The Sixth Circuit held that seepage from a coal-fired power plant that reached a nearby lake violated RCRA, but not the CWA. Environmental groups argued that the chemicals being stored in coal ash ponds contaminated the surrounding groundwater, which in turn contaminated a nearby lake, in violation ...

The D.C. Circuit granted in part environmental groups' petition challenging EPA's 2015 rule governing the disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) produced by electric utilities and independent power plants. The groups argued that the rule unlawfully disregarded significant risks of harmful leak...

A district court held that a company is liable under RCRA for soil and water contamination at a former solid waste disposal area it used and operated in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Environmental groups filed motions for partial summary judgment against the company, claiming it was liable because...

The D.C. Circuit clarified an earlier ruling vacating portions of a 2015 rule that defined when certain hazardous materials were deemed discarded—as opposed to legitimately recycled—and therefore subject to EPA's oversight under RCRA. In 2017, the court upheld some aspects of the rule and vacate...

A district court held that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) being regulated under TSCA does not bar a Wisconsin couple from bringing a citizen suit under RCRA against a neighboring property owner for releasing PCBs during the demolition of a building on its property. The couple alleged that the demo...

The Ninth Circuit held that RCRA's "anti-duplication" provision does not preclude its application to stormwater discharges where EPA has not regulated them under the CWA. Concerned citizens brought a citizen suit against a utility company under RCRA, claiming it allowed harmful chemicals used to tre...

A district court held that a tribal appellate court had the authority to impose permit fees on an operator of a phosphorus production plant. The plant sits on 1,450 acres of land lying mostly within Shoshone-Bannock Fort Hall Reservation, and produced 22 million tons of waste stored on the reservati...

The Ninth Circuit held that a trial court did not err in not allowing evidence of the defendant's diminished mental capacity in a case involving a criminal conviction under RCRA. The defendant was sentenced to 46 months in prison for storing more than 3,000 containers of paint and paint-related mate...

A district court ruled that a manufacturing company will not be required to conduct further investigation of contamination that is already subject to a remediation agreement. In 2010, a consent agreement between the manufacturing company and a golf course owner obligated the company to perform remed...

The D.C. Circuit held that EPA's verified recycler exclusion under RCRA was unreasonable. In 2015, EPA issued a final rule rule governing when certain hazardous materials qualify as “discarded,” subjecting them to the Agency's authority. The new rule required generators of waste to meet special ...