travel force tracking

...Learn More

Welcome to TForce Freight new, modern Identity Management platform. Additional Information...

Welcome to TForce Freight new, modern Identity Management platform.

Go Paperless with Electronic Delivery Receipts! 

You will no longer receive paper Delivery Receipts at your MyLTL location, shown below:

Your Electronic Delivery Receipts will be available for viewing in MyLTL Documents .

Go Paperless anytime by visiting the Customize option.

Starting Thursday 1/26, payments for TForce Freight invoices will no longer be accepted in The UPS Billing Center. On Monday 1/30 you'll be able to access TForce Freight Easy Pay to make payments on your invoices.

Please note that you will receive information about enrolling in TForce Freight Easy Pay from our partner Bill Trust, and our TForce Freight Accounts Receivable (AR) team.

TForce Freight will have a scheduled maintenance outage for TForceFreght.com & Rate/Ship API’s between Friday, November 3rd 08:00 PM EST and Sunday, November 5th 12:00 pm EST, during which time users may have trouble Shipping and Rating.

Track the status of your shipment by PRO or BOL number.

Send updates for.

Note: TForce Freight will notify you by email if there is a problem sending any of these notifications.

Send Updates

• Current Status
• Delivery Appointment Scheduled
• Out for Delivery
• Shipment Delivered
• Delivery Exceptions

Customize Your Tracking With APIs

Give your customers access to package tracking information through your website. Utilizing TForce Freight Tracking capabilities embedded in your website via Application Programming Interface (API) tool technology, not only can you decrease customer service calls, but you may also find a boost in your overall site traffic.

The Tracking API lets your customers track shipments right from your website using your reference or order number, allowing you to offer end-to-end customer service. Your customers can find specific details about shipment status, including the time and location of each scan, as the package moves toward its final destination. With this functionality, customers return to your site to track shipments or to check order status – which has the potential to drive additional sales.

Click here to learn more about the Tracking API and the UPS Developer Kit

Can't find what you are looking for? Have additional questions? Contact Us

Service Center Information

This website uses cookies, cookie settings.

Our Carrier Partners Deliver For You

Take advantage of our relationships with premier National and Regional carriers. Our TMS system, TFWW Connect, allows you to prioritize what is most important to you. With your choice of carrier, service type, and/or price, so you can ensure dependable service while keeping your priorities in mind.

TFWW Can Make Your Complex Shipping Simple

Our multiple mode offerings and carrier options will ensure that you can meet your delivery needs over land, sea, air, and any combination thereof. Experienced Agent Station Network is available to help you 24/7.

TFWW - The Only Source You Need For Logistics

Whether you have a simple LTL shipment or need to cross over land and sea, we can provide a variety of services to meet your business needs. Our expert staff will match you with the right mode and carrier to deliver your goods where and when you want.

TFWW Connect Makes Shipping Simple

From quote to invoice, our proprietary software is designed to make your job easier. We offer multiple integration options and a fully dedicated service team to assist with onboarding, training, and customer service.

Gain better visibility into every stage of the shipping process — from any device, in real time. From obtaining quotes to managing freight, our proprietary software system — TFWW Connect — is designed with you in mind.

We make connection simple with multiple integration options including single sign-on, EDI, API, as well as plugins for major CMS platforms. The TFWW Connect on-boarding process is backed by a fully dedicated team to instill confidence through trusted direction.

From the simplest to the most complex shipments, our technology ensures your shipping experience is seamless, transparent and hyper-connected.

Track Shipments

Enter up to 10 Reference Numbers into the field below. All references must be comma separated and are case sensitive.

To track up to 25 shipments, click the Upload button below.

Account Login for MercuryGate and WebTrak users

By clicking submit, I agree to the Terms and Conditions.

Insurance Certification Request

Upload shipments.

Select an Excel file to track up to 25 shipments

Please enter tracking numbers.

Uploaded file is not valid. Upload valid template file.

Shipping support in challenging times

When faced with uncertainty, you can be certain of our proven reliability and high-quality customer service. We are committed to fulfilling your orders and helping you find peace of mind.

Agent Station Network

Knowledgeable. Experienced. Nationwide. The Agent Station Network is TFWW strongest asset with more than 130 stations across the U.S. providing 24/7 availability.

