"EPA Ordered To Update Rules On Oil Spill-Fighting Chemicals"

"SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must update nearly three-decade-old regulations about the chemicals that can be used to disperse offshore oil spills, which some environmental groups contend cause serious health problems.

The agency “delayed unreasonably” by waiting at least six years to finalize draft regulations updating the 1994 rules, said William H. Orrick, a judge in the U.S. district court for the Northern District of California.

The EPA now has a deadline of May 31, 2023, to take final action on listing and authorizing the chemicals and in the meantime must submit regular status reports, Orrick ruled."

The Associated Press had the story August 10, 2021.

Source: AP, 08/11/2021