DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Biden administration announces plan to stop water plant hacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Suzanne Smalley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 3 (Reuters) - The Biden administration announced on Friday a new plan to improve the digital defenses of public water systems. The water system plan, which recommends a series of novel rules placing more responsibility for securing water facilities at the state-level, follows several high-profile hacking incidents in recent years. In February 2021, a cyberattack on a water treatment plant in Florida briefly increased lye levels in the water, an incident that could have been deadly if an alert worker had not detected the hack quickly. EPA officials say they have a "robust technical assistance program" in place to support public water systems that need cyber support. The water treatment industry was also critical of the administration's announcement on Friday.

The approved rulemaking is not expected to take effect until summer of 2024, the sources said. The rule would be a win for the ethanol industry, which has sought for years to expand sales of so-called E15, which contains 15% ethanol, and for the farm industry, as ethanol is made from corn. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to seek a public comment period on the rule, sources said. President Joe Biden lifted the ban last summer in an attempt to lower historically-high gasoline prices. Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly; Editing by Tom Hogue and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Rebecca CookFeb 27 (Reuters) - Ohio residents suing Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC.N) over a train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals urged a U.S. judge on Monday to block the company from destroying the wreckage without first giving them ample opportunity to inspect the crash site. The derailment of the Norfolk Southern operated train in East Palestine on Feb. 3 forced thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off toxic chemicals. They asked the judge to give their experts more time before Norfolk Southern removes and destroys the wreckage, which was slated to start on Wednesday. She asked whether Norfolk Southern could remove low-priority cars to an offsite storage location for later inspection, or if other options were available. The EPA on Saturday announced it was temporarily pausing Norfolk Southern's shipment of material from the crash site, but promised those efforts would resume soon.

[1/4] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the media before departing the White House for the weekend, in Washington, U.S., February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he has no plans to visit the site of the train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in an Ohio town earlier in February. The Biden administration has said Norfolk Southern must pay for the damage and clean-up efforts. Some Republicans have criticized the Biden administration over the incident while some Democrats have pointed to regulations rescinded under former President Donald Trump. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the wreckage on Thursday after the Biden administration was criticized for not sending a cabinet official to the site sooner.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO apologizes to Ohio townspeople, vows to 'do what's right'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shaw sat down with people from the town of 4,700 people for the CNN event, repeatedly apologizing and saying, "We're going to do what's right for the community." U.S. and Ohio environmental regulators and the company hired experts who say testing shows the water and air are safe. Norfolk Southern reported net profit of $3.27 billion in 2022 when it paid nearly $1.2 billion in dividends to shareholders and bought back $3.1 billion worth of shares. Insurance will help offset those costs, including a liability policy that will cover up to $1.1 billion in certain situations. Stewart said he was planning to sell his house so he could retire but now his property value had plummeted.

☆ Norfolk Southern wants to 'make things right' after Ohio train crash, CFO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) will take responsibility for cleaning up the environmental damage from this month's train derailment and controlled detonation of hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio, its finance chief said on Wednesday. "We take responsibility ... We're fully dedicated to making things right," George said at an investor conference hosted by Barclays. Norfolk Southern will quantify costs of the clean up no later than its first-quarter earnings, he said. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has said it would release a preliminary report on its initial findings on Thursday into the derailment. He will be joined by representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

☆ Norfolk Southern takes responsibility for Ohio crash environment cleanup, CFO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We take responsibility ... We're fully dedicated to making things right," Mark George, Norfolk Southern's (NSC.N) chief financial officer, said at an investor conference hosted by Barclays. A day earlier, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered Norfolk Southern to "pay for cleaning up the mess" created by toxic chemicals that spewed into the air, water and soil after the accident. Norfolk Southern plans to quantify related costs no later than its first-quarter earnings. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) plans to release a preliminary report on Thursday on its initial findings into the fiery crash. He will be joined by representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

The derailment of the train, operated by Norfolk Southern (NSC.N), forced thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off chemicals. “We have mobilized a robust, multi-agency effort to support the people of East Palestine, Ohio," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing. [1/3] A view of a caution tape as members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (not pictured) inspect the site of a train derailment of hazardous material in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 16, 2023. DeWine called on Congress to review railroad safety regulations, lamenting states have little power to demand information about what types of hazardous goods are rolling through their borders. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday more needs to be done to address rail safety in the face of hundreds of annual train derailments.

