Legislative Branch Activity This week on Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, will hold a hearing titled “Making Implementation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ground-Level Ozone Attainable: Legislative Hearing on S.263 and S.452.” The NAAQs have been highly controversial since their … Continue Reading
Executive Branch Activity EPA, DOE, Interior, and Water 2018 Budgets Cut in President Trump’s Request to Congress EPA: President Donald Trump’s FY 2018 budget request, which was released last week, included a significant 31.4 percent decrease for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from the current funding level of $8.2 billion to $5.7 billion. This represents the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity WRDA The House is expected this week to take up H.R. 5303, the “Water Resources Development Act of 2016” (WRDA). The Senate recently passed its version of the bill, S. 2848, on September 15. Unlike the Senate, the House legislation does not include funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure or for emergency … Continue Reading
Legislative Action Senate Energy Policy Modernization Act Last week the Senate voted to pass S. 2012 the Energy Modernization Act of 2016 with a strong, almost unheard of bi-partisan vote of 85-12, including numerous amendments impacting a majority of the United States. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has since been … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA Continues to Review Air Quality The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of its draft plan for the agency’s review of secondary national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for oxides of nitrogen and oxides of sulfur (NOX/SOX). For information on accessing the draft, click here. Comments are due December 30. … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Waters of the U.S. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers announced the issuance of their final rule defining “Waters of the U.S.” However, according to the EPA, the rule could take up two weeks to be published in the Federal Register. Once published, the rule will … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Waters of the U.S. Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a joint hearing to discuss the “Impacts of the Proposed Waters of the United States Rule on State and Local Governments.” The hearing addressed concerns with the proposed rule including costs, definitions … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity 2015 Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water is seeking comments on an information collection regarding identifying infrastructure needs of public water systems for the next 20 years, from January 2015 through December 2034. This is a renewal of an information … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA Approves New Measurements for Ozone In significant news for entities attempting to maintain or attain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQSs), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it has approved four new testing methods that are now allowed for measuring ozone and related pollutants in determining compliance. The alternative tests can … Continue Reading
