NOAA issued final regulations for the designation of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario to recognize the national significance of the area’s historical, archaeological, and cultural resources and to manage this area as part of the National Marine Sanctuary System.
FWS initiated five-year status reviews under the ESA for 59 animal and plant species.
FERC proposed to amend regulations to clarify that for all proceedings before the Commission that require a water quality certification pursuant to §401(a)(1) of the CWA, the reasonable period of time during which the certifying authority may act on the water quality certification request is one year from the certifying authority’s receipt of the request.
The president issued Proclamation No. 10770 of May 31, 2024, proclaiming June 2024 as National Ocean Month.
FWS determined endangered species status under the ESA for the Guadalupe fatmucket, Texas fatmucket, Guadalupe orb, Texas pimpleback, Balcones spike, and false spike, determined threatened species status for the Texas fawnsfoot, and designated approximately 1,577.5 river miles in total as critical habitat for the seven species of freshwater mussels in central Texas.
United States v. Union Carbide Corp., No. 1:24-cv-01463 (D. Colo. May 23, 2024). Under a proposed consent decree, settling CERCLA defendants must pay $600,000 to reimburse response costs incurred at the Uravan Uranium Project Superfund Site in Montrose County, Colorado, and to comply with institutional controls and other requirements for property owned within the site.
The Agency of Natural Resources proposed to amend and readopt the Materials Management Plan. The amendments would, among other things, replace the previous plan’s performance standards with new strategies and actions. Hearings will be held July 8, 10, and 11, 2024. Comments are due July 19, 2024. See https://secure.vermont.gov/SOS/rules/.
The Water Development Board adopted amendments to regulations governing the designation of river and coastal basins. The amendments modernize the rule language and update the storage method of digital files of the maps that designate Texas’ river and coastal basins.
The Commission on Environmental Quality proposed amendments to regulations governing municipal and industrial solid waste. The amendments would implement HB 3060 to expand conditional exclusions from the definition of solid waste to owners and operators of facilities that convert plastics and other nonhazardous recyclable materials through pyrolysis and gasification to include the processes of depolymerization and solvolysis. A hearing will be held June 20, 2024. Comments are due June 25, 2024.
The Commission on Environmental Quality proposed amendments to regulations governing waste minimization and recycling. The amendments would identify third-party certification systems for mass balance attribution, update definitions and guidelines for recycled products, and ensure compliance with amended statutes on recycling and materials recovery. A hearing will be held June 24, 2024. Comments are due June 25, 2024.