Waste

EPA is poised to unveil its proposal for a nationwide permit system to govern coal ash disposal under the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA), a long-awaited move that will rewrite enforcement of the standards for operating or closing down ash sites from a model driven by citizen suits to one with an active role for regulators.

EPA is facing likely challenges over its rule rolling back Obama-era chemical facility safety requirements, with early signs pointing to the parties battling over the adequacy of the agency’s legal justifications, including its claim that the original rule failed to sufficiently weigh an arson finding at a key industrial incident and its cost-benefit analysis.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), the top Democrat on the Senate environment committee, is stepping up his efforts to get legislative measures passed this year to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under drinking water and Superfund laws after lawmakers were unable to secure a deal on the measures in defense legislation.

EPA is considering elevating cleanup decision-making at the massive Portland Harbor, OR, cleanup to Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s office after the agency had rejected claims from an industry group that sampling it conducted shows greater than expected river recovery and warrants revised remedial action levels and other changes.