Mr.Ratbastard
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 30, 2020
- Member Number
- 1688
- Messages
- 839
Water pollution
Completed
80. Scaled back pollution protections for certain tributaries and wetlands that were regulated under the Clean Water Act by the Obama administration. (A federal judge in Colorado halted implementation of the rule within the state, but it is in effect elsewhere.)E.P.A.; Army | Read more »
81. Revoked a rule that prevented coal companies from dumping mining debris into local streams.
Congress | Read more »
82. Weakened a rule that aimed to limit toxic discharge from power plants into public waterways.
E.P.A. | Read more »
83. Doubled the time allowed for utilities to remove lead pipes from water systems with high levels of lead.
E.P.A. | Read more »
84. Weakened a portion of the Clean Water Act to make it easier for federal agencies to issue permits for federal projects over state objections if the projects don’t meet local water quality standards, including for pipelines and other fossil fuel facilities.
Executive Order; E.P.A. | Read more »
85. Extended the lifespan of unlined holding ponds for coal ash waste from power plants, which can spill their contents because they lack a protective underlay.
E.P.A. | Read more »
86. Allowed certain unlined coal ash holding areas to continue operating, though they were previously deemed unsafe.
E.P.A. | Read more »
87. Withdrew a proposed rule requiring groundwater protections for certain uranium mines. Recently, the administration’s Nuclear Fuel Working Group proposed opening up 1,500 acres outside the Grand Canyon to nuclear production.
E.P.A. | Read more »
In progress
88. Proposed a regulation limiting the scope of an Obama-era rule under which companies had to prove that large deposits of recycled coal ash would not harm the environment.E.P.A. | Read more »
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Toxic substances and safety
Completed
89. Rejected a proposed ban on chlorpyrifos, a pesticide linked to developmental disabilities in children. In 2020, the E.P.A. also rejected its own earlier finding that the pesticide can cause serious health problems, though it later recommended some label changes and usage restrictions. (Several states have banned use of the pesticide and its main manufacturer said it would stop producing the product because of shrinking demand.)E.P.A. | Read more »
90. Declined to require that certain industries — including electric power, petroleum, coal products manufacturing and chemical manufacturing — have enough funds to cover major spills and accidents. (The Obama administration was planning to develop such requirements.)
E.P.A. | Read more »
91. Declined to issue a proposed rule that required the hardrock mining industry to prove it could pay to clean up future pollution.
E.P.A. | Read more »
92. Narrowed the scope of a 2016 law mandating safety assessments for potentially toxic chemicals like dry-cleaning solvents. The updated rules allowed the E.P.A. to exclude some chemical uses and types of exposure in the review process. In November 2019, a court of appeals ruled the agency must widen its scope to consider full exposure risks, but watchdog groups say it did not do so in some assessments.
E.P.A. | Read more »
93. Reversed an Obama-era rule that required braking system upgrades for “high hazard” trains hauling flammable liquids like oil and ethanol.
Transportation Department | Read more »
94. Changed safety rules to allow for rail transport of highly flammable liquefied natural gas.
Transportation Department | Read more »
95. Rolled back most of the requirements of a 2017 rule aimed at improving safety at sites that use hazardous chemicals that was instituted after a chemical plant exploded in Texas.
E.P.A. | Read more »
96. Narrowed pesticide application buffer zones that are intended to protect farmworkers and bystanders from accidental exposure.
E.P.A. | Read more »
97. Removed copper filter cake, an electronics manufacturing byproduct comprised of heavy metals, from the “hazardous waste” list.
E.P.A. | Read more »
In progress
98. Announced a review of an Obama-era rule lowering coal dust limits in mines. The head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration said there were no immediate plans to change the dust limit but extended a public comment period until 2022.Labor Department | Read more »