The U. S. House Committee on Natural Resources hearing held on Thursday, June 15, 2023, was singularly focused on H.R. 3397, sponsored by Rep. John R. Curtis (R-UT-3), which requires the Director of the Bureau of Land...more
On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, the Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing titled “Examining the Biden Administration’s Efforts to Limit Access to Public Lands.” In...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued a Request For Applications (RFA) on January 10, 2023, for projects “supporting community-based nonprofit organizations (CBO’s) in their efforts to collaborate and...more
Further building upon its Environmental Justice (EJ) Legal Tools, on January 11, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) released the Cumulative Impacts Addendum updating its existing legal guidance for...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced on January 6, 2023, that it is proposing to modify the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5). The current annual primary...more
On May 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (“USDOJ”) announced the launch of a new comprehensive environmental justice (“EJ”) strategy. The three-prong strategy, as laid out by the U.S. Attorney General in an internal...more
On February 7, 2022, Sierra Club, et al. filed a Notice of Intent to File Suit (“NOI”) over the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency’s (“USEPA”) supposed failure to perform its duties under the Clean Air Act (“CAA”)...more
Arizona’s Senior U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema is credited as being instrumental in negotiating the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, H.R. 3684, entitled “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface...more
8/11/2021
/ Airports ,
Broadband ,
Clean Energy ,
Contamination ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Drinking Water ,
Drought ,
Energy Sector ,
Infrastructure ,
Infrastructure Financing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
PFAS ,
Power Grid ,
Power Infrastructure ,
Transportation Industry ,
Wastewater ,
Water ,
Wildfires
On January 9, 2020, the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest (“ACLIPI”), on behalf of several individuals, filed with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (“Court”) a Petition for Review (“Petition”) of the United...more
In its June 25, 2021 Press Release, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) presented its plan for utilizing $50 million dollars, allocated to the agency under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021/Covid-19 stimulus...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (“USEPA”) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (“OECA”) released July 1, 2021 guidance establishing a process on which it will rely upon to advance its’ Environment Justice...more
We all have been waiting to see what new course or approach will be taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) in regard to environmental justice. Rather than a major new program or enforcement initiative,...more
The Arizona’s First Regular Session of the 55th Legislature has been moving along at a pretty fast and steady pace. A total of 40 bills have already been sent to the Governor’s desk; and 32 of those have been signed into law...more
3/1/2021
/ Air Quality Standards ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Groundwater ,
Mining ,
Natural Resources ,
Permits ,
Underground Injection Wells ,
Underground Storage Tanks ,
Water ,
Water Conservation ,
Water Supplies
As of August 10, 2020, with the signing of Secretary’s Order 3382 by the U.S. Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt, Grand Junction, Colorado is officially the new home to the headquarters for the Bureau of Land Management...more
There is no question that the Coronavirus Disease 19 (“COVID-19”) pandemic has been taking its toll on public health, and it is doing so in more ways than some folks may be aware. Environmental programs which are instrumental...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) announced yesterday that it is proposing to retain the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards (“NAAQS”) for fine particulate matter (“PM2.5?) and course particulate...more
Consuming the forest in a red blaze just about a mile north of downtown Flagstaff, the Museum Fire Wildfire had many Arizonans on edge, especially fire management officials. Flagstaff is a popular destination year-round, and...more
The Arizona Legislature is on the cusp of passing legislation that will expand the days on which consumer fireworks are permitted for sale and use in Arizona. However, what some may think will serve as a boom for sales, just...more
Just as a state’s economic development and growth is impacted by its ability to build and maintain its highways and bridges and improve its transportation systems, so too is its air quality. After all, transportation...more
3/14/2019
/ Air Pollution ,
Air Quality Standards ,
Alternative Fuels ,
Clean Air Act ,
Economic Development ,
Fuel Tax ,
Infrastructure Financing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Motor Vehicles ,
NAAQS ,
Oil & Gas ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Rates ,
Transportation Industry
The Arizona Manufacturers Council (“AMC”) held its annual Environmental and Sustainability Summit (“ESS”) last month in Prescott with the best agenda, speakers, and attendance this event has had in recent years. Not that the...more
The Western Governors’ Association (“WGA”) convened for its 2017 Winter Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona on December 1-2 to discuss western policy and announce its Policy Resolutions for 2018. While discussions focused on...more
John Quincy Adams is credited with saying: “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” This is certainly apropos for Arizona in light of recent federal actions...more
We have all heard, and likely even experienced its meaning on numerous occasions, the old adage of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Finding oneself in this position is most unpleasant as it means there are no...more