On June 9, 2021, in a move that came as a surprise only for its delay in being announced and not at all in the substance of the announcement itself, the EPA and US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced their intent to...more
Pummeled by the pandemic, but still standing, Arizona’s hospitality industry received a legislative boost on Monday, May 17, 2021, when the state legislature passed HB 2773, allowing Arizona restaurants and bars to sell...more
On April 27, 2021 Governor Doug Ducey sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin requesting the Department of Defense (DOD) identify and treat water in Arizona contaminated in the areas surrounding four defense...more
On April 19, 2021, America’s civil space program – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) made history when its Mars Ingenuity helicopter made the first ever powered, controlled flight on another planet. ...more
On February 23, 2021 the US Air Force issued a press release announcing its distribution of bottled water to homeowners and businesses immediately east of Luke Air Force Base following the discovery of Perfluoroctanoic (PFOA)...more
William Butler Yeats wrote of the Irish that they have “an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustains them through temporary periods of joy.” These past 12 months have seen too infrequent periods of joy.
However, as we...more
Consistent with his campaign promises to establish a diverse cabinet and leadership team, representative of both the national community and his own philosophy on environmental, energy and climate change issues, President...more
2/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Natural Resources ,
Presidential Nominations
Three weeks into the administration of President Biden and Vice-President Harris, early indications suggest a commitment to maintaining campaign promises with respect to numerous energy and environmental-related issues...more
On January 14, 2021, Colorado published its Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap, representing the most substantive planning process the state has ever undertaken on climate leadership, pollution reduction and clean...more
On January 14, the Federal Aviation Administration approved the first fully automated commercial drone flights by granting Massachusetts-based American Robotics, Inc. permission to operate drones without hands-on piloting and...more
2/2/2021
/ Airspace ,
Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) ,
Commercial Use ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drones ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Part 107 ,
Popular ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ,
Vaccinations ,
Waivers
On January 13, 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced revisions to its Nationwide Permit (NWP) Program under the Clean Water Act. The final rule reissues 12 existing NWPs and creates four new NWPs.
Major...more
As the page is turned on 2020 and some hope exists with respect to a COVID-19 vaccine, Arizona finds itself with the dubious distinction of leading the nation in COVID-19 cases per 100,000. Against this regrettable backdrop,...more
On January 5, 2021, Governor Ducey announced the allocation of $2 million in additional funding to assist local restaurants and other dining establishments expand outdoor dining, protect patrons and staff, and limit the...more
On December 18, 2020, EPA issued interim guidance... designed to protect the public from exposure to emerging chemicals of concern. More particularly, that interim guidance outlines the current state of science on techniques...more
Declaring that the days of a one-size-fits-all approach to environmental remediation are over, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 2, 2020, the creation of a new office Mountains, Deserts, and...more
by Patrick J. Paul On August 20, 2020, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) required the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to issue at least one medical marijuana license in...more
On August 20, 2020, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) required the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to issue at least one medical marijuana license in counties without a...more
Traditionally, Labor Day weekend in the United States means “back-to-school.” In this pandemic year, however, many schools remain closed indefinitely to in-person learning, while others opened early with the goal of...more
As we reported previously, researchers at Arizona State University in Tempe have been evaluating the possible link between wastewater and the spread of the coronavirus in local communities. Similar research is also being...more
In prior blogs (available here and here), we’ve reported on changes to certain federal and state environmental enforcement policies related to COVID-19. In a nutshell, these policies essentially clarified the enforcement...more
Having recently been granted an emergency Part 107 waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration, a San Francisco-based drone delivery company, Zipline, has commenced medical drone delivery for the first time in the United...more
As the case for drone use to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic, whether to enforce social distancing guidelines, announce current developments, or deliver needed medical and food supplies, grows internationally, the...more
On April 10, 2020, the U.S. EPA published “Interim Guidance on Site Field Work Decisions Due to Impacts of COVID-19.” Directed specifically to the Agency’s Regional Administrators, the interim guidance was issued for response...more
As COVID-19 continues its spread across the U.S. and globe and governments react with historic aid measures, social distance and stay at home orders, it seems opportunities for accelerated drone deployment to help with the...more
Researchers from Arizona State University are evaluating Tempe wastewater for traces of COVID-19, which could serve as an early warning system of the virus’s spread in communities. Although believed to be among the first...more