The Clean Water Act established ambitious goals: making the nation's waters "fishable and swimmable" and restoring their "chemical, physical and biological integrity." It gave the newly established U.S. Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to set and enforce regulations.
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EPA to designate ‘forever chemicals’ as hazardous substances
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday designated "forever chemicals" that have been used in cookware, carpets and firefighting foams as hazardous substances, clearing the way for quicker cleanup of the group of toxic compounds known as PFAS.
Read More »Ruling could dampen government efforts to rein in Big Tech
The Supreme Court's latest climate change ruling could dampen efforts by federal agencies to rein in the tech industry, which went largely unregulated for decades as the government tried to catch up to changes wrought by the internet.
Read More »Supreme Court limits EPA in curbing power plant emissions
In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court decided Thursday to limit how the nation's main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants.
Read More »EPA settles lawsuit over hazardous waste near Franklin landfill
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a settlement with the garbage-disposal giant Waste Management of Wisconsin, Inc. over allegedly illegal hazardous-waste practices at a landfill in Franklin. The proposed settlement, announced on Thursday, calls for increased monitoring for hazardous waste near the Metro Recycling and Disposal Facility in Franklin and a $232,000 fine to resolve alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and ...
Read More »Kaul joins call for withdrawal of loosened environmental review of infrastructure projects
Attorney General Josh Kaul has joined a coalition of state attorneys general calling for President Donald Trump to withdraw an executive order that allows federal agencies to avoid full compliance with environmental laws on infrastructure projects.
Read More »PFAS: Why the hysteria?
Consider this: as recently as a year ago, the term “PFAS” was relatively unknown to many lawyers, engineers and other environmental professionals.
Read More »Lawsuit seeks to block mine in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
A group is suing two federal agencies as part of an effort to block a proposed mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near the Wisconsin line.
Read More »Environmental group sues over smog regulations
An environmental group has filed a federal lawsuit challenging new federal smog regulations in Wisconsin.
Read More »Agency settles suit over dairy industry regulation
Wisconsin environmental officials have agreed to settle a dairy industry lawsuit alleging the agency is over-regulating large livestock farms.
Read More »GOP-backed measures seek to rein in science used at EPA
Pondering new restrictions on how the Environmental Protection Agency can use scientific data, congressional Republicans are seeking advice from the chemical and fossil fuel industries.
Read More »Papermaker NCR agrees to complete Fox River cleanup
A papermaker has agreed to shoulder the financial burden for completing cleanup work on the Fox River in a settlement, federal environmental officials said Tuesday.
Read More »DNR board OKs federal air rules after lawsuit
The state Department of Natural Resources board has finally adopted federal air pollution standards after four years and a legal settlement.
Read More »DNR board to adopt air pollution rules after 4-year delay
After four years and a lawsuit, the state Department of Natural Resources is finally ready to adopt federal air pollution standards.
Read More »Harley reaches $15M air-pollution settlement with EPA (UPDATE)
Harley-Davidson Inc. agreed Thursday to pay $15 million to settle a U.S. government complaint over racing tuners that caused its motorcycles to emit higher-than-allowed levels of air pollution.
Read More »Enbridge reaches $176M agreement for 2010 oil spill
Enbridge Energy Partners has reached a $176 million settlement for the costliest inland oil spill in U.S. history — a pipeline rupture in southwestern Michigan that polluted a nearly 40-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River, federal officials said Wednesday.
Read More »Schimel suing over ozone rules
Wisconsin justice officials announced Monday that they have joined other states in a challenge of federal ozone limits that opponents contend will discourage employers from moving to places where the new standards fall most heavily on businesses.
Read More »Barton Solvents to pay $1M EPA settlement, change processes
An Iowa-based company that mixes and transports chemicals for customers in the printing, coating, and cleaning industries has agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle federal environmental violations and ensure safety at six plants in Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin.
Read More »States reliant on fossil fuels sue over new clean air rules
Wisconsin has joined a federal lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's new greenhouse gas rules.
Read More »Court orders EPA to revise ship ballast dumping regulations (UPDATE)
A federal appeals court has ordered the government to rewrite regulations of ballast water discharges from ships, one of the leading culprits in the spread of invasive species across U.S. waterways.
Read More »Federal judge says city not liable for contamination of Ashland lakefront
A federal judge has ruled that the city of Ashland and Ashland County are not responsible for the cleanup of a designated Superfund site on the city’s lakefront.
Read More »Schimel argues water rule injunction applies nationwide
Attorney General Brad Schimel is arguing that a federal court ruling blocking new Environmental Protection Agency water pollution regulations should apply nationwide.
Read More »After coal win, states seek similar relief for farms
They beat the EPA on coal, and now a group of state attorneys general hopes to score a similar victory on farming.
Read More »Appeals court tosses suits challenging climate change plan
A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out a pair of high-profile lawsuits challenging the Obama administration's sweeping plan to address climate change, saying it's too early to challenge a proposed rule that isn't yet final.
Read More »Wisconsin joins lawsuit over EPA’s carbon emissions rules
The state of Wisconsin has joined a federal lawsuit challenging new limits on carbon emissions from power plants.
Read More »Groups sue EPA over air quality standards
A coalition of environmental, animal rights and citizen action groups are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleging failure to address air pollution from large-scale livestock farms.
Read More »Environmentalists balk at Walker carbon limits lawsuit
Environmentalists balked Friday at Republican Gov. Scott Walker's plans to sue the federal government over new limits on power plants' carbon emissions, saying the governor is ignoring climate change and simply wants to show he opposes government regulation as he mulls a presidential bid.
Read More »Environmental groups sue DNR over air standards (UPDATE)
Two environmental groups filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing Wisconsin pollution regulators of failing to update the state's air quality standards to reflect tighter federal restrictions.
Read More »EPA ‘win’ at high court could foretell future losses
Don’t be fooled by the hype around the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent greenhouse gas decision.
Read More »Justices rap EPA, but uphold global warming rules
The U.S. Supreme Court largely left intact Monday the Obama administration's only existing program to limit power plant and factory emissions of the gases blamed for global warming. But a divided court also rebuked environmental regulators for taking too much authority into their own hands without congressional approval.
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