With little fanfare, EPA has finally proposed to approve Louisiana’s Class VI underground injection control (UIC) well program. The proposal to approve Louisiana’s program comes nearly two years after the state submitted its package for consideration.Continue Reading EPA Proposes Class VI Primacy Approval for Louisiana
Safe Drinking Water Act
EPA Advances PFAS Strategic Roadmap With Proposed Drinking Water Standards
By Brooks Smith, Anna Wildeman, Todd Fracassi & Andrea Wortzel on
On March 13, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took the long-anticipated step of proposing maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs), as well as individual maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), for six PFAS compounds under the Safe Drinking Water Act. PFAS are a large family of synthetic chemicals that have been in use since the 1940s. Many PFAS have unique physical and chemical properties that make them highly stable and resistant to degradation in the environment, which is why they are sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals.”Continue Reading EPA Advances PFAS Strategic Roadmap With Proposed Drinking Water Standards
EPA Publishes Annual Inflation Adjustments to Civil Penalty Amounts
By Mack McGuffey, Melissa Horne & Mandi Moroz on
On December 23, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its annual civil monetary penalty adjustments in the Federal Register. The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015 requires federal agencies to make annual inflation adjustments to federal statutory civil penalty amounts. The annual inflation adjustments are based on a cost-of-living multiplier determined by changes to the Consumer Price Index. This year’s inflation multiplier is 1.01182.
Continue Reading EPA Publishes Annual Inflation Adjustments to Civil Penalty Amounts
EPA Declines to Set Drinking Water Limits for Perchlorate
By Andrea Rimer Brogdon, Houston Shaner & Mandi Moroz on
Posted in Chemicals, Drinking Water, Emerging Contaminants, EPA, Rulemaking, Safe Drinking Water Act, Water
As anticipated, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on June 18, 2020, that it will not regulate perchlorate, a substance primarily found in rocket fuel and munitions, under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Before determining to regulate a chemical or substance under the SDWA, the EPA must consider whether (1) the contaminant may have an adverse effect on the health of persons; (2) the contaminant is known to occur or there is a substantial likelihood that the contaminant will occur in public water systems with a frequency and at levels of public health concern; and (3) in the sole judgment of the Administrator, regulation of such contaminant presents a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public water systems. 42 U.S.C. § 300g-1(b)(1)(A). In its announcement, the EPA concludes that perchlorate does not meet these criteria for regulation.
Continue Reading EPA Declines to Set Drinking Water Limits for Perchlorate