For nearly 40 years and in more than 18,000 judicial opinions, federal courts have used the Chevron doctrine to defer to an agency's reasonable interpretation of an ambiguous statute. Under the doctrine, named for the 1984...more
5/21/2024
/ Auer Deference ,
Chevron Deference ,
Chevron v NRDC ,
Data Collection ,
Kisor v Wilkie ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
Oral Argument ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Relentless Inc v US Department of Commerce ,
SCOTUS ,
Stare Decisis ,
Statutory Interpretation
Chemical transport, tank cleaning and transportation depot operators breathed a sigh of relief in March 2024 when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dropped provisions from a proposed rule when it issued its final...more
5/3/2024
/ Chemical Spills ,
Chemicals ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Manufacturers ,
Obama Administration ,
Refineries ,
Risk Management ,
Transportation Industry ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 19, 2024, announced its Final Rule designating two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds – perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid...more
4/29/2024
/ CERCLA ,
Compliance ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Drinking Water ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Manufacturers ,
PFAS ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Water Supplies
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in October delivered a clear message to companies involved in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and their advisers: Acquiring companies will not be penalized for timely voluntary disclosure...more
The Trump Administration unveiled significant rollbacks in funding for federal agencies when it released its Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again on March 16, 2017. The President's proposed budget priorities would...more
3/25/2017
/ Budget Cuts ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Chesapeake Bay ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Clean Water Rule ,
Climate Change ,
ENERGY STAR Program ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Budget ,
Fracking ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
NOAA ,
OMB ,
Superfund ,
Tribal Lands ,
Trump Administration ,
United Nations
Earlier this year, Freedom Partners, a conservative advocacy group, released A Roadmap to Repeal containing a list of former President Barack Obama's regulations that the group argued should be repealed quickly after the...more
2/7/2017
/ Administrative Appointments ,
American Bar Association (ABA) ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of the Interior ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Judicial Appointments ,
Justice Scalia ,
Methane ,
Midnight Rules Relief ,
Neil Gorsuch ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stream Protection Rule ,
Trump Administration
In the initial week of the Trump Administration, a lot has happened and more changes are planned. Here are the highlights from Week One:
Confirmation Hearings -
Confirmation hearings were conducted for Scott Pruitt...more
1/27/2017
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
FERC ,
Freeze-Out Mergers ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Native American Issues ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pesticides ,
Pipelines ,
Public Communications ,
Renewable Fuel ,
Risk Management ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Tribal Lands ,
Trump Administration
The Maryland Court of Appeals has issued an important decision broadly upholding county stormwater permits issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). The court's unanimous decision, authored by Judge Sally...more
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) issued its final policy on May 7, 2015, regarding the review and processing of applications for the export of oil and natural gas from offshore deepwater port facilities under the Deepwater...more
5/12/2015
/ Coast Guard ,
DWPA ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
FERC ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
MARAD ,
Maritime Transport ,
Natural Gas Act ,
NEPA ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas
Recently passed spending legislation dramatically increased the amount that individual donors may give to the National Party Committee accounts used to fund party conventions, construction and legal challenges. Specifically,...more
Earlier this year, while Washington was fixated on former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee Lois Lerner and her missing emails, her former employer quietly denied the application for exemption of an organization seeking...more
Today, the Obama Administration issued revised guidance regarding federal lobbyists serving on federal advisory boards and commissions. Now, instead of a total ban, federal lobbyists will be able to serve in a...more
Thinking of hiring a former federal government official? Better know the post-employment rules and restrictions:
Lifetime Ban - Former Executive Branch Employees and Officials may not "switch sides" in relation to a...more
EPA's proposed rule is focused on limiting the carbon intensity of fossil fuel-fired power plants (commonly referred to as electric generating units or EGUs) by adopting goals to limit overall carbon dioxide (CO2)...more
6/10/2014
/ Barack Obama ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Plants ,
Public Comment ,
Renewable Energy ,
RGGI
In the most significant campaign finance decision since Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court today struck down the Federal Election Commission's biennial aggregate limits. In McCutcheon v. FEC, the Court left in place...more