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Dec 11, 2024 | 
jdsupra.com | Emily Schwartz |David Weber |Augustus Winkes
The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently initiated a process to amend Chapter 173-423 WAC, the state’s Clean Vehicles Program. The Clean Vehicles Program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the number of zero-emission and low-emission vehicles on the road. Under state law (RCW 70A.30.010), Ecology must adopt regulations that align with California's emissions standards for new vehicles and engines.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
natlawreview.com | David Weber
The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently initiated a process to amend Chapter 173-423 WAC, the state’s Clean Vehicles Program. The Clean Vehicles Program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the number of zero-emission and low-emission vehicles on the road. Under state law (RCW 70A.30.010), Ecology must adopt regulations that align with California's emissions standards for new vehicles and engines.
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Oct 23, 2024 | 
natlawreview.com | David Weber
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently announced its intent to promulgate regulations to reduce “criteria” air pollutants in “overburdened communities” that the agency has determined are highly impacted by air pollution.1 The State’s 2021 Climate Commitment Act (CCA) obligates Ecology to identify emission reduction strategies in these communities.
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May 7, 2024 | 
jdsupra.com | Barbara Marvin |Rachel Roberts |David Weber
Update: The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) officially kicked off the Nooksack adjudication, a legal process that will determine the priority of water rights in Whatcom County and portions of Skagit County. Specifically, on May 1, 2024, Ecology filed a Statement of Facts and map of Water Resource Inventory Area 1 (WRIA 1) in Whatcom County Superior Court. In its Statement of Facts, Ecology divided WRIA 1 into 10 sub-basins for adjudication.
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Apr 2, 2024 | 
natlawreview.com | David Weber
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) announced it will begin an adjudication of water rights in Water Resources Inventory Area 1 (WRIA1), including the Nooksack River system, in April 2024. An adjudication is the process of determining the location, quantity, and priority of all water rights held in a certain area.
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Jan 23, 2024 | 
lexology.com | Ryan J. Carra |Mark N. Duvall |David Weber |Nick Hanel
The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) filed a petition on January 4, 2024, under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requesting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reduce allowances for inadvertently generated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in consumer products. Ecology’s petition asks EPA to initiate a rulemaking to phase-in “an eventual limit of zero” for inadvertently generated PCBs over a ten-year period.
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Jan 9, 2024 | 
thehill.com | David Weber
Many foreign fugitives have a lot of money, and they enjoy taking their families on vacations. Former Volkswagen executive Oliver Schmidt, for example. One of the architects of the “Dieselgate” scandal, Schmidt was indicted under seal, then arrested at Miami International Airport after taking his family on vacation to Florida in 2017. He was held without bail as an obvious flight risk.
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Jan 3, 2024 | 
natlawreview.com | David Weber
To bolster its Clean Fuels Program Rule, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) announced that it will begin a rulemaking to promote the production and use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in Washington. The rulemaking aims to establish SAF pathways to enable producers to generate credits under the State’s Clean Fuels Standards (CFS) program.
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Dec 13, 2023 | 
jdsupra.com | David Weber |Ryan J. Carra |Nessa Horewitch Coppinger |Nicholas Hanel
Continuing Washington State’s push towards implementing one of the nation’s strictest chemicals laws, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently published its Draft Regulatory Determinations Report on certain products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These regulatory determinations, set to be finalized in June 2024, would guide Ecology’s future rulemaking on placing restrictions or reporting requirements on certain PFAS-containing products.
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Aug 29, 2023 | 
natlawreview.com | David Weber
After a multi-year rulemaking process, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued the first substantive updates to the contaminated site cleanup regulations, Chapter 173-340 WAC, under the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) in over 20 years. The changes clarify the site discovery, investigation, remedy selection, and cleanup process, with a significant emphasis on integrating environmental justice considerations into the regulatory framework.
