ABC Mike Bellaman Highlighted in US EPA’s Year in Review

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its Year in Review 2017-2018, which details the agency’s progress on achieving three objectives laid out by Administrator Scott Pruitt during the first year of the Trump administration. The agency highlighted the launch of the Smart Sectors program, a partnership program between EPA and regulated sectors focused on achieving better environmental outcomes, of which ABC was a participant. Read the rest of entry »

EPA Update: The Latest on WOTUS and the Clean Power Plan

On Feb. 6, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a final rule adding an applicability date of Feb. 6, 2020 to the 2015 rule defining “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The agencies finalized the rule in order to provide the regulated community clarity and certainty about which definition of WOTUS is applicable nationwide. Read the rest of entry »

ABC Tells EPA Repeal of Clean Power Plan Will Save Money, Jobs

The Clean Power Plan proposed and finalized during the Obama administration would increase electricity costs by $40.5 billion while reducing the GDP by an average of $59 billion each year, cutting more than 375,000 jobs by 2030, ABC told the Environmental Protection Agency on Jan. 16. ABC submitted comments in support of the agency’s proposed rule to repeal the 2015 rule. Read the rest of entry »

Trump Administration Continues to Roll Back Burdensome Regulations

On Dec. 14, the Trump administration released its Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The agenda lists upcoming rulemakings and other regulatory actions from each agency that the administration expects to release through the end of the year and in 2018.  Read the rest of entry »

ABC Roundup of Regulations Impacting Merit Shop Contractors

Over the last year, the Trump administration has taken major steps to roll back burdensome rules and regulations issued by the Obama administration. In his first two months in office, President Trump signed Executive Order 13777, “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,” and Executive Order 13771, “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs,” which create regulatory reform task forces to remove burdensome regulations and prevent agencies from issuing unnecessary regulations with a so-called “one in, two out” policy.  Read the rest of entry »

EPA Issues Proposal to Repeal Obama-era Regulations on Carbon Emissions

In move to relieve regulations and ensure affordable energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued a proposal to repeal the Obama-era “Clean Power Plan.” On Aug. 3, 2015, President Obama’s EPA announced a final rule to cut power plant carbon emissions that would increase compliance and transaction costs and limit access to affordable energy for many hardworking Americans and U.S. businesses. However, since the issuance of the final rule, the regulation has not yet taken effect and is currently tied up in federal appeals court. Read the rest of entry »

ABC Voices Support for EPA's WOTUS Proposal

On Sept. 27, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on their proposal to rescind their 2015 final Clean Water Rule: Definition of "Waters of the United States," also known as the WOTUS final rule, and re-codify the regulations that existed prior to the 2015 rule. ABC also filed comments as a member of the Waters Advocacy Coalition.  Read the rest of entry »

EPA To Hold Public Meetings on WOTUS Rule

Last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a schedule of meetings that will offer the public the chance to discuss the definition of “Waters of the United States (WOTUS).” Following a proposal to rescind the Obama-era WOTUS rule in July, EPA and the Corps published a notice in the Federal Register on Aug. 28. Read the rest of entry »

EPA Proposes to Rescind Obama-era WOTUS Rule

On June 27, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Army and Army Corps of Engineers announced they are proposing to rescind the 2015 Clean Water Rule and re-codify the regulatory text that existed prior to the “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, rule in 2015. The final rule, which was first issued in May 2015, dramatically expanded the scope of federal authority over water and land uses across the country.  Read the rest of entry »

ABC Comments on Burdensome EPA Regulations

On May 15, ABC submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on costly and burdensome EPA regulations and policies. In the comment letter, ABC expressed concern that major federal projects have been unnecessarily delayed or abandoned, resulting in jobs being deferred or never created because of a dysfunctional permitting system. ABC supports a streamlined process for developers to obtain environmental permits and approvals for their projects in a timely and efficient manner, which would help foster job creation and economic growth. 

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