EPA Finalizes GHG Reporting Rule

On Tuesday, September 22, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson signed the final rule for mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Record keeping requirements begin on January 1, 2010 and the first reports are due in 2011.

http://eponline.com/articles/2009/09/23/large-ghg-emitters-must-collect-data-on-jan.-1.aspx

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html

Emissions Rules Tighten for Medical Waste Incinerators

Sep 21, 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new limits on air emissions will affect most existing hospital, medical, and infectious waste incinerators (HMIWI).
This final action will reduce about 390,000 pounds of several pollutants each year including acid gases, nitrogen oxides, and metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury.

The agency also is finalizing additional testing, monitoring, and inspection requirements. This final action revises the September 1997 New Source Performance Renew (NSPR) standards and emission guidelines for these incinerators and responds to the court remand of the regulations. It also satisfies the Clean Air Act requirement to conduct a review of the standards every five years. (More...)

Federal Register Website Redirect

Beginning November 1, 2009, users of EPA's Federal Register Web site will be redirected to Regulations.gov (http://www.regulations.gov/) for all Federal Register information. The Federal Register List Serve will continue for a period after the transition, but will no longer be available after December 31, 2009. List serve subscribers will receive e-mails containing links and bookmarks to Regulations.gov (http://www.regulations.gov/) based on one of the twelve topical list serves they have subscribed to.List Serve users will be able to subscribe to an RSS feed to receive notifications on frequently updated content on Regulations.gov (http://www.regulations.gov/). Regulations.gov (http://www.regulations.gov/) allows subscribers to receive alerts when changes or additions occur in a docket folder. Users will able to select how frequently they would like to receive emails (daily, weekly or monthly).

U.S. Labor Department's OSHA issues final rule updating personal protective equipment standards based on national consensus standards

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today published in the Federal Register a final rule revising the personal protective equipment (PPE) sections of its general industry, shipyard employment, longshoring and marine terminals standards concerning requirements for eye- and face-protective devices, and head and foot protection.

OSHA is updating the references in its regulations to reflect more recent editions of the applicable national consensus standards that incorporate advances in technology. OSHA requires that PPE be safely designed and constructed for the tasks performed."Workers exposed to occupational hazards requiring head, foot, or eye and face protection will now be provided protection based on a standard that reflects state-of-the-art technology and materials," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "This final rule is another step in OSHA's efforts to update or remove references to outdated national consensus and industry standards."Amendments to the PPE standards include a requirement that filter lenses and plates in eye-protective equipment meet a test for transmission of radiant energy such as light or infrared.

The final rule will become effective on Oct. 9. For technical inquiries, contact Ted Twardowski, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, at 202-693-2070.Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA's role is to promote safe and healthful working conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach and education. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to the 2009

The guidance mentioned two posts below has been issued:

The guidance, toolkit and other critical H1N1 information can be found at:
http://www.flu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/guidance.html
http://www.flu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/toolkit.html

EPA Seeks Public Input on National Enforcement Priorities Through Online Forum

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched an online discussion forum to receive public input on the future priorities for EPA’s national enforcement program. The public will be able to provide feedback through the EPA Web site until December 1, giving them a forum to submit ideas for EPA to consider for new areas of enforcement focus. All ideas will be evaluated and considered for recommendation to the EPA administrator about the future direction of EPA’s national enforcement and compliance priorities. The current enforcement priorities through 2010 focus on significant environmental problems, including pollution from stormwater runoff, air toxics, concentrated animal feeding operations, and mineral processing. To submit suggestions for potential priorities:
http://blog.epa.gov/enforcementnationalpriority/

Information on the enforcement priorities:

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/data/planning/priorities/index.html R237