The federal government, through the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), released the Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II, on the Friday following Thanksgiving. (Associated Press). The new report is part of an ongoing effort by the USGCRP, a Congressionally mandated program to coordinate federal research and investments in understanding the forces shaping the global environment, both human and natural, and their impacts on society. USGCRP facilitates collaboration and cooperation across its 13 federal member agencies. The latest report can be reviewed ...
The November 6 election will include environmental ballot initiatives as well as issues dividing candidates and the results should provide an interesting aspect of the election.
At the outset it's noteworthy that, on a national level, environmental issues rank down the list of issues that voters consider "very important" behind such things as healthcare, the economy, social security, taxes, and immigration, among others, and a combination of some of these will probably turn the election in most areas. (Pew Research). Nevertheless, environmental issues are significant in ...
A recently published report that studied all 417 U.S. National Parks indicates climate change is having a significant and unique impact on many of them. The study was initially widely reported in the Miami Herald on September 24, and an abstract can be found in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Environmental Research Letters. (Disproportionate Magnitude of Climate Change in United States National Parks). National Park sites appear to be warming and drying out in more pronounced ways due, in part, to the fact that many of them are at higher elevations or are located in the ...
The Trump Administration announced a long-awaited proposal to roll back the Obama-era Clean Power Plan late last month. (Chicago Tribune). The action had been promised by the President and his appointees at EPA, who pursued it despite apparent ironies.
The proposed change was supported by a lengthy analysis prepared by EPA. (Regulatory Impact Analysis). Interestingly, the analysis concedes that the rollback will result in an increase in respiratory illnesses and premature deaths associated with easing the air pollution limits the Clean Power Plan would impose. (N.Y. Times
Irony abounds as the new Acting Administrator at EPA last Tuesday announced historic progress under the Clean Air Act even while the Administration works to roll back a number of Clean Air Act rules. On July 31, Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the release of a trends report entitled "Our Nation's Air," which summarizes air quality status and trends through the end of 2017. (Trends Report). The Report reflects on significant improvements in air quality since 1970. Overviews can be found here - (The Hill and here -- (USAToday).
Indeed, EPA's current webpage continues to ...
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management's Air Division recently issued a revised version of its long-standing guidance document "Emissions Test Protocol and Test Report Requirements." The revised 5-page document is available here. Much of the new document describes procedures for emissions test protocols and other requirements that have been in place for over thirty years. The recent change involves an added requirement that certain other test reports must now be submitted to the Department if those tests are preparatory to or linked to eventual emissions test ...
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has announced an effort to assess the potential health risks posed by a class of chemicals known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have been found in significant concentrations in the Nation's water supply. (EPA News Release: Summit Addresses PFAS). EPA already has health advisories for the presence of two particular chemicals in the PFAS family, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). (Drinking Water Health Advisories). Both PFOA and PFOS have generally been phased out or discontinued in commercial ...
Through a combination of memoranda and a recently proposed rulemaking, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is moving to affect longstanding and fundamental components of EPA programs. The merits (or lack thereof) may be lost as the actions are viewed from a perspective that the Agency is becoming increasingly politicized.
Through the use of a series of guidance memoranda recently released, EPA is revamping its rules for regulating air pollution. (The Hill, April 18, 2018). We reported on two of the memos in the blog on February 6. Those relate to the change in New Source Review policy ...
EPA Administrator Pruitt announced on Monday that the Agency has completed a midterm evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and light-duty trucks for the model years 2022-2025. He has determined that the data is not sufficient to support the standards as currently written and that they should be revised. (EPA News Release and EPA draft notice to Federal Register). The announcement reflects the continuation of a push by auto manufacturers urging the Trump Administration to roll back these particular regulations. In February of 2017, the President met with auto ...
On February 20, the Environmental Protection Agency published in the Federal Register a request for comments on a longstanding EPA policy regarding the question of whether and to what extent discharges to groundwater might be covered under the Clean Water Act (CWA). EPA is also seeking comment on specific aspects of the central question. The notice can be viewed here (Federal Register 02/20/2018).
This request involves EPA policies that are not necessarily well known, but which are based on certain basic provisions of the CWA. The Act specifically prohibits discharge of any ...