On December 27, EPA proposed to revise the cost finding associated with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) along with the risk and technology review required by the Clean Air Act. (EPA Announcement)....more
The November 6 election will include environmental ballot initiatives as well as issues dividing candidates and the results should provide an interesting aspect of the election.
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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
9/7/2018
/ Air Pollution ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Deregulation ,
Energy & Climate Debates ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Health and Safety ,
Natural Gas ,
Power Plants ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
Rollbacks ,
Trump Administration
Irony abounds as the new Acting Administrator at EPA last Tuesday announced historic progress under the Clean Air Act even while the Administration works to roll back a number of Clean Air Act rules. ...more
8/3/2018
/ Air Pollution ,
Air Quality Standards ,
Automotive Industry ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Reform
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s Air Division recently issued a revised version of its long-standing guidance document “Emissions Test Protocol and Test Report Requirements.”...more
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has announced an effort to assess the potential health risks posed by a class of chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have been found in significant concentrations...more
6/1/2018
/ Deregulation ,
Environmental Claims ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Pollution Control ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Water Supplies
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
5/2/2018
/ Air Pollution ,
Air Quality Standards ,
Deregulation ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Policy Memorandums ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Scientific Evidence ,
Transparency ,
Trump Administration
EPA Administrator Pruitt announced on Monday that the Agency has completed a midterm evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and light-duty trucks for the model years 2022-2025. He has determined that the...more
On February 20, the Environmental Protection Agency published in the Federal Register a request for comments on a longstanding EPA policy regarding the question of whether and to what extent discharges to groundwater might be...more
In late January, EPA issued a guidance memorandum related to major sources under § 112 of the Clean Air Act that will likely reduce participation in the program. ...more
2/6/2018
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Memorandum of Guidance ,
Power Plants ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards
In mid-December, EPA issued its semi-annual regulatory agenda reflecting rulemaking activities scheduled for 2018 and beyond. The overall announcement is reflected in the EPA press release and detailed explanations are...more
President Trump has promised that his Administration will resolve any continuing debate on climate change. On the front line of the effort, the President’s EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, has moved to eliminate climate...more
The issue of climate change has become the focus of air emission regulations and prompted deep division in the process. The last Presidential election brought the issue to the fore in the sense that those who are now...more
Last Thursday, National Public Radio reported on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine which offers evidence that air pollution continues to kill thousands in the United States every year. ...more
President Trump is expected to announce this afternoon his decision whether to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord. Several news sources yesterday indicated that President Trump has decided to withdraw....more
While the Trump Administration has taken steps to dismantle or revise many of the Obama Administration’s actions regarding climate change, there are conflicting opinions within the Administration and key businesses about the...more
5/2/2017
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Energy & Climate Debates ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Trump Administration
The past week was not a good one for the cause of science as it relates to environmental issues and may foreshadow what might be described as an Age of Un-enlightenment....more
President Trump has proposed a dramatic cut in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, the new EPA Administrator has suggested rollbacks in regulations, and there are even proposals to abolish the Agency entirely. ...more
By almost every account, the Trump Administration is likely to alter substantially the environmental regulatory landscape. Actions have already been taken to delay the implementation of regulations as well as initiating...more
2/2/2017
/ Clean Power Plan ,
Coal ,
Coal Industry ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Department of the Interior ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Drinking Water ,
Electric Generation Suppliers ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Trump Administration
A recent article in The New York Times titled: Perils of Climate Change Could Swamp Coast Real Estate, indicates that rising seas and storm-related flooding in Florida appear to be driven by climate change and may be having...more
The EPA’s publication of a coal ash rule on April 17, 2015, did little to resolve the debate about the proper management of the material. Members of Congress have continued to push for legislation which would change...more
Alabama has joined several other states in a petition filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit seeking to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule regulating emissions standards for certain...more
One of the many issues in the current Presidential campaign involves the question of whether to pursue a tax on carbon emissions. The matter has been viewed by the Clinton campaign with some interest but not commitment,...more
President Obama signed a major reform of the Nation’s chemical safety standards on Wednesday, June 22. The legislation amended the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, providing the first substantive changes in the 40-year old...more
A story in the New York Times recently portrays the ice cap in Greenland as rapidly disappearing. (NYT). Indeed, the pictures are dramatic. The story is based on experiences and observations from scientists working in the...more