[Source: USA News] With smoky Southern California set to miss a critical clean air goal next year, local regulators are now threatening to sue the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming the federal government has made their “impossible” work. The South Coast Air Quality Management District recently advised EPA Administrator Michael Regan that it intends to sue Read More…
Tag: EPA
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…
Biden EPA ponders ‘Hail Mary’ move on greenhouse gas air limits
[Source: Bloomberg Law] The Biden administration likely will face a tough climb in the courts and on the ground if it tries to push for national ambient air limits on greenhouse gases, experts and lawyers say. Acting Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Jane Nishida wrote last week that the agency “did not fully and fairly assess the issues Read More…
A final EPA rollback under Trump curbs use of health studies
[Source: Associated Press] The Environmental Protection Agency released one of its last major rollbacks under the Trump administration on Tuesday, limiting what evidence it will consider about risks of pollutants in a way that opponents say could cripple future public health regulation. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the new rule, which restricts what findings from Read More…
Enjoying new clout, environmental justice groups may press Biden
[Source: KQED] Though it may have been eclipsed in headlines and worrying by the coronavirus pandemic, the climate crisis has not gone away. As new President Joe Biden tries to implement policies with the goal of redirecting economic development toward greenhouse gas reduction, he’ll have to contend with pressure not only from groups on the Read More…
Environmental justice groups block Mary Nichols’ path to EPA
[Source: Los Angeles Times] Through four governors, two Obama terms and the Trump administration, Mary Nichols has led the charge to clean up California’s smog and fight climate change. In the process, she has earned herself a reputation as one of the most influential environmental regulators in the country. So with Joe Biden headed to Read More…
Biden picks Michael Regan to head Environmental Protection Agency
[Source: FOX News] President-elect Joe Biden tapped Michael Regan to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, Fox News has confirmed. Regan has served as head of North Carolina’s environmental agency since 2017. A longtime air quality specialist at the EPA, Regan has served under both the Clinton and George W. Bush Read More…
Trump EPA finalizes rollback making it harder to enact new public health rules
[Source: The Washington Post] The Trump administration finalized a rule Wednesday that could make it more difficult to enact public health protections, by changing the way the Environmental Protection Agency calculates the costs and benefits of new limits on air pollution. The new cost-benefit requirements, which apply to all future Clean Air Act rules, instruct Read More…
Newsom picks new leader for powerful California air board
[Source: POLILTICO] California Gov. Gavin Newsom will announce Wednesday that he is appointing longtime state regulator Liane Randolph as the next chair of the Air Resources Board, an agency that has regularly shaped the U.S. manufacturing landscape through strict environmental requirements. Randolph, 55, will replace outgoing California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols, who is Read More…