Is There Practical Evidence of Climate Change?
A recent article in The New York Times titled: Perils of Climate Change Could Swamp Coast Real Estate, indicates that rising seas and storm-related flooding…
Environmental Law Matters
Nuclear Energy Returns
The first nuclear generator commissioned in the U. S. in 20 years has begun commercial operation. The Tennessee Valley Authority brought the Watts Bar 2…
EPA’s Coal Ash Rule Continues to Draw Criticism – From Both Sides
The EPA's publication of a coal ash rule on April 17, 2015, did little to resolve the debate about the proper management of the material…
Renewable Energy Demands and Barriers
For the past three years, since 2013, energy production in the United States from renewable sources (non-nuclear) has remained fairly constant at about 9 ½%…
Alabama Joins Challenge to EPA’s Rule Limiting Emissions from the Oil and Natural Gas Industry
Alabama has joined several other states in a petition filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit seeking to challenge the Environmental…
Carbon Tax?
One of the many issues in the current Presidential campaign involves the question of whether to pursue a tax on carbon emissions. The matter has…
Federal Environmental Civil Penalties Set to Increase Dramatically
EPA is increasing civil penalties for all statutes it administers that call for the assessment of civil penalties. These increases are not recommendations or proposed…
Advancing Chemical Safety – Maybe the Art of Compromise Isn’t Such a Bad Thing
President Obama signed a major reform of the Nation's chemical safety standards on Wednesday, June 22. The legislation amended the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act,…
Air Emissions Regulated Under RCRA?
Certain regulated entities that operate under Clean Air Act permits are being reminded that those permits do not necessarily cover air emissions associated with the…
Coal: Hope in the Face of Pressure?
The coal industry has experienced substantial economic turmoil over the recent past, including bankruptcies - most recently by Peabody Energy Corporation - but also by…