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U.S. Supreme Court leaves in place lower court ruling on Water Transfers Rule
February 28th, 2018
On Feb. 26, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court left in place a ruling by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 2nd District in New York on the 2008 Water Transfers Rule of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Water Transfers Rule, issued under President George W. Bush’s administration and continued under President Barack […]
Geosynthetics: To protect and conserve
December 13th, 2017
Geosynthetics are part of a flexible, cost-effective infrastructure that helps to treat, store and deliver clean water around the world. If you’ve had a glass of clean water today, you can likely thank a fabric-based product. Geosynthetics perform behind-the-scenes work to ensure communities have access to adequate potable water and clean waterways. Geosynthetic uses also […]
EPA releases list of Superfund sites targeted
December 11th, 2017
On Dec. 8, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a list of Superfund sites that EPA administrator Scott Pruitt has targeted for immediate and intense attention. The 21 sites on the list—from across the United States—are in direct response to the Superfund Task Force Recommendations, issued this summer, calling for this list. “By […]
EPA awards $12.3 million to Iowa for water projects
November 15th, 2017
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 announced Nov. 14, 2017, that it has awarded $12,326,000 to Iowa’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program to help finance improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment. “Clean drinking water and proper wastewater treatment are fundamental to protecting […]
Final inspection: Civil penalties against polluters drop 60% under Trump
October 1st, 2017
An Aug. 10, 2017, report issued by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), indicates that, so far, President Donald J. Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has collected 60% less in civil penalties than previous administrations had recovered from environmental violators on average by the end of July in their first year after taking office. The EIP […]
Part 2: The regulation of CCR in the United States: Geosynthetics and barriers
October 1st, 2017
As discussed in Part 1 of “The Regulation of CCR in the United States,” for the first time in decades, nationwide regulation of CCR (coal combustion residuals) surface impoundments expands the regulated use of geosynthetic materials. While the CCR Rule (2015) allows continued operation of existing CCR surface impoundments, it provides criteria for the disposition […]
EPA to review 2015 coal ash final rule
September 22nd, 2017
On Sept. 14, 2017, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted two petitions to reconsider substantive provisions of the Final Rule regulating coal combustion residuals (CCR) as nonhazardous waste under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). “In light of EPA’s new statutory authority, it is important that we give the […]
Part 1: The regulation of CCR in the United States: Geosynthetics and barriers
August 1st, 2017
The regulation of coal ash (coal combustion residuals or CCR) has significantly expanded the market for geosynthetics within the United States. Further, there is interest in these regulations around the globe in every country using coal as an energy source. These regulations are the result of recent environmental incidents. The regulations call for the increased […]
CCR management using geotextile tubes
August 1st, 2017
Introduction Since the late 1800s, coal has played a leading role in U.S. production of electrical energy. Coal-fired power plants have provided reliable electrical power from the earliest days when power plants were run with hand-fed coal to heat boilers to produce steam. The introduction of pulverized coal led to improvements in the electrical-generation process […]
Panorama: California passes law to spend $52.4 billion on infrastructure, and EPA’s hydrologic evaluation of landfill performance (HELP) model
August 1st, 2017
California passes law to spend $52.4 billion on infrastructure Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed a package of legislation to improve transportation and create jobs in communities across California. “Safe and smooth roads make California a better place to live and strengthen our economy,” said Gov. Brown. “This legislation will put thousands of people to […]