Related Links: EPA Study says Pebble Mine Could Destroy Salmons' Habitat Proposed Controversial Mine Loses Key Investor The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken a step toward curbing discharges associated with a planned open-pit gold and copper mine near Bristol Bay, Alaska.Proponents of the proposed $6-billion to $8-billion Pebble Mine project, which would be one of the world's largest of its type, say the action is just the latest in a series of EPA efforts to prevent the mine from being developed.An EPA regional office on July 18, citing the Clean Water Act, proposed restricting all mining-related discharges of dredged
Source: National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans Related Links: Joint Labor-Management Committee's Framework The Partnership For Multiemployer Retirement Security A committee of industry and labor officials, including many in construction, is hopeful a new report from the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) will prompt Congress to shore up weakening multi-employer pension plans. But pension-reform advocates face a struggle. No bills have been introduced yet in the House or Senate. Reformers' best hope may lie in an expected lame-duck session.PBGC's fiscal year 2013 projections report, released on June 30, paints a grim picture for its multiemployer-plan program. Without changes, PBGC
Related Links: Supreme Court Upholds Air Transport Rule; Impact Uncertain Background on EPA CSAPR The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to lift a stay on the cross-state air-pollution regulation and delay compliance deadlines by three years.The U.S. Supreme Court on April 29 upheld EPA's authority to issue the rule, which requires several states and the district to develop plans to curb air pollutants that travel downwind to other states. The rule is significant for engineering and construction firms that help states develop implemen- tation plans and utilities install
Related Links: Website on Gulf Coast Early Restoration Phase III Program June 26 Federal Register Notice Officials overseeing the restoration of the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill have endorsed 44 coastal projects totaling $627 million. Almost half the funds would go toward rebuilding barrier islands and shorelines in Louisiana. The projects will be financed largely by a $1-billion fund that BP set up.Officials from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and federal agencies serving as public trustees in the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process on June 26 approved the programmatic environmental impact statement for the
Photo Courtesy of Bill Wolfe/PEER A public advocacy group says streams connected to the Fenimore landfill were impaired prior to the reopening of the site. The state has scrapped solar-power plans and is looking for a new contractor. Related Links: After Prison, Former Contractor Disputes Case KIYC: Landfill owner Richard Bernardi served 3 years for bribery Allegations are flying as public acrimony mounts over a botched attempt to place a solar farm atop an abandoned landfill in New Jersey.At the center of the controversy is a New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection report that has not yet been made public.
Related Links: Court's June 23 Opinion: Feb. 24, 2014 transcript of oral arguments The U.S. Supreme Court on June 23 said that the Environmental Protection Agency had exceeded its authority when it rewrote sections of the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from large stationary sources.Nevertheless the court also upheld EPA’s authority to regulate GHG emissions for the largest sources of air pollution.The ruling means that EPA does not have the authority to regulate powerplants, refineries, and other large emitters of pollutants under CAA’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) or Title V provisions simply because they emit
Related Links: White House Background on National Disaster Resilience Competition Winners of HUD's Rebuild by Design Competition U.S. communities affected by natural disasters in recent years will be able to vie for nearly $1 billion in funds to rebuild and improve the resiliency of their infrastructure against future disasters under a new national competition unveiled June 15. President Barack Obama announced the National Disaster Resilience Competition at a commencement speech at the University of California at Irvine. “In some parts of the country, weather-related disasters like droughts and fires and storms and floods are going to get harsher and they
Related Links: EPA's information on New Source Performance Standards for New Powerplants Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute List of CCS projects being planned, under developoment, or completed Two recent projects to capture and store carbon emissions from large coal-fired powerplants have had very different outcomes: One was completed this spring and is undergoing testing and commissioning; the other is months behind schedule and way over budget.The Boundary Dam project in Saskatchewan went up relatively smoothly, although there were challenges during the construction phase, says SaskPower President and CEO Robert Watson. But the Kemper County carbon capture and storage (CCS)
Photo by AP Wide World A proposed EPA rule calls for a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030. States would be responsible for implementing plans by June 2016. Related Links: EPA Sets Ambitious Goal to Cut Existing Powerplants' CO2 Emissions Text of EPA Proposal (June 2) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing powerplants, calling for a 30% reduction below 2005 levels by 2030. EPA says the proposed rule, which it released on June 2, could lead to upgrades at fossil-fuel-fired powerplants and has the potential to
Related Links: EPA Proposal (June 2) Some key numbers in EPA proposal The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has unveiled a proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing powerplants by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. EPA says that the proposed rule, which it released on June 2, could lead to upgrades at fossil-fuel-fired powerplants and has the potential to create thousands of construction and electric-power-transmission jobs. The ambitious plan would reduce carbon pollution from the power sector by about 730 million metric tons and help mitigate some of climate change's worst effects, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said at a
