Monday, June 30, 2014

WIMS Environmental HotSheet

 WIMS Daily Environmental HotSheet

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National / International News

 

<> Supreme Court Greenlights California's Clean Fuels Plan - (June 30, 2014) – In a big win for the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court today declined oil and ethanol companies' request to review a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that upheld [release and background from Natural Resources Defense Council]

<> New York's highest court today upheld local bans on shale gas fracking - Local communities have triumphed over the fracking industry in a precedent-setting case decided today by the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court

<> Federal Wildlife Agencies Finalize Policy to Improve Implementation of Endangered Species Act - The Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service today announced a new policy to clarify the interpretation of the phrase "significant portion of its range" in the Endangered Species Act as it applies to decisions to list species as threatened or endangered.

<> State Energy Data System: Complete Set of State-Level Estimates Through 2012 - (Fri, 27 Jun 2014) Annual state-level estimates by energy source and sector of total energy production and consumption from 1960 through 2012 and prices and expenditures from 1970 through 2012. . .

<> Draft Science Advisory Board Report On Environmental Justice - Draft (6/27/2014) SAB Review of the EPA's Draft Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis. . .

<> American Chemistry Council Publishes 2014 Comprehensive Economic Profile of $812 Billion Business of American Chemistry - The American Chemistry Council (ACC) today issued its 2014 edition of the Guide to the Business of Chemistry.

<> ACORE Releases New Report: "Evolving Business Models for Renewable Energy" - For Immediate Release—June 23, 2014 NEW YORK, June 23, 2014 -- The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) today announced the release of a groundbreaking report titled Evolving Business Models for. . .

<> 2014 U.S. petroleum refinery update: capacity edges up, ownership shifts - (Mon, 30 Jun 2014) As of January 1, 2014, there were 139 operating refineries and three idle refineries with total atmospheric crude oil distillation capacity (ACDU) of 17.9 million barrels per calendar day (bbl/cd), a 101,000-bbl/cd increase in capacity from January 1, 2013. In 2013, four refineries changed ownership, continuing the trend of a handful of sales each year.

<> Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems (CEDS) Peer Review August 5-7 - June 26, 2014Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems (CEDS) Peer Review August 5-7 The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) will hold a peer review of its Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems (CEDS). . .

<> Highway Trust Fund Needs Immediate Intervention - The Highway Trust Fund (HTF), the federal government's primary account for funding the nation's highways, is going broke. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) estimates that the fund's balance will drop to zero by late August and stop payments altogether by late September if Congress does not approve a new cash injection.

<> Energy Department Sponsored Project Captures One Millionth Metric Ton of CO2 - Energy Department Sponsored Project Captures One Millionth Metric Ton of CO2 An Energy Department-funded project captured its millionth metric ton of carbon dioxide in Port Arthur, Texas.

<> The Sierra Club Takes Legal Action After Proposed Holcomb Coal Plant Fails to Meet Public Health Standards

<> Final Plan for Phase III of BP Early Restoration - The final Phase III plan proposes $627 million for 44 new early restoration projects across the Gulf states.

 

U.S. Appeals Court Environmental Decisions

 

<> Corey v. Rocky Mountain Farmers Union – In the U.S. Supreme Court, appealed from the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Docket No. 13-1308. Petition denied with no comment.

<> Sierra Club v. EPA - 6/27/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, Case No. 08-1144. Petitioners sought review of EPA's Gasification Exclusion Rule, arguing that it violated RCRA's plain language requiring the regulation of hazardous wastes used as fuel. The Panel said, "We hold that the regulation violates the plain language of RCRA and, for that reason, is vacated."

<> Natural Resources Defense v. EPA - 6/27/14. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, Case No. 98-1379. Petitioners seek review of a portion of a 1998 EPA's rule creating a "Comparable Fuels Exclusion" from regulation under RCRA. The Panel said, "We conclude the
Comparable Fuels Exclusion is inconsistent with the plain language of section 6924(q), which requires that EPA establish standards applicable to all fuel derived from hazardous waste. . . and vacate the Comparable Fuels Exclusion."

 

Federal Register Highlights 

The following is an alert of Environmental Federal Register announcements that may be of interest for: Monday, June 30, 2014.  (Click here to access today's complete Federal Register index with links to complete announcements).

 

1. Air Quality – Final Rule. U.S. EPA. Control of Air Pollution From Motor Vehicles: Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards PDF | Text | 

2. Air Quality - Notice. U.S. EPA. Integrated Review Plans - Release of Integrated Review Plan for the Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen PDF | Text |

(click for the complete Energy & EPA announcements)