United States: Clean Air / Pollution

The New Jersey Supreme Court will review key provisions of the state's Environmental Justice Rules, including their application to facilities in unpopulated areas adjacent to overburdened communities, the classification of existing facilities as "new," and the validity of stricter air pollution control standards. The case could reshape environmental permitting requirements and determine whether long-operating businesses face permit denial or merely additional conditions.

California environmental regulators are advancing significant changes to pollution monitoring and enforcement across multiple sectors. From the EPA's proposed elimination...

On Aug. 11, 2026, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed Executive Order No. 2026-5 (the order), directing city departments to take immediate steps to strengthen oversight of data center development and calling on the Chicago City Council to enact a temporary moratorium on new data centers and the material expansion of existing facilities.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) is proposing to change the definition of “begin actual construction” for Clean Air Act (“CAA”) New Source Review (“NSR”) permitting.

Nearly six months after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its memo entitled "Reinforcing a 'Compliance First' Orientation for Compliance Assurance and Civil Enforcement Activities...

Minnesota’s comprehensive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution prevention law, commonly referred to as Amara’s Law, includes a product reporting requirement with broad reach and deadlines later in 2026...

I’ve blogged numerous times about the role of EPA’s Science Advisory Board and, in particular, the Clean Air Science Advisory Committee, in providing validation for EPA’s technical decisions.

While federal environmental laws provide a foundational framework, much of the real enforcement action happens at the state level.

California’s SB 54, or the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, is a so called “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) law aimed at reducing plastic waste and shifting the cost...