March 2023 – Updates to CEQ’s NEPA and Climate Change Guidance – Seven Key Takeaways!

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March 2023 – Updates to CEQ’s NEPA and Climate Change Guidance – Seven Key Takeaways!

Early in the new year, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released its National Environmental Policy Act Interim Guidance on Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change. The 2023 Interim Guidance builds upon the previous Final Guidance released in 2016, reflecting improved climate science of recent years as well as the increased urgency felt by major decision makers to include climate change considerations in federal planning. This article highlights seven key takeaways from CEQ’s latest guidance.

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December 2022 - Let’s Chew the Fat: A Brief Discussion on Sustainable FATS, OILS, and GREASE (FOG) Management

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December 2022 - Let’s Chew the Fat: A Brief Discussion on Sustainable FATS, OILS, and GREASE (FOG) Management

Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) are a common problem encountered in wastewater sanitary systems, and typically come from a variety of foods, such as cooking oil, butter, and fats in meat scraps and processed food products.  Although rancid and unsightly, FOG can be turned into biofuels to reduce energy costs, or processed into biomaterials; however, if left unmanaged or disposed of improperly, it can cause serious damage to piping, sewer systems, and the environment. This article provides an overview of FOG and its properties, and describes some best practices for FOG management.

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August 2022 - Social Cost of Carbon: Seven Takeaways about the Most Important Climate Policy Metric You’ve Never Heard Of

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August 2022 - Social Cost of Carbon: Seven Takeaways about the Most Important Climate Policy Metric You’ve Never Heard Of

With state and federal governments beginning to adopt more climate-focused policies, one tool is helping decision-makers better understand the economic implications of climate change impacts: the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC). The Biden Administration took a major step in increasing the SCC to account for the long-term harm caused by GHG emissions, some climate economists believe the value of $51 per ton is still too low. This article explains what SCC is (and is not), and discusses how states and federal agencies are starting to use it in their decision-making.

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May 2022 - PHE Is Honored with Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton’s Life-Time Achievement Award!

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May 2022 - PHE Is Honored with Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton’s Life-Time Achievement Award!

On Earth Day, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton recognized PHE for 25 years of outstanding support to the Air Station’s environmental mission with a “Life-Time Achievement Award!” At PHE, we are passionate about our work, and we are excited to partner with friends and professionals who share this passion. We are truly proud of the great work PHE has done at the Air Station over the past 25 years, and look forward to many more years of this fruitful partnership!

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April 2022 - USEPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap Points the Way to Future PFAS Regulation

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April 2022 - USEPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap Points the Way to Future PFAS Regulation

In October 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) published the PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021–2024, a comprehensive overview of the USEPA’s approach to addressing per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) over the next four years. The roadmap establishes new USEPA PFAS policies, actions, and timelines to safeguard public health, protect the environment, and hold polluters accountable. According to the USEPA, the actions described in the Strategic Roadmap represent important and meaningful steps to safeguard communities from PFAS contamination and to promote enduring and protective solutions.

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The Science is in (Again): Seven Take-Aways from the Latest IPCC Report

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The Science is in (Again): Seven Take-Aways from the Latest IPCC Report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released its Climate Science 2021 Report, which summarizes the latest global research on the physical drivers behind climate change and the resulting impacts that are likely to occur. The research summarized in the report adds to our knowledge on climate change and provides more detail on what the future may hold. Read on to learn more about some of the IPCC’s key findings!

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August 2021 - Alert - New ASTM Phase I ESA Guidelines Expected this Year!

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August 2021 - Alert - New ASTM Phase I ESA Guidelines Expected this Year!

New American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for conducting Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ASTM E1527) are on the way! Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (commonly referred to as Phase Is or ESAs), when performed in accordance with ASTM standards, can provide protection from environmental liabilities to landowners and prospective purchasers (the “innocent landowner” defense) under federal law, specifically the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Landowners and prospective purchasers should be on the lookout for the updated standard (E1527-21) later this year. Performing a Phase I ESA in accordance with the current ASTM standard satisfies the requirements of “All Appropriate Inquiry.”

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June 2021 - PHE featured in Environmental Business Journal’s 2021 Industry Outlook!

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PHE is excited to be one of the firms featured in the Environmental Business Journal’s annual Industry Outlook survey for 2021! We were glad to participate in this important exercise and share our insights into what the years ahead will look like for the environmental industry, as the nation starts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Biden administration begins implementing its priorities.

Click here to read the full Q&A with PHE and EBJ.