News

On April 21, 2020 the EPA published the final Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule in the Federal Register. Blackstone previously provided a summary of the finalized rule in a February 18, 2020 update. As discussed in our February WOTUS update, the new rule eliminates Clean Water Act protections for more than 18% of our streams and a majority of the nation's wetlands. (more…)

On April 15, 2020, the U.S. District Court for Montana vacated the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Nationwide Permit 12 (NWP 12). Specifically, the case involved the challenge by the Northern Plains Resource Council (plaintiffs) to the USACE’s authorization of the use of NWP 12 to permit the discharge of dredged or fill material to waters of the U.S. in connection with the construction of TC Energy’s Keystone Pipeline. (more…)

Dane Nguyen, Project Engineer, has joined Blackstone's Overland Park, Kansas office. He holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science both in Environmental Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) in Rolla, Missouri. (more…)

On May 19, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took the next step to implement an important per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) requirement of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA added 172 PFAS to the list of chemicals required to be reported to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and established a 100-pound reporting threshold for these substances. (more…)

We discussed low impact materials in a previous post. This post continues in that vein through the consideration of material attributes. Those of us who strive to make environmentally conscious purchasing decisions make many assumptions about the environmental impact of a product based on the characteristics or attributes of that product. (more…)

Recent research conducted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the USEPA has shown that although a product may be recyclable, that does not always translate into the packaging having the least environmental impact. Instead, the entire life cycle of products and product packaging should be evaluated to determine their overall environmental impact.   (more…)

Many of us are taking advantage of drive-through and pick-up options at local eating establishments as we are adhering to stay-at-home orders. Some of that food will come in compostable bowls, which have replaced the use of Styrofoam. (more…)

The Blackstone team is committed to following local, state and national COVID-19 guidelines. A majority of our staff is working from home, but we are ensuring essential environmental compliance commitments are completed through cautious field work and sampling. (more…)

More than 8,000 landfill fires occur each year, ranging from minor surface fires to massive blazes. Due to the potential release of toxic smoke and gases, these fires represent a significant health and environmental concern. (more…)

On February 20, 2020, the EPA announced it is issuing a preliminary regulatory determination for public comment to set an enforceable drinking water standard for two of the most common per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). (more…)