On December 21, 2007 (72 FR 72607–72617), EPA issued a final rule addressing the “reasonable possibility” recordkeeping and reporting standard for major new source review (NSR).

EPA Disapproves California’s Motor Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Standards

On December 19, 2007, EPA announced its decision to disapprove California’s waiver request that would allow the state’s motor vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards to take effect.

Exclusion for Petroleum Refining Secondary Materials Used in Gasification Systems Finalized

On January 2, 2008 (73 FR 57–72), EPA issued a final rule that expands the §261.4(a)(12) conditional exclusion from the definition of solid waste for oil-bearing hazardous secondary materials generated by the petroleum refining industry.

Appeals Court Upholds Corps of Engineers General Dredge and Fill Permit

In a recent decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers general permit covering all landowners engaged in “suburban development” on more than 48,000 acres of the Florida panhandle (Sierra Club v. USACE, No. 06-16505 [11th Cir. Dec. 7, 2007]).

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

US Manufacturers Focus on Lean and Green

In the 2007 Census of Manufacturers by Industry Week and the MPI Group, US manufacturers indicate that, while the primary focus of their marketing strategy is on producing high quality goods (73.7% of respondents, up 3.6% from 2006), the market strategy with the second highest increase over 2006 is in “low cost” manufacturing (26.8%, up 1.9% from 2006) and that the improvement methodology used by the majority of manufacturers is “lean manufacturing” (69.6% of respondents).

CLIMATE CHANGE

Hitting the Tipping Points: Carbon Sinks Fade, Ice Shrinks

This article addresses the current status of three tipping points beyond which the rate of global warming would accelerate as rising temperatures break down natural restraints or trigger positive feedback loops that release more greenhouse gases (GHGs).