On April 10, 2024, U.S. EPA issued the first-ever, national drinking water standard for a group of chemicals commonly referred to as “PFAS” or “forever chemicals”. PFAS generally refers to a family of chemicals known as “per-...more
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important factor in consumers’ purchasing decisions. According to a 2022 report released by First Insight and the Baker Retailing Center at the Wharton School of the University of...more
On January 29, Governor DeWine announced a new statewide initiative aimed at eliminating a common fire suppression material called Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF). AFFF, also known as firefighting foam, is a fire suppression...more
Today, on February 7, 2024, U.S. EPA announced its final air quality standard to govern fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), also known as soot. More specifically, U.S. EPA set an annual health-based national ambient air...more
On August 4, 2023, the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) “Good Neighbor Plan (GNP)” went into effect, requiring power plants and certain industrial facilities to implement emissions reductions through...more
On September 28, 2023, US EPA announced its final review and approval of the Maumee River Watershed Nutrient Total Maximum Daily Load (Maumee TMDL), which Ohio EPA submitted for approval on June 30, 2023. In issuing its...more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) issued its final rule on January 13, 2021, modifying and reissuing 12 existing nationwide permits (NWPs) and issuing four entirely new NWPs, which went into effect on March 15,...more
On November 19, 2020, U.S. EPA published its decision to remove Ohio’s air pollution nuisance rule from Ohio’s SIP in the Federal Register. The removal came at the request of Ohio EPA because the nuisance rule does not have a...more
Update: On September 15, 2020, the Army Corps published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register (85 FR 57298) for the reissuance and modification of its Nationwide Permits....more
On August 27, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine sent a letter to the Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Mark Esper requesting DOD cooperation in addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) threatening the drinking...more
On August 3, 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a proposal to renew and revise its 52 nationwide permits and issue five new nationwide permits. Nationwide permits, which are general permits that authorize work...more
Update June 29, 2020: On June 25, 2020, Ohio EPA issued the Ohio General Permit for Filling Category 1 and Category 2 Isolated Wetlands and Ephemeral Streams. ...more
On June 4, 2020, President Trump signed an executive order instructing his administration to use any applicable “emergency authorities” to waive requirements within certain environmental laws in order to facilitate permitting...more
On May 8, 2020, Ohio EPA issued a public notice for a new general permit, titled Ohio General Permit for Filling Category 1 and Category 2 Isolated Wetlands and Ephemeral Streams. The purpose of the General Permit, as set...more
5/11/2020
/ Clean Water Act ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Jurisdiction ,
Inland Waterways ,
Navigable Waters ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States ,
Wetlands
On April 15, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana issued an order with potentially broad-sweeping implications for energy-related projects across the country. ...more
4/21/2020
/ Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy & Climate Debates ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Policies ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
Oil & Gas ,
Real Estate Development ,
Remand ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Vacated
On April 14, 2020, U.S. EPA proposed to retain the current national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) without revision. ...more
The Ohio EPA Division of Drinking and Groundwaters posted several recent updates to its Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response, Questions, and Guidance website to inform that it is actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation in Ohio...more
On March 26, 2020, US EPA issued a memorandum announcing a temporary policy to address noncompliance with environmental legal obligations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, in lieu of otherwise applicable EPA enforcement...more
3/30/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Drinking Water ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Environmental Liability ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Policy Statement ,
Relief Measures ,
Safe Drinking Water Act ,
Water Supplies
H.B. 197, passed by the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House and now awaiting Governor DeWine’s signature, includes several provisions that may impact entities or communities regulated by Ohio EPA. First, Section 27 of H.B. 197...more
Regarding drinking water, EPA advised that the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water supplies and that Americans should continue to use tap water for drinking and handwashing as usual. Coronavirus...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule governing management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals became effective August 21, 2019. The new regulations apply to the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals by...more
9/13/2019
/ Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Safe Drug Disposal ,
Waste Management
On May 6, 2019, the Ohio EPA Division of Environmental Response and Revitalization issued an early stakeholder outreach public notice, through which it seeks stakeholder input on Ohio EPA’s intent to incorporate recent...more
Two Columbus warehouse owners have filed federal lawsuits against over 40 electronics scrap companies, saying they are to blame for the largest cathode ray tube (CRT) glass stockpile in U.S. history. ...more
In a February 26, 2019, special election, Toledo’s voters passed the Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR). The LEBOR is an amendment to the City of Toledo’s Charter that creates a new cause of action for the violation of the...more
On December 11, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) announced new rule language to replace the Obama Administration’s 2015 Clean Water Rule...more