by Amanda Reeve Crowds watched in mute horror as Phoenix was rapidly overtaken by an ominous thick, dark cloud that swept from ground to sky. Moving like a giant tidal wave across the Arizona skies, it appeared to be engulfing the sun above as it roared across the state. The event left behind a brown […]
by Lucas J. Narducci The Arizona Manufacturers Council, in conjunction with Maricopa County, held its 2015 Air Quality Conference on Friday, November 6th with tremendous success having the largest attendance for this event in recent years. Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. was the law firm sponsor and Amanda Reeve, our Environmental Policy and Regulatory Advisor, was the […]
by Cody Bourke On August 18, 2015, EPA proposed a new set of rules aimed to reduce emissions of methane and Volatile Organic Compounds (“VOCs”) in the oil and gas industry. EPA’s goal is to curb methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40 to 45 percent by 2025. This initiative is part […]
by Michael Ford The recent news about EPA’s enforcement action against Volkswagen for alleged noncompliance with EPA’s emissions control requirements has shocked the vehicle industry and marks the beginning of an enforcement resolution process that has already severely impacted the company and its reputation, will take years to resolve, and could involve criminal prosecutions. The […]
By Chris Colyer On October 1, 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule reducing its National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone from 75 parts per billion (ppb) to 70 ppb. This new standard could have far-reaching impacts on states, particularly Arizona, which have limited options to further reduce […]
By Matt Derstine Since last June when the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced its proposed plan for achieving carbon emission reductions from power plants, much of the discussion has focused on the impact of the plan on coal plants and the possibility of widespread coal plant retirements. Now, with the release of the EPA’s final […]
By Chris Colyer and Patrick Paul On August 3, 2015, President Barack Obama and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued their final Clean Power Plan rule, which imposes requirements on states and tribes to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. EPA issued the new rulemaking pursuant to Section 111(d) of the […]
By Chris Colyer The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has announced new and revised rules, effective as of July 2, 2015, regarding agricultural best management practices (BMPs) to reduce particulate matter air emissions in Arizona’s non-attainment areas. The revised rules may be found here. As background, the Clean Air Act requires Arizona to maintain […]
By Chris Colyer On June 19, 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly proposed new rules to regulate and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel consumption for new medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. The proposed rules will impact companies that manufacture, sell, or import medium-duty […]
