EPA to Require Data Reporting for 16 Chemicals

Benzene, naphthalene, and styrene are among 16 chemicals about which EPA is requiring manufacturers and importers to provide the agency with unpublished health and safety studies, according to a new EPA rule. EPA is also requiring the submission of unpublished studies related to environmental effects and exposures to workers, consumers, and the general population.

 

“The chemicals [. . .] are of particular interest to EPA because they are either in the process of prioritization as candidates for high-priority designation for risk evaluation or are expected to be candidates in upcoming years,” the agency announced.

 

Five of the chemicals—MBOCA, acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, benzenamine, and vinyl chloride—were previously identified as high-priority substances for risk evaluation.

 

The rule goes into effect on Jan. 13, 2025. For more information, read the rule in the Federal Register.

 

 

The EPA announced a settlement with RathGibson, LLC to resolve alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act at the company’s facility at 2505 Foster Avenue in Janesville, Wisconsin. The company has addressed the alleged violations and will pay a civil penalty of $150,356.

 

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act is the nation’s primary law governing the management of solid and hazardous waste to protect human health and the environment. In this action, EPA alleges that RathGibson violated the following requirements under the RCRA statute:

 

 

This settlement with RathGibson reflects EPA’s continued commitment to ensure compliance with state and federal environmental law and promotes environmental justice. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

 

 

Ensure your compliance in 2025 with Environmental Resource Center’s comprehensive RCRA and DOT training.  Choose from live seminars or webcasts, online training, or customized on-site training.  No matter how you like to learn, we have training to suit your needs.  Click here to see a list of courses.

 

 

The EPA and Department of Justice announced a settlement agreement with Manitowoc Company, Inc., and two of its subsidiaries, Grove U.S. L.L.C., and Manitowoc Crane Group Germany GmbH (collectively, “Manitowoc”) for violations of the Clean Air Act’s mobile source emission standards regulations.

 

The settlement agreement requires Manitowoc to pay a civil penalty of $42.6 million and resolves allegations that the company imported and sold heavy nonroad cranes with diesel engines that were not certified to meet applicable Clean Air Act emission standards, and violated related Clean Air Act regulatory requirements, which resulted in the release of excess carcinogenic diesel exhaust containing nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter.

 

“For years, Manitowoc imported and sold diesel engines that do not meet Clean Air Act emission standards, even after EPA made clear that such brazen conduct would not be tolerated,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Diesel exhaust is one of the dirtiest forms of air pollution and is linked to serious health conditions, including asthma and respiratory illness. This settlement requires Manitowoc to complete a project near the Port of Baltimore to improve air quality and once again makes clear that EPA will hold companies accountable when they sell illegal diesel engines.”

 

“Manitowoc’s sale and importation of cranes with uncertified engines violated Clean Air Act requirements designed to protect public health from harmful diesel emissions,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This settlement highlights our commitment to holding violators of the Clean Air Act accountable and will result in a tangible reduction in emissions in the Sparrows Point and Port of Baltimore area.”

 

As part of the agreement, Manitowoc will undertake a project to mitigate harm from the alleged unlawful emissions by retrofitting a short-line locomotive currently in service in the Sparrows Point, Maryland, area. This area is near the Port of Baltimore where Manitowoc had imported cranes with the illegal engines. The pathway of the 70 miles of track includes areas with underserved and overburdened communities. Reducing NOx and particulate matter emissions around the track will improve surrounding air quality.

 

Retrofitting of the locomotive includes removing, destroying, and replacing the locomotive’s old engine, which was manufactured before locomotive emission standards were in place, with a new engine equipped with present-day emission controls.

 

The complaint alleges that between 2014 and 2018, Manitowoc imported or introduced into U.S. commerce, and sold nonroad cranes with at least 1,032 diesel engines that were not covered by EPA-issued certificates of conformity. Many of the engines also did not qualify for a limited exemption. Manitowoc also failed to comply with Clean Air Act labeling, bonding, and reporting requirements.

 

The proposed consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. Information on submitting comment and access to the settlement agreement is available on the Justice Department’s Proposed Consent Decree webpage.

 

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri entered an order requiring Ameren Missouri to spend $61 million on projects intended to mitigate violations of the federal Clean Air Act (CAA), including 14 years of unpermitted excess emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂). This order resolves years-long litigation between the parties.

 

Under the terms of the order – which were jointly proposed by Ameren, the Sierra Club, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – the electric utility will spend $25 million to provide vouchers for approximately 125,000 predominantly low-income, eastern Missouri households to purchase high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters designed to improve household air quality.

 

The remaining $36 million will be spent on helping St. Louis school districts switch to zero-emission, all-electric school buses. In the event that certain benchmarks are not met when implementing the filter and electric school bus projects, Ameren will implement a third project funding weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades in the St. Louis metro area.

 

“Nothing can undo the widespread harm to human health that Ameren caused by illegally emitting thousands of tons of harmful pollution into the air that St. Louisans breathe every day, but today’s court order requires Ameren to pay for projects that will make that air a little cleaner and provide some measure of justice to the public,” said EPA Region 7 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Director David Cozad. “The Court’s order also marks the end of a dozen years of litigation where, finally, the rule of law prevailed.”

