Water

EPA issued a directive last month that allows new discharges from Gulf of Mexico oil and gas platforms as the agency works to finalize delayed Clean Water Act (CWA) permit requirements for the facilities. The action follows criticism from industry and at least one federal lawmaker that the delayed CWA requirements were slowing oil and gas production.

Municipal wastewater treatment officials are preparing to file amicus briefs in a case that may set a precedent on whether federal facilities are required to pay user fees to the utilities that handle their stormwater runoff.

EPA is expanding its internal review process for assessing pending regulations to comply with recent White House requirements for agency cost-benefit and other economic analyses, according to a recent agency memo obtained by Inside Washington Publishers.

The new process, which requires EPA's Office of Policy, Economics & Innovation (OPEI) to conduct additional reviews of regulatory cost-benefit analysis for major rules, is drawing strong criticism from officials across the agency who expect the extra studies to add months to the current review process.

The Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in an environmental decision last month could broadly shield EPA and other executive branch agencies from citizen suits seeking to force agency action to protect the environment, while an earlier decision allowing Mexican trucks into the United States may also limit citizen suits under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), according to court watchers, legal experts and environmental attorneys.