“Waters of the United States:” Final Rule Announced Sackett v. EPA In a previous blog, Walden discussed the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruling on Sackett v. EPA, where Idaho homeowners, the Sacketts, opposed the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Sacketts were previously developing a piece of land in Idaho when the EPA halted the job due to its “connection” to a federally protected wetland. The Sacketts took legal action against the EPA in hopes of resuming the land development, and their case eventually made it to the SCOTUS where the court ruled in favo ..read more

Floodplain Management for Modern Times, Part 2: Flood Insurance How can you protect your home from floods? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers a program called the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The NFIP was established with the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (NFIA). The NFIP is delivered to the public by a network of more than 50 insurance companies and NFIP Direct. In general, the NFIP is designed to offer flood insurance for properties in flood zones, reduce the risks of floods through implementing floodplain management practices, and establish flood ..read more

December 1 Reporting Deadline for NYS Advanced Clean Trucks Rule – Have You Filed? In late 2021, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule. Under this rule, manufacturers will be required to transition to the production of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The ACT rule is an important step in helping New York achieve its ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals laid out in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) of 2019. As part of the ACT rule, certain medium- and heavy-duty vehicl ..read more

Floodplain Management for Modern Times, Part 1: An Introduction Humans cannot survive without water, yet it can also be one of the most powerful and destructive forces on earth. Flooding is a danger to not only roadways, homes, and commercial buildings, but also to human life.   Why do we live or build in areas that are known to flood? In many cases, the land in flood zones is the most affordable choice for people. Others opt to live in these places for the views, or for good farming conditions. It can also be very difficult to sell land located in a flood zone. Throughout the country ..read more

Energy Star Scores for Vehicle Dealerships Anyone who has bought a major appliance in the past 30 years is undoubtedly well aware of the Energy Star rating system. What began as a humble undertaking to promote more efficient lighting systems in commercial and industrial buildings blossomed into the rating system we know today. Brought to you by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you would be correct in concluding that Energy Star is a program that rates appliances based on their energy efficiency. However, it is so much more than that. For example, did you know that in addition ..read more

New York City Local Law 154 Timelines New York City (NYC) introduced Local Law 154 (LL154), also known as the NYC Building Electrification Law, in December of 2021. This law will serve to replace the usage of fossil fuels with electricity to supply new buildings with power for cooking, heating, and/or hot water.   How will LL154 be implemented? LL154 will affect applications for new buildings within the five boroughs of NYC beginning in January of 2024. Applications pertaining to existing buildings, such as renovations, repairs, and equipment replacements, will not be affected by this l ..read more

New York State’s Buy Clean Concrete Mandate As part of New York State’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, an official order limiting emissions from concrete mixes has been adopted. This rule will be applied to state-funded projects involving public buildings and transportation. The mandate, also known as the Buy Clean Concrete guidance, will consist of three phases that will be rolled out over the next four years. In order to show compliance, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which are reports that show environmental metrics such as Global Warming Potential (GWP), wil ..read more

Compliance with Part 360 Regulations: Fill Material Transfer Stations As a fill material transfer station owner or operator, you’re required to comply with the July 22, 2023, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Part 360 regulations. But how do these regulations and changes affect your operations in the short term, and what will happen if you ignore them until NYSDEC comes after you? This new State-issued regulation uses certain language styles and verbiage that can be confusing to follow and difficult to comprehend, which makes staying in compliance a challenging ..read more

8 Keys to Effective Project Planning Managing projects can be challenging for many reasons. Lack of clear communication with a client regarding priorities and expectations often causes a project to go off track, resulting in failure to meet the project objectives. Unclear direction to project staff can lead to budget overruns and scheduling delays. Devoting time to thoughtful planning at the outset of a project is essential to project success. This blog outlines eight keys to effective planning that will help projects run smoothly and improve their overall performance. Identify Stakeholder ..read more

NYS CLCPA’s Expected Effects on Transportation The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) was passed in New York State in 2019 with the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating the transition to clean energy. In order to meet the goals of the CLCPA, many changes will need to be made. These changes will affect many different economic sectors and aspects of everyday life. One area that is expected to be heavily impacted is transportation. New York State is implementing a phaseout of gas-powered vehicles, with the goal of only selling zero-emission, hydrogen ..read more