The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling in favor of the Bureau of Reclamation and FWS in a challenge to the agencies' renewal of water supply contracts in California. Environmental groups argued that FWS conducted an inadequate consultation on the effects of the renewals on delta smelt an...
The D.C. Circuit rejected challenges to renewable fuels standards EPA set for 2020, 2021, and 2022. Cellulosic biofuel producers argued the standards were set too low, and petroleum refiners argued they were set too high. Specifically, the biofuel producers argued EPA misinterpreted or unreasonably ...
United States v. TPC Group LLC, No. 24-00187 (E.D. Tex. May 21, 2024). Under a proposed consent decree, a settling CAA defendant must pay $12.1 million in civil penalties and spend approximately $80 million to improve its risk management program and improve safety at its petrochemical manufacturing facilities in Port Neches and Houston, Texas, in connection with a November 2019 explosion at the Neches facility and failure to take corrective action at the Houston facility.
SIP Proposal: Arizona (partial approval and partial disapproval of revisions related to regional haze).
NMFS announced its 90-day finding on a petition to list the Delaware River population of Atlantic sturgeon as an endangered distinct population segment (DPS) of Atlantic sturgeon under the ESA and to designate critical habitat for the DPS, finding the petition does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating action may be warranted and denying the petition.
FWS proposed to designate approximately 930 acres in Churchill County, Nevada, as critical habitat for the Dixie Valley toad under the ESA.
FWS removed approximately 64,797 acres of land within Arizona from the designation of critical habitat for the jaguar to comply with a court order.
FWS designated approximately 1,213,752 acres in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon as critical habitat for the coastal distinct population segment of Pacific marten under the ESA.
SIP Proposal: North Carolina (correction of erroneous incorporation of cross-references related to permitting rules).
EPA granted the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services the authority to implement and enforce the state’s amended Asbestos Disposal Site Rule in place of the national emission standard for asbestos provisions for inactive waste disposal sites.