Long-term stewardship includes all activities necessary to reliably prevent residual contamination or other environmental conditions from posing a risk to human health following completion or stabilization at a site. LTS activities include inspection, operation and maintenance, information management and distribution, financial assurance, and public notification. 

“Dark Waters,” a film based on Robert Bilott’s case against DuPont will be released in theaters on November 22.  Mark Ruffalo will play Bilott.  Anne Hathaway and Tim Robbins also star in the film.

IDEM is proposing a new Non-rule Policy Document (NPD) regarding the rights of its inspectors and other staff members to access regulated facilities. MP-009-NPD will be presented to the Environmental Rules Board at its meeting on November 13, 2019.  A few highlights of the policy are discussed in this article.

The Seventh Circuit recently affirmed a district court decision finding that too much time had passed for the owner of a lead smelting site to seek cost recovery from a former owner under Superfund. The decision was handed down on August 22, 2019, in Refined Metals Corp. v. NL Industries, Inc., No. 18–3235 (7th Circuit Aug. 22, 2019). 

On July 1, 2019, a new law regarding carbon sequestration went into effect here in Indiana. Wabash Valley Resources LLC wants to build an ammonia production facility in Terre Haute and store its CO2 emissions underground to reduce its carbon footprint. 

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral argument this fall regarding whether the discharge of pollutants through groundwater requires a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. In County of Maui, Hawaii v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case, the court broadly construed the Clean Water Act and held that discharges “fairly traceable from the point source to a navigable water” required a permit. 

Due to technical upgrades, the Office of Environmental Adjudication’s fax, (317) 233-9372, will not be available until mid-July. Please accept my apologies and my thanks for your patience.

The new head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's air office skyrocketed through the ranks of Texas governmental agencies and an EPA regional office, giving her significant local experience that makes her a logical pick for an administration focused on delegating more responsibility to states.

Needing to place an insurance carrier on notice of an environmental claim? Once clearing the dust from an old insurance policy buried in a client’s storage room, check out the registered agent information that insurers file with the Indiana Department of Insurance. 

With the General Assembly session ending soon, now is a good time to check in on several environmental bills. Keep an eye out to see if these bills are enacted before the session closes on April 29.