In a March 25, 2009 final rule (74 FR 12575-12591), EPA issued final performance specifications for predictive emissions monitoring systems (PEMS).

EPA Proposes to Further Delay Rulemaking Addressing Aggregation in NSR Permitting

On March 18, 2009 (74 FR 11509-11512), EPA proposed to further delay, until at least November 18, 2009, the effective date of a January 15, 2009 (74 FR 2376) rulemaking that addresses aggregation under existing new source review regulations.

Federal District Court Reverses Itself in CERCLA Contribution Case Due to “Manifest Error”

On January 14, 2009, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington reversed its previous ruling concerning a superfund contribution claim against the federal government, concluding that it had committed “manifest error” (Port of Tacoma v. Todd Shipyards Corp., No. 08-5132 [W.D. Wash. Jan. 14, 2009]).

Effective Date of Revisions to SPCC Requirements Delayed Until 2010

In an April 1, 2009 final rule (74 FR 14736-14738), EPA delayed implementation of a December 5, 2008 (73 FR 74236) rulemaking that would revise the spill prevention, control, and countermeasures (SPCC) regulations.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Corporate Responsibility Reporting—Size Matters

A United Kingdom consultancy recently released a “linguistic and statistical analysis” of corporate responsibility reporting that found that “the length of a company’s environmental report has a strong and statistically significant correlation with the likelihood of that company winning an environmental award, holding other variables at constant.”

CLIMATE CHANGE

US EPA Declares Greenhouse Gases a Health Hazard

Six greenhouse gases (GHGs) are pollutants that endanger the public’s health and welfare, according to a proposed finding by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).