EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released updated legal guidance Thursday intended to help its staff address environmental justice and equity in ...

In the absence of a federal environmental justice law, EPA is employing bedrock air and water statutes to address pollution in vulnerable communities.

While EPA discussed its approach to cumulative impacts in its 2022 update, the agency said it still hopes to develop stronger analysis on that issue. “That’s why advancing environmental justice is so critical to our mission.” “My observation is that on the long list of how a community could be considered overburdened or underserviced, there are a number of ways to figure that out that would not result in a challenge,” said Chandra Taylor-Sawyer, leader of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Environmental Justice Initiative. “Agencies that have responsibility for enforcing environmental laws are doing so using the levers that are available to them to advance environmental justice concerns,” said Redd. EPA Legal Tools to Advance Environmental Justice — an update to a 2014 EPA document — focuses on implementing core environmental statutes like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act to tackle pollution and climate impacts in communities of color. “At EPA, we know that our most vulnerable communities bear a disproportionate burden when it comes to the impacts of pollution and climate change,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan wrote in an introduction to the document.

The EPA on Thursday unveiled a review of dozens of existing laws it can use to better protect marginalized communities from pollution—a legal “toolbox” to ...

Prieto wrote that he is also pressing his office and various EPA offices of regional counsel “to exercise leadership in identifying options to advance environmental justice and equity, as well as civil rights compliance” to address environmental injustice. The detailed survey of statutes, “EPA Legal Tools to Advance Environmental Justice,” puts more of a focus on tools that environmental justice advocates argue that the agency haven’t always been wielded, including civil rights laws. The EPA on Thursday unveiled a review of dozens of existing laws it can use to better protect marginalized communities from pollution—a legal “toolbox” to help the agency make good on the Biden administration’s broad environmental justice efforts.

In this Political Climate Newsflash episode, we feature an interview with EPA's Lisa Garcia about making the most of infrastructure funding.

In this inaugural episode, host Julia Pyper and producer Maria Virginia Olano bring you snippets from an interview with Lisa Garcia, a regional administrator at the EPA, about the work the agency is doing to deploy funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed last year. As Garcia put it, “The infusion of funding for infrastructure is certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” That can be because developments unfold slowly or are super-wonky, or simply get overlooked in a busy news cycle.

EPA continues to fill its ranks with new political appointees from President Joe Biden as the agency looks to spread billions in infrastructure funding ...

She served as chief of staff for the White House American Rescue Plan implementation team. Under the measure, EPA will receive a monetary boost of about $60 billion, which is to be used to replace lead pipes, clean up Superfund sites and provide electric school buses. Destine Hicks, formerly deputy White House liaison at the agency, is now White House liaison at the Small Business Administration, according to her LinkedIn profile. Starting at EPA earlier this month, Marc Levitt is an infrastructure adviser in the Office of Policy. He is working on implementing the law, too, as well as issues related to permitting. Polachek is a Center for American Progress alum, a former aide to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and a former intern at the Obama White House, according to her LinkedIn profile. Maggie Polachek, who started last month as a special adviser for implementation in the EPA administrator’s office, is working on the infrastructure law.

WASHINGTON - This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a Water Reuse Interagency Working Group, which was established under ...

Actions in the plan are intended to drive progress on reuse and address local and national barriers across a range of topics including technical, institutional, and financial. EPA will capture Working Group activities and findings in a biannual report to Congress, beginning in 2024. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes significant investment in Reclamation’s Desalination and Water Purification Research and WaterSMART Programs to further water reuse research, project development, and implementation.” The Water Reuse Working Group will foster improved federal coordination on integrated water management strategies such as reuse.” “Effective water management saves energy and is a critical part of our equitable clean energy future,” said Kelly Speakes-Backman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “We are thrilled to collaborate across the federal government through the Water Reuse Interagency Working Group. Together, we will innovate our way to widespread water reuse and resource recovery for American communities.” “The Department of the Interior is pleased to be a partner in the federal Water Reuse Interagency Working Group,” said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo. “Adequate, resilient, and safe water supplies are fundamental to the health and economy of our nation, and investments in water recycling and reuse are a key to stretching limited water supplies.

Lead, asbestos and even radioactive material remain on a Superfund site that lines Portsmouth's Paradise Creek.

“I know the effects of some of the people who've died and went home to be with the Lord and did not understand why they had these different side effects and illnesses from living in the area that they did. The EPA recently released a range of options for how to address the site. … I think that was just a very interesting point of how somebody can own this entire site and not even plan to have it do as much damage as it can.” He “really does feel bad for how this ended, and he didn't necessarily know everything that was going to happen,” she said. “We began to be concerned about the impact of these illnesses and the side effects and ill effects that so many of the various neighborhoods were suffering with,” White-Tasby said. White-Tasby said the EPA needs to do more testing near people’s homes to see if that’s happening. There must be a connection to the toxic chemicals nearby, locals said. The government ideally likes to use a cover that would have secondary value as ecological habitat, she said. It was the least low hanging fruit and I just think that’s why it was the last one.” That includes Peck and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. It was deemed a priority by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2009. Environmental groups do ongoing work to clean up toxins in the creek, which feeds into the Elizabeth River.

Among other things, the EPA wants to treat groundwater south of the Amphenol site using a barrier to break down harmful chemicals as they flow through.

Among other things, the EPA wants to treat groundwater south of the Amphenol site using a barrier to break down harmful chemicals as they flow through. Among other things, the EPA wants to treat groundwater south of the Amphenol site using a barrier to break down harmful chemicals as they flow through.

Prospective purchasers of real estate, lenders, or other entities that are commissioning environmental consultants to conduct Phase I ESAs should, ...

In 2013, the EPA issued a Direct Final Rule and proposed recognition of the E1527-13 Standard, and did not rescind the previous E1527-05 Phase I ESA Standard. However, after receiving negative comments, the EPA rescinded its Direct Final Rule, then finalized the adoption of the E1527-13 Standard, and through a separate rule rescinded the E1527-05 rule. In light of the recent developments regarding the new E1527-21 Standard, it is expected that the EPA will proceed with a rulemaking to finalize the adoption of the E1527-21 Phase I Standard and then rescind the E1527-13 Standard through a separate rule. In what was a surprise to many, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has withdrawn its Direct Final Rule that would have recognized the new ASTM E1527-21 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) Standard as what is required to obtain protection from liability under CERCLA. As discussed in our recent Legal Update, the EPA issued a request for comments regarding its proposed intention to adopt the new ASTM E1527-21 Phase I Standard into its “All Appropriate Inquiry” (AAI) rules and issued a Direct Final Rule indicating that unless it received adverse comments, the new standard would be effective on May 13, 2022.

The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking comments on a proposed cleanup plan for Franklin. Some Franklin residents believe leftover contamination from ...

Among other things, the EPA wants to treat groundwater south of the Amphenol site using a barrier to break down harmful chemicals as they flow through. The EPA will also hold a meeting on the plan and take public comments at Franklin City Hall on June 9 at 7 p.m. The EPA has provided a presentation and fact sheet on what's called the "Statement of Basis" for the plan on the agency's webpage for the Amphenol site.