Bolstered by solid carrier partnerships and the resources of a North American leader in transportation and logistics, we offer the local knowledge, personal attention, and experience you need.

Ready to join our station network?

TFWW is supported by the resources of a North American leader in transportation and logistics, TFI International.

As part of TFWW expansive network, TFWW offers its agents:

• Volume-leveraged economies of scale
• Financial stability and bi-monthly settlements
• Access to core TFWW carrier base
• Start-up cost assistance and sales support
• Innovative best-in-class TMS
• On-going education, in-house trainer
• Complete freight forwarding services

Services for any mode, any size, any time.

TFWW expert staff will match you with the right mode and carrier to deliver your goods where you want, when you want. We offer a variety of services to meet your every shipping need.

• LTL (Less Than Truckload)
• TL (Truckload)
• Air freight
• Ocean freight
• Trade show services
• White glove services

Carrier Partners

TFWW is proud to partner with the industry’s leading carriers for all modes of transportation.

GET CONNECTED.

Request More Info

If you do not have a username and password, please reach out to your sales rep to request access. You can also reach out to make a credit card payment today by calling 877-744-3818 and select Option 4 then Option 2.

Your Military & Government travel solutions partners

CWTSatoTravel

NEW: Chat with Us

FIND TRAVEL OFFICE

Please choose your government branch or enter your agency, organization, unit number or duty station name in the form field below. We will direct your inquiry to the correct travel office page for further action.

Office Search Results

Our mission.

We serve the world’s most important customer, and we do it better than anyone else. We make your mission our own, and deliver a travel program that engages your employees, empowers them to be more productive, and helps them navigate the unique complexities of government travel.

Whether you’re traveling for work, reporting for duty, heading home from a long trip or tour, or you and your family are taking a well-earned vacation, we’re here to make your journey as smooth as possible.

NEW: Chat with Us!

Chat with a representative to cancel a trip and/or request a copy of your invoice. You can also arrange car rentals, request an early ticket, check a ticket status, request or see the status of a refund, and resolve CTO issues. You can also notify an agent of credit card issues such as new cards, expirations, or limit changes.

Your time is valuable. Make the most of it by minimizing time spent on the phone  and managing your travel plans.

Chat with Us

Here is a glimpse of what CWTSatoTravel has to offer:

E2 Solutions

Track and maintain your agency's travel expenses, get or approve travel authorizations, and manage your department’s travel, all in one place. 

CWTSato To Go

Keep all your travel information in one place, on your smartphone, with our travel app. Available to all CWTSatoTravel clients. 

CWTSato Hotel Program

Get the best negotiated rates and amenities wherever you travel.

SEE ALL SERVICES

Travel Alerts & Warnings

• Wed, 24 Apr 2024 Iraq - Level 4 Do Not Travel
• Mon, 15 Apr 2024 Ecuador - Level 2 Exercise Increased Caution
• Fri, 12 Apr 2024 Mainland China, Hong Kong & Macau - See Summaries - Level 3 Reconsider Travel
• Fri, 12 Apr 2024 Hong Kong - Level 2 Exercise Increased Caution
• View all state department travel warnings
• View all international SOS travel alerts and warnings

Stay up to date with the latest travel news and government regulation updates. Discover how you can travel smarter and save money.

Department of Defense

Civilian government agencies.

• Cancel Reservations
• Car Rentals
• Credit card has been activated
• Credit limit has been increased
• Early ticket request/Ticket status
• Invoice Request
• Refund Request/Status of Refund
• Submit back to DTS
• Update credit card expiration date

CHAT WITH US

• Request ticket status

NOTE: To make or modify your flight reservations contact your local office.

All Other Inquiries

Please use our Travel Office Locator to contact the travel counselors best equipped to answer your inquiry

Contact Your Office

We're using cookies

Cookies help us improve your Parcelforce Worldwide online experience. If you accept their use, continue using our site. Or, find out more about cookies

Unsupported Browser

We have noticed that you are using an older version of Internet Explorer which is no longer supported on this site. As a result, you may not benefit from the full experience that this new site delivers. Please consider upgrading to a later version of Internet Explorer. Further details on how to upgrade can be found here .

