On April 23, 2019, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an interpretative statement to clarify whether the permit program under the Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) applies to pollutants released from point source to groundwater.  The statement was created in response to the 50,000 comments received under the federal register notice posted on February 20, 2018.  After careful consideration of the public comments […]

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Considerable measures have been taken to minimize the public’s exposure to Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), two chemicals categorized into a larger group known as Per – Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).  With everyday items – such as food packaging, fire-fighting foam, stain- and water-repellant fabrics in some carpeting and clothing, non-stick pans, among others – laced with these chemicals, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has carefully studied […]

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On March 15, 2019, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a rule to prohibit the manufacturing, processing, and distribution of methylene chloride in paint removers for consumer use.  Under Section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), EPA has the authority “to prohibit or limit the manufacture, processing, distribution, in commerce, use, or disposal of a chemical” if it is deemed harmful to the environment or may […]

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In response to the number of catastrophic wildfires occurring in the State of California, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 901 (SB 901) into law on September 21, 2018. With the objective to mitigate wildfire risk and increase the rate of recovery, the Bill outlines a number of revisions to current law while establishing new requirements, such as the formation of the Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire Cost and Recovery. This Commission […]

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