Earlier this week, U.S. EPA released the agency’s 2020 TRI National Assessment Report, which includes data from first-time reports filed for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In releasing the report, EPA indicated that it was concerned by “the seemingly limited scope of PFAS reporting” and that it plans to “enhance PFAS reporting under the TRI
In a Grim World, Even a Sliver of Positive Environmental News Is a Good Thing
Earlier this week, the United National Environmental Programme (doesn’t everything just look better with British spelling!) announced that 175 nations had approved a resolution titled “End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument.” If the ambition of the resolution wasn’t clear from the title, perhaps this quote from the UNEP press release
Reuse to the Rescue: Talking Water Reuse with Pat Sinicropi, Executive Director, WateReuse Association
WateReuse Association Executive Director Pat Sinicropi joins Anna Wildeman and Dave Ross to talk about the role of water reuse as a water management strategy for the 21st century. Specifically, Pat discusses water reuse technology, the role of the federal government in encouraging water recycling as a national strategy, and state and local community efforts to accelerate the adoption of water reuse in businesses and communities across the country.
Biden EPA Backtracks on Trump-Era Water Policy – Will the New Stance Lead to Efficiency or Add to Administrative Backlog?
US EPA recently issued two memoranda announcing a more flexible timeline for its review of state and tribal water quality standards (WQS), replacing a Trump-Era policy that set defined deadlines for these reviews. On February 4, 2022, US EPA Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox issued a memorandum entitled “Rescission of Memorandum Titled: ‘Policy for the EPA’s Review and Action on Clean Water Act Program Submittals’” (the Fox Memo), rescinding a Trump-era water office memorandum from June 3, 2019 (the Ross Memo). On the same day, Deborah G. Nagle, Director of the Office of Science and Technology (OST), issued a memorandum entitled “Decision-Making Principles for EPA Headquarters’ Concurrence on Water Quality Standards Decisions” to all Water Division Directors (the Nagle Memo).
Massachusetts Regulators Begin to Clear the Path to Net-Zero Emissions
On February 8, 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) released a Straw Proposal containing proposed updates to the existing Stretch Energy Code and an outline for the new Specialized Opt-In Stretch Energy Code for public comment.
Renewable Energy in Latin America Updates
This GT Alert, also posted in Spanish, highlights news and updates on renewable energy in Latin America.
Consultation is opened on the Office for Environmental Protection’s (OEP) draft strategy and enforcement policy (UK)
The consultation seeks views on the new regulator’s plans, which set out how it will protect and improve the environment by holding public authorities to account.
The draft strategy defines what the OEP considers to be a “public authority” and this includes the government, government agencies, local authorities and similar organisations, and private companies carrying out public functions (e.g. water companies). It also sets out four strategic objectives: sustained environmental improvement; better environmental law that is better implemented; improved compliance with environmental law; and organisational excellence and influence.
The IPCC and The Ukraine Crisis
As the world struggles to adjust to the harsh new reality of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the most recent instalment of the Sixth IPCC Report slipped out almost unnoticed. And that is worrying, since the assessment in this section of the Report is even starker than previous assessments – noting in particular that in order to avoid global temperatures increasing by greater than 1.5 degrees C above preindustrial levels, the world needs to halve its emissions this decade: a reduction that the world does not currently appear to be remotely on course to do.
However, whilst the IPCC Report and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are not linked, Russian aggression in Ukraine may serve as a catalyst to speed up the European energy transition and accelerate its retreat from dependency on Russian gas and exposure to volatile international oil markets, which could in turn deliver a more rapid reduction in European emissions. In the process, perhaps setting the world on a path to achieving an outcome that currently seems unattainable.
California Loosens Indoor Masking Requirements for the Unvaccinated
By Chantelle C. Egan, Bernard Olshansky, Patrick D. Joyce, and Ilana Morady
Seyfarth Synopsis: On February 28, 2022, California’s Governor Newsom issued a press release lifting California’s mask requirements for unvaccinated individuals in indoor settings, downgrading the former requirement to a strong recommendation, effective March 1, 2022. The same day, the
Experimental Air Taxi Crashes in California
On February 16, 2022, Joby Aviation, a California-based company developing all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service, reported that one of its prototype experimental unmanned aerial taxis crashed in flight in South Monterey County, California. Although no injuries were reported, damage to the aircraft itself was substantial.
The Joby prototype was one