DOI announced the dates of tribal consultation meetings to gather information to revise procedures for conducting natural resource damage assessment and restoration for hazardous substance releases.

EPA entered into a proposed administrative settlement under CERCLA for recovery of past response costs concerning the Milwaukee Die Casting Site in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

United States v. 1500 South Tibbs LLC, No. 1:24-cv-235 (S.D. Ind. Feb. 5, 2024). Under a proposed consent decree, a settling CERCLA defendant must pay the United States a total of $112,805.24 for EPA’s response costs, pay the state of Indiana a total of $21,061.53 for its past response costs, pay future response costs incurred by the United States and the state, and perform remedial work in connection with the Reilly Tar and Chemical Superfund Site in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

The Bureau of Indian Affairs proclaimed approximately 1,483.03 acres as an addition to the reservation of Pascua Yaqui Tribe.

EPA announced a 30-day public comment period on draft updates to its Scientific Integrity Policy that will adopt a new federal definition of scientific integrity and meaningfully strengthen several policy elements to ensure a culture of scientific integrity at the Agency.

EPA announced the availability of a request for information that seeks comment to inform the design of its National Farmworker Training and Education Program. 

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.