Skip to content

• Live Service Updates

Register to manage your account online

Search form

• Courier services
• Next morning delivery
• Next day delivery
• Two day delivery
• Large parcel delivery
• Send a parcel

Track your parcel

• Find a postcode
• Find a depot
• Find a Post Office branch
• Return services
• Drop-off and pick-up options
• Parcel delivery prices
• Sending your ebay items
• global express
• global priority
• global value
• global economy
• ireland express
• Country guides
• South East Asia
• See all our worldwide sending services
• Pay Custom charges
• Arrange redelivery
• Missed a delivery
• Parcel at the Post Office
• Post code finder
• Depot finder
• Download our App
• Help and advice
• express 48 large
• convenient collect
• express collect
• express exchange
• euro priority pack
• euro economy
• euro priority
• global priority return
• euro priority import
• Why choose us?
• Benefits of an account
• Enquire now
• Delivery options
• Tracking options
• Worldwide Directory
• International shipping services
• Account prices
• Account Surcharges and Additional Services
• Pay with FrankPay
• Enquire about a business account
• Sending a parcel
• Receiving a parcel
• Business Parcels

Enter your reference number below:

Your parcel number may contain letters and numbers. It can vary in length – 9, 11, 13, 14, 16 or 21 characters. The sender would normally provide the tracking number.

Want to track your parcel?

If you have sent something using one of our parcel delivery services, or are waiting for a parcel to be delivered, you can use our simple parcel tracking tool to check the progress of your parcel.

Where do I find my tracking number?

Our parcel tracking numbers vary in length and may contain letters and numbers. They can be 9, 11, 13, 14, 16 or 21 characters.

If you have bought something online, then the retailer should have provided you with a reference number. If you are sending a parcel through parcelforce.com you will be provided with a tracking number in your order confirmation email, or on the Post Office receipt if you have dropped it off at your local branch.

Why doesn’t your tracking tool recognise my number?

There are a few reasons why your tracking number isn’t recognised.

• Please check you've entered the number correctly.
• If you’re waiting for a parcel delivery check the sender has given you the right reference number.
• Check the reference number is for an item sent using a Parcelforce Worldwide service.
• The sender might have created a tracking number, but we may not have received the parcel yet. It may be best to try later, allowing time for the item to be received into our network.

What does the tracking description mean?

If you have tracked your parcel and you are unsure as to what your status or description means then we have a summary of all the most commonly returned results here .

I’ve missed my parcel delivery what can I do?

After an initial attempted delivery, we will automatically attempt redelivery on the next working day if we haven’t left your item at your local Post Office or with a neighbour. You can arrange an alternative redelivery or pick up by going to our redelivery page .

Why more people choose Parcelforce Worldwide

Service updates, international.

Normal deliveries and collections will take place today

If you need to arrange a redelivery, please click here

Can we help.

• What does my tracking number look like?
• What does Prepared for delivery mean?
• What does Held mean?
• What does Delivery attempted mean?
• Full explanation of tracking events

We’re here to help. If you have any questions then please contact us.

Footer links

• Our company
• Our services
• Our partners
• Our customers
• Jobs and Careers
• Sustainability
• Environmental Policy
• Corporate Fundraising
• International Distributions Services
• I'm an employee
• Privacy policy
• Cookies policy
• Accessibility
• Website Terms & Conditions
• Conditions of Carriage

Here to help

• View our help and advice
• Scam Guidance

Don't miss out

Sign up today to get the latest offers and discounts

Together we can end domestic abuse

Part of the royal mail group.

© Parcelforce Worldwide 2024. All Rights Reserved

Tracking starts here

Track all of your FedEx ® shipments with one of  the convenient tools below. Want more visibility of deliveries to your home? Sign up for FedEx Delivery Manager ® for free.

This is Web component

Track all of your FedEx ® shipments during the busy holiday season using the convenient tools below. And sign up for FedEx Delivery Manager ® for even more control over your deliveries.

Tracking options for all of your shipping needs

Fedex express and fedex ground, fedex freight, fedex custom critical, fedex trade networks, bring on the benefits.

