Online Articles

Water flows from a kitchen faucet.

Final PFAS Regulations Are Here, and More Are On the Way

April 17, 2024 by John Powers Chemicals Regulations Water

EPA has been working quickly to regulate PFAS across the United States. The National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS is now finalized, and more final rules are right around the corner.

In 2020 small aircraft using leaded fuel emitted more than 420 tons of lead in the  United States.

At Last, EPA Prepares to Regulate Lead in Aircraft Emissions

April 12, 2024 by Christopher Slama Air Chemicals Climate change Regulations

Late last year, the EPA issued a formal Endangerment Finding, the first step in almost thirty years toward reducing the largest source of lead in the atmosphere. What took so long?

Scientific Data and Computer Center (SDCC) at Brookhaven Lab

Preparing Financial Market Utilities for the Emergent Threats of Climate Change

April 9, 2024 by Andrew Lloyd Bellah Climate change Regulations

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System published new changes to Regulation HH pertaining to systemically-important Financial Market Utilities (FMUs) that clear and settle large-scale transactions between banks and other financial institutions in the United States. In this blog post, GELR Senior Editor Andrew Bellah highlights new operational risk management requirements for FMUs in Regulation HH that have become relevant due to emergent threats arising from climate change. While the amendments to Regulation HH don't explicitly mention climate change, their emphasis on the risk of severe weather and other tail-end scenarios denotes the seriousness of preparing critical financial market infrastructure for a warming world.

New York City traffic jam.

New York City’s Congestion Pricing Toll- How Will It Affect New York’s Air Pollution?

April 8, 2024 by Jack Hatzimemos Air Regulations State and Local

After years of years of roadblocks and anticipation, New York City is scheduled to introduce its controversial Congestion Pricing toll in June. The congestion toll, which will charge drivers of standard vehicles $15 to enter parts of lower Manhattan, aims to reduce traffic build up and air pollution in the city. However, the toll has been met with tremendous scrutiny, particularly on the true environmental impact of the project.

An array of different sized white cylindrical hydrogen tanks.

Making Sense of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Credit

March 21, 2024 by Stefan Koester Energy Regulations Renewable Energy Sustainability

IRS comment period for the 45V clean hydrogen tax credit guidance closed on February 26, 2024. This credit provides a tiered production tax credit for clean hydrogen depending on its emissions intensity. The draft guidance relies on three pillars to ensure emissions integrity – additionality, temporal and geographic matching. Judging by some comment responses, controversial reactions to each of these pillars were significant, with many commenters suggesting that the courts will have the final say on how these tax credits will be finalized. Will all this uncertainty derail the clean hydrogen economy?

FERC Headquarters, an independent federal agency with regulatory authority over interstate electricity, natural gas, and oil transmission.

Updates from FERC’s Feb. 15 Open Meeting

February 27, 2024 by Nathan Tatum Energy Regulations State and Local

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) held its February open meeting on Feb. 15, 2024, addressing a number of items including cold weather reliability standards, hydropower permitting, and natural gas exports.

Heavy industrial pollution leaving smokestacks in blue sky.

Has Massachusetts v. EPA Hurt the Climate?

February 23, 2024 by Diego Huerta Air Climate change Fossil Fuels Regulations State and Local

Massachusetts v. EPA is seen as an unalloyed victory for the climate movement, but over 15 years after the case was handed down, legal knock-on effects from the decision have come back to bite.

Image of Baldwin Steam Locomotive 69 on the White Pass and Yukon Route; Photo Credit: Nils Öberg, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WPYR_Steam_train_at_Glacier.JPG)

Moving Beyond Zombie Engines: New Regulations Driving Cleaner Locomotion

February 23, 2024 by Paige Kendrick Air Climate change Fossil Fuels Regulations

In the hope to leave Zombie Engines in the past, the EPA recently promulgated a new final rule on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles. In this GELR blog post, Paige Kendrick analyzes the recent changes regarding federal preemption of non-new locomotives and locomotive engines as well as steps being taken by California to reduce locomotive emissions.

View from Main Street in Ludlow. Source: Joe Shlabotnik, https://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/16166710787, no changes made.

Slopes Submerged: Understanding and Addressing Flooding in Ludlow

February 8, 2024 by Nicholas Alois Climate change Regulations State and Local

Last summer, Ludlow, Vermont, experienced devasting flooding after several inches of rain fell in the area in one day. In this article, Nicholas Alois discusses the flood’s impact on the community, the long rebuild process, and recommended flood prevention and mitigation efforts moving forward.