On Nov. 3, 2023, the U.S. Forest Service issued a proposed rule to amend its special use regulations to authorize carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration on National Forest System (NFS) lands (both national forests and...more
The regulation aims to minimise the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation. The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) entered into force on 29 June 2023, following publication in the Official Journal...more
USFS Seeks Comment on Array of Forest Conservation and Resilience Policy Issues - Earlier this week, the U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public...more
Lawmakers from both parties, in both houses of Congress, have proposed bills intended to speed up forest-management projects that reduce wildfire fuels, like brush and small trees, which can cause large-scale fires of the...more
Industry groups and seven states lose bid to reinstate rule limiting scope of Clean Water Act - Courthouse News Service – December 7 - Seven states and a collection of industry groups fighting to revive a Trump-era...more
Federal court rejects continued application of Trump-era water quality review rule pending adoption of alternative regulation - Courthouse News Service – October 22 - Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for...more
An agency must prepare an environmental impact statement when it fails to address expert scientific evidence that undermines its conclusions about a project’s environmental effects. An agency also must prepare an EIS when...more
U.S. Forest Service finalizes rule weakening environmental review of its projects - Bullet The Hill – November 18 - The U.S. Forest Service this Wednesday finalized its decision to weaken environmental analysis of...more
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a U.S. Forest Service plan for commercial logging of some 4,700 acres of fire-damaged Mendocino National Forest could not reasonably be interpreted as falling within a NEPA...more
California targets diesel trucks, ships for biggest pollution reductions in over a decade - Bullet Los Angeles Times – August 27 - The California Air Resources Board this Thursday adopted its biggest pollution-cutting...more
The US Supreme Court held that the National Park Service’s responsibility over the Appalachian Trail did not incorporate that land into the National Park System, leaving the Forest Service with the authority to grant the...more
Supreme Court Lifts Key Obstacle to Atlantic Coast Pipeline, but More Challenges Remain - "The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling that held up construction on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would...more
“Sometimes a complicated regulatory scheme may cause us to miss the forest for the trees, but at bottom, these cases boil down to a simple proposition: A trail is a trail, and land is land.” Justice Thomas, Opinion of the...more
The latest battlefield in the American pipeline wars is one of the most celebrated, venerable and scenic places in the United States - the Appalachian Trail. Stretching about 2,200 miles from Maine to Georgia, the Appalachian...more
On February 24, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on a critical permit needed for completion of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a controversial natural gas pipeline crossing the Appalachian Trail. Supporters of the...more
The greater sage-grouse is a chicken-like bird that is currently found in 11 western states. For more than 25 years, there has been considerable controversy concerning whether to list the greater sage-grouse for protection...more
On October 4, 2019, the Supreme Court granted review of a Fourth Circuit decision that rejected U.S. Forest Service authorization of a $7 billion natural gas pipeline. See Cowpasture River Pres. Assn v. Forest Service, 911...more
Please join Nossaman Environment & Land Use Partner Linda Larson of the Firm’s Seattle office and Nossaman Water Practice Group Associate Willis Hon for "Handling the Heat: The Evolving Nature of Washington's Wildfires," a...more
The Rosemont Copper Project suffered a shocking setback with a July 31, 2019 order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in Center for Biological Diversity, et al., v. United States Fish & Wildlife...more
On June 13, the US Forest Service announced a proposal to streamline environmental review of proposed projects on National Forest System land. The proposed rule would modify the agency’s regulations implementing the National...more
The Arkansas Forestry Association (“AFA”) announced it is holding a workshop titled: Technology in the Forest Workshop (“Workshop”) ...more
Those who closely watch the current White House pay particular attention to one Twitter handle: @realDonaldTrump. President Trump is not the first US president to use Twitter to communicate to the country. But I think it’s...more
The Environmental Protection Agency announced, in a 121-page prepublication decision on December 1, 2017, that it will not issue final regulations under Section 108(b) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Trump EPA pick: still 'some debate' over human role in climate change - The Guardian - Jan 18 - During a combative Senate confirmation hearing this week, Scott Pruitt,...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Community and environmental groups sue South Coast Air District over rules adoption - Los Angeles Times - Mar 9 - Community groups and environmentalists filed suit this week...more