EPA Removing Hazardous Materials Following Fires in Maui

Construction & Demolition Recycling by Bob Gaetjens Maui, Hawaii – EPA says its personnel are working with federal, state and local agencies to remove hazardous material from areas affected by the wildfires in Maui in recent weeks. The EPA’s hazardous materials work is Phase 1 of the overall federal cleanup response. Phase 2 will be debris…

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EPA Requires Reporting for Nine Additional PFAS

Paint Square Washington, DC – EPA issued a final rule to update the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) chemical list to identify nine additional per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) subject to reporting requirements. This final rule comes as a follow-up to the EPA’s January announcement of the automatic addition of those nine additional PFAS to the…

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PFAS Liability: Congressional Letter Requesting Enforcement Discretion for Privately Owned/Operated Municipal Solid Waste Landfills

JD Supra by Walter Wright, Jr Washington, DC – EPA has proposed to designate certain PFAS as Comprehensive Environmental, Response, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) hazardous substances. Designation of PFAS as a CERCLA hazardous substance would trigger corresponding requirements such as application of the potentially responsible liability categories (i.e., current owner or operator, former owner or operator…

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State of Washington Offering Free Training in Identifying and Managing PCB-containing Building Materials With EPA Grant

WA Dept of Ecology Washington Through a grant from EPA, the Washington State Department of Ecology is providing training to help business owners, consultants, and contractors safely maintain and abate buildings that contain polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. These manmade chemicals were widely used in building materials to add flexibility, adhesion, and durability. But they can also…

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Chemical Companies Paying $1B PFAS Settlement

Paint Square National Chemical solutions company Chemours, alongside manufacturer DuPont de Nemours and agricultural chemical company Corteva, Inc., recently reached an agreement to resolve all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances-related drinking water claims. According to the release, the companies will collectively establish and contribute a total of $1.185 billion to a settlement fund for United States water systems.…

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Biden Administration Invests in Brownfields Cleanup

Paint Square Washington, DC EPA announced funding to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in the country. The investments, which total $315 million from President Joe Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, are expected to aid in the advancement of environmental justice. EPA selected 262 communities to receive 267 grants that total more than $215 million…

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Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ About to Get Their First US Limits

Associated Press by Michael Phyllis and Brittany Peterson US – The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose restrictions on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water after finding they are dangerous in amounts so small as to be undetectable. But experts say removing them will cost billions, a burden that will fall hardest on small communities…

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PFAS Bans and Restrictions Going Into Effect in States in 2023

Bloomberg Law National – Laws and regulations restricting “forever chemicals” in more than a half dozen states are entering effect in 2023, including the start of a timeline for a first-in-the-nation ban on PFAS in all products in Maine. The newly effective measures range from labeling requirements to bans of the substance in products including food packaging,…

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The Pentagon is Not Fully Tracking Lead, Asbestos in Its Privitized Housing, Report Says

Task and Purpose by Max Hauptman National – Despite the well-publicized prevalence of mold, lead paint, and other unsafe health conditions among private military housing units in recent years, the Defense Department appears to be experiencing issues when it comes to actually monitoring how widespread those problems have become. A recently published report from the…

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Why the US is Losing the Fight to Ban Toxic Chemicals

ProPublica National – From a powerful chemical industry that helped write the toxic substances law to an underfunded EPA lacking in resolve, the flaws in the American chemical regulatory apparatus run deep. The flaws of the American chemical regulatory apparatus run deeper than funding or the decisions of the last presidential administration. ProPublica spoke with…

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