By Meagan Newman and Craig B. Simonsen

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced public meetings to “obtain public input from stakeholders” on a national electronic manifest (E-Manifest) database system intended to capture information on shipments of hazardous wastes.

Specifically, the purpose of the meetings is to solicit comments from the states, industry, communities, nongovernmental organizations, and other
Continue Reading EPA Holds Public Meetings on Proposed National E-Manifest System

By Andrew H. Perellis and Philip L. Comella

In an important decision concerning the application of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) criminal penalties, the U.S. Supreme Court recently held, in Southern Union Co. v. US, __ U.S. ___, 132 S.Ct. 2344, 2012 WL 2344465 (June 21, 2012), that the duration of misconduct underlying the imposition
Continue Reading Supreme Court Holds that Jury, not Court, Must Decide Duration of Misconduct Underlying Criminal Fines under RCRA

By Philip L. Comella

On February 2, 2012, the Illinois Pollution Control Board (PCB) issued its First Notice of a Proposed Rule (FNPR) affecting the management and disposal of Clean Construction or Demolition Debris (CCDD), and “uncontaminated” soil.  Significantly, the PCB’s proposal eliminates provisions previously proposed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) requiring groundwater monitoring for fill operations accepting
Continue Reading New Illinois Proposed Rule Eliminates Groundwater Monitoring Requirement for Clean Construction and Uncontaminated Soil Fill Operations

By Philip L. Comella and Ilana R. Morady

On October 21, 2011, the Basel Convention moved one step further in implementing the international ban on exports of hazardous waste to developing countries. The Convention was established in 1989 to address the transboundary movement of hazardous waste. In 1995, the export ban, known as the Ban Amendment, was proposed in response
Continue Reading Global Ban on Exports of Hazardous Waste Advances

 
On August 10, 2011, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed Senate Bill 2106, which amends the Illinois Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act (“the Act”). The new law is aimed at ensuring that more electronic products will be recycled. It is predicted that the new requirements under the law will increase the recycling of electronic


Continue Reading New Illinois Law Requires Recycling Of More Electronic Products