This year – 2022 – may finally be the year that the effort to modernize safety standards in the U.S. for cosmetics and other personal care products, which has been ongoing since 2013, comes to fruition. If so, the new...more
1/27/2022
/ Best Practices ,
Cosmetics ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Personal Care Products ,
PFAS ,
Preemption ,
Product Labels ,
Product Recalls ,
Proposition 65 ,
REACH ,
State Bans ,
Toxic Chemicals
Near- and Longer-Term Objectives Expected to Impact Wide Range of Industries -
On October 18, 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021-2024. For...more
10/22/2021
/ CERCLA ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Drinking Water ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
NPDES ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Emphasis on Environmental Justice and Climate Change -
The EPA's draft Strategic Plan provides the key to understanding the agency's priority goals and initiatives, including Climate Change and Environmental Justice...more
10/21/2021
/ CERCLA ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
NEPA ,
RCRA ,
Safe Drinking Water Act ,
Site Remediation ,
Strategic Planning ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Designation of PFOA as a Carcinogen Will Increase Litigation Risks and Expand Proposition 65 Labeling Obligations -
On March 19, 2021, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced that...more
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Enjoined from Using NWP 12 to Authorize “Utility Line Activities” in Jurisdictional Waters -
On April 15, 2020, a federal district court in Montana invalidated the United States Army Corps of...more
Rekindling the Flame: Oil & Gas Securitizations -
A number of recent structurings of investment-grade rated securitizations of oil and gas wells are sparking conversations in the U.S. upstream oil and gas industry about...more
12/20/2019
/ Arbitration ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Green Buildings ,
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
Securitization ,
Service Contracts ,
Structured Finance
The newly-released movie Dark Waters, starring A-list actors Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway, has increased public attention on a group of emerging chemicals called Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). This increased...more
11/26/2019
/ Clean Water Act ,
Dark Waters ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
PFAS ,
State Legislatures ,
Toxic Chemicals
The IMO and the Price of Gas or The Impact of the International Maritime Organisation’s Sulphur 2020 Limit for Marine Fuel Oil on the Price of Gas -
The main bunker fuel for ships is High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO, with...more
11/20/2019
/ Customs ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FERC ,
Fuel Supply ,
Gas Prices ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Maritime Transport ,
Market Based Approach ,
Natural Gas ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Shipping ,
Utilities Sector ,
Utility Rates ,
Waters of the United States
On Tuesday, October 22, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a final rule repealing the Obama Administration’s 2015 “WOTUS” rule, which set new and more expansive...more
Texas Supreme Court Finds Anadarko is Entitled to Over $100 Million in Deepwater Horizon Defense Costs Based on Undefined Term in Insurance Policy -
Insurance coverage litigation arising out of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon...more
The scope of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”) has vexed the courts and lead agencies for over a decade. In one of the most significant environmental cases this year, on February 19, 2019, the Supreme Court granted the petition for...more
2/22/2019
/ Certiorari ,
Clean Water Act ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Navigable Waters ,
NPDES ,
Point Sources ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
SCOTUS ,
Waters of the United States ,
Wetlands
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) recently issued new regulations for managing pharmaceutical waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”). The rules specify new requirements for hazardous...more
2/20/2019
/ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FDA Approval ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
New Regulations ,
New Rules ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
RCRA ,
Small Generators ,
Solid Waste ,
Waste Management
On February 14, 2019, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published its long-awaited “action plan” intended to address potential risks posed by Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”).
PFAS are a...more
2/15/2019
/ CERCLA ,
Contamination ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Hazardous Substances ,
National Action Plan ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Safe Drinking Water Act ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Water Supplies
Clean Water Agencies Propose to Redefine and Limit “Waters of the United States” -
The United States EPA and the United States Army Corps of Engineers are proposing to redefine—and significantly limit—the scope of “Waters...more
The United States EPA and the United States Army Corps of Engineers are proposing to redefine—and significantly limit—the scope of “Waters of the United States” (“WOTUS”) that are subject to federal jurisdiction under the...more
A Texas Federal Judge Turns Up the Heat on Oil Companies Facing Climate Change-Related Securities Class Actions -
On August 14, 2018, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a...more
9/17/2018
/ Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
EU ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Fuel Standards ,
Hydropower ,
Oil & Gas ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia ,
Shareholders ,
Waste Management ,
Waters of the United States ,
Wind Power
On Friday, August 31, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia unexpectedly granted a request to issue its mandate expeditiously following its decision regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s...more
On August 17, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia vacated an Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”)rule delaying the effective date of the Obama administration’s final rule updating EPA’s Risk...more
Injecting yet more confusion into the ongoing saga of the Waters of the United States (“WOTUS”) Rule, on August 16, 2018, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina enjoined the WOTUS “Suspension...more
On July 12, 2018, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (“USACE”) published a “Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” soliciting additional comments on...more
Courts Hold Clean Water Act Regulates Discharges through Groundwater, as Congress and Regulators Consider Responses -
The Ninth Circuit and Fourth Circuit have joined a growing number of lower courts finding that the...more
5/14/2018
/ Clean Water Act ,
Energy Sector ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Groundwater ,
Infrastructure ,
Insurance Industry ,
Liens ,
Mexico ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Wells ,
Private Funds
The Ninth Circuit and Fourth Circuit have joined a growing number of lower courts finding that the Clean Water Act (“CWA” or the “Act”) regulates discharges to groundwater that serves as a conduit between a point source and...more
A recent 2-1 decision from the Fourth Circuit has expanded potential liability under the Clean Water Act (“CWA” or the “Act”):
— The Fourth Circuit became the second appellate court in as many months to adopt the “conduit”...more
Good news at last for the development of offshore wind projects in France -
While France had launched in 2011 a very ambitious offshore wind farm development program, aiming to reach 6 GMW of wind turbine installations at...more
3/14/2018
/ Arbitration ,
Canada ,
Clean Water Act ,
Construction Industry ,
Duty of Care ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FERC ,
France ,
Groundwater ,
Offshore Wind ,
Pipelines ,
Subsidiaries ,
UK ,
Wind Power
A recent Ninth Circuit decision has expanded Clean Water Act (“CWA” or the “Act”) liability, holding that discharges to groundwater are actionable if there is a “fairly traceable” connection between the groundwater discharge...more