Sign up for FedEx Delivery Manager and take more control of deliveries. Get tracking notifications, provide delivery instructions and requests, and more. Plus, you'll be eligible for a free ShopRunner ® membership and all the perks that come with it.

Guide for tracking and managing your deliveries

Not sure what the tracking status means or have questions about your expected package? Learn how to track, manage, and return your home deliveries with this helpful guide. 

Additional shipping resources

Whether it’s for your personal shipments or your business, we have the tools to make every delivery a little easier

Get the mobile app

Stay up to date on your shipments, create new shipments, customize deliveries, and more, all from the FedEx Mobile app. 

Ship with confidence

Whatever you’re shipping, send it with the convenience and care of affordable, fast FedEx Ground.

Earn $10 with My FedEx Rewards

Receive a $10 gift card when you open an account, sign up for My FedEx Rewards, and ship. Terms and conditions apply.

Browse how-to videos

Get step-by-step help with shipping, tracking, managing your account, and more from our video library.

Stay up to date on your shipments, create new shipments, customize deliveries, and more, all from the FedEx Mobile app.

Your Browser is Not Currently Supported

We have updated our list of supported web browsers. Note that Internet Explorer is no longer supported. We recommend using one of the following browsers to access this site.

MICROSOFT WINDOWS BROWSERS

• Google Chrome 41+
• Mozilla Firefox 38+

APPLE BROWSERS

ANDROID BROWSERS

• Firefox 38+

Pay to enter: Venice becomes the first city to implement a tourist ticket system

Venice became the first city in the world on Thursday to introduce a payment system for visitors in an experiment aimed at dissuading tourists from arriving during peak periods.

However, it isn't the only place in Italy that has recently introduced new measures aimed at slowing tourist flows.

Here are some of the initiatives currently in force.

Venice tourist tax

The lagoon city has introduced 5 euros (about $5.35) tickets for day trippers, valid from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The experiment came into force on April 25, a national holiday in Italy. Tickets will be needed for the following 10 days and thereafter for most weekends until mid-July.

Venice residents, students, workers, and homeowners are exempt from paying or booking a slot. Visitors aged under 14 and tourists with hotel reservations will need to register, but access for them will be free of charge.

Other cities, such as Como, have said they are considering introducing a similar measure but are waiting to see how the Venice initiative works before deciding.

In addition, Venice has said that from June, it will limit the size of tourist groups to 25 people and ban the use of loudspeakers by tour guides.

Florence tourist measure

Florence announced in October that it was banning new short-term residential lets on platforms such as Airbnb in its historic center. It also offered three years of tax breaks to landlords of short-term holiday lets who start offering ordinary leases for residents.

The city's famous museum, the Uffizi, offers discounts to people who arrive before 8.55 a.m. and lower prices off-season. To spread out crowds, it also closes at 10 p.m. once a week.

Cinque Terrer overtourism

The five villages that make up the Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera regularly get swamped with visitors.

To try to reduce the overcrowding at peak periods, the authority which oversees the area said this week it would charge visitors 15 euros (about $16) to walk the most celebrated coastal path. In addition, the path can only be walked in one direction.

Capri tourism measure

The picturesque small island that lies across the bay from the southern city of Naples has doubled its entry fee, which is automatically added to ferry tickets, to 5 euros. The fee will be charged from April 1 to October 1.

Capri, Ischia, Procida, Lampedusa and Linosa changes

These islands have introduced limits, or outright bans, on cars for non-residents during the main tourist season.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

To Fight ‘Shrinkflation,’ France Will Force Retailers to Warn Shoppers

Merchants will be required to put signs in front of all products that have been reduced in size without a corresponding price cut.

By Liz Alderman

Reporting from Paris

For months, the shelves of Carrefour, France’s biggest supermarket chain, have been dotted with bright orange signs placed in front of Pepsi bottles, Lays potato chips and a variety of other foods whose packages are suspiciously smaller than they used to be.

“ Shrinkflation ,” the signs say. “This product has seen its volume decrease and the price charged by our supplier increase.”

On Friday, the French government took steps to require every food retailer in the country to follow suit. By July 1, stores will have to plaster warnings in front of all products that have been reduced in size without a corresponding price cut, in a bid to combat the consumer scourge known as shrinkflation.

