On June 28, in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the Supreme Court overruled its landmark decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which gave rise to the Chevron doctrine. The Chevron case, decided in...more
With Gov. Jared Polis’ signature on SB 81, Colorado has broadened its restrictions on products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) to include a wide range of consumer products. Colorado...more
It has been a busy month for federal developments concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). On April 19, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) made headlines again, announcing the prepublication...more
On Feb. 8, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released two proposed rules addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”). One proposed...more
The Tenth Circuit became the second federal appellate court—after the Ninth Circuit—to analyze how federal district courts should evaluate whether a discharge of pollutants to groundwater is the “functional equivalent” of a...more
On Nov. 13, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) final rule went into effect requiring companies to report the manufacture or import of per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), also known as...more
12/19/2023
/ CERCLA ,
Contamination ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
PFAS ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Imagine it’s August 2024 and you just got the dreaded news from a colleague that a government agency suspects that there are hazardous substances on a new property your company just bought. Even worse, your colleague just...more
On Aug. 29, 2023, the Biden administration issued a prepublication version of yet another final Clean Water Act rule (“Conforming Rule”) revising the definition of “waters of the United States” (“WOTUS”) in response to the...more
9/1/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Jurisdiction ,
Inland Waterways ,
Navigable Waters ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Sackett ,
Sackett v EPA ,
SCOTUS ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States ,
Wetlands
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Spring 2023 Unified Agenda, released on June 13, 2023, extends EPA’s estimated publication of a final rule designating certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—namely...more
6/16/2023
/ CERCLA ,
Contamination ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Liability ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
Biden Administration Publishes Final WOTUS Rule In Advance of Supreme Court’s WOTUS Decision In Sackett v. EPA Yesterday, the Biden Administration published a final rule (Final Rule) revising the definition of “waters of the...more
On Nov. 14, 2022, the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) adopted new regulations to authorize and guide water suppliers in implementing Direct Potable Reuse (DPR). DPR is the process of directly connecting fully...more
Maui has finally made its way to Colorado. In what appears to be the first application of County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund, 140 S. Ct. 1462 (2020) in the state, the District of Colorado recently held that certain...more
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed AB 2247, which would have required registration of all goods containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), but signed AB 2771 and AB 1817, which will restrict...more
In a continuing effort to address concerns surrounding consumer goods containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a broad class of chemicals commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” the California...more
In 2022, Colorado joined a growing list of states seeking to regulate the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in consumer products. The Colorado General Assembly enacted House Bill 22-1345, the PFAS...more
The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) recently released a draft updated Colorado Water Plan to be finalized in early 2023 (Draft Plan). The Draft Plan continues to project a water supply gap resulting from hotter and...more
More changes are ahead for entities seeking federal authorization for projects that may impact waters of the United States. On June 9, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published a proposed rule that would...more
Entities seeking federal authorization for infrastructure projects that may impact waters of the United States must obtain a Section 401 certification under the Trump administration’s narrowed Section 401 certification...more
Proposed regulatory changes will increase the extent of lands throughout the country that will be designated, and regulated, as wetlands. On June 9, 2021, the Department of the Army and the Environmental Protection Agency...more
6/11/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Water Act ,
Clean Water Rule ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Groundwater ,
Navigable Waters ,
Navigable Waters Protection Rule ,
Storm Water ,
Surface Water ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States
The proper definition of “waters of the United States” is fiercely debated, and debatable. The Trump administration’s foray into the definition—the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (“NWPR”)—was issued in mid-2020 and...more
On Aug. 11, 2020, a federal district court overturned the Trump administration’s 2017 interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”). The MBTA implements four international conservation treaties and is intended to...more
On June 19, 2020, Judge William Martinez of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado entered an administrative stay of the recently issued Clean Water Act (“CWA”) rule that reduces the ambit of waters within the...more
Being able to move oil and gas to markets is a priority for all exploration and production companies, and their distributors, and customers. Yesterday, a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana,...more
The U.S. Supreme Court issued on April 23, 2020, a significant and controversial Clean Water Act (“CWA”) decision in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund et al. As summarized previously, the issue presented was whether the...more
4/28/2020
/ Appeals ,
Clean Water Act ,
Direct Discharge ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Functional Equivalent ,
Groundwater ,
Hawaii Wildlife Fund v County of Maui ,
Navigable Waters ,
Permits ,
Point Sources ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Vacated ,
Waters of the United States
Supreme Court Upends Half-Century Standard for Handling Confidential Commercial Information Under the Freedom of Information Act -
Businesses that provide sensitive commercial or financial information to the federal...more
7/19/2019
/ Appeals ,
Confidential Information ,
Congressional Intent ,
Exemptions ,
FOIA ,
Food Marketing Institute v Argus Leader Media ,
Motion to Compel ,
Private Commercial or Financial Information ,
Protected Disclosures ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
SNAP Program ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Substantial-Competitive-Harm Test ,
Trade Secrets ,
USDA