US EPA, National Center for Environmental Economics / by Matthew LaPenta http://yosemite.epa.gov/EE/epa/eed.nsf/WPNumber/2010-11?OpenDocument The purpose of this paper is to outline a method for evaluating the Environmental Justice (EJ) implications of revising the dust lead hazard standards for floors. For simplicity this paper only addresses populations as defined by poverty status, but the methods described can … Continue reading »
Posted on October 13, 2010 …
Tax Deductible Expenses: The BP Case
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/R41365/ Following the release of BP’s second quarter earning statement, which showed a $10 billion reduction in tax liability for oil-spill-related cleanup and expenses, media headlines have generated public concern, and in some cases outrage, over these tax savings. Further, the ability of BP to realize these tax savings has generated a … Continue reading »
Proposed Amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA): Senate and House Bills Compared with Current Law
Congressional Research Service http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R41335_20100812.pdf On April 15, 2010, Senator Lautenberg introduced legislation (S. 3209) to amend the core provisions of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Title I. Representatives Waxman and Rush introduced comprehensive legislation to amend TSCA (H.R. 5820) on July 22, 2010. This report compares key provisions of S. 3209, as introduced, H.R. … Continue reading »
Federal Civil and Criminal Penalties Possibly Applicable to Parties Responsible for the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/R41370/ Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20, 2010, Congress has given much attention to the compensatory liability provisions of the Oil Pollution Act and, to a lesser extent, those of the Jones Act and the Death on the High Seas Act. However, federal laws possibly relevant to the … Continue reading »
Waiver Authority Under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/RS22870/ Transportation fuels are required by federal law to contain a minimum amount of renewable fuel each year. This renewable fuel standard (RFS), established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct, P.L. 109-58) and amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA, P.L. 110-140), requires that 12.95 billion … Continue reading »
Clean Air Issues in the 111th Congress
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/R40145/ EPA regulatory actions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using existing Clean Air Act authority have been the main focus of congressional interest in clean air issues in recent months. Although the agency and the Obama Administration have consistently said that they would prefer that Congress pass legislation to address climate change, … Continue reading »
The 2010 Oil Spill: Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under the Oil Pollution Act
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/R41396/ The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill leaked an estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, damaging the waters, shores, and marshes, and the fish and wildlife that live there. The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) establishes a process for assessing the damages to those natural resources and assigning … Continue reading »
