The EPA has approved Wisconsin’s program to reduce phosphorus levels in the Great Lakes and Wisconsin's inland waters as a revision to Wisconsin's federally-approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program under the Clean Water Act.

The Obama administration has extended the deadline for setting a final rule on cooling water structures for industrial facilities to July 27, 2013. The rule, which is part of the Clean Water Act, seeks to design and locate the structures used to take in water for cooling water reservoirs at industrial facilities in a way that minimizes environmental consequences, specifically harm to aquatic life that may be pulled into the system or crushed against the water intake.

The EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards is making available for public comment two draft assessment documents that describe the quantitative analyses the EPA is conducting as part of the review of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone (O3).

An environmental group is trying to stop development of a high-rise apartment building in Milwaukee because the group alleges the site is located on former Lake Michigan lakebed, and therefore subject to the Wisconsin Constitution’s public trust doctrine.

The EPA is delaying implementation of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS also known as Utility MACT) for new power plants based on new information provided by industry stakeholders after the rule was finalized. This reconsideration does not cover the standards set for existing power plants.

The Washington Post is reporting that the White House forced the EPA to propose a slightly weaker standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) than the agency originally wanted.

A proposed general permit to streamline the wetland permitting process for some residential, commercial and industrial projects impacting wetlands is now out for public comment, and is the topic of a July 31 public informational hearing in Madison.

The Washington Post has introduced a new feature where they do candid interviews with Beltline insiders about their lives on and off the clock. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson was the Post's latest interviewee.

In a recent post on its ecomagination blog, General Electric took a look beyond typical renewable energy sources, highlighting what could be the next big (or small) thing in power generation.

The EPA has published proposed revisions to the primary and secondary national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The proposed standards are stricter and include additional protections for urban visibility.

After consulting with the states and evaluating the phase-in process, the EPA decided it should not lower the permitting thresholds of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule. Therefore, the final phase of the tailoring rule does not include additional, smaller sources in the permitting program.

The EPA is seeking candidates for the first advisory board to support federal agencies implementing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the updated Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

The EPA has granted final approval for the sale of 15 percent blended ethanol fuel known as “E15.” The last step was approval of “misfueling mitigation plans” for retailers to avoid commingling E15 with ordinary gasoline since E15 is only approved for cars manufactured after 2001.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in the Rock-Koshkonong Lake District, et al. v. Department of Natural Resources, et al. case for September 5, 2012 at 1:30PM. The Great Lakes Legal Foundation filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief on behalf of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the Midwest Food Processors Association.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has published the 2012 edition of its Annual Energy Outlook, providing EIA’s latest forecasts of energy prices and industry trends through 2035. The report finds technological change and regulatory policy will play key roles in shaping the nation’s energy future.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a rule aimed at integrating variable energy resources (VER or VERs), such as wind and solar power, into the electric grid.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld EPA’s “endangerment finding” that greenhouse gases are a threat to human health and welfare — a finding that provides the bases for all of the EPA’s greenhouse gas rules - and the EPA's tailoring rules. The case, Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA was decided partially on the merits and partially on a lack of standing.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin recently issued a draft of the biennial strategic energy assessment and a report on the cost of the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). Both reports will be used to guide state energy policy decisions.

In response to Governor Walker’s Executive Order #61 Relating to Job Creation and Small Business Expansion, which asks all state agencies to conduct a thorough review of its regulations and to recommend for possible elimination outdated and overly cumbersome regulations that provide no or little demonstrable benefit, the DNR has identified 11 rules that it says are not necessary and two that need amending.

The EPA has turned down a demand from U.S. environmental groups that it curb greenhouse-gas emissions from aircraft, ships, or other off-highway vehicles. The agency’s decision not to regulate nonroad engines, and its indefinite delay in regulating aircraft, comes in response to a 2010 lawsuit from an environmental coalition asking the EPA to address these types of pollution.