In early May, I joined two of my colleagues at an annual environmental conference and trade show in the Toronto area. In an effort to try to gain some “market intelligence” while at the trade show, we did an informal survey. We asked those in attendance, “What is the most important environmental issue facing the regulated community in Ontario or Canada wide?”
One of the common answers related to the Trump Administration’s focus on US regulations (as well as trade) and how this might impact Canadian manufacturing companies’ ability to compete with US companies.
No question, the news cycle has had more environmental regulatory issues than I can ever remember. Some of these have grabbed national and international headlines, while others are only of interest to those in the environmental business.
Here is a brief look at some of these recent environmental headlines.
“Confidential” Memo on USEPA Reductions
The memo by David A. Bloom (Acting EPA Chief Financial Officer) that was intended to be confidential was made public. This memo details how the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would accomplish the 31% reduction in their annual budget. The media has focused their attention on the fate of climate change agreements and the Clean Power Plan.
The other programs marked for elimination include Great Lakes Restoration, Lake Champlain, Chesapeake Bay, and Underground Storage Tanks. These may have a more immediate impact on local efforts to address local/regional concerns.
Green Groups File Lawsuits
We wrote in our February 16th blog, environmental groups are now even more energized and fully funded. And more recently, in the Huffington Post, Dr. Deborah Bronson stated, “I’ve listened as the Trump Administration asserts that rolling back environmental regulations and weakening the EPA will unburden industries and bring prosperity to communities. It won’t. Instead, it will usher in an era of regulation by litigation.”
As if on cue, Green Groups have several filed lawsuits against the Trump Administration including the following:
- Several environmental groups filed a lawsuit when the Administration lifted a moratorium on new coal leases on federal land.
- Earth Justice, Natural Resources Defense Council, et al have filed a lawsuit regarding the Administration’s changes to encourage offshore drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.
- A group of nine plaintiffs filed suit against EPA Administer Scott Pruitt and the USEPA regarding the postponement of certain compliance dates for Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category.
While newsworthy (and in some cases, gaining international attention), these lawsuits are not likely going to impact what most of us do in the immediate future. On the other hand, daily environmental risks, (environmental compliance, assessment and remediation, environmental due diligence, etc…) are still pretty well defined and require attention. To that end, if you need assistance in defining, managing, and reducing those risks, we are here to help you as we have been – dating back to the Ronald Reagan administration.