The EPA has once again postponed the effective date for certain provisions of its risk management rule for the solvent trichloroethylene, or TCE. Promulgated in December 2024, the rule prohibits all uses of TCE, some within one year. Other uses were granted temporary exemptions under section 6(g) of the Toxic Substances Control Act that allow the use to continue but with workplace restrictions.These restrictions are the subject of lawsuits that have prompted EPA to repeatedly extend their implementation deadline. The latest extension establishes Feb. 17, 2026, as the effective date for the section 6(g) restrictions.
A summary of the legal challenges that led to the extensions appears in the Federal Register. For more information, refer to EPA’s web page on risk management for TCE.
The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a fresh-cut vegetable processing company for willfully and repeatedly violating safety requirements after a worker was fatally injured while cleaning and sanitizing a machine.In May 2025, OSHA initiated an inspection into Taylor Farms New Jersey Inc. after being notified of the fatality at its processing facility in Swedesboro, New Jersey. Inspectors determined that Taylor Farms, a subsidiary of Taylor Fresh Foods Inc., failed to implement proper lockout/tagout procedures to protect workers from severe injuries during sanitation activities.
OSHA cited Taylor Farms for 16 safety violations related to the lack of lockout/tagout procedures, as well as failure to implement lockout/tagout requirements or provide training, and proposed penalties totaling $1,125,484. Additionally, PL Solutions Group LLC, operating as People Logistics, the onsite temporary employment agency, was cited for three serious violations with proposed penalties of $33,100 for not implementing or training workers on lockout/tagout procedures.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of their citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Penalties and citations may be adjusted throughout the course of the case process. Please check the OSHA establishment search page periodically for any changes in the inspection or penalty status.
EPA has issued an order directing the Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority (ACMUA) to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)’s Lead and Copper Rule. A 2025 investigation by EPA revealed violations of federal and state drinking water requirements, which include inadequate tap water sampling practices. On October 27, 2025, EPA issued an order requiring the ACMUA to update its lead and copper sampling plans and conduct two consecutive rounds of sampling in 2026, as well as improve monitoring and reporting.“Ensuring that water systems provide safe drinking water to consumers is fundamental to EPA’s mission,” said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “In this instance, we have collaborated with our counterparts in New Jersey to identify violations and establish a definitive course of action for Atlantic City’s public utility to meet its obligations under the law.”
A series of inquiries and inspections between 2022 and 2025 found that the system has not met specific drinking water requirements, including failing to establish proper sampling and reporting practices under the SDWA. In addition to requiring ACMUA to update its sampling plans, the system is also required to conduct follow-up activities if the action levels are exceeded and to notify consumers of their lead monitoring results.
The action was taken in consultation with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and after discussion with the ACMUA. EPA is also offering continued technical assistance to the ACMUA to help the water system comply.
For more information about the requirements of the lead and copper rule, visit EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule website.
A recently published health hazard evaluation report (PDF) presents NIOSH’s recommendations for improving indoor environmental quality and controlling hazards at a wastewater treatment plant adjacent to a state prison. An employee representative from the facility had contacted the HHE Program with concerns about ventilation issues, as well as potential exposures to process chemicals, bacteria, other pathogens, and mold.In the HHE report, NIOSH staffers described the ventilation system in Filter Building 22 as “deteriorated and unrepairable” and noted that a return vent in Sludge Building 21 was partially blocked by a light fixture. In the laboratory, a mini-split HVAC system had been recently installed, which could control temperature and humidity but not provide outdoor air to or exhaust indoor air from the room. Employees used space heaters to supplement the building’s HVAC system. NIOSH has recommended that the employees consult with a licensed professional mechanical engineer for assistance in aligning the facility ventilation system with ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2022, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, and Standard 55-2023, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy.
In addition to indoor environmental quality issues, NIOSH staff members observed that the grinder used to break up debris splashed untreated wastewater on the employee walkway. The floor beneath the bowl used to collect quality check samples was wet, indicating that partially treated wastewater had splashed there as well. Powdered lime, used to control the acidity of sludge, spilled onto an employee’s personal protective equipment and clothing when they added the chemical to a tank. The HHE report noted that powdered lime may irritate or burn the skin and cause respiratory symptoms or lung disease when inhaled. Opening a hatch to remove treated sludge created an entry to a confined space, which employees could accidentally fall into. Water pooled inside and outside Sludge Building 21 created other slip, trip, and fall hazards.
NIOSH has recommended that employees install barriers, modify the sample collection station, and stock bags for the trash can near the grinder to reduce their exposures to untreated sewage. Substituting powdered lime with a liquid solution may reduce employees’ chemical exposures. Their employer was encouraged to provide them with dedicated work clothes and information on voluntary N95 respirator use, as well as increased access and storage for other PPE. Measures to improve confined space and slip, trip, and fall hazards included reducing the size of the sludge hatch opening and installing barriers and gutters to prevent water from accumulating. Although not the focus of the evaluation, NIOSH also encouraged the employer to improve communication with employees and evaluate their noise exposures.
A PDF of the report may be downloaded from NIOSH’s HHE report library.
The EPA has finalized its July 2025 Interim Final Rule (IFR) extending several compliance deadlines in the Clean Air Act (CAA) New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines for the oil and natural gas industry (OOOOb/c). The extensions provide additional time for owners and operators of new and modified sources to meet requirements related to equipment leaks, control devices, storage vessels, process controllers, and closed vent systems. EPA estimates the updated timelines will affect hundreds of thousands of facilities and reduce compliance costs by approximately $750 million over 11 years.The IFR issued in July 2025 provided an 18-month extension for meeting certain requirements and for states to develop plans for reducing methane emissions from existing sources, including implementation of the “super emitter” program. These timelines remain unchanged in the final rule.
In response to public comments and testimony, EPA is further extending the November 28, 2025, deadline for net heating value continuous monitoring and the alternative performance test option for flares and enclosed combustion devices by 180 days, citing supply chain, staffing, and laboratory constraints. EPA is also allowing 360 days from the effective date of the final rule for owners and operators to submit annual NSPS OOOOb reports that would otherwise have been due before this new deadline. Future reports will be due 90 days after each annual compliance period, consistent with existing rule structure.
The final action includes EPA’s responses to public comments and materials from the public hearing. Additional information and the full rule are available on EPA’s website for oil and natural gas regulations.
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