The Oil and Gas Commission adopted amendments to regulations governing underground natural gas storage projects. The amendments, among other things, expand the regulation to also encompass other gas storage projects and add definitions such as “gas storage reservoir.” See http://170.94.37.152/REGS/118.03.24-002F-24584.pdf.
The Pollution Control and Ecology Commission adopted amendments to regulations governing storage tanks. The amendments, among other things, conform to new payment requirements from the Petroleum Storage Tank Trust Fund established in Act 422 and incorporate provisions for lapsed licenses and reinstatement and reciprocity and provisional certificates. See http://170.94.37.152/REGS/118.01.24-002F-24583.pdf.
The Department of Environmental Conservation seeks comment on its draft 2024 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report, which describes the health of the state’s waters and includes the list of impaired waters. The proposed changes to waterbody classifications include identifying healthy waters, removing two waters from the impaired list, implementing an alternative waterbody restoration plan, and adding a new pollutant of concern to two waters already on the impaired list. A hearing will be held July 8, 2024. Comments are due July 22, 2024.
The Department of Environmental Conservation proposed to issue an Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System general permit for discharges of backwash and reject water from conventional/direct, membrane filtration, and ion exchange treatment systems into fresh or marine surface water in the state. Comments are due July 29, 2024. See https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=215873.
EPA announced the availability of revised guidelines for eligible recipients (states, territories, and the District of Columbia) awarded federal grants under §319 of the CWA for the implementation of nonpoint source management programs.
United States v. Westchester Joint Water Works, No. 24 Civ. 4783 (S.D.N.Y. June 24, 2024). Under a proposed consent decree, settling SDWA defendants that violated maximum contaminant level set by EPA for certain disinfectant byproducts in drinking water, as well as a related administrative order requiring construction of a water filtration plant by specified deadlines, must (1) build and commence operation of a drinking water filtration plant by July 1, 2029; (2) implement measures to ensure the safety of its water supply until the filtration plant is operational; (3) pay a total of $1,250,000 in civil penalties; and (4) spend at least $900,000 on a supplemental environmental project to improve source water quality and at least $6,800,000 on two state water quality benefit projects.
SIP Proposal: Pennsylvania (revisions establishing reasonably available control technology requirements for the 2008 and 2015 ozone NAAQS for each category of volatile organic compound sources covered by EPA’s 2016 control techniques guidelines for the oil and gas industry).
Regents of the University of Minnesota v. United States, No. 17-cv-3690 (D. Minn. June 21, 2024). Under a proposed consent decree, a settling CERCLA defendant would pay $13,000,000 for environmental response actions and payment of response costs at a property owned by the University of Minnesota and formerly part of the Gopher Ordnance Works Site.
FWS determined threatened species status under the ESA for the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle and finalized a rule issued under §4(d) of the Act that provides for the conservation of the species.
EPA approved the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s request to update the method of delegations and continue the delegations of authority to implement and enforce NESHAPs and NESHAPs for source categories.