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Much ado is being made of recent amendments to the Clean Air Act (CAA) contained in the Biden administration’s budget reconciliation law passed in mid-August, commonly referred to as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). And with good reason, as the law includes the most significant changes to the CAA since 1990, and the new sections formally define greenhouse gases (GHGs) as an “air pollutant,” consistent with the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. EPA.

However, the IRA amendments to the CAA do not in fact make significant substantive changes in law. Legally speaking, they can’t, given that the IRA is merely a reconciliation bill through which Congress may only assign funding. More to the point, none of the IRA amendments to the CAA address in any way the limitations the Supreme Court recently placed on EPA’s authority to adopt climate change regulation in West Virginia v. EPA, notwithstanding some characterizations to the contrary.Continue Reading Clean Air Act Amendments Minimally Impact EPA’s Authority to Pass Climate Change Regulation

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Administrator Regan signed a proposed rule to designate two of the most widely studied per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The proposed designation for PFOA and PFOS, if and when finalized, would provide EPA with powerful new tools to clean up existing contamination in hot spots across the country, while seeking to hold those responsible for the releases financially accountable. The designation would also increase EPA’s reporting and information gathering authorities as the agency continues to build its database of PFAS contamination.
Continue Reading First Major CERCLA Move for PFAS

EPA’s standards for hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions from industrial boilers have been controversial for nearly two decades. Ever since EPA first proposed “maximum achievable control technology” (MACT) standards for boilers in 2003, which were then entirely vacated by the D.C. Circuit, each new iteration of the rule has raised new legal issues and often foundered in court.
Continue Reading EPA’s Final Industrial Boiler Rule Raises Controversial Topics

On the last day of what was already an historic term, the Supreme Court issued another significant decision impacting EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. As EPA embarks on a third attempt at a rule targeting CO2 emissions from existing power plants that will pass legal muster, the question now is how the Court’s decision will affect that new rule.
Continue Reading West Virginia v. EPA: The Supreme Court Speaks Again on Climate

In a proposed rule signed on February 28, but not yet published in the Federal Register, EPA proposed to significantly expand its current approach to regulating the interstate transport of ozone. Under the so-called “good neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act, states are required to submit State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to EPA containing rules sufficient to prohibit emissions from their state that would either significantly contribute to another state’s nonattainment of national ambient air quality standards or interfere with another state’s maintenance of those standards. If a state submits a SIP that is insufficient to satisfy its good neighbor obligation, EPA must issue a Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) to fully address the problem.
Continue Reading EPA Proposes Significant Expansion to Interstate Ozone Transport Regulations

As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prepares its Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 rule proposal, litigation regarding the 2020 Trump-era rule (Certification Rule) continues. Currently, the issue of whether to re-instate the Certification Rule is proceeding before U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit). The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California had vacated and remanded the Certification Rule, and intervenors and several states appealed the vacatur. Appellants, including several industry groups, have filed motions to stay the District Court’s vacatur pending the outcome of the appeal and are now awaiting the Ninth Circuit’s ruling that could, at least temporarily, re-instate the Certification Rule.
Continue Reading Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule Litigation Continues

Dave Ross talks with Radhika Fox as she marks her one year anniversary as EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Water. They discuss how her prior experiences prepared her for the role at EPA and her desire to change the narrative around water by connecting it back to the community. They also look at her first year accomplishments, the recently passed infrastructure bill, the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and more.
Continue Reading Diving In: An Interview With Radhika Fox, Assistant Administrator, Office of Water

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”) (together the “Agencies”) have continued working on a proposed rule to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA or Act), which will soon move to the next stage of agency consideration.[1] The outcome of these rulemaking efforts will impact countless regulated parties, from solar developers to manufacturers, and heavily regulated industry.
Continue Reading Biden Administration Presses Forward With Revised WOTUS Rule

On January 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new interpretation of its coal combustion residual (CCR) regulations: CCR landfills or surface impoundments “cannot be closed with coal ash in contact with groundwater.” Although EPA claims it has “consistently held” this interpretation, this is the first time EPA has expressly articulated this view. Perhaps acknowledging the novelty of its position, EPA also announced its intent to “review … state-level CCR program applications to ensure they are as protective as federal regulations” and to proceed toward a federal CCR permitting framework.
Continue Reading EPA Announces Key CCR Policy Amid Alternative Closure Determinations

Gearing up for a potential final rule in summer 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on January 10 submitted a proposed rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). OMB reviews are generally targeted to be completed within 90 days, but they can last much longer — or be concluded more quickly — depending on the rule being studied. The submittal is consistent with what EPA forecasted in its October 2021 PFAS Roadmap and its Unified Agenda.
Continue Reading EPA’s Delivery of Draft Rule to OMB for Study Starts the Clock for Potential PFAS Reporting and Enforcement Activity by 2023