EPA amended the chemical data requirements (CDR) under TSCA to make regulatory updates that align with new statutory requirements of TSCA, improve the CDR data collected as necessary to support the implementation of TSCA, and potentially reduce burden for certain CDR reporters.
In re Fansteel, Inc., No. 16-01823-als11 (Bankr. S.D. Iowa, Apr. 1, 2020). A settling Atomic Energy Act and CERCLA defendant must transfer a parcel of the property it owns in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to the operator of the property, transfer to the operator any and all causes of action it may have against potentially responsible parties at the property under CERCLA and Oklahoma law, and allocate between itself and environmental authorities (NRC, EPA, and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality) any net proceeds received from the sale of the parcel such that the environmental authorities will receive 100% of any net insurance proceeds for losses related to environmental liabilities and the environmental authorities and the operator will share on a 50%/50% basis the proceeds from any settlement or adjudication of the third-party environmental claims transferred from the defendant to the operator; the consent decree also requires the operator to use funds received from the decommissioning trust, defendant's reorganization plan, or other sources for activities necessary to maintain health and safety, fulfill obligations mandated by the property's NRC license and amended decommissioning plan, or conduct response actions pursuant to CERCLA or state law at the property.
FERC issued a policy statement that it will expeditiously review and act on requests for relief in response to the national emergency caused by COVID-19 and that it will give its highest priority to processing filings made for the purpose of assuring the business continuity of regulated entities' energy infrastructure during the pandemic.
The Rural Utilities Service established the Rural Energy Savings Program as authorized by §6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to assist rural families and small businesses in achieving cost savings by providing loans to eligible entities that agree to make loans to qualified consumers to implement durable cost-effective energy-efficiency measures.
EPA announced the availability of the 2020 mercury inventory report, which summarizes information on U.S. mercury supply, use, and trade as required by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act's amendments to TSCA.
United States v. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., No. 2:20-cv-02415 (C.D. Cal. Mar. 13, 2020). Settling CWA, OPA, and pipeline safety law defendants that discharged approximately 2,934 barrels of crude oil from a pipeline located near Refugio State Beach and Santa Barbara, California, must pay $24 million in penalties, implement injunctive relief to improve their nationwide pipeline system and modify operations relating to the discharge at issue, and pay $22.325 million in natural resource damages.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiated a review of the Department of Health and Human Services list of biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety.
EPA announced the availability of and seeks comment on draft biological evaluations for the registration review of the pesticides carbaryl and methomyl under the ESA.
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board published and seeks comment on its recommendation concerning DOE's regulatory framework to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety at defense nuclear facilities.
EPA announced the availability of and seeks comment on the proposed baseline approval of the contact-handled transuranic debris waste characterization program implemented by the Central Characterization Program at DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California.