“The practice of shrinkflation is a scam,” Bruno Le Maire, France’s finance minister, said in a statement. “We are putting an end to it.”

The government is also encouraging shoppers to act as informers, urging those “who have doubts about the price per unit of measurement displayed on the shelves” to flag it to the authorities via France’s consumer reporting app.

The fight against the practice of downsizing products without also downsizing their prices has picked up in the United States, where President Biden has shamed food companies for raising prices even as inflation cooled.

Shrinkflation has become a point of outrage for shoppers in France, and a political issue for President Emmanuel Macron as consumers continue to grapple with a cost-of-living crisis. Although inflation has recently come down in Europe from the record highs of a year ago, the prices of many food products remain elevated.

​​Inflation in the eurozone fell to a new two-year low in March, the result of an aggressive campaign of interest rate increases by the European Central Bank. European governments had also worked to ease prices for energy and food, through subsidies for electric bills and by negotiating with food manufacturers to force prices down.

In France, inflation has fallen now more than a third from a year earlier, but higher food prices have been persistent. A typical basket of food basics that includes items such as pasta and yogurt is 3 to 5 percent higher than it was a year ago, after a 16 percent surge for 2023.

Mr. Macron had promised to wrestle food costs down further this year. The government moved up annual price negotiations between suppliers and retailers in February, and put pressure on companies to limit increases.

The shrinkflation campaign is the latest weapon. Stores will have to display signs for two months after downsized products have been put on their shelves, according to the government decree issued Friday. The signs will appear near a variety of goods made by food companies, as well as for the supermarket’s private-label brands, from snacks and soda to bags of rice and laundry detergent. Prepackaged foods, like shrink-wrapped deli cold cuts or foods sold in bulk, will be exempt.

Many global consumer goods companies have raised prices by double-digit percentages in the past year, attributing the increases to higher costs of ingredients and labor. Even so, many of those companies have reported expanding profits as they sell fewer items at higher prices.

The issue came to a head in France last year when Carrefour announced that it would no longer sell PepsiCo products because the prices were “unacceptably” high for consumers, escalating a showdown by French retailers to name and shame brands that were not reducing prices as inflation eases.

As part of its campaign, Carrefour also put up shrinkflation posters next to products like Lipton tea warning shoppers that they were paying a higher price for a product whose volume had shrunk.

France has submitted a proposal to the European Union that would force food retailers throughout Europe to carry out a shrinkflation labeling campaign.

Liz Alderman is the chief European business correspondent, writing about economic, social and policy developments around Europe. More about Liz Alderman

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Strict new EPA rules would force coal-fired power plants to capture emissions or shut down

FILE - The Marshall Steam Station coal power plant operates March 3, 2024, near Mooresville, N.C. A rule issued April 24, 2024, by the Environmental Protection Agency would force power plants fueled by coal or natural gas to capture smokestack emissions or shut down. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announces final standards to reduce pollution from power plants during an event at Howard University on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

• Copy Link copied

WASHINGTON (AP) — Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric plants are the Biden administration’s most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the power sector, the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change . The rules are a key part of President Joe Biden’s pledge to eliminate carbon pollution from the electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide by 2050.

The rule was among four measures targeting coal and natural gas plants that the EPA said would provide “regulatory certainty” to the power industry and encourage them to make investments to transition “to a clean energy economy.” The measures include requirements to reduce toxic wastewater pollutants from coal-fired plants and to safely manage coal ash in unlined storage ponds.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the rules will reduce pollution and improve public health while supporting the reliable, long-term supply of electricity that America needs.

“One of the biggest environmental challenges facing our nation is man-made pollution that damages our air, our water and our land,” Regan said in a speech at Howard University. “Not only is this pollution a major threat to public health — it’s pushing our planet to the brink.’'

Regan called the power plant rules “a defining moment” for his agency as it works to “build a cleaner and healthier future for all of us.’'

The plan is likely to be challenged by industry groups and Republican-leaning states. They have repeatedly accused the Democratic administration of overreach on environmental regulations and have warned of a looming reliability crisis for the electric grid. The rules issued Thursday are among at least a half-dozen EPA rules limiting power plant emissions and wastewater pollution.

