EPA released this past Friday the agency’s draft strategy for examining health and environmental risks in communities that reside near facilities that emit chemicals undergoing TSCA review. The “fenceline communities screening strategy” is an initial and explicit injection of “environmental justice” principles into the realm of chemical risk evaluation and management. The Biden Administration has
OSHA Withdraws Vaccination and Testing ETS
Effective January 26, 2022, OSHA withdrew its enforcement of its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which would have required many employers to mandate vaccination or regular testing for employees. As we have previously discussed, the ETS had undergone a number of legal challenges. Most recently the United States Supreme Court stayed the ETS and
New Report Sheds Light on the Role of ESG for Employees in Asia
Mojodomo, a customer and employee rewards provider, has published a report on the role of ESG for employees in Asia. The report (which can be downloaded here) shares the findings of a survey they conducted of over 1,000 employees, 315 HR professionals and 30 HR executives. Among its findings is that:
- 91% of employees
OSHA Acknowledges Reality; Withdraws COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS
By A. Scott Hecker, Brent I. Clark, James L. Curtis, Benjamin D. Briggs, Mark A. Lies, Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, Daniel R. Birnbaum, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: OSHA has withdrawn its private employer COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS, effective Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
Have I Mentioned That It’s Not Going to Be Easy to Get to Net Zero?
Believing in the importance of aggressive action to address climate change is something of a recipe for bipolar disorder. Trump – depression. Biden first 90 days – elation. News today from ClimateWire (subscription required) that power plant GHG emissions increased by more than 3% in both 2020 and 2021 – depression. 
ISO New England attributes
The District of Columbia’s Vaccine Mandate: What Businesses Need to Consider
By Ronald S. Gart and Christopher A. Sickles
Seyfarth Synopsis: Pursuant to the Mayor’s Order 2021-148 (the “Order”), beginning on January 15, 2022, the District of Columbia has required certain businesses to verify that all patrons aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Beginning on February 15, 2022,
Biden-Harris Administration Proposes NEPA Regulatory Revisions
After nearly 50 years with little change, the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) regulations are facing their second substantive revisions in less than 12 months.[1] In September 2020, the Trump Administration oversaw a series of regulatory revisions that greatly altered the scope and depth of the review processes under NEPA by reducing the types
Environmental Cases in the Pennsylvania Appellate Courts in 2021
A review of the environmental cases decided by the Pennsylvania appellate courts last year follows. Please forgive any omissions of cases or detail in this catalogue. Many of these cases are not officially reported so not formally precedential. Click here to read the full article. Reprinted with permission from The Legal Intelligencer.
[On January 13,
New York Accelerates Building Decarbonization. Will New Jersey Adopt Similar Timelines?
New Jersey’s Global Warming Response Act (GWRA) requires an 80% statewide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The building sector accounts for approximately 25% of emissions, primarily from natural gas and fuel oil used for heating. Achieving the 80% emissions reduction goal is impossible without substantially reducing emissions from buildings.
New Jersey’s Energy Master
BlackRock 2022 Letter to CEOs Highlights the Importance of Sustainability
The world’s largest asset manager stressed that sustainability issues will continue to be fundamental to companies’ long-term economic outlook.
By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and James Bee
On 17 January 2022, Larry Fink, the founder and chief executive of BlackRock, published his annual Letter to CEOs (the Letter), titled “The Power