On June 28, the Supreme Court released its opinion in Loper Bright Enterprises et. al v. Secretary of Commerce (Loper), which regulatory practitioners have been anxiously awaiting to see whether the Court would allow...more
On May 1, 2024, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) published its Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule (Rule), which is also known as the Phase 2 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rule....more
On April 25, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed four final rules representing multi-media regulation (air, water, waste, climate) for the utility sector. Individually, each rule would have been notable for...more
4/30/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Electric Generation Suppliers ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
NESHAP ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pollution Control ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Wastewater
On Friday, April 19, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of its Final Rule (the Rule) designating two widely used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) –...more
4/22/2024
/ CERCLA ,
Contamination ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Groundwater ,
Hazardous Substances ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Superfund ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
On April 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final “PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation Rulemaking” (the Rule). This marks the first time the EPA has set enforceable limits for...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken its first major action of 2024 to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across environmental media. On January 31, 2024, EPA issued pre-publication...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
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
On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the first-ever federally enforceable regulatory limits on per- and poly-flouroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in drinking water. The agency plans to finalize the...more
This alert looks at developments in environmental law that were at the forefront in 2022; the trend is expected to continue into 2023 as the Biden administration continues to act on its regulatory initiatives in the energy...more
1/20/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
NEPA ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Renewable Energy ,
Tax Credits
In 2022, health and safety agencies' focus continued to shift away from the near-constant COVID-related discussions of the past few years. COVID-19 is not in the rearview mirror, but the Biden Administration's comprehensive...more
1/10/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
SCOTUS ,
Severe Violators Enforcement Program (SVEP) ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued guidance advising states how to use National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements to restrict the discharge of per- and polyfluoroalkyl...more
12/14/2022
/ CERCLA ,
Clean Water Act ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Industrial Discharges ,
NPDES ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Toxic Chemicals
On August 26, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication copy of its long-awaited proposed rule to add the two most well-known and well-studied PFAS compounds—perflourooctanoic acid (PFOA)...more