In putting together our thoughts on this post, it was hard not to think about the elephant in the room (see what I did there?). The change in administration has already brought significant changes in our nation’s...more
2/20/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Manufacturers ,
PFAS ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State and Local Government ,
Toxic Chemicals
At the end of March, a new OSHA policy will go into effect expanding penalties for instance-by-instance (IBI) citations. The move signals OSHA’s stated commitment to increased enforcement in 2023 and beyond....more
3/2/2023
/ Citations ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
OSHA ,
Policy Statement ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Safety Inspections ,
Safety Violations ,
Workplace Safety
The State of California has always been a leader in regulating chemical ingredients contained in products sold in the state (think Prop 65), and it has turned its sights towards per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)....more
11/10/2022
/ California ,
Cosmetics ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fashion Industry ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Manufacturers ,
New Legislation ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail Market ,
Textiles ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
OSHA has partially reopened the rulemaking record and scheduled an informal public hearing to seek comments on several topics relating to the development of a final standard to protect healthcare and healthcare support...more
3/23/2022
/ Comment Period ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Occupational Exposure ,
OSHA ,
Public Comment ,
Public Hearing ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Workplace Safety
On August 30, 2021, a federal court in Arizona struck down the Trump WOTUS rule, citing the serious errors in enacting the rule, as well as the serious environmental harm that it has caused....more
Last month, Maine signed the nation’s first packaging-based extended producer responsibility program into law, signaling a possible sea change in the way we handle recycling in the United States....more
As we reported at the beginning of the year, President Biden has been making environmental justice one of his priorities since long before he took office. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently took...more
This week, we continue with our 2021 outlook series with a focus on environmental, health, and safety. This year brings a new Presidential administration, and with it will come a host of new programs, as well as some new...more
1/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Environmental Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Manufacturers ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
OSHA ,
PFAS ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Workplace Safety
On October 9, 2019, President Trump issued two executive orders regarding agency guidance – one focused on the development of new guidance and the other on the appropriate use of guidance in enforcement actions. And EPA is...more
On Valentine’s Day, EPA showed a little love for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), announcing a sweeping plan to address PFAS contamination and protect public health. ...more
2/15/2019
/ Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
National Action Plan ,
Pollution Control ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Research Reports ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Water Supplies
This is the last of our three-part series of predictions for 2019. First Matt provided our thoughts and predictions in the labor/employment arena. Last week, Jeff gave our outlook for corporate compliance and litigation. ...more
1/25/2019
/ Clean Water Act ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Liability ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Manufacturers ,
Navigable Waters ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Safety Inspections ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Trump Administration ,
Waters of the United States
This week, EPA announced that it is considering developing regulations to optimize the use of cost-benefit analyses when it is taking regulatory action. Many environmental statutes require the consideration of costs and...more
6/8/2018
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Cost-Benefit Analysis ,
Deregulation ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Manufacturers ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process
In a shift of federal policy with potentially sweeping implications for civil enforcement, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced it will no longer rely on guidance documents as the basis for bringing...more
Reduced Regulation -
We all know that one of President Trump’s goals is to streamline and minimize regulations. Among other things, Executive Order 13771 indicated that, for every regulation to be passed, two had to be...more
1/15/2018
/ Contaminated Properties ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Manufacturers ,
OSHA ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
Strategic Planning ,
Superfund ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety