Plastic Pollution/Clean Water Act: Center for Biological Diversity Notice of Intent to Sue U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Failure to Identify Impaired Hawaiian Waters
The Center for Biological Diversity (“CBD”) sent an October 31st letter framed as a Notice of Intent to Sue (“Notice”) to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. The alleged violations are stated to be EPA’s failure to perform a…
Arkansas Hazardous Waste Programs: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Announces $388,000 Grant
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Region 6 Office in Dallas announced it was awarding $388,397 to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”). EPA states that the funding will support Arkansas programs to manage and reduce hazardous waste. EPA Regional…
Landfill/Class-Action: Federal Appellate Court Addresses Nuisance Claim
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (“Court”) addressed in an October 30th opinion issues associated with a class-action lawsuit filed against a landfill. See Jing Gao, et al. v. Blue Ridge Landfill TX, L.P., 2019 WL 5653224. One of the issues considered was whether the…
Ozone/Clean Air Act: EPA Staff Proposal Retains Current Primary and Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Halloween published a draft policy assessment recommending that the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards (“NAAQS”) of 70 parts per billion (ppb) be retained. The policy assessment will be subject to public comment through December…
Air Enforcement: Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment, Division of Environmental Quality, and Melbourne, Arkansas Hardwood Flooring Manufacturing Facility Enter into Consent Administrative Order
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment, Division of Environmental Quality, (“DEQ”) and Unilin North America, LLC, (“UNA”) entered into a September 27th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) to address alleged violations of an air permit. See LIS No. 19-091. The CAO provides that UNA owns…