Only $53 million of the $7 billion awarded has been spent, according to a tally by the research firm Atlas Public Policy. Several grant recipients this week said their programs were in planning phases.
The proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule would rescind a 2009 declaration that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.
Residents could have solar panels installed on their rooftops. Or a renter could subscribe to community solar “micro-grids” that can reduce their bills.
The new fee is intended to encourage industry to adopt best practices that reduce emissions of methane—the primary component of natural gas—and thereby avoid paying.
Three energy-producing states—Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia—have challenged the air pollution rule, along with the steel industry and other groups, calling it costly and ineffective.
Designation as a hazardous substance under the Superfund law doesn’t ban the chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS. But it requires that releases of the chemicals into soil or water be reported to federal, state or tribal officials if they meet or exceed certain levels.
In a turnaround from previous plans, the agency said it will review standards for existing gas plants and expand the rules to include more pollutants.
The maker of sweeteners and other food components will pay a civil penalty of $1.1 million and implement measures to reduce and offset emissions at a cost of nearly $7 million.
The decision over air quality standards for ground-level ozone—better known as smog—was made despite a recommendation by a scientific advisory panel to lower air pollution limits to protect public health.
The U.S. government’s most ambitious plan ever to slash planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles faces uncertainty over both about how realistic it is and whether it goes far enough.
The proposed regulation, announced Wednesday by the EPA, would set tailpipe emissions limits for the 2027 through 2032 model years that are the strictest ever imposed—and call for far more new EV sales than the auto industry agreed to less than two years ago.
On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the most stringent update on limits to mercury from smokestacks since the Obama administration first issued Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in 2012.
The new standards, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency, are intended to place tighter constraints on air pollution from 23 states, including Indiana.
The plan marks the first time the EPA has proposed regulating the toxic group of compounds, which are widespread, dangerous and expensive to remove from water.
But experts say removing them will cost billions, a burden that will fall hardest on small communities with few resources.
Administration officials said the EPA has begun analyzing the “emergency” step of allowing more E15 gasoline sales for the summer and determined it is not likely to have significant on-the-ground air quality impacts.
The American Chemistry Council, a lobbying group for the chemical industry, slammed the EPA proposal, saying it could cause substantial harm to America’s drinking water supply by reducing the domestic supply of chlorine.
The justices, in arguments Monday, are taking up an appeal from 19 mostly Republican-led states and coal companies over the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
With so many regulatory developments on the horizon, including Superfund liability for select PFAS substances, businesses should act now to see where regulated PFAS affect their supply chains and waste streams.
The federal government announced Monday that it will support the ethanol industry in a lawsuit over biofuel waivers granted to oil refineries under President Donald Trump’s administration.
