Your Guide to Emerging Issues in Environmental Regulation and Litigation.
Ethylene oxide is a colorless, typically odorless, flammable gas used to make other chemicals, plastic, and to sterilize certain products. Commercial sterilization includes processes that use ethylene oxide — also known as EtO — to sterilize or fumigate materials such as medical equipment and supplies, spices, and other miscellaneous items. This process is designed to eliminate …
In May, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a final rule to revise the 2023 Technology Transitions Rule (TTR) (previously reported by ELM here). The final revisions to the TTR extend compliance deadlines for the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), making a wider variety of refrigerants available to businesses while still meeting statutory requirements under the …
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed the rescission of climate disclosure rules requiring companies to provide climate-related information in their registration statements and annual reports. The Commission’s proposal is based on its view that it lacks statutory authority to mandate such disclosures, as well as a broader policy re-evaluation aimed at returning …
In May, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule to revise the 2023 Technology Transitions Rule (TTR) as well as a technical fix to the 2024 Emissions Reduction and Reclamation Rule (ER&R). By way of background, the TTR required many companies, including supermarkets, in-home AC systems, manufacturers of semiconductor chips, and transporters …
It did not take the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals very long to react to the Illinois Supreme Court’s January 23, 2026 pollution exclusion ruling as reported in our January 29, 2026 Environmental Law Monitor Blog. On March 13, the Seventh Circuit ruled that an AIG unit has no duty to cover $150 million in …
On March 13, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and Department of Transportation (“DOT”) on behalf of the U.S., filed suit against California in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California to block the California fuel mandates. At issue are regulations established by the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”). The …
On January 23, 2026, in a case involving an insurance coverage dispute, the Illinois Supreme Court answered a question certified by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals about whether and, to what extent, a permit or regulation authorizing emissions is relevant to the application of a pollution exclusion contained in a standard-form commercial general liability …
Member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) voted on Oct. 17 to delay the adoption of a comprehensive plan to decarbonize the global shipping industry. The decision came in response to threats of sanctions from the United States, which warned of tariffs, visa restrictions, and port levies against countries supporting the measure. The IMO …
On August 13, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to halt enforcement of SB 253 and SB 261, requiring disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks, respectively. SB 253 requires business entities — formed under the laws …
A South Carolina State Court judge in City of Charleston v. Brabham Oil Company, Inc., et al., dismissed on Aug. 6 an action against nearly two dozen oil and gas companies. The suit, initially filed in 2020, alleged the defendants contributed to harmful climate change and deceived people about the dangers of their fossil fuel …