There's a whole new dynamic brewing, as the Trump administration's deregulatory agenda runs into a House of Representatives controlled by Democrats. Follow every move with Inside EPA.
Sign up for 30 days of no-obligation access..
Top EPA and California officials are engaged in an aggressive war of words over who is responsible for the breakdown of talks over vehicle fuel economy and greenhouse gas rules and the Trump administration’s plan to sharply roll them back, a dispute that one Democratic lawmaker says is doing little to restart the talks.
The retail industry is urging EPA to withdraw its plan to codify a policy exclusion for liquid waste from the definition of “ignitable” hazardous waste, calling the proposal “unlawfully ambiguous” and saying that parts of it would effectively repeal or are inconsistent with existing agency waste regulations.
EPA’s just-issued Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, which seeks to replace the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP), adopts a risky legal interpretation arguing that the agency is prohibited from issuing the types of broad greenhouse gas standards that were included in the CPP in a bid to block a future administration from re-imposing similarly expansive requirements.
Even as they face a veto threat from the White House, House Democratic leaders have teed up debate on EPA’s fiscal year 2020 spending bill, allowing for floor consideration of amendments that would block several Trump EPA priorities, including measures that roll back climate rules for new power plants and attack the basis for mercury limits.
Environment Next is a new service for all InsideEPA.com subscribers, covering the burgeoning debate over the future of environmental policymaking.
EPA’s rollbacks of Obama-era rules could force Democrats to back a sweeping legislation-first approach to policymaking that gives the agency new rulemaking powers, a conservative attorney says, because the Trump administration’s agenda shows that even rules crafted in a two-term Democratic presidency are not “durable.”
For many years, talks about “regulatory reform” tend to focus on efforts by deregulatory advocates to clamp down on agency powers, whether by slowing down the rulemaking process, strengthening judicial review of rules or otherwise making it tougher for any administration to enact its agenda administratively.
EPA appears to be winning its battle to limit the agency’s review of Clean Air Act Title V air operating permits, with recent victories in Title V permit lawsuits appearing to support EPA’s narrow view of the permits and the agency’s deference to states’ permitting decisions.
Exclusive news, hot documents, and timely updates on legislation and litigation over EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers' joint Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction rule.
Complete coverage of environmental policy decisions and proposals with the potential to directly affect operations at federal facilities, including military bases, DOE labs and more.
Bringing you the latest breaking news stories on the landmark Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform deal and how the Trump EPA will implement it.
Legislation, litigation and agency rulemakings in the coming year on major air, water, waste, toxics and other policies.
