On January 6, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication copy of a Proposed Rule, which will lower the annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). PM2.5 refers to PM with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less, which is about 3-5 percent
Environmental Justice
EPA Proposes to Designate PFOS and PFOA as CERCLA Hazardous Substances
By Emilee Mooney Scott on
Posted in Environmental Enforcement
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of a Proposed Rule to designate PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund). This marks the next step in a trend of increasing regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class…
EPA Announces Additional Actions to Advance Environmental Justice Efforts
By Jon Schaefer on
Posted in Environmental, Social, and Governance
Throughout the first year of the Biden-Harris Administration, Environmental Justice (EJ) has been a focus of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As I wrote about in November 2021, since January 2021 EPA has released numerous policies and guidance documents on EJ-related issues and has taken unprecedented actions in connection with permitting reviews and enforcement…
EPA Increases Environmental Justice- Related Reviews and Enforcement
By Jon Schaefer on
Posted in Environmental Enforcement
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. EPA has made advancing Environmental Justice (EJ) a leading priority. At times it has felt like EPA releases an EJ-related announcement, policy, or guidance every day. While that may be an exaggeration, EPA has taken numerous actions related to EJ issues over the last nine months. Perhaps the most…