In April, we published an article about the UK COVID-19 Public Inquiry’s four-week long consultation process into its draft Terms of Reference (“TORs”), which will shape the scope of issues to be addressed by the Inquiry. Last month, the Inquiry published its summary report into the consultation, having analysed the 20,000 responses received, and meeting over 140 organisations across various sectors in roundtable discussions, as well as 150 bereaved families.

Finalised TORs

The public contributions have assisted the Chair of the Inquiry, Baroness Hallett, in revising the draft TORs. On 21 May, the Chair wrote to the Prime Minister advising him of the proposed changes and asking him to expand their scope to include:

EPA Issues New Drinking Water Health Advisory Levels for PFOA, PFOS, PFBS, and GenX

On June 15, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its issuance of lifetime drinking water health advisory levels (HALs) for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorobutane sulfonic acid and its potassium…

The move follows a number of similar standards that regulators and governments across the globe have proposed.

By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and James Bee

With effect from 1 June 2022, the Guidance for Enterprise ESG Disclosure (the Guidance), published by Beijing-based think tank China Enterprise Reform and Development Society (CERDS), is seeking to become the first, and definitive, China-focused ESG disclosure standard.

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued three requests for information regarding recycling issues, a first step towards distributing funds and carrying out mandates contained in the last year’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The programs for which EPA is requesting information are primarily directed toward improving recycling of…

EPA today released updated interim drinking water health advisories for PFOA and PFOS.  The health advisory level was previously 70 ppt (parts per trillion) for the total of PFOA and PFOS.  The updated interim health advisory levels are now 0.004 ppt for PFOA and 0.020 ppt for PFOS, three orders of magnitude lower.  EPA’s health…

EPA, States, and the auto industry are again ratcheting up the battle over California’s authority to set vehicle GHG and Zero Emission Vehicles program.
The Clean Air Act generally prohibits a state from adopting its own motor vehicle emission standards.  However, since its inception, the CAA granted California the authority to request a waiver of…

Avian Influenza: New Commercial HPAI Detections Plummet Nationally
As of June 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)’s HPAI 2022 Confirmed Detections database confirmed a total of 369 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detections in 36 states (186 commercial flocks and 183 backyard flocks), resulting in 40.09…

On March 31, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied an appeal filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and other conservation groups seeking to overturn a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) decision not to protect two types of river herring, alewife, and blueback herring under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The appeal sought to have NMFS list both species as threatened. A listing of river herring would have a significant impact on hydropower projects, as dams were identified as one of the primary threats to river herring populations.