The Biden administration rule would protect wetlands and seasonal streams, not just permanent waterways like the rivers and lakes they feed into. Those smaller waterways were largely eliminated from protections by a Trump administration rule. The Biden administration signaled its intent to replace that rule in June 2021. The Trump-era rule had been vacated by an Arizona federal court in August 2021, which restored previous standards while the Biden administration worked on its changes. For the states: West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Solicitor General Lindsay See and Senior Deputy Solicitor General Michael WilliamsFor the EPA: Counsel not immediately availableOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The derailment of the Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) operated train forced thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off chemicals. "This incident has understandably shaken this community to its core," Regan said at a press conference. Regan noted state and federal testing inside nearly 500 homes close to the derailment site shows that none of the toxic chemicals that were on the train are present in the air. He did urge residents who use private wells to continue using bottled water and to get their wells tested. [1/6] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan speaks during a press conference after inspecting the site of a train derailment of hazardous material in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 16, 2023.

[1/3] Drone footage shows the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released by the NTSB. NTSBGov/Handout via REUTERSFeb 14 (Reuters) - Cleanup is moving quickly after a train carrying toxic materials derailed in Ohio 11 days ago, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Tuesday, while residents and observers questioned the health impacts of pollution that spilled into the Ohio River. Officials said the volume of the river diluted the plume and the plume did not pose a serious threat. UNION WARNINGSRailroad union officials said they have been warning that such an accident could happen because railroad cost-cutting harmed safety measures. "No one wants to listen until we have a town blown off the face of the earth, then people listen," said Whitaker, whose union is the largest U.S. railroad union representing conductors, engineers and other workers.

☆ Republican senators seek to reverse U.S. heavy-duty truck emissions rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A group of 34 Republican senators said on Thursday they would seek to overturn U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules that aim to drastically cut smog- and soot-forming emissions from heavy-duty trucks. Under the Congressional Review Act, a simple majority vote in both chambers of Congress can reverse recently finalized rules. The new EPA rules target heavy-duty truck and engine manufacturers by tightening yearly emissions limits and changing key provisions of existing rules to ensure emissions reductions in long-term road use. Separately, the EPA plans to propose by next month "Phase 3" greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for heavy-duty vehicles and new emissions standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles. Transportation is the largest source of U.S. GHG emissions, making up 29%, and heavy-duty vehicles are the second-largest contributor at 23%.

☆ Sorry crypto world, but SEC isn’t backing down on ‘regulation by enforcement’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Right now, Wahi argued, crypto users are simply left guessing about their exposure to SEC enforcement — and that's not sustainable. That strategy, Hodl Law asserted, didn't give token-holders fair notice about whether their coins are securities. Otherwise, Hodl Law said, Ethereum users have no idea if the SEC will swoop in with an enforcement action. The SEC also said that it's not obliged to warn crypto users about its interpretation of securities laws. It also, however, provides the first robust explanation of an argument I expect to see more often in SEC crypto cases: SEC enforcement, according to Wahi, is precluded by the Supreme Court’s recently articulated major questions doctrine.

☆ Amid high levels of contamination, Puerto Rico town's residents plead for action
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

SALINAS, Puerto Rico — Shuttered windows are a permanent fixture in Salinas, an industrial town on Puerto Rico’s southeast coast that is considered one of the U.S. territory’s most contaminated regions. Salinas also has one of the highest incidence rates of cancer in Puerto Rico, with 140 cases reported in 2019, the newest figures available from the island’s Central Registry of Cancer. Those measures have a limited effect, however, and residents continue frustrated that their complaints about contamination have been ignored for years. That has been hailed by many in Puerto Rico, which has one of the highest asthma rates in a U.S. jurisdiction and whose power generation system is 97% based on fossil fuels. Although she has been the target of protests organized by frustrated residents, she said she is pushing for corrective measures.

Jan 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan is considering stepping down, according to four sources familiar with the matter. "No plans imminently, but I do know it's been on the radar screen for the past few weeks," the source said. The EPA said Regan had no plans to depart. He's committed to continuing to advance President Biden's historic climate and environmental agenda," said Maria Michalos, an EPA spokesperson and one of Regan's top aides. Regan, the first Black man to run EPA began designing the green bank in October.

☆ Mississippi agency denies NAACP’s water discrimination claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Mississippi environmental regulator has denied claims that the state agency he leads discriminated against the capital city of Jackson in its distribution of federal funds for wastewater treatment. Most of Jackson lost running water for several days, and people had to wait in lines for water to drink, cook, bathe and flush toilets. The EPA announced on Oct. 20 that it was investigating whether Mississippi state agencies discriminated against the state’s majority-Black capital city by refusing to fund improvements to the water system. EPA Administrator Michael Regan has visited Jackson multiple times and has said “longstanding discrimination” has contributed to the decline of the city’s water system. The federal agency could withhold money from Mississippi if it finds wrongdoing — potentially millions of dollars.

