- with readers working within the Environment & Waste Management and Utilities industries
- within Environment, Real Estate and Construction and Energy and Natural Resources topic(s)
- in United States
Focus
EPA guidance could give power projects more flexibility on emissions offsets
Power Engineering – July 7
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released guidance on July 1 giving developers of new power plants and other major emitting facilities more flexibility over when they must secure emissions offsets required in areas with persistent air quality problems. Under the new guidance, a nonattainment New Source Review permit under the Clean Air Act may be issued before required emission reduction credits are specifically identified and secured, provided the permit includes enforceable conditions preventing the facility from operating until those offsets are in place.
News
California pushes back deadline for first corporate climate reports to November
ESG Today – June 25
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued a notification indicating that it plans to delay the deadline for companies’ first mandatory emissions disclosures under Senate Bill (SB) 253 from the current August 10 deadline to November 10. According to CARB, the delayed deadline is aimed at giving companies more time, as the regulator plans to introduce limited changes to the climate reporting regulation, which may delay its final approval.
EPA revisits PFAS in biosolids guidance
Waste Dive – July 2
EPA announced last Wednesday that it is releasing new draft guidance on the risks of PFAS contamination in biosolids. A prior assessment released under the Biden administration drew criticism from industry groups that claimed significant contamination was limited to plants that accepted industrially impacted effluent. EPA has spent years across multiple administrations developing a plan to address potential PFAS contamination on agricultural land where biosolids, or sewage sludge, have been used as fertilizer.
Los Angeles-area gas appliance ban upheld in federal appellate court
Reuters – July 2
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeal last Thursday upheld a ban on the manufacture, sale, and installation in four Los Angeles-area counties of various appliances that emit nitrous oxides, rejecting claims by appliance makers and trade groups that the pollution control measure conflicted with federal law. The South Coast Air Quality Management District passed the zero-emissions rule for large water heaters, small boilers, and process heaters in June 2024 to address the nation’s worst smog and comply with ozone standards under the federal Clean Air Act.
EPA omits microplastics from water-monitoring rule, drawing concerns
C&EN– July 1
EPA will soon collect data on 30 unregulated chemicals in drinking-water systems, including ultrashort per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and pesticides, according to a proposal published in the Federal Register on July 1. The Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) is updated every 5 years to monitor contaminants in public water systems which might require future regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The latest UCMR excludes microplastics, frustrating some critics.
Environmental justice group sues California over carbon market overhaul
Los Angeles Times – July 7
An environmental group is suing CARB over its overhaul of the state’s cap-and-invest carbon market program, claiming that it bypassed required environmental reviews when it approved a major update to the program at the end of May. The update includes a new mechanism, the manufacturing decarbonization incentive, allowing polluters to apply for and receive up to 118 million new allowances in exchange for investments in decarbonization projects.
EPA proposes weakening heavy-duty truck pollution rules
NPR – July 9
EPA is proposing changes to environmental rules designed to cut pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, including buses and large trucks. The proposal, welcomed by trucking organizations and denounced by environmental groups, would scale back and postpone two provisions designed to make sure emissions-reducing technology keeps working while a vehicle is in use; one related to warranties, and another related to the useful life of emissions technology.
*This article may require a subscription to read.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
[View Source]
