It did not get much press, but earlier this month the Trump Administration, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Health and Human Services, announced the long-awaited Federal Lead Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts. According to EPA, the goals of the “Lead Action […]
The October, 2018 USEPA Enforcement Alert opens by asking the following question: “Do you know that if you are not lead-safe certified, disturbing just six square feet of a lead-based paint covered surface could cost you fines and even jail time?” In 2018, USEPA announced 141 federal enforcement actions to protect the public, particularly children, […]
The weather is getting cooler, which means that for the nearly two million homes in New York heated by fuel oil, the first delivery of the season may be on the way soon. My colleague and I represent some home fuel delivery companies and I can tell you that if you live in one of […]
It may be hard to believe, but the anniversary of one of the seminal events in environmental history turned 40 this summer. For the past four decades, Love Canal has been known as one of the most significant environmental disasters in U.S. history. The Love Canal neighborhood, located in Niagara Falls, New York, was home […]
In 2013 the Governor rolled out the Reforming the Energy Vision (“REV”) program, which broadly set forth the state’s energy policies and goals. Two of the central goals laid out in the REV were to have 50 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 60 percent […]
For the first time in more than 20 years, the State has made a major update to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQR”) regulations. NYSDEC Commissioner Basil Seggos announced on June 28 that his agency adopted a rulemaking package with changes intended to preserve the integrity of the regulations and streamline the environmental […]
To Avoid Penalties Ensure they are Handled Correctly To streamline environmental regulations for wastes generated by numerous sources in relatively small quantities, USEPA issued the Universal Waste Rule in 1995. This rule is designed to reduce the amount of hazardous waste in the municipal solid waste stream, to encourage the recycling and proper disposal of […]
One of Governor Cuomo’s chief environmental goals is the “50 by 30” initiative, which aims for 50% of the State’s electricity production to come from renewable resources by 2030. New York joined California in setting this target in 2016. The most common renewable energy resources in the State are hydro, wind and solar. Solar energy […]
A comprehensive revision to New York State’s solid waste regulations took effect on November 4, 2017. On March 1, 2018, the NYSDEC formally issued an enforcement discretion letter that effectively rolls back the implementation of the new rules in four (4) specifically designated areas. The delay in enforcement will expire on May 3, 2019 or […]
I’ve discussed the regulation of wetlands in my past blog entries. With this one, let’s talk about the application process for a permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”). As discussed before, the CWA authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“ACOE”) to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into […]