election: the Senate will remain closely divided, with slim majority control to be determined by the two January Senate runoff races in Georgia. President Elect Biden has announced the...more
This is the inaugural issue of WilmerHale’s 10-in-10 Hot Topics in Energy Series. Over the next 10 weeks, our attorneys will share insights on current and emerging issues affecting the US energy sector....more
President-Elect Donald Trump has promised to bring back jobs in the coal industry and reduce regulations that could inhibit economic growth. His transition team has already begun arriving at federal agencies to review the...more
EPA’s recently issued Clean Power Plan (“CPP” or “Plan”) affects every state differently. The Plan has a decidedly nationwide impact—reducing the United States’ power plant greenhouse gas emissions 32 percent by the year...more
Draft Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen – Health Criteria - EPA has announced an extension of the public comment period for the second external review draft of a document titled, “Second External Draft...more