California approves a wave of aggressive new climate measures - Bullet The New York Times – September 1 - California lawmakers passed a flurry of new climate bills on Wednesday, including a record $54 billion in climate...more
EPA proposes designating certain PFAS 'forever chemicals' as hazardous substances - CNN – August 26 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it proposes to designate certain per-and...more
California’s top environmental regulator leaving Newsom administration Bullet Associated Press – August 12 Jared Blumenfeld, head of California's Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and a key climate adviser to Governor...more
Governor Newsom calls for boosting water supply projects to curb California drought and climate change - The Vacaville Reporter – August 11 Governor Gavin Newsom released a broad plan on August 11 seeking to expand...more
Sonoma County vintner to pay $925,000 in environmental damage settlement Bullet The Press Democrat – July 31 The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office last Friday announced that a $925,000 settlement had been reached with...more
Senators strike deal on proposed $369B climate bill - E&E News – July 28 - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin on Wednesday announced proposed legislation that includes...more
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reverses changes to Endangered Species Act’s habitat rule -
Associated Press - July 20 -
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on Wednesday canceled a Trump administration policy...more
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
California federal judge rejects Trump-era changes that weakened Endangered Species Act Bullet CNBC - July 5 A California federal judge on Tuesday rejected Trump-era changes to the Endangered Species Act that made it harder...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
Ninth Circuit blocks permits for hydraulic fracturing off California coast Bullet Los Angeles Times - June 3 The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last Friday blocked hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, off...more
6/13/2022
/ CEQA ,
Climate Change ,
Coastal Real Estate ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
Fracking ,
NAAQS ,
Oil & Gas ,
Water Resources Control Board
EPA moves to give states and tribes more power to protect water - Associated Press - June 2 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday proposed to undo a Trump-era rule limiting the power of states and...more
6/3/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
California Endangered Species Act ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Drought ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Pesticides ,
Tribal Lands ,
Water Supplies
California adopts emergency water conservation regulations Bullet Los Angeles Times - May 24 The State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday voted to adopt emergency drought rules that increase conservation requirements...more
City of San Diego sues 20-plus companies to force cleanup of PFAS contamination Bullet Times of San Diego - May 11 The San Diego City Attorney’s Office filed suit last Wednesday against more than 20 chemical companies for...more
Southland air regulators threaten to sue EPA for failure to control federally-regulated emissions sources Bullet - Los Angeles Times - May 10 - The South Coast Air Quality Management District (District), which oversees a...more
5/16/2022
/ Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
California Coastal Commission ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Toxic Substances Control ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Governor Newsom ,
Oil & Gas ,
Public Comment
Biden to crack down on polluters in poor and minority communities Bullet Associated Press - May 5 The Biden administration on Thursday announced a wide-ranging enforcement strategy aimed at holding industrial polluters...more
California attorney general subpoenas ExxonMobil, opens major investigation into plastic pollution -
The Mercury News - April 28 -
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday announced a major investigation into...more
5/2/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
California Air Resources Board ,
California Coastal Commission ,
Drought ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Policies ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pollution Control ,
Popular ,
State Attorneys General ,
Water Supplies
Biden restores stricter environmental review of big projects under NEPA Bullet Associated Press - April 19 The Biden administration is restoring federal regulations that require rigorous environmental review of major...more
California unveils proposed measure to ban new gasoline-fueled cars Bullet The Mercury News - April 13 The California Air Resources Board (CARB) on Wednesday unveiled a far-reaching proposal requiring a ramp-up in sales of...more
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
In last year’s Land Use, Environmental & Natural Resources Update 2021 Update, we reported on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in County of Maui v. Hawai’i Wildlife Fund (County of Maui), 590 U.S. __; 140 S. Ct. 2778 (2020),...more
Appeals court halts ruling blocking Biden climate metric -
The Hill - March 16 -
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday halted a lower court’s ruling that prevented the Biden administration from factoring the...more