Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently signed into law sweeping energy legislation designed to ease permitting burdens on renewable energy development and address interconnection and transmission congestion in the state (the...more
5/31/2024
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Infrastructure ,
New Legislation ,
Pipelines ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Transmission Grid ,
Wind Power
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has finalized two rules to further prioritize the health of public lands and facilitate renewable energy leases: the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule and the Rights-of-Way, Leasing,...more
5/6/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Conservation ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Policies ,
Final Rules ,
Infrastructure ,
Operating Leases ,
Public Land ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
Right of Way ,
Solar Energy ,
Wind Power
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released a significantly narrowed final version of its climate disclosure rule. The approval is described in the SEC's Fact Sheet, The Enhancement and Standardization of...more
Compliance with the PM2.5 Standard: EPA proposed lowering the PM 2.5 standard earlier this year. State agency representatives confirmed that areas in each Region 7 state could struggle to comply with the reduced standard,...more
Minnesota has begun enacting substantive rules and standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In May, Minnesota enacted a PFAS statute that defines PFAS, creates a reporting requirement, and bans sale or...more
9/19/2023
/ Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Policies ,
Hazardous Substances ,
PFAS ,
Pollution Control ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
The Supreme Court clarified the scope of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule in a long-awaited decision regarding which wetlands are subject to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Declining to exercise...more
5/31/2023
/ Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Jurisdiction ,
Inland Waterways ,
Navigable Waters ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Sackett ,
Sackett v EPA ,
SCOTUS ,
Significant Nexus Test ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States ,
Wetlands
The Minnesota Legislature has passed landmark environmental legislation with far-reaching consequences for regulated industries throughout the state. The bill provides approximately $1 billion in new spending for...more
In Minnesota and around the country, agencies and legislatures are working to formally incorporate concepts of environmental justice and cumulative impacts into permitting decisions and enforcement....more
Following the goals outlined in the PFAS Blueprint (published in 2021), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) published a plan to gather data on the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Minnesota....more
10/5/2022
/ Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Policies ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Industrial Discharges ,
Industrial Sector ,
Infrastructure ,
NAICS ,
PFAS ,
Pollution Control ,
Public Health ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Waste Management
The Biden Administration has made clear that environmental justice (EJ) is a priority in all aspects of its environmental work, most recently through Department of Justice (DOJ)-led enforcement efforts. To that end, on May 5,...more
Recent action at the state and federal levels indicates more regulatory controls for phosphorous and nitrogen are coming soon. -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Nutrient Reduction Memorandum...more
On September 8, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15, which includes a suite of actions designed to address wastewater pollution under the Clean Water Act....more
9/13/2021
/ Clean Water Act ,
Comment Period ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
PFAS ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Wastewater ,
Water Pollution
Last week, in Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s first signed opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded the deliberative process privilege under exception 5 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), limiting litigants’ ability to...more