Budget Cuts Could Curtail EPA Enforcement In 2014

The pace of the EPA’s development of regulatory standards is likely to increase in 2014, at the same time that budget cuts curtail its ability to actually conduct inspections or mount enforcement actions, according to Ogletree Deakins attorney Beth Partlow. Currently, she writes, the Environmental Protection Agency has 134 regulations at some stage of development, and she outlines some of the more crucial ones, including the establishment of carbon dioxide emissions standards for power plants. Also in the cards: Tighter standards for managing and documenting the use of hazardous chemicals, and regulations to strengthen protections for agricultural workers using hazardous chemicals.