A California Superior Court judge ruled last week that Sonoma County must do more to ensure responsible groundwater pumping under the state’s Public Trust Doctrine, which holds that rivers, creeks, and other waterways are...more
8/30/2024
/ California ,
Dams ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Groundwater ,
Landfills ,
Lead ,
Methane ,
Oil & Gas ,
Salmon ,
SCAQMD ,
Water Quality Control Boards
The city of Fresno announced this week that Shell USA, Dow Chemical, and other oil and chemical companies have agreed to pay the city $230 million to settle the city’s 2007 lawsuit against them for allegedly contaminating...more
8/9/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Contamination ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Dow Chemical ,
Drinking Water ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pesticides ,
PFAS ,
Pipelines ,
Pollution Control ,
Public Health ,
Shell Oil ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Water Conservation
Chemical and manufacturing groups sued the federal government on Monday over a landmark drinking water standard that would require cleanup of certain PFAS, so-called forever chemicals, which have been linked to cancer and...more
6/17/2024
/ Agricultural Land ,
Air Quality Standards ,
California ,
California Fish and Game Commission ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Contamination ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Insecticide ,
Landfills ,
PFAS ,
Safe Drinking Water Act
A new lawsuit filed in April by public drinking water systems in California against manufacturers of “forever chemicals” is among the first to cite new Biden administration EPA regulations that set strict limits for the...more
5/6/2024
/ California ,
CEQ ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Joe Biden ,
Lead ,
National Parks ,
NEPA ,
PFAS ,
San Francisco ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Waste Disposal
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today designated two types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have been used in cookware, carpets, and firefighting foams as hazardous substances, an action...more
Most U.S. cities would have to replace lead water pipes within 10 years under strict new rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the Biden administration moves to reduce lead in drinking water and...more
12/4/2023
/ California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Contamination ,
Drinking Water ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Flood Zones ,
Lead ,
Refineries ,
State Department of Fish and Wildlife
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule that will provide the agency, its partners, and the public with a dataset of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) manufactured and used in the...more
10/9/2023
/ Air Quality Standards ,
California ,
Clean Water Act ,
Drinking Water ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Oil Wells ,
PFAS ,
State and Local Government ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Wastewater
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week that it would investigate the California State Water Resources Control Board (Board) after some Native American tribes and environmental groups complained the...more
Twenty-two attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, urged a federal court this Wednesday to reject a proposed $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of U.S. public drinking water systems with...more
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association said on Thursday that they had reached an agreement, referred to as the "Clean Truck Partnership," that gives new flexibility for...more
7/10/2023
/ Automotive Industry ,
California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Contamination ,
Disclosure ,
Drinking Water ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Landfills ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pension Funds ,
PFAS ,
State and Local Government ,
Trucking Industry
A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate seeks to protect composting, recycling, and garbage facilities from cleanup cost liability if they receive and manage solid waste or biosolids containing PFAS compounds....more
Relying on the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to block recently adopted executive branch regulations, Congress on Wednesday approved a resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s planned protections for...more
4/3/2023
/ California ,
CERCLA ,
Clean Water Act ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Drinking Water ,
Drought ,
Joe Biden ,
PFAS ,
State and Local Government ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last Tuesday proposed the first federal limits on certain PFAS compounds in drinking water, a long-awaited protection the agency said will save thousands of lives and prevent...more
Facing an onslaught of criticism that water was “wasted” during January storms, Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday issued an executive order authorizing the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to “consider modifying”...more
The Biden administration today finalized its definition of which wetlands and waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act. The rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers...more
1/3/2023
/ California ,
Clean Water Act ,
Contamination ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Improper Disposal ,
Monsanto ,
Natural Resources ,
PFAS ,
State and Local Government ,
Toxic Chemicals
California becomes first state to test drinking water for microplastics - San Francisco Chronicle – September 7 - On Wednesday, California became the first state to begin requiring water agencies to test for microplastics,...more
9/13/2022
/ Air Pollution ,
Air Quality Standards ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
Clean Water Act ,
Contamination ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Violations ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Oil Spills
EPA health advisory for PFAS compounds spurs lawsuit Bullet E&E News - July 14 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s dramatic new health advisory for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is facing a lawsuit from a...more
Supreme Court restricts EPA's authority to mandate carbon emissions reductions - Associated Press - June 30 - In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited the extent of the U.S....more
7/5/2022
/ California ,
California Air Resources Board ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Drinking Water ,
Drought ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Regulatory Authority ,
SCOTUS ,
Water Supplies ,
Wealth Tax ,
West Virginia v EPA
EPA sets stringent standards for PFAS in drinking water Bullet E&E News - June 15 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 15 announced new drinking water “health advisories” for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl...more
6/27/2022
/ CA Supreme Court ,
California Endangered Species Act ,
CEQA ,
Climate Change ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Monsanto ,
PFAS ,
Proposition 65
Supreme Court reinstates Trump-era water rule, for now Bullet Associated Press - April 6 The Supreme Court this Wednesday reinstated a Trump-era rule curtailing the power of states and Native American tribes to block...more
California plan would pay farmers to grow less to save water - Bullet Associated Press - March 29 - Under a new $2.9 billion plan announced on Tuesday, California would pay farmers not to plant thousands of acres of land in...more
SEC proposes new corporate climate change disclosure rules Bullet Associated Press - March 21 Under a new proposal issued on Monday by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), public companies would have to disclose...more
Climate change threatens nearly one third of U.S. hazardous chemical facilities -
NPR – March 2 -
Nearly one third of the hazardous chemical facilities in the United States, including many sites in California, are at...more
UC study finds safe drinking water remains out of reach for many Californians -
NBC Bay Area – January 12 -
An estimated 371,000 Californians -- about 1% of the state's residents -- rely on drinking water that may contain...more
1/14/2022
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Aviation Industry ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Farms ,
Governor Newsom ,
Herbicides ,
Pollution Control ,
Water Supplies
Walmart sued for alleged dumping of hazardous waste in California landfills -
Los Angeles Times – December 20 -
A lawsuit filed last Monday in Alameda County Superior Court by the California attorney general and a...more