EPA entered into a proposed settlement agreement under RCRA and CERCLA with St. Croix Petrochemical Corporation (SCPC), under which SCPC would transfer its remaining assets of approximately $1.7 million to help fund remediation of contamination caused by SCPC’s former Hovensa refinery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. 

United States v. Ohio Refining Co., No. 3:24-cv-00039 (N.D. Ohio Jan. 8, 2024). Under five proposed consent decrees, settling CERCLA, CWA, and OPA defendants that released hazardous substances and oil at the Duck & Otter Creeks NRDA Site near Toledo, Ohio, must collectively pay $7,225,909 in natural resource damages (NRD) and $903,239 as reimbursement for NRD assessment costs incurred by DOI.

EPA finalized a significant new use rule for 329 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are designated as inactive on the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory.

EPA released a decision framework for use by the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics New Chemicals Division for identification of eye irritation or corrosion hazards for new chemical substances based on prioritization of reproducible, human-relevant data. 

The U.S. Sentencing Commission seeks comment on proposed amendments to the sentencing guidelines, policy statements, and commentary.

EPA adjusted the level of the maximum and minimum statutory civil monetary penalty amounts under the statutes it administers. 

EPA announced the release of and seeks comment on the Waste Reduction Model (WARM) version 16 and its supporting documentation. 

EPA announced the establishment of the Vector Expedited Review Voucher program, which will incentivize the development of new insecticides to control and prevent the spread of vector-borne disease. 

EPA announced the initiation of and seeks comment on the prioritization process for five chemical substances as candidates for designation as high-priority substances for risk evaluation under TSCA and related implementing regulations.