FWS determined endangered species status for 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 under the ESA.
United States v. Union Carbide Corp., No. 1:24-cv-01463 (D. Colo May 23, 2024). Under a proposed consent decree, a settling CERCLA defendant must pay $600,000 to reimburse response costs incurred at the Uravan Uranium Project Superfund Site, located in Montrose County, Colorado.
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.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control adopted amendments to regulations governing transportation of radioactive waste into or within the state. The amendments incorporate regulations promulgated in 2018, clarify conformance with disposal site criteria, include an exemption allowance, and update forms. See https://www.scstatehouse.gov/state_register.php?first=FILE&pdf=1&file=Sr48-5.pdf (pp. 120-28).
The Department of Health and Environmental Control adopted amendments to regulations governing beachfront management. The amendments add several technical corrections, new definitions, and language to clarify guidelines related to beach preservation, beach/dune system critical areas, and associated construction activities.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control adopted a new rule concerning solar energy systems. The rule establishes basic guidelines for large solar energy systems, including a registration requirement and a decommissioning plan requirement.