Environmental groups hailed the EPA’s latest action as urgently needed to protect against the devastating harms of climate change.

The power plant rule marks the first time the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. The rule also would force future electric plants fueled by coal or gas to control up to 90% of their carbon pollution. The new standards will avoid 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution through 2047, equivalent to the annual emissions of 328 million gas cars, the EPA said, and will provide hundreds of billions of dollars in climate and health benefits, measured in fewer premature deaths, asthma cases and lost work or school days.

Coal plants that plan to stay open beyond 2039 would have to cut or capture 90% of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2032, the EPA said. Plants that expect to retire by 2039 would face a less stringent standard but still would have to capture some emissions. Coal plants that are set to retire by 2032 would not be subject to the new rules.

Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, said that through the latest rules, “the EPA is systematically dismantling the reliability of the U.S. electric grid.’'

He accused Biden, Regan and other officials of “ignoring our energy reality and forcing the closure of well-operating coal plants that repeatedly come to the rescue during times of peak demand. The repercussions of this reckless plan will be felt across the country by all Americans.”

Regan denied that the rules were aimed at shutting down the coal sector, but he acknowledged in proposing the power plant rule last year that, “We will see some coal retirements.”

The proposal relies on technologies to limit carbon pollution that the industry itself has said are viable and available, Regan said. “Multiple power companies have indicated that (carbon capture and storage) is a viable technology for the power sector today, and they are currently pursuing those CCS projects,’' he told reporters Wednesday.

Coal provided about 16% of U.S. electricity last year, down from about 45% in 2010. Natural gas provides about 43% of U.S. electricity, with the remainder from nuclear energy and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower.

Dan Brouillette, president and CEO of of the Edison Electric Institute, which represents U.S. investor-owned electric companies, said he was “disappointed” that the EPA “did not address the concerns we raised about carbon capture and storage.’' While promising, the technology “is not yet ready for full-scale, economy-wide deployment,’' said Brouillette, who served as energy secretary in President Donald Trump’s administration.

The rules initially included steps to curb emissions from existing natural gas plants, but Regan delayed that aspect of the rules until at least next year after some moderate Democrats and the gas industry warned that the plan could affect grid reliability. Regan also said he wanted to address complaints from environmental justice groups that the earlier plan allowed too much toxic air pollution from gas-fired plants near low-income and minority neighborhoods.

Even so, the rules issued Thursday complete “a historic grand slam” of major actions by the Biden administration to reduce carbon pollution, said David Doniger, a climate and clean energy expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council. The first and most important action was passage of the 2022 climate law, officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act, he said, followed by separate EPA rules targeting tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks and methane emissions from oil and gas drilling.

Together, the climate law and the suite of EPA rules “are the biggest reductions in carbon pollution we’ve ever made and will put the country on the pathway to zero out carbon emissions,’' Doniger said.

The nation still faces challenges in eliminating carbon from transportation, heavy industry and more, said Abigail Dillen, president of the environmental group Earthjustice, “but we can’t make progress on any of it without cleaning up the power plants.’'

Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, called the EPA rule “unlawful, unrealistic and unachievable,” adding that it faced a certain court challenge. The rule disregards the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that limited the agency’s ability to regulate carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act , Matheson said.

“This barrage of new EPA rules ignores our nation’s ongoing electric reliability challenges and is the wrong approach at a critical time for our nation’s energy future,” said Matheson, whose association represents 900 local electric cooperatives across the country.

The EPA rules would not mandate use of equipment to capture and store carbon emissions — a technology that is expensive and still being developed. Instead, the agency would set caps on carbon dioxide pollution that plant operators would have to meet. Some natural gas plants could start blending gas with other fuel sources that do not emit carbon, although specific actions would be left to the industry.

Still, the regulation is expected to lead to greater use of carbon capture equipment. Only a handful of projects are operating in the country despite years of research.

The EPA also tightened rules aimed at reducing wastewater pollution from coal-fired power plants and preventing harm from toxic pits of coal ash, a waste byproduct of burning coal.

