A rule published Oct. 22 will allow Virginia’s coal ash permit program to replace most of the federal program from Nov. 23, the Environmental Protection Agency said.
Virginia will administer its approved requirements in place of the federal coal combustion residuals program, with exceptions. The approval covers a partial state program rather than a complete replacement of federal requirements.
The agency reviewed an application from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and determined that the program met the approval standard under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
In a separate proposed rule published the same day, the agency sought to give Utah primary responsibility for permitting wells used to store carbon underground. Comments close Dec. 7.
The proposal would allow the Utah Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Oil, Gas and Mining to issue permits and enforce compliance for those wells. The agency would retain responsibility for wells on Indian lands.
The wells fall within the Class VI category of the Underground Injection Control program. The agency determined that Utah’s proposed program met federal requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act, but the proposal does not itself transfer authority.
The agency also published a direct final rule putting its earlier approval of Nevada’s revised underground storage tank program into federal regulations. That rule takes effect Dec. 21, with comments due Nov. 23.
Nevada received final approval for the revisions on Sept. 30, 2021. The new rule incorporates state statutes and regulations that meet federal approval requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
A Coast Guard rule published Oct. 22 established a temporary safety zone on the Brownsville Ship Channel in Texas and took effect that day, the Homeland Security Department’s Coast Guard said.
The zone addresses hazards associated with towing an oversized ship that cannot move under its own power. Vessels and people cannot enter without authorization from the Captain of the Port, Sector Corpus Christi, or a designated representative.
The Coast Guard also proposed changing operating rules for the Eighth Street and Tenth Street bridges over the Manitowoc River in Wisconsin. Comments on that proposal close Nov. 23.
The city requested a review to ease downtown vehicle congestion and allow remote operation of both bridges. The proposal would add remote operations following an interim rule published in May 2025.
A separate Commerce Department rule published Oct. 22 announced 11 changes to commercial ocean salmon fisheries for the 2026-2027 season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The changes covered waters from the U.S.-Canada border to Cape Falcon, Oregon.
The supplied fisheries information gives no effective date or details of the individual changes.