☆ Biden proposes tougher limits on deadly soot pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Seen from the window of an Amtrak train, smoke billows up from power plants alongside the tracks in Northern Virginia. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed a rule that would strengthen federal limits on industrial soot, one of the country's most deadly air pollutants that disproportionately impacts the health of low-income and minority communities. The proposal is the latest action by the Biden administration to better address environmental justice and air pollution. Studies have also linked long-term exposure to soot with higher rates of death from Covid-19. However, officials said they are also considering public comment on an annual level as low as 8 micrograms per cubic meter and as high as 11 micrograms per cubic meter.

☆ U.S. EPA tightens soot standards for first time in decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Fine particulate matter, or soot, comes from sources ranging from power plants to cars and trucks. It causes lung and heart damage and has been found to disproportionately affect low-income communities, according to EPA. "Fine particulate matter is both deadly and extremely costly," EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters, adding the decision was "based on sound science and a rigorous evaluation of the data that we have at hand." The EPA said it would also take public comment on revising the level to as low as 8 µg/m3, and as high as 11 µg/m3. The EPA also opted to retain the current primary 24-hour PM 2.5 standard of 35 µg/m3, despite a CASAC recommendation to lower that number to 25 µg/m3.

Here are four climate and environment lawsuits that are likely to make headlines in 2023. The oil companies in the nation's high court are hoping to upend a series of circuit court decisions saying the cases belong in state courts where they were filed. If the court takes the appeal and rules for the oil companies, then the cases would be moved to federal court, the preferred venue for the industry defendants. (Bellwether trials are chosen as test cases and are used to work through common legal and factual issues.) "I think it will be a huge year for this issue," Conroy said of 2023.

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowDec 23 (Reuters) - TC Energy Corp (TRP.TO) on Friday said that a U.S. regulator had approved a restart plan for an idled segment of its Keystone oil pipeline to Cushing, Oklahoma, and it looked to restore service after several days of testing and inspections. The 622,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) pipeline was shut on Dec. 7 after it spilled 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas, the biggest U.S. spill in nine years. The shutdown reduced the flow of Canadian crude to Gulf refineries, but it has had little impact on Canadian oil prices, partly because of ample storage in Alberta. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) approved the restart plan, TC said. Frigid weather at the spill site may slow work, TC said.

☆ TC Energy sends ruptured Keystone pipeline segment for testing after regulator order
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowDec 21 (Reuters) - TC Energy (TRP.TO) said on Wednesday that it had safely removed the ruptured segment of Keystone pipeline that caused an oil spill earlier this month and sent it for metallurgical testing as directed by U.S. regulators. TC Energy Corp had submitted its plan to restart the Keystone pipeline to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the line ruptured in the worst oil spill in the United States in nine years. More than 400 people are involved in the cleanup, including TC workers, pipeline regulators, state and local officials and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Parts of the pipeline carrying oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Illinois opened last week at reduced capacity.

[1/2] Emergency crews work to clean up the largest U.S. crude oil spill in nearly a decade, following the leak at the Keystone pipeline operated by TC Energy in rural Washington County, Kansas, U.S., December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Drone BaseCompanies TC Energy Corp FollowDec 20 (Reuters) - TC Energy Corp (TRP.TO) has submitted its plan to restart the Keystone pipeline to U.S. regulators, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the line ruptured in the worst oil spill in the United States in nine years. TC Energy did not answer questions about when it hopes to restart the line or what caused the incident. More than 400 people are involved in the cleanup, including TC workers, pipeline regulators, state and local officials and the EPA. "It's pretty straightforward and PHMSA should have enough information," Kuprewicz said, adding that PHMSA could allow TC to restart the segment within the day.

☆ Keystone pipeline rupture spilled diluted bitumen - EPA
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: Emergency crews work to clean up the largest U.S. crude oil spill in nearly a decade, following the leak at the Keystone pipeline operated by TC Energy in rural Washington County, Kansas, U.S., December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Drone Base/File Photo(Reuters) - Material discharged from TC Energy Corp’s ruptured Keystone pipeline was diluted bitumen, a type of heavy crude oil, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday. The 622,000 barrels per day (bpd) pipe has been shut since last week after it spilled 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state and local agencies, TC Energy and TC Energy contractors, the agency said. Bitumen is a dense, thick form of oil that shippers dilute with lighter oils so it can move through pipelines.

☆ Keystone pipeline rupture spilled diluted bitumen, complicating cleanup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rod Nickel | Mrinalika Roy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) -The oil spilled from TC Energy Corp’s ruptured Keystone pipeline was diluted bitumen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday, adding complications to the cleanup. The report said that when diluted bitumen spills, a thick, dense material forms as a residue after exposure to the environment. “For this reason, spills of diluted bitumen pose particular challenges when they reach water bodies,” the report said. The Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, questioned why parts of the pipeline reopened before TC Energy had identified the leak’s cause. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state and local agencies, TC Energy and TC Energy contractors, the agency said.

Search resuls for: ". Environmental Protection Agency"

25 mentions found