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
Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen significant environmental bills over the weekend, including a first-in-the-nation law requiring corporations doing business in California with more than $1 billion a year in...more
10/16/2023
/ Air Quality Standards ,
California ,
Fines ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
New Legislation ,
Oil Spills ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Public Notice ,
State and Local Government ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Water Supplies
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
Macy’s has been ordered to pay $1.6 million for environmental violations across its 98 California stores to settle a lawsuit filed by district attorneys from 25 California counties and two city attorneys. Macy’s “illegally...more
10/2/2023
/ Air Quality Standards ,
California ,
Clean Air Act ,
Dams ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
eBay ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Landfills ,
Macy's ,
Oil Spills ,
Pesticides ,
State and Local Government ,
Warehouses
The Biden administration is restoring significant state and tribal authority over water resources and expanding their leverage on infrastructure permitting decisions, including for pipelines. With a final rule announced this...more
9/21/2023
/ California ,
Clean Water Act ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Gas Leaks ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Kaiser Permanente ,
Oil & Gas ,
State and Local Government ,
Tribal Lands
With California facing a hotter and drier future punctuated by bouts of extreme weather, state officials are moving forward with a new framework for urban water use that could require some suppliers to make cuts of 20% or...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) on Tuesday released a new rule that reduces the number of federally protected waters by more than half following a Supreme Court...more
9/5/2023
/ California ,
Cemex ,
Contamination ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Forest Service ,
Groundwater ,
PFAS ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Water Pollution ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Waters of the United States
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives for 2024-2027. The list includes first-time initiatives to mitigate exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl...more
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
Monterey County's voter-approved ban on new oil and gas wells is invalid because state law authorizes and promotes oil and gas production, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously last Thursday. Next year, California voters...more
Municipalities, landowners, developers, and others engaged in construction activities in California have faced increasing regulatory scrutiny over alleged stormwater discharge violations in recent years, including a record...more
In the nation’s first appellate case on the issue, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday ruled that the City and County of San Francisco (City) must meet limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for...more
8/7/2023
/ Air Pollution ,
California ,
Diesel Fuel ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Inland Waterways ,
Pesticides ,
Pollution Control ,
State and Local Government ,
Toxic Chemicals
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 State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is accepting public comment through July 28 on new recommendations to expedite permits for seawater desalination plants in the state....more
The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed strengthening requirements for the removal of lead-based paint dust in homes and child care facilities built before 1978. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates...more
7/17/2023
/ California ,
CEQA ,
Conservation ,
Contamination ,
Drought ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Lead ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Wells ,
State Department of Fish and Wildlife
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
Federal officials on Wednesday announced $52 million in new funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform two dozen projects around San Francisco Bay to restore wildlife, expand wetlands, and reduce...more
7/3/2023
/ California ,
Clean Water Act ,
Conservation ,
Cross-Border ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Rehabilitation and Restoration Plans ,
State and Local Government ,
Water Pollution ,
Wetlands ,
Wildlife Protection
3M announced on Thursday that it has reached a $10.3 billion settlement with many U.S. public water systems to resolve water pollution claims tied to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as “PFAS.”...more
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected oil companies’ challenge to court orders that currently ban hydraulic fracturing (or fracking)—the injection of high-pressure water and chemicals into the earth to release oil...more
Chemours Co., E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and Corteva, Inc. on Friday said they had reached an agreement in principle to pay $1.19 billion to settle claims that they contaminated U.S. public water systems with...more
6/5/2023
/ California ,
CARB ,
Department of Water Resources ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FBI ,
Lithium Batteries ,
Popular ,
RCRA ,
Refineries ,
State and Local Government ,
Toxic Chemicals
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday narrowed the scope of the 1972 Clean Water Act by ruling that an Idaho couple's property does not include wetlands subject to federal oversight under the law. The decision in Sackett v. EPA...more
5/31/2023
/ CARB ,
Clean Energy ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hydropower ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
Sackett v EPA ,
SCOTUS ,
Well Drilling ,
Wetlands
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
The Biden administration proposed new regulations this Thursday that, if enacted, would aggressively limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The move stands to force major changes in the energy sector and is likely...more
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it will take up a dispute between the Biden administration and commercial fishing companies that presents the Court with a chance to overrule its decision in Chevron v. National...more
Companies are facing increased federal, state, and public scrutiny regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Amidst this momentum, it is important for companies operating in all sectors to address ESG...more