PFAS in Focus: Forever-Engineering With Trent Stober, HDR - Reflections on Water Podcast
On-Demand Webinar | Flood or Drought? A Discussion of the Election’s Potential Legislative Impacts on the Water Sector
[WEBINAR] Fairly (or Unfairly?) Traceable: Are Discharges Through Groundwater Subject to the Clean Water Act?
Water Rights with Eric Garner: Prescriptive Rights
Context is Crucial in Examining BLM’s Proposed Rule for Fracking On Federal Land
“Contaminants Compass” is a monthly newsletter that provides updates, legal observations and actionable tips to navigate the evolving legal challenges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This edition discusses how...more
Climate change threatens to dramatically shrink the amount of water California can deliver over the next 20 years and could significantly reduce supplies available from the State Water Project according to new projections...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday finalized tougher methane reporting standards that could increase the number of oil and gas companies that must pay fees for excess methane emissions....more
In the absence of federal cleanup standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in groundwater, several states have started the process of regulating PFAS in groundwater themselves. As a result, states have...more
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent rulemakings for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have far-reaching implications for a broad range of industries, regulated entities, and regulatory bodies. First,...more
Much has been written, including in our Burns & Levinson Legal Terrain Blog, about the impact of PFAS and similar “forever chemicals” on suits by state attorneys general and private actions to obtain funds or obtain insurance...more
On April 19, 2024, just nine days after finalizing the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard for six individual per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the Agency designated PFOA and PFOS, two...more
On April 19, 2024, EPA announced its highly anticipated final rule designating two polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS")—perfluorooctanoic acid ("PFOA") and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid ("PFOS")—as "hazardous substances" under...more
On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final rule designating perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), two of the most common and well-known per- and...more
On Friday, April 19, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of its Final Rule (the Rule) designating two widely used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) –...more
Recent peer reviewed studies have explored the potential for some per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to volatilize from groundwater and soil and enter indoor air via the vapor intrusion (VI) pathway. This research is...more
A coalition of conservation groups filed a petition on Tuesday asking the California Fish and Game Commission to protect burrowing owl populations in five parts of the state including parts of the Bay Area and the Central...more
On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed two new rules to implement the agency’s ongoing efforts to regulate PFAS. Both proposed rules relate to regulations under the Resource...more
Yet another new horizon looms for PFAS litigation. Numerous PFAS claims, like those involving deceptive trade practices due to PFAS in food packaging, seldom withstand a motion to dismiss, but the emergence of a novel...more
We have probably already read (and written) too much about the challenges of dealing with “forever chemicals” in drinking water and wastewater treatment. However, recent developments hold some hope for addressing forever...more
In the nation’s first appellate case on the issue, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday ruled that the City and County of San Francisco (City) must meet limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for...more
3M announced on Thursday that it has reached a $10.3 billion settlement with many U.S. public water systems to resolve water pollution claims tied to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as “PFAS.”...more
In the absence of federal cleanup standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in groundwater, numerous states have started the process of regulating PFAS in groundwater themselves. As a result, states have...more
On March 14, 2023, EPA proposed to regulate certain PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA proposed Maximum Contaminant Level Goals for PFOA and PFOS of zero. It proposed Maximum Contaminant Levels for PFOA and PFOS of...more
Two bills introduced in the Massachusetts legislature would ban nearly all products containing intentionally added PFAS sold or distributed in the Commonwealth by 2030, with some categories of products banned by 2026. The...more
A few hours after dinner time on Feb. 3, and approximately 20 miles following a dramatic slow-down from a speed of 50 miles per hour to about half that, a Norfolk Southern freight train consisting of 38 cars – 11 of which...more
Aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) that contain PFAS was, and in some cases still is, an effective tool for fighting fires used by the military and local firefighters to contain and control fuel-fed fires....more
In mid-December 2022, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) released Draft Guidance for Investigating and Remediating PFAS Contamination in Washington State. The Draft Guidance would apply to independent...more
On November 15, 2022, in response to a challenge by 3M, the Michigan Court of Claims invalidated the drinking water MCLs and attendant groundwater standards for several PFAS substances, including PFOA (8 parts per trillion,...more