Top Articles

Dredge and Fill Farming Exemption

There are a number of types of activities that are conducted in or affect regulated surface water or wetlands, which are exempt from the requirement to obtain individual or general permit coverage under Section 404 of the CWA.

Phase Two Regs for Low-Stress Pipelines

In a final rule, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has extended the pipeline safety requirements at 49 CFR 195, which include integrity management provisions, to rural low-stress hazardous liquid pipelines that were not covered by previous regulations.

Boiler Rule on Hold

The Obama administration’s expressed desire to get federal agencies to consider the impacts of regulations on business was evident in EPA’s recent decision to delay the effective dates for significant air rules affecting boilers and incinerators.

ESA Settlement Stalled

A work plan developed by the Department of Interior’s (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) WildEarth Guardians for making determinations for the 251 species now candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was put on hold by a federal judge in response to opposition by the Center for Biological Diversity.

LA Tops Energy Star Buildings List

Six metropolitan areas in the Pacific Southwest region made EPA’s 2010 list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy-efficient buildings that have earned EPA’s Energy Star® designation.

Buffers Required In Construction General Permit

Substantial revisions to the existing permit, including requirements for natural buffers or their equivalents, are included in EPA’s proposed construction general permit (CGP) for states and facilities under federal jurisdiction.

Training Proposed for Hazmat Cargo Tanks

Ensuring that employees engaged in hazmat loading and unloading of cargo tank motor vehicles (CTMVs) receive training sufficient to reduce the likelihood of accidents appears to be the main objective of a rule proposed by PHMSA.

Valley Fill Study Refutes EPA Science

EPA’s contention that unique insect populations in headwater streams are endangered by valley filling practiced by mountaintop mining operations in Appalachia was challenged in a scientific study sponsored by the National Mining Association (NMA).

DOE Oversight of Defense Nuclear Facilities

In response to recommendations from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, the Department of Energy (DOE) agreed to implement changes to its procedures for overseeing the safety of facilities in the nation’s nuclear weapons complex.

California RoHS Refresher

Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulates hazardous substances used in the manufacture of certain electronic devices.

Combustion Rules and a RCRA Definition

On February 21, 2011, EPA announced four CAA actions and one RCRA action that have significant implications for industrial combustion. Most entities will be affected by the Agency’s final NESHAP emitted at major and area sources of pollution.

PHMSA Bans Texting

As of March 30, 2011, drivers of commercial motor vehicles carrying certain hazardous materials or toxins are prohibited from engaging in texting activities in the United States.

What Inspectors Look for

Facilities nationwide must cope with many of the same federal requirements. However, state inspectors may have their own areas of concentration. Most state agencies will willingly share these concerns with you.

BACT for GHG Permits

There is a great deal of justifiable concern in the regulated community about the recent federal requirement that new or modified major sources of GHGs obtain prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) permits to limit those emissions.

Accelerating Contaminated Site Cleanups

On December 9, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft plan to accelerate the cleanup of contaminated sites. The intent of the draft plan is to minimize process and focus on productive results.

Environmental Impact Assessment - Effective Cost Management

The cost of carrying out an environmental impact assessment can be a significant part of the planning and design cost of a development project. Notoriously, the EIA costs are difficult to predict at the outset of the project.