Legislative Activity Revival of the Comprehensive Energy Bill Last week, by unanimous consent, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced 11 bills governing energy infrastructure and efficiency. The bills address a range of issues including: skill preparation for energy-related jobs; improvement to hydroelectric licensing; retrofits for schools; increasing energy and water efficiency for federal facilities … 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
Regulatory Activity Greenhouse Gas Rule The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) anticipated Proposed Rule concerning greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for existing coal and natural gas fired power plants will be released to the public on Monday, June 2, at 10:30 am. To advance public awareness of the proposed rule, the President devoted his Saturday radio address … Continue Reading
Executive Branch Activity Climate Change Announcement The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has announced the creation and launch of www.data.gov/climate which is intended to collect information related to climate change in order to help cities and the business community prepare to become more resilient to climate change. Initially focusing on sea level rise … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA To Propose New GHG Emissions Rule for Oil and Gas Facilities The EPA is proposing revisions to the greenhouse gas reporting rule for oil and gas facilities that will revise calculation methods, monitoring and data reporting requirements, terms and definitions including confidentiality determinations. Affected parties are likely to include: pipeline transportation of … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Future Climate Scenarios The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released phase-two of its National Stormwater Calculator. EPA highlights that “the updated calculator includes future climate vulnerability scenarios.” Primarily used to estimate the annual amount of stormwater runoff from a specific location, EPA notes that the tool also includes “changes in seasonal precipitation levels, … Continue Reading