Nine-state coalition says EPA is delaying landfill emissions rule, asks court to intervene

New Jersey and Pennsylvania among the petitioners

By E.A. Crunden@eacrunden Waste Dive

A coalition of nine states and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) filed a brief earlier this month over the U.S. EPA’s “delay rule,” which has stalledlandfill methane regulations. The Aug. 12 brief was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, with attorneys general from California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Pennsylvania among the petitioners.

EDF confirmed the brief is separate from litigation started in May 2018 over delaying federal implementation of the 2016 Emissions Guidelines (EG) rule, also involving the environmental group and all of the same states apart from New Jersey. The target of the new action is more concerned with shifting deadlines — EPA published its final EG rule in August 2019, giving itself two years to promulgate a federal plan for states that do not submit their own plans under the EG requirements. 

The new brief targets the agency’s timing and states “EPA has deployed a series of tactics to delay implementing the standards, without ever providing a valid reason for doing so.” The petitioners are asking the court to vacate the delay and require the agency to immediately implement the rule, saying any further stalling will have adverse environmental and public health effects.

Sources familiar with the two cases over the EG rule said both challenge the ways in which EPA has not implemented regulatory protections immediately, albeit in different ways. The first case targeted the agency’s initial lack of activity on the EG rule, while the second concerns the affirmative changing of its deadline. 

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Environment and conservation groups demand revocation of Mariner East pipeline permits in Pennsylvania

Energy Transfer to pay another $200G fine for Mariner East ...

By the Clean Air Council

PHILADELPHIA, PA (August 24, 2020) –  More than 30 non-profit organizations from across Pennsylvania submitted a letter to the Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell today demanding the DEP immediately and permanently revoke all Mariner East construction permits and prohibit the issuance of any future permits.

The letter comes in the wake of a recent spill of over 8,000 gallons of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) fluid, and industrial waste, into Marsh Creek Lake, a reservoir for much of Chester County’s drinking water. The release occurred during Sunoco’s drilling of the Mariner East hazardous liquids pipeline system, the path of which is slated to run through the headwaters of Marsh Creek Lake.  Over 200 spills have occurred across Pennsylvania since Mariner East construction began in 2017.  

The organizations represent a diverse array of environmental organizations as well as conservation groups, grassroots community organizations, civic associations, faith-based groups, and legislative action groups. The groups stated that DEP has failed to protect the public and environment by allowing Sunoco to continue construction despite numerous permit violations and that “Sunoco/ Energy Transfer has lost its social license to operate in Pennsylvania.”  The groups caution that previously issued fines have not deterred this pipeline operator from further repeated violations. 

“Energy Transfer has determined that it is uninterested in complying with Pennsylvania law and would rather pay fines as a cost of doing business,” said Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director and Chief Counsel. “Energy Transfer has forced the hands of regulators, and at this point the only option is to shut this criminal enterprise down.”

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750 million genetically modified mosquitoes to be released

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Image captionThe aim is to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

By BBC News

Local officials in Florida have approved the release of 750 million mosquitoes that have been genetically modified to reduce local populations.

The aim is to reduce the number of mosquitoes that carry diseases like dengue or the Zika virus.

The green-lighting of a pilot project after years of debate drew a swift outcry from environmental groups, who warned of unintended consequences.

One group condemned the plan as a public “Jurassic Park experiment”.

Activists warn of possible damage to ecosystems, and the potential creation of hybrid, insecticide-resistant mosquitoes.

But the company involved says there will be no adverse risk to humans or the environment, and points to a slate of government-backed studies.

The plan to release the mosquitoes in 2021 in the Florida Keys, a string of islands, comes months after the modified mosquitoes were approved by federal regulators.

In May, the US Environmental Agency granted permission to the British-based, US-operated company Oxitec to produce the genetically engineered, male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are known as OX5034.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known to spread deadly diseases to humans such dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.

A biologist in Brazil releases Oxitec to combat a Zika outbreak
Image captionA biologist in Brazil releases mosquitoes to combat a Zika outbreak

Only female mosquitoes bite humans because they need blood to produce eggs. So the plan is to release the male, modified mosquitoes who will then hopefully breed with wild female mosquitoes.

However the males carry a protein that will kill off any female offspring before they reach mature biting age. Males, which only feed on nectar, will survive and pass on the genes.

Over time, the aim is to reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the area and thereby reduce the spread of disease to humans.

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N.J. reports 288 new COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths as hospitalizations again rise above 400

Union County drive thru coronavirus testing
Registered nurse Hanna Krysiak holds a bag of ice cubes against her chest last month to keep cool as she administered tests at the Union County drive-thru coronavirus testing site at Kean University in Union. Ed Murray photo

By Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The number of people hospitalized in New Jersey for the coronavirus again rose above 400 Sunday as the state reported 288 new cases and three deaths from the virus.

However, the rate of transmission remained belowa key benchmark officials monitor to measure the spread of the virus.

Only one of the new confirmed deaths occurred this month — Aug. 15. The other two happened in May and July for a total of 14,117 lives lost since the pandemic began five months ago, not including another 1,829 probable deaths, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Sunday morning on Twitter.

The number of coronavirus patients in New Jersey’s 71 hospitals rose to 411. It had dipped to 376 Friday night, the lowest total since officials began publicly tracking it on March 24.

The previous low, 414, was reported Thursday night. It also marks the eighth consecutive day hospitals have had fewer than 500 patients with confirmed or suspected cases. On Sunday, 72 patients were in intensive care and 27 were on ventilators.

The state has recorded 189,494 cases since the outbreak hit the state.

New Jersey’s rate of transmission stayed below the key benchmark of 1 on Sunday, according to the Department of Health’s dashboard. Any number above 1 means each newly infected person is spreading the virus to at least one other person, on average.

The state reported the rate of transmission at 0.9 on Sunday. It was 0.99 on Saturday, 1.04 on Friday and 1.06 on Thursday.

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