As hurricanes and wildfires put unprecedented pressure on water systems, building resilience isn’t optional, it’s mission-critical for utilities, private sector facilities, and communities alike.

While this edition of Compliance News covers a range of compliance topics, we’re zeroing in on two critical updates shaping disaster preparedness and response:

• EPA guidance on disaster debris: The EPA is allowing temporary use of commercial and industrial incinerators to burn disaster-related debris — a shift for facilities managing cleanup and recovery operations. Read more below.
• Wildfire impacts on drinking water treatment: BC recently led a Water Research Foundation (WRF) project aimed at providing guidance to drinking water utilities to increase treatment resilience to wildfires. The project team will be presenting a WRF-hosted webinar on Sept. 16 if you are interested in learning more.

We continue to work closely with clients to identify practical solutions that support operations and compliance through challenging seasons.

Questions? Reach out to John Hinckley

Read on for the latest updates to environmental regulatory compliance and permitting.

EPA allows temporary use of incinerators for ‘natural disaster’ debris

The EPA issued an Interim Final Rule for the temporary use (up to eight weeks) of commercial and industrial solid waste incinerators (CISWI) to combust non-hazardous debris generated from natural disasters. In this situation, operation of emissions control equipment is exempt if it is infeasible to operate the control equipment in the disaster recovery area. EPA’s position is that the temporary waiver provides greater overall benefits to human health and welfare.

Why it matters
While this final rule provides flexibility for incinerator facilities in times of need, CISWI’s should still consult with their regulating state agencies regarding consistency with applicable solid waste and air permits.

Questions? Reach out to Jessica Joyner

Executive Order to accelerate federal permitting of data centers

An executive order put forth by President Trump intends to streamline environmental permitting for AI-related infrastructure like data centers. The order instructs the EPA to review and potentially amend regulations under four major environmental statutes Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to accelerate permitting for “qualifying projects.” A qualifying project is defined as data centers and related infrastructure such as power lines, pipelines, semiconductors, and dispatchable energy sources.

Why it matters

The order may alter CAA, CWA, CERCLA, and TSCA permitting standards and processes. Additionally, the order directs the EPA to identify Superfund and brownfield sites for potential expedited redevelopment for data centers and other qualifying projects.