Posts

EPA to End Policy Suspending Pollution Monitoring by End of Summer

/in , , /by /The Hillby Rebecca Beitsch

The Environmental Protection Agency will rescind its controversial policy allowing companies to skip monitoring their pollution by the end of the summer, the agency wrote in a letter to lawmakers.

The policy, unveiled in a March 26 memo in an effort to help companies reduce regulatory burdens during the coronavirus, alerted companies they would not face penalties for failing to monitor their pollution emissions as required under a host of environmental laws.

Full Story

Coronavirus is Stalling Air Quality, Pollution Rules, Even in Eco-Minded California

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Tony Barboza

As experts warn that exposure to pollution can increase the risk of dying from COVID-19, an array of powerful industries is pressuring California regulators to delay or roll back air quality and climate regulations due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Full Story

California Sues EPA for Suspending Pollution Enforcement During Coronavirus Pandemic

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Bob Egelko

California, along with eight other states, sued the Trump administration Wednesday over the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to stop requiring companies to monitor and report air and water pollution during the coronavirus pandemic.

Three days after receiving a request from the American Petroleum Institute to halt pollution enforcement, the EPA’s compliance director, Susan Parker Bodine, announced a new policy March 26. Retroactive to March 13, when President Trump had declared a state of emergency over COVID-19, Bodine said, businesses could decide for themselves when it would no longer be practical to monitor pollution and report it to federal, state and local agencies.

Full Story