The Department of Environmental Protection proposed amendments to regulations governing 401 water quality certification and wetlands protection. The amendments would include updates related to precipitation estimates and stormwater management as well as new provisions for land subject to coastal storm flowage. Hearings will be held January 31 and February 1, 2024. Comments are due March 1, 2024.

The Department of Environmental Protection proposed amendments to regulations governing waterways. The amendments would require license and permit applications to consider the effects of climate change in certain respects. Hearings will be held January 25, 2024. Comments are due March 1, 2024. See https://www.mass.gov/doc/public-hearing-notice-proposed-amendments-to-310-cmr-900-resilience/download.

The Department of Environmental Protection proposed amendments to regulations governing metallic mineral exploration and advanced exploration and mining. The amendments would create a process for exclusion from Chapter 200 requirements (i.e. physical extraction, crushing, grinding, sorting, and storage of metallic minerals), and require ongoing water quality monitoring in cases where an exclusion is granted. A hearing will be held January 18, 2024. Comments are due January 29, 2024.

The Department of Environmental Protection proposed amendments to rules concerning the processing of applications and other administrative matters. The amendments would improve clarity and organization, incorporate recent legislative changes to the Board’s responsibilities, and establish new procedural requirements. A hearing will be held January 18, 2024. Comments are due January 29, 2024. See https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/notices/2023/122723.html.

The Department of Environmental Quality adopted amendments to regulations governing the UST grant program. The amendments establish procedures to provide for reimbursement grants for upgrades and improvements to single walled UST systems. See https://www.doa.la.gov/media/am2jlli4/2312.pdf (pp. 2104-06).

The Department of Environmental Quality adopted amendments to standards governing landfills. The amendments establish and clarify procedures, standards, requirements, and records for the measurement, collection, and control of leachate. See https://www.doa.la.gov/media/am2jlli4/2312.pdf (pp. 2103-04).

The Department of Environmental Quality adopted regulations for the voluntary environmental self-audit program. The regulations establish procedures, eligibility criteria, fees, and prescription measures for the program. See https://www.doa.la.gov/media/am2jlli4/2312.pdf (pp. 2099-103).

The Pollution Control Board adopted amendments to primary drinking water standards. The amendments incorporate changes that are “identical in substance” to drinking water regulations adopted by EPA in the second half of 2022, including by incorporating seven additional alternative test procedures for analyzing contaminants in drinking water. See https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/index/register/volume47/register_volume47_51.pdf (pp. 18996-9134).

The Department of Natural Resources adopted amendments to regulations governing injurious species. The amendments clarify language and add federally listed species such as snakehead fish, brushtail possums, and three species of carp, in accordance with federal regulations. See https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/index/register/volume47/register_volume47_51.pdf (pp. 18981-95).