Laws & Regulations

"EPA yesterday [Tuesday] proposed watered-down regulations for a set of widely used insecticides linked to a range of human health and environmental concerns."

"Within a year, Oklahoma could get approval from EPA to start issuing permits that will allow the oil industry to dispose of briny oil field waste in waterways, alarming environmentalists and making it the first of three Southwestern states to step into a thorny regulatory landscape closely watched by the industry."

"The FBI has begun a corruption investigation into how Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration came to issue permits for construction on a multibillion-dollar pipeline project to carry highly volatile natural gas liquids across Pennsylvania, The Associated Press has learned."

"An EPA official defended the agency’s proposed “secret science” rule, but declined to answer questions about the basis for the rule, which has drawn criticism from environmental groups and other agency watchers."

"The vast majority of Arizona waters now regulated by the state under the federal Clean Water Act could be excluded from protection under the Trump administration’s narrowed definitions of federal waters, according to state environmental officials."

"Environmental and consumer advocacy groups that say the Department of Energy is backtracking on energy efficiency by allowing old-style lightbulbs to stay on the market are arguing the Trump administration is going further and readying changes to more rules that could make it harder to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

"The Trump Organization has agreed to pay $290,000 to the Scottish government, ending a multiyear legal battle in which Donald Trump tried and failed to block an offshore wind farm from being built in view of one of his Scottish golf courses."

"The Trump EPA appears to be doubling down on its proposal to limit scientific research used in rulemakings — a plan that could have far-reaching implications for agency regulations. Simply put, the plan would require that EPA use only publicly available data when crafting regulations. Critics are blasting the effort to limit use of science in a wide range of EPA regulations affecting the environment and public health."

"Late-night show host John Oliver took a musical victory lap around New York City last night to announce now-bankrupt Murray Energy Corp. has dropped its defamation lawsuit against him."