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Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] Bloomberg BNA Environment & Energy Mon 10/23/2017 11:04:12 AM First Move: Regulatory Bills Revived in House Toxic Substance Law's Questions
Regulatory Bills Revived in House Toxic Substance Law's Questions
By Chuck McCutcheon
Two regulatory bills that passed the House but stalled in the Senate last year resurface this week on Capitol Hill, as Republicans hope a Donald Trump presidency can give the measures the extra push to become law.
One of the bills would abolish "sue-and-settle" rulemaking by federal agencies. Interest groups often sue when an agency misses a legal deadline to take action or review its existing standards; rather than go through a long court battle, those agencies choose to settle to try to save time and money.
, leader Scott Pn i sntly announced that his agency would no longer settle court cases brought by environmental groups seeking to force it to take overdue actions.
House Democrats say environmental groups need the sue-and-settle tool to prod agencies to act when they're dragging their feet. But Democrats don't have the numbers in the House to stop the bill: Their only hope to save the practice will be in the Senate.
The other bill the House will take up would bar some federal agencies from entering
into settlements that steer funds to third-party groups. Republicans disliked the way
the Justice Department under President Obama required a donation to an outside
group when the agency settled a lawsuit wit"
poration or individual as a term o
those agreements.
As Amei1
. r ently reported, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation go
- H eck for I lion from Princess Cruises---part of a
ion settlement the
cruise line made with the feds in 2
resolve allegations that it illegally dumped
oil waste and falsified oil spill records.
Stephen Lee will cover debate on the two bills.
The changes spelled out in the landmark 2
xic substances law present
Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906
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challenges as well as opportunities--and ra
ny questions, say Beveridge &
Diamond's Mark Duvall, Ryan Carra, and Tim Serie in a Practitioner Insights piece
coming later today..
Among the questions they expl
3 how the EPA decides which chemical
substances to address, how to influence whether the agency designat
substance as low-priority, and how to influence whether it conducts a risk evaluatior
fc
ostance.
Other Stories We're Covering
Four nominees for top-level EPA jobs, including ones for the chemical and air
offices who have drawn opposition, will get Senate committee votes
hearing rescheduled from last week..
' ' ope i mmission committee scheduled a Wednesday vote among
representatives -I nopean countries - 4 s -ear renewal of glyphosate on
the continent; Stephen Gardner is covering.
The House natural resources panel will he
Wednesday hearing on how
states can be empowered to manage the sage grouse, a bird found in 11
Western states whose numbers
rindling. Alan Kovski will monitor..
An international conference in Manila this week seeks to explore how countriei
can protect wildlife and their ecosystems; Adi
ngton is tracking..
Air pollute- 4 f India's capital so? i < Af the charts again as Indians shot off
firecrackers to celebra
stival despite a court's banning of fireworks
sales..
An Indian pedestrian protects his face in New Delhi.
DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images
This Week's Events
On The Hill
Tuesday, 10 a.m. Hurricanes House energy committee's oversight panel
assesses public health preparedness during t
ent hurricane season..
Wednesday,
m. Wildfires Senate environment committee looks at
draft legislation to address wildfires.
Thursday
er Senate energy committee discusses technology
that can protect electric grids against cyberattacks.
Elsewhere
Monday, 10 a.m. Asia Water Wilson Center events looks at Asia's
mountains and potential for new approaches to water and climate security.
Mond '
een Bond m vironmental Finance newsletter holds its
third annual Green Bonds America conference in New York.
Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906
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Monday, 3 p.m. Chemicals Newly expanded North Carolina science
advisory board meets to discuss chemicals' environmental impacts.
f'sda I
11 De
istainability Sustainable business
conference
ntington Beach, Calif., includes former Vice President Al Gore
among its speakers.
H-sda, i . lint Water Crisis Michigan Democratic R in Kildee
and the Lifetime Network screen film in Washington about Flint, Mich., water
contamination crisis.
Wednesday, 1 p.m. Climate Harvard's health and environment center
sponsors discussion of carbon-footprint calculations.
Wednesd ' i ! rsday, All Day Climate Risl i /ironmental scientists
discuss climate risk at Maine workshop.
Quote of the Day
"I don't spend any time with polluters. I prosecute polluters. What I'm spending time
with are stakeholders who care about outcomes."
--EPA head Scott Pruitt in Time magazine, pushing back against environmentalists'
criticism that he devotes t
:h attention to conversing with polluting industries.
Around the Web
The EPA continues to remove climate references from its webs
environmental group says.
' ok of ocean-observation technology and research ships hur
ability to
track changes In climate, a new National Academies report says.
Deline that can pump nearly 900,000 barrels of tar sands oil across the
Canadian border daily has wor
p administration approval.
More than two-dozen accidents have occurred
s Alaska oil and gas
operations this year, including five that risked dozens of workers' lives,
BuzzFeed finds.
The House may take up a bill this week aiming to open the way for storage of
spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants at Nevada'
;a Mountain.
Want to s
re of today's news?
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