The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) circulated a draft template, dated April 8, 2025, to assist federal agencies in updating their procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)....more
5/2/2025
/ Air Quality Standards ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CEQ ,
Clean Air Act ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Government Agencies ,
Kinder Morgan ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
SCOTUS ,
Water
Newly-appointed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a memo this Wednesday that the Justice Department will reverse a Biden-era directive to prioritize enforcement of environmental laws in disadvantaged and low-income...more
2/7/2025
/ Attorney General ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
Water ,
Wildfires
On Monday, January 13, 2025, California withdrew requests for Clean Air Act waivers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needed to support four recently adopted vehicle emissions regulations: 1) the Advanced...more
1/17/2025
/ Automotive Industry ,
California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Fertilizers ,
National Emissions Standards ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
SCOTUS ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
On Monday, January 13, 2025, California withdrew requests for Clean Air Act waivers from the EPA needed to support four recently adopted vehicle emissions regulations: 1) the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulations; 2) the In-Use...more
The White House announced on Monday that President Joe Biden would ban new offshore oil and gas drilling along most of the U.S. coastline. The order will protect 625 million acres of ocean along America’s Atlantic and Pacific...more
1/10/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Recycling ,
Water
On December 12, 2024, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released its draft Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan (Draft Conservation Plan) to the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission), as required by...more
12/23/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
California ,
California Fish and Game Commission ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Conservation ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Donald Trump ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Landfills ,
State and Local Government ,
Well Drilling
Two weeks after setting a nationwide deadline for removal of lead pipes, the Biden administration is imposing strict new limits on dust from lead-based paint in older homes and child-care facilities....more
11/4/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Lead Paint ,
Net Zero ,
Plastics ,
Popular ,
Recycling ,
Refineries ,
State and Local Government ,
Wal-Mart
Climate change threatens to dramatically shrink the amount of water California can deliver over the next 20 years and could significantly reduce supplies available from the State Water Project according to new projections...more
8/5/2024
/ Agricultural Land ,
California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Water Resources ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Groundwater ,
Landfills ,
Reclamation ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
An environmental advocacy organization on July 23 filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles over the Port of L.A.'s stormwater treatment system. At issue is a 53-acre portion of the port on Terminal Island where...more
7/29/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Water Act ,
Desalination ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Storm Water ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Waste Treatment Facilities ,
Water Pollution
A report published last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that the former Exide Technologies battery recycling plant and surrounding properties in southeast Los Angeles County qualify for...more
7/15/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
Batteries ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CERCLA ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Oil Wells ,
Recycling ,
Regulatory Mandates ,
Superfund ,
U.S. Navy ,
Warehouses ,
Water Resources Control Board
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
Plans to build the largest new reservoir in California in 50 years have taken a significant step forward following a judge’s decision last Friday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by environmental groups challenging the adequacy of...more
6/10/2024
/ California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CEQA ,
Department of Toxic Substances Control ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Industrial Discharges ,
NOAA ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Water Pollution ,
Water Quality
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to consider whether federal and state agencies must clearly define limits on wastewater pollution when issuing discharge permits. The high court took up the City of San Francisco’s...more
6/3/2024
/ Activist ,
Biden Administration ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
Oil & Gas ,
Plastics ,
SCOTUS ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Wastewater
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday finalized tougher methane reporting standards that could increase the number of oil and gas companies that must pay fees for excess methane emissions....more
5/14/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Dams ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Flood Control ,
Flooding ,
Groundwater ,
Methane ,
NOAA ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Storm Water ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a goal to protect and restore 8 million acres of wetlands over the next six years in an effort to counter development pressures and recently weakened federal regulations. The new...more
4/29/2024
/ California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Water Act ,
Coal Mines ,
Dams ,
Department of the Interior ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
State and Local Government ,
Wetlands
The Biden administration issued a final rule this Wednesday aimed at curbing methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on federal and tribal lands. Adoption of the rule is its latest action to crack down on emissions of...more
4/1/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Cross-Border ,
Department of the Interior ,
Department of Water Resources ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Methane ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Well Drilling
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, California Chamber of Commerce, American Farm Bureau Federation, and other groups sued California on Tuesday in federal court over the most sweeping climate disclosure mandates in the nation,...more
2/5/2024
/ Agricultural Sector ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Dams ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Governor Newsom ,
PFAS ,
Salmon ,
State and Local Government ,
US-Mexico Border Wall ,
Wastewater
A California appellate panel has handed environmental and community groups a legal victory in their decades-long dispute with the Port of Los Angeles over its failure to enforce air pollution controls at China Shipping's...more
1/29/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
China ,
Coal ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Lithium Batteries ,
Shipping Cargo ,
Waste Management ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
In a new study, researchers from NYU, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Defend Our Health have estimated the costs of plastic exposure on the U.S. healthcare system. In 2018, several common endocrine disruptors, a...more
1/22/2024
/ California ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Drought ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Methane ,
Oil & Gas ,
State and Local Government ,
Waste ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Water Supplies
A San Jerardo cooperative in the Salinas area, together with environmental organizations, have sued the state, demanding stricter rules to govern the amount of fertilizer farmers can use. They allege that nitrate...more
1/8/2024
/ California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Dams ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Policies ,
Farmers ,
Fertilizers ,
Food Supply ,
State and Local Government ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Water Quality Control Boards ,
Water Resources Control Board
Truck engine maker Cummins Inc. has agreed in principle to pay a $1.675 billion civil penalty for installing devices on hundreds of thousands of engines to allow them to emit excess pollution. According to the U.S. Department...more
1/8/2024
/ California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Marine Life Protections ,
Pesticides ,
State and Local Government ,
Trucking Industry ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Well Drilling
The power to enforce a rule intended to slash air pollution associated with warehouses could one day rest in the hands of citizens who are willing to go to federal court. Several Inland members of Congress recently signed a...more
12/11/2023
/ Air Pollution ,
Air Quality Standards ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Methane ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
Pipelines ,
Reclaimed Water ,
Tribal Lands ,
Water Rights
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) on Monday proposed banning the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene (TCE), which can be found in consumer products including automobile brake cleaners, furniture care, and...more
10/30/2023
/ California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Department of the Interior ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Forestry ,
PFAS ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Water Conservation ,
Water Quality ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
The California 2023 Legislative Session ended on September 14, 2023 and presented Governor Gavin Newsom with several important changes to California’s water-related statutes. Newsom had until October 14, 2023 to sign all...more
10/23/2023
/ Air Pollution ,
Aircraft ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
PFAS ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rising Sea Levels ,
State and Local Government ,
Water Resources Control Board