[WEBINAR] Fairly (or Unfairly?) Traceable: Are Discharges Through Groundwater Subject to the Clean Water Act?
Brazil has recently seen significant updates to solid waste management regulations at the national level. These include new regulations which address: the qualification criteria of managing entities; the qualification...more
On March 31, Circular Action Alliance (“CAA”), the Producer Responsibility Organization (“PRO”) for California, Colorado, and the only contender for PRO in Oregon, submitted the first draft of its Program Plan (“the Plan”)...more
The 81st meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (“MEPC”) of the International Maritime Organization (“IMO”) was held from March 18 to 22. Among the issues discussed were some legal inconsistencies between the...more
Massachusetts residents and businesses dispose of enough trash yearly to fill up about 31 Fenway Parks. Despite decades of government policies to reduce waste, we continue throwing away about six million tons of waste each...more
The New York Attorney General (“AG”) and New York Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner (collectively, “AG”) announced in a September 14th news release the convictions of ALPCO Recycling, Inc., Alton Plumb,...more
Lithium-ion batteries hold great promise for reducing transportation-related combustion emissions, but they also carry risk. The federal government routinely warns airline passengers about the inherent fire risk of...more
As lithium-based batteries become more prevalent in everything from electric vehicles (EVs) to industrial-scale batteries, as well as e-scooters and personal electronics, more questions arise regarding how to properly manage...more
A bill amending the Alabama Solid Wastes and Recyclable Materials Management Act by specifying when local approval of solid waste disposal permit modifications is necessary has passed both houses of the Alabama Legislature...more
On September 16, 2022, Governor Newsom signed AB 2440 and SB 1215, overhauling California's existing battery extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and expanding the state’s e-waste program. AB 2440, the Responsible...more
Late last year, California enacted significant new restrictions on products and packaging bearing recyclability claims, including the chasing-arrows symbol commonly used to connote that packaging is recyclable. In order to...more
At the end of August 2022, the California Legislature passed AB 2440 and SB 1215, overhauling the state’s existing battery extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and expanding the state’s e-waste program. AB 2440, the...more
Governor Newsom recently signed Senate Bill 54 (“SB 54”), heralding an unprecedented commitment to reducing plastic production and consumption in California. The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer...more
On March 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) released its Photovoltaics End-of-Life Action Plan. SETO’s Plan recognizes the current reality for solar PV panels that have...more
The Louisiana Supreme Court (“Court”) addressed in a January 28th Opinion an issue arising out of the Louisiana Waste Tire Program (“Program”). See Winmill Tire, LLC, et al. v. Colt, Inc., et al., 2022 WL 263004....more
The Court of Appeals of Oregon (“Court”) addressed in a January 26th opinion an issue involving the “auto dismantler exemption” (“Exemption”) to the State of Oregon’s solid waste permitting program. See PNW Metal Recycling,...more
Perhaps not as glamorous as the Times Square crystal ball, but something else drops at the start of the New Year: The threshold for mandated food waste separation and recycling by certain industrial and commercial facilities...more
The United States District Court for the District of Texas (“Court”) addressed in an August 4th Opinion issues arising out of a solid waste storage and recycling facility/shingle pile in Dallas, Texas. See Marsha Jackson v....more
The 93rd Arkansas General Assembly convened for regular session on January 11th. House Bill 1704 (“HB 1704”) would prohibit municipalities and counties from restricting the use of “auxiliary containers” except in...more
Parties to the Basel Convention are considering legally binding amendments to the Convention that would dramatically expand controls and trade bans governing international shipments of used products managed for reuse and...more
Even though Oregon is considered the third greenest state in the United States, and a national leader when it comes to recycling, Oregon’s waste-management programs are not actually recovering all of the state’s recyclable...more
The U.S. EPA announced a new major initiative called The U.S. Federal Strategy for Addressing the Global Issue of Marine Litter (October 2020). The Marine Litter initiative contains various components. It first identifies the...more
We all have them. Old computers sitting around in storage, never to be used again. Broken servers that have passed their prime. Laptops abandoned for their newer, shinier versions. And what do you do with them? If these...more
We bring you our July Insurance Update. Perhaps the biggest news this month comes out of Michigan. At a Zoom hearing on July 1, a Michigan Circuit Court judge became the first to hand down a decision on whether business...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (“Ninth Circuit”) in a May 18th unpublished opinion addressed a challenge to a Franchise Agreement between the City of Reno, Nevada, and a private company on antitrust...more
Throughout Connecticut’s legislative session, these updates highlight developments concerning environmental law and policy. The author prepares updates as Legislative Liaison of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Environmental...more