The 2016 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) is a regional blueprint by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) for achieving federal health-based air quality standards for ground-level ozone and fine particulates.  The 2016 AQMP seeks to achieve multiple goals in partnership with other entities promoting reductions in greenhouse gases and toxic risk, as well as efficiencies in energy use, transportation, and goods movement.  The AQMP focuses on transportation […]

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In East Sacramento Partnership for a Livable City v. City of Sacramento, the Third District Court of Appeal interpreted and applied the California Supreme Court’s ruling in California Building Industry Association v. Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and in doing so, rejected a claim that the environmental impact report (EIR) for the residential project at-issue failed to consider the exacerbation of existing environmental hazards. Ultimately, the ruling of the […]

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On October 17, 2016, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the Department of Transportation publicly issued a general policy statement concerning their civil penalty framework for violations, to help the public better understand how the PHMSA calculates and imposes civil penalties. As the civil penalty framework was only available upon request prior to this issuance, relevant stakeholders could not account for the potential costs of violation.  With […]

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On November 15, 2016, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) formally sought stakeholder comments regarding – among other things – the potential health and safety impact of chemicals in nail products (i.e., hazard traits and exposure potential of candidate chemicals as well as alternative “green” chemicals, product formulation differences and how such differences affect both small scale and large scale manufacturers, and manufacturer initiatives to improve nail product […]

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