[Source: CNN] President Joe Biden signed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill into law Monday, finalizing a key part of his economic agenda. It will deliver $550 billion of new federal investments in America’s infrastructure over five years, touching everything from bridges and roads to the nation’s broadband, water and energy systems. Experts say the money Read More…
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Southern California enacts new smog rules on refineries
[Source: AP News] Southern California air regulators on Friday approved new restrictions on area oil refineries and other factories that could remove tons of smog-forming pollutants from the air. The board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District adopted rule changes requiring emissions limits on oxides of nitrogen that will affect nine refineries and Read More…
California, again, leans on natural gas to shore up energy supplies
[Source: REUTERS] California on Thursday said it would increase the amount of natural gas stored at a Los Angeles-area facility that suffered a devastating leak six years ago, its latest loosening of environmental rules to shore up energy supplies. In a 4-0 vote, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a plan to boost the Read More…
EPA closer to unveiling plan for tackling ‘forever chemicals’
[Source: The Hill] The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon unveil a plan to address what it sees as “inadequate” regulations on a class of toxic chemicals that disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, according to documents obtained by The Hill. The agency’s forthcoming effort to crack down on the chemicals called PFAS, which have been linked Read More…
Newsom signs law to eventually ban gas-powered lawn equipment in California
[Source: Associated Press] California will soon ban the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers, a move aimed at curbing emissions from a category of small engines on pace to produce more pollution each year than passenger vehicles. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Saturday that orders state regulators to ban Read More…
Business community launches Private Attorneys General Act reform ballot measure
[Source: California Globe] On October 5, 2021, three major business trade associations, filed a new initiative measure with the Attorney General’s Office for title and summary, the first official step in their effort to place on the November 2022 statewide ballot changes to California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) (Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) | Read More…
California bans PFAS in paper-based food packaging
[Source: Natural Resources Defense Council] California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law today banning the use of the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in paper-based food packaging and to require disclosure of toxic substances in cookware. The bill, AB 1200, known as the California Safer Food Packaging and Cookware Act of 2021 and Read More…
Phillips 66 Company fined $200,000 for violating California’s gasoline regulation
[Source: California Air Resources Board] The Phillips 66 Company has agreed to pay $200,000 in penalties for violations of California’s reformulated gasoline regulations. Phillips “sold, offered for sale, supplied, offered for supply, or transported for eight days” gasoline in violation of state regulations. Phillips 66 is an American multinational energy company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Read More…
PFAS water regulations in California closer to becoming reality
[Source: National Law Review] On September 28, 2021, the state of California (through the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment) held a virtual workshop for proposed Public Health Goals (PHGs) for two types of PFAS – PFOA and PFOS. The release of proposed PHGs is extremely significant for any company situated in California, as PHGs Read More…