regulatory updates – Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

(Another) Proposed Waters of the U.S. Definition Rule Proposal

Jonathan Farrell — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 16:11:12 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) published a proposed rule change on November 20, 2025 to revise the definition of “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) in the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The revisions will affect the circumstances in which permits are needed to disturb, dredge, and/or discharge fill material into streams, wetlands…

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Endangered Species Act Updates

Jonathan Farrell — Tue, 27 May 2025 16:48:21 +0000

Two potential regulatory changes to the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) have been proposed this year that may change how the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) protect listed species and their habitats and conduct ESA Section 7 consultations for projects requiring federal permits. The ESA was passed in 1973 and makes it unlawful for any…

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USFWS Looks to Add Monarch Butterfly to Threatened Species List

Jonathan Farrell — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 19:13:36 +0000

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced on December 10, 2024, that the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is proposed for Threatened status listing under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA 4(d) rule pertains to Threatened species status, a step below Endangered status, and allows the USFWS flexibility under the ESA to customize the level and means of…

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EPA Finalizes New Rule for Volatile Organic Liquid Storage Tanks (NSPS Subpart Kc)

Carla Adduci — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 18:36:38 +0000

On October 15, 2024, the EPA finalized updates to its Volatile Organic Liquid (VOL) storage tank emission standards under 40 CFR 60 Subpart Kc. Subpart Kc applies to storage tanks with a capacity of 20,000 gallons or greater that are used to store VOL with a maximum true vapor pressure (TVP) of at least 0.25 psia [1] if they were constructed, reconstructed, or modified after October 4, 2023.

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SEC Publishes Final Climate Risk Disclosure Rule

Kristian Macoskey, QEP — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 16:34:19 +0000

Last year was historic for billion-dollar climate disasters in the U.S. Twenty-eight separate events struck as shown in this figure from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)[1]: Figure 1. NOAA Summary of U.S. Billion-Dollar Disasters That is about 20 more annual events than the long-term average. As shown below, each of the past four years has exceeded the long-term…

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New EPA Regulations Bring Massive Changes to Oil & Gas Industry

David Morris — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 17:45:02 +0000

On Friday, March 8, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released what many consider to be the most comprehensive regulation for the oil and gas industry. The New Source Performance Standards Subpart OOOOb/c targets both new and existing facilities in the oil and gas industry. For these regulations, the term “new” refers to any well pad, centralized tank battery…

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Application Period to Open for Renewed Ohio Funding for Brownfield Assessment Remediation, CEC Can Help

CEC Staff — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:09:39 +0000

The passing of Ohio’s new biennial budget at the end of June 2023 brought a highly welcomed renewal of the state’s successful Brownfield Remediation Program coordinated through the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD). The program, originally implemented as part of the FY2021/2022 biennium budget, brought relief for communities across Ohio searching for funding to revitalize blighted properties.

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