The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation adopted amendments to regulations pertaining to state land leasing. The amendments make revisions to definitions, procedures for evaluating sites for land banking, and procedures for site sales.
The Department of Environmental Quality transferred rulemaking authority from the Board of Environmental Review to the Department of Environmental Quality.
The Department of Agriculture adopted amendments to regulations governing cost sharing in the Water Pollution Control Program. The amendments increase the payment amount and remove the per-person funding cap for single projects, excluding animal waste storage or treatment projects, while imposing a total payment cap for such animal waste projects on a farm or farms that a person owns or operates or in which the person has a controlling interest.
The Department of Environmental Protection proposed to adopt a new rule governing the Packaging Stewardship Program. The rule would implement the program by, among other things, characterizing packaging material, providing a method for determining municipal reimbursement and producer fees, providing a method and criteria for investing in infrastructure and education, establishing a cap for the stewardship fund, and providing mechanisms for ongoing assessment and updates to the program. A hearing will be held March 7, 2024. Comments are due March 18, 2024.
The Department of Environmental Protection proposed to amend regulations governing the no adverse environmental effect standards under the Site Location of Development Act. The amendments would define habitat resources and establish a compensation fee program that would require compensation for alterations to deer wintering areas, habitats of rare, threatened, or endangered species, migratory bird pathways, and important wildlife corridors, in addition to alterations exceeding specified acreages based on ecoregion. A hearing will be held March 7, 2024.
The Department of Environmental Management proposed to adopt a new Section 303(d) List of Impaired Water Bodies. A hearing will be held April 10, 2024. Comments are due March 16, 2024. See http://iac.iga.in.gov/iac//20240214-IR-318240054ONA.xml.html.
The Environmental Protection Agency adopted new procedures for issuing loans from the Public Water Supply Loan Program to provide funding for lead service line replacement. See https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/index/register/volume48/register_volume48_6.pdf (pp. 2088-158).
The Department of Conservation proposed to adopt a new rule concerning well stimulation treatment (WST) for oil and gas wells. The rule would phase out permits to conduct WSTs. A hearing will be held March 26, 2024. Comments are due March 27, 2024. See https://oal.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/166/2024/02/2024-Notice-Register-No.-6-Z-February-9-2024.pdf (pp. 168-73).
EPA announced the availability of and seeks comment on a document that describes its draft approach for implementation of the EPA label program for low embodied carbon construction materials.
The Army Corps of Engineers proposed to establish agency specific procedures for its implementation of principles, requirements, and guidelines for water resources investments in response to congressional direction provided in authorizing language in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020.