By Sarah M. Wong, Marquette University Law School The United States has entered a heightened state of environmental awareness. America's history of industrialization and consumerism in the early 1900s resulted in the realization that an increasing... Read More

Concern has been expressed in recent years over the contribution of aircraft to GHG emissions. Some airlines have gotten favorable publicity for experimenting with bio-derived fuels. But, what if aircraft were to target reducing fuel consumption by half... Read More

By Steven M. Siros, Partner, Jenner & Block Under U.S. EPA's current audit policy, companies that self-disclose environmental violations may be entitled to the elimination or reduction of penalties for non-compliance. However, U.S. EPA recently... Read More

On July 7, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") issued new rules requiring power plants in 27 eastern, mid-western, and southern states to cut emissions of nitrogen oxide by 54% and sulfur dioxide by 73% from 2005 levels by... Read More

To assist Cal-EPA with the examination of potential environmental justice concerns associated with climate change, Cal-EPA requested the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) [best known for its role in setting drinking water related... Read More

EPA has released rule changes that will require oil and gas drillers that use hydraulic fracturing to use new or improved processes and equipment in an attempt to reduce the level of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and other air pollutants emitted... Read More

Pneumonia in children, although rare in the U.S., kills more children worldwide than any other disease (estimated to be 1.6 million deaths per year). [Prior posts have noted, though, the adverse impact of various air pollutants on urban children.] ... Read More

By Allison Torrence, Associate, Jenner & Block On Tuesday, August 21, 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ("D.C. Circuit") vacated the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (the "Transport Rule"... Read More

There has been a debate over the years re whether aircraft flying through clouds can trigger changes in the local weather. Researchers have now identified the circumstances when such may happen. Water typically freezes at 32ºF or 0ºC. But... Read More

Mercury and air toxics standards represent one of strongest health protections from air pollution since passage of Clean Air Act WASHINGTON – In response to a court deadline, today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first... Read More

As noted in prior posts, diesel engines have had a well established reputation for producing particulates, oxides of nitrogen (an important ingredient in smog), and odor. With the recent requirement for the use of low-sulfur fuel in improved diesel engines... Read More

It is well known that warm sea-surface temperatures can boost the intensity of hurricanes (known in the Indian Ocean as cyclones). For many decades water in the Arabian Sea has been warm, which should enhance the strength of cyclones. However, regional... Read More

Prior posts have noted both the various impacts of Global Climate Change ("GCC") on various aspects of the Earth and its atmospheric systems, as well as the failure of many/most models to include such impacts within their parameters. For example... Read More

EPA has posted its final health assessment for tetrachloroethylene (aka perc) to its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Perc is widely used in the dry cleaning industry, although states such as California are requiring that it be phased out... Read More

First, some good news. Prior posts have noted repeatedly the key role that methane plays in global warming (the longterm trend in temperature, not seasonal or annual variations). Prior posts have also noted the role that particulates-aerosols play in... Read More