FERC issued an updated policy statement that describes how the Commission will evaluate all factors bearing on the public interest in determining whether a new interstate natural gas transportation project is required by the public convenience and necessity under the Natural Gas Act.

EPA revoked the 1980 guidelines and associated procedures for correcting the specific chemical identities of incorrectly described chemical substances submitted to the Agency in 1978 using the original reporting form for inclusion on the TSCA chemical substance inventory, and provided the regulatory community 60 days to use the 1980 guidelines to submit any final inventory corrections. 

DOE announced its Building a Better Grid Initiative focused on catalyzing nationwide development of new and upgraded high-capacity transmission lines. 

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service announced the availability of up to $10 million in competitive grants awarded to Rural Energy Community Partnerships to further develop renewable energy infrastructure. 

FERC amended its regulations governing the safety of hydroelectric projects licensed by the Commission under the Federal Power Act.

United States v. SYG Realties, L.L.C, No. 22-CV-14 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 3, 2022). Settling TSCA defendants that failed to meet compliance standards in renovated residential units at five locations in Brooklyn, New York, must perform injunctive relief, including negotiating a compliance plan with EPA that is enforceable through the stipulation and settlement agreement. 

EPA announced the availability of and seeks comment on the draft scope of the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2: Supplemental Evaluation Including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos.

United States v. Taylor Energy Co. LLC, No. 20-2910 (E.D. La. Dec. 20, 2021). A settling OPA and CWA defendant that discharged oil from a former oil production facility on the outer continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico must transfer to DOI over $432 million currently held in a trust for plugging seafloor oil wells and decommissioning the facility and pay $15 million in civil penalties, $16.5 million to natural resource damages, and over $12 million to the U.S. Coast Guard removal costs.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration amended the pipeline safety regulations to explicitly state that certain coastal waters, the Great Lakes, and coastal beaches are classified as unusually sensitive areas for the purpose of compliance with hazardous liquid integrity management regulations under the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act.

NRC seeks comment on a draft programmatic agreement between NRC, EPA, Navajo Nation Tribal Historic Preservation Office, New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and United Nuclear Corporation (UNC) that resolves any adverse effects to historic properties identified during consultation for a proposed license amendment application for the UNC Mill site in McKinley County, New Mexico.