Coal ash contains cancer-causing substances like arsenic and mercury that can leach into the ground, drinking water and nearby rivers and streams, harming people and killing fish. The waste is commonly stored in ponds near power plants. The EPA issued rules in 2015 to regulate active and new ponds at operating facilities, seven years after a disaster in Kingston, Tennessee, that flooded two rivers with toxic waste and destroyed property.

Environmental groups challenged that rule, arguing it left a large amount of coal ash waste unregulated by the federal government. The rule issued Thursday forces owners to safely close inactive coal ash ponds and clean up contamination.

A separate rule will reduce toxic wastewater pollution by 660 million pounds annually, according to federal officials. It’s a reversal of the Republican Trump administration’s push to loosen coal plant wastewater standards.

The Biden rule comes nearly a decade after former President Barack Obama first tried to set limits on carbon pollution from U.S. power plants. His 2015 Clean Power Plan was blocked by the Supreme Court and later rolled back by Trump. Trump’s plan was also blocked by a federal court .

Associated Press writer Michael Phillis in St. Louis contributed to this story.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the EPA at https://apnews.com/hub/us-environmental-protection-agency .

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

What the New Overtime Rule Means for Workers

One of the basic principles of the American workplace is that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. Simply put, every worker’s time has value. A cornerstone of that promise is the  Fair Labor Standards Act ’s (FLSA) requirement that when most workers work more than 40 hours in a week, they get paid more. The  Department of Labor ’s new overtime regulation is restoring and extending this promise for millions more lower-paid salaried workers in the U.S.

Overtime protections have been a critical part of the FLSA since 1938 and were established to protect workers from exploitation and to benefit workers, their families and our communities. Strong overtime protections help build America’s middle class and ensure that workers are not overworked and underpaid.

Some workers are specifically exempt from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime protections, including bona fide executive, administrative or professional employees. This exemption, typically referred to as the “EAP” exemption, applies when: 

1. An employee is paid a salary,  

2. The salary is not less than a minimum salary threshold amount, and 

3. The employee primarily performs executive, administrative or professional duties.

While the department increased the minimum salary required for the EAP exemption from overtime pay every 5 to 9 years between 1938 and 1975, long periods between increases to the salary requirement after 1975 have caused an erosion of the real value of the salary threshold, lessening its effectiveness in helping to identify exempt EAP employees.

The department’s new overtime rule was developed based on almost 30 listening sessions across the country and the final rule was issued after reviewing over 33,000 written comments. We heard from a wide variety of members of the public who shared valuable insights to help us develop this Administration’s overtime rule, including from workers who told us: “I would love the opportunity to...be compensated for time worked beyond 40 hours, or alternately be given a raise,” and “I make around $40,000 a year and most week[s] work well over 40 hours (likely in the 45-50 range). This rule change would benefit me greatly and ensure that my time is paid for!” and “Please, I would love to be paid for the extra hours I work!”

The department’s final rule, which will go into effect on July 1, 2024, will increase the standard salary level that helps define and delimit which salaried workers are entitled to overtime pay protections under the FLSA. 

Starting July 1, most salaried workers who earn less than $844 per week will become eligible for overtime pay under the final rule. And on Jan. 1, 2025, most salaried workers who make less than $1,128 per week will become eligible for overtime pay. As these changes occur, job duties will continue to determine overtime exemption status for most salaried employees.

The rule will also increase the total annual compensation requirement for highly compensated employees (who are not entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA if certain requirements are met) from $107,432 per year to $132,964 per year on July 1, 2024, and then set it equal to $151,164 per year on Jan. 1, 2025.

Starting July 1, 2027, these earnings thresholds will be updated every three years so they keep pace with changes in worker salaries, ensuring that employers can adapt more easily because they’ll know when salary updates will happen and how they’ll be calculated.

The final rule will restore and extend the right to overtime pay to many salaried workers, including workers who historically were entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA because of their lower pay or the type of work they performed. 

We urge workers and employers to visit  our website to learn more about the final rule.

Jessica Looman is the administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Follow the Wage and Hour Division on Twitter at  @WHD_DOL  and  LinkedIn .  Editor's note: This blog was edited to correct a typo (changing "administrator" to "administrative.")

• Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• overtime rule

SHARE THIS: