The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been busy reissuing its suite of general permits (GPs) for wastewater and stormwater discharges. In October, DEEP reissued the Commercial Stormwater General Permit, Industrial Stormwater General Permit, and Pretreatment General Permits for Significant Industrial Users and Non-Significant Industrial Users. Below are highlights of significant changes
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EPA Proposes New Clean Water Act Definition of “Waters of the United States”
By Bob Melvin & Emily Deans
On November 20, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army published their proposed rule to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Following more than a decade of litigation and WOTUS “repeal and replace” rulemaking, the current administration promotes…
The Release Report #6: Understanding Release Characterization Requirements
This is the sixth in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
The RBCRs require that, following discovery of a release, the “nature and extent of the release must be determined” so an appropriate remediation strategy can be designed and the…
New General Permit for Connecticut Remediation Contractors
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has issued a new general permit for remediation contractors, known as the General Permit to Act as a Contractor to Contain or Remove or Otherwise Mitigate the Effects of Certain Releases (Registered Existing Release Response Contractor) (Remediation GP). This new Remediation GP supplements the well-established…
The Release Report #5: Immediate Actions
This is the fifth in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
The last post in the RBCR series discussed reporting of new releases under Connecticut’s March 2022 spill regulations. This post discusses immediate response actions required for new releases (and…
The Release Report #4: New Releases
This is the fourth in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
The new RBCRs set forth requirements for the characterization, remediation, and closure of both old and new releases. The last few posts in this RBCR overview series have related…
The Release Report #3: Reporting Existing Releases
This is the third in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
After a release has been “discovered” (see last post) the next step under the RBCRs is evaluating if and when that release must be reported. This post, and the…
The Release Report #2: Discovery of an Existing Release
This is the second in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
Under the new RBCRs, the obligation to characterize and, if needed, remediate pre-existing contamination begins with the “discovery” of that contamination by a person who created or is maintaining…
Four New Executive Orders Aim to Unleash U.S. Nuclear Energy
On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed four new executive orders (the Orders) to “usher in a nuclear energy renaissance.” In an article, the White House explained that the Orders provide “a path forward for nuclear innovation” as they “allow for reactor design testing at [Department of Energy (DOE)] labs, clear the way for…
New EPA Administrator, Same Freeze on EPA Activity
By Jon Schaefer
On January 29, 2025, Lee Zeldin was confirmed as the 17th Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator. After a week on the job, Zeldin continued to maintain several policies that had been put in place immediately after the Trump administration took office. Some of these policies are summarized below. While these actions are generally expected when…