 

"Today’s agreement holds Ameren accountable for over 14 years of violations, which resulted in excessive sulfur dioxide emissions from the largest coal-fired power producer in Missouri,” said EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann. “Ameren exposed residents of the metropolitan St. Louis area to unacceptable levels of pollution. Today, the company begins to right its wrongs – and EPA once again makes good on its commitment to seeking meaningful relief for low-income and disadvantaged communities.”

 

EPA alleged that Ameren, the largest coal-fired power producer in Missouri, operated in violation of the CAA for years when it failed to install air emission controls at its Rush Island power plant, southeast of Festus, Missouri. In 2011, DOJ filed a complaint against Ameren in the Eastern District of Missouri. In 2017, the Court ruled in favor of the United States, finding that Ameren had violated the CAA.

 

In 2019, the Court ordered Ameren to come into compliance with the CAA at the Rush Island plant by installing controls to lower SO2 emissions and to mitigate its years of illegal pollution by installing emissions controls at another Ameren plant in nearby Labadie, Missouri.

 

On appeal, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the order to install controls at the Rush Island plant but remanded the decision regarding mitigation at Labadie to the District Court. However, instead of installing the controls at Rush Island, Ameren announced it would shutter the plant and did so by court order in October 2024.

 

This agreement represents the resolution of the case on remand from the 8th Circuit and addresses the outstanding mitigation owed by Ameren to the public from its CAA violations and 14 years of illegal excess emissions from the Rush Island plant.

 

Excess SO2 emissions led to increased risks of lung disease, heart disease, and premature death in downwind communities in the form of harmful particulate matter.

 

This resolution also provides targeted relief and health benefits to the communities most harmed by Rush Island’s pollution.

 

 

Federal inspectors have again cited a Zion contractor with an extensive history of endangering workers by exposing them to fall hazards. The latest violations were discovered when employees were found roofing a residential structure without required fall protections – marking the second such incident in six months and the fifth in two years.

 

Inspectors with OSHA observed employees of Miguel A. Esquina Reyes – operating as Corner Construction Corp. – working without legally required fall protection equipment atop a residential structure in Glencoe in August 2024.

 

Falls from elevation are the leading cause of fatal and serious injuries among construction workers and rank among the most frequently cited safety violations by OSHA. In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 1,069 construction workers died on the job, with 395 of those deaths related to falls.

 

OSHA cited the company for allowing employees to work without protection at heights greater than six feet and for the unsafe use of ladders. In all, Corner Construction received three violations - one willful, one repeat and one serious - for which the company faces $266,175 in proposed penalties.

 

In February 2024, OSHA assessed the company $19,015 in penalties after citing a repeat violation for Corner Construction’s failure to provide fall protection at a Downers Grove worksite. The 2024 infractions continue a series of similar citations issued after three inspections in 2022 and 2023. Currently, Corner Construction is liable for $82,000 in unpaid OSHA penalties.

 

“OSHA often finds contractors violating the same safety regulations repeatedly, because they believe their workers will not fall victim to injury. It takes just seconds to lose footing, to fall off a roof and suffer serious and all-too-often fatal injuries,” explained OSHA Chicago North Area Director Sukhvir Kaur in Arlington Heights, Illinois. “Miguel Reyes continues to show a chronic disregard for safe work operations and a willingness to jeopardize his employees’ lives and well-being.”

 

OSHA’s stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures. The agency also offers compliance assistance resources on Protecting Roofing Workers and recommendations for developing a safety and health program.

 

New and revised fact sheets published recently by OSHA focus on topics such as arc flash safety and the safe handling of human remains. Additional agency fact sheets have been newly translated and are now available in Spanish.

 

Three new OSHA publications regarding arc flash safety accompany recently released guidance from the agency that includes recommendations that employers can use to address arc flash hazards within their safety and health programs. One new fact sheet describes arc flashes, their causes, and methods that can be used to prevent them (PDF), and another outlines the importance of establishing boundaries around arc flash hazards (PDF). A smaller document intended to be printed or downloaded as a card explains common myths about electrical work (PDF).

 

A recently revised fact sheet provides recommendations for individuals, including rescue or recovery workers, who handle or work near human remains. OSHA notes that viruses associated with human remains can include hepatitis and HIV, and workers who handle remains may also be exposed to bacteria that can cause diarrheal diseases—shigella and salmonella, for example. Hand, foot, eye, and face protection and proper hand hygiene can help protect workers when handling human remains, the agency explains. Employers and workers should provide prompt care for any wounds that may occur during work with human remains and disinfect vehicles and other equipment. The fact sheet also provides an overview of ergonomic considerations; for instance, OSHA urges workers to use mechanical lifts or other devices to lift human remains when possible. Both English- and Spanish-language versions of the publication are available for download from OSHA’s website.

 

Four other previously published fact sheets are newly available in Spanish. These new documents address the safe use of portable generators and working safely with chainsaws, electricity, and around downed electrical wires.

 

Visit OSHA’s website to browse all agency publications.

 

 

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