As we continue into 2025, state attorneys general (AGs) will play a pivotal role in shaping environmental policy and enforcement. With anticipated resistance to environmental regulation rollbacks and a continued focus on...more
The New York Attorney General (NYAG) is expected to increase enforcement actions in 2025, especially with the enactment of several new laws designed to strengthen consumer protection and employment. At the federal level, the...more
2/25/2025
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Climate Change ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenwashing ,
Popular ,
Privacy Laws ,
State Attorneys General
As climate adaptation and mitigation costs escalate, a wave of state climate superfund legislation is emerging across the United States. This novel approach to climate accountability, pioneered by Vermont and New York,...more
2/20/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
CERCLA ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Superfund
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on January 23, 2025, that it is reinstating its legacy notification procedure as of February 7, 2025, providing a streamlined alternative to permits for...more
2/18/2025
/ Agricultural Sector ,
APHIS ,
Biotechnology ,
Compliance ,
CRISPR ,
Final Rules ,
Genetically Engineered Seed ,
Innovation ,
Life Sciences ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USDA
Morrison Foerster’s State and Local Government Task Force is pleased to provide our bimonthly newsletter summarizing some of the most important and interesting developments from state attorneys general (State AGs) across the...more
1/9/2025
/ American Bar Association (ABA) ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biometric Information ,
Class Action ,
Competition ,
Data Privacy ,
Diversity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
FCC ,
Investment Management ,
PFAS ,
Popular ,
Privacy Laws ,
Robocalling ,
State Attorneys General ,
Telecommunications ,
Textiles ,
The Clayton Act ,
Trump Administration
The year 2024 remained a busy one for state attorneys general (State AGs) and 2025 promises to be even busier. To assist in-house counsel, compliance professionals, and defense lawyers navigate the 2025 State AG enforcement...more
1/7/2025
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Environmental Policies ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Merger Controls ,
Monopolization ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Social Media ,
State Attorneys General ,
Trump Administration ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On December 16, 2024, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) called for public comment on key issues related to the implementation of California’s two major climate disclosure bills, the Climate Corporate Data...more
12/23/2024
/ CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Comment Period ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Covered Entities ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
First Amendment ,
Governor Newsom ,
Public Comment ,
Voluntary Disclosure
In a decision that raises significant questions about the future oversight of genetically engineered (GE) plants in the United States, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Monday, December 2,...more
12/9/2024
/ Agricultural Sector ,
APHIS ,
Appeals ,
Bioengineering ,
Crops ,
DNA ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Genetically Engineered Seed ,
Modification ,
Plant Based Products ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
USDA
Last year, California passed three first-in-the-nation climate laws imposing disclosure obligations on thousands of companies with a presence in California. In October of 2023, California signed into law AB 1305, requiring...more
Effective as of yesterday, July 8, 2024, two widely used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) are deemed hazardous substances under the Comprehensive...more
7/9/2024
/ CERCLA ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Manufacturers ,
National Enforcement Initiatives (NEIs) ,
OECA ,
PFAS ,
Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) ,
Safe Drinking Water Act ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
The Biden Administration released a landmark Joint Policy Statement and Principles on May 28, 2024, formalizing the U.S. government’s approach to advancing high-integrity Voluntary Carbon Markets (“VCMs”) and affirming the...more
Alongside rapid advances in biotechnology that are improving fine-tuned genetic engineering in plants, regulation for such plants is also rapidly evolving, including several important updates in the past year....more
On October 7, 2023, California took a significant step toward promoting transparency and integrity of voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) and climate-related claims by enacting Assembly Bill 1305: the Voluntary Carbon Market...more
10/18/2023
/ California ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CFTC ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
European Parliament ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Green Guides ,
Net Zero ,
Popular ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State and Local Government
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two key climate bills as part of the California legislature’s broader Climate Accountability Package. The two laws—Senate Bill No. 253 (SB 253) and Senate Bill No. 261 (SB...more
Net zero goals and carbon neutrality have hit the mainstream, propelled over the past decade by consumer and investor demands that businesses curb greenhouse gas emissions to counter the climate crisis. In response, companies...more
In 2018, when former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb famously commented that “an almond doesn’t lactate,” he was adding perhaps the most colorful volley in a long-simmering debate about how the Food and Drug Administration...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking public comment on its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (“Green Guides” or “Guides”) as part of a 10-year review process. The FTC extended the public comment...more
The advent of AI is drastically changing the environmental law landscape. Until recently, it was nearly impossible to track the environmental impacts of corporate activities or products. The sheer immensity and complexity of...more
Two weeks after Sen. Joe Manchin tanked the downsized Build Back Better package, Senate Democrats on July 27, 2022 released the proposed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “Act” or IRA). While not focused entirely on...more
8/11/2022
/ Biofuel ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Investment Tax Credits ,
Nuclear Power ,
Offshore Lease ,
Renewable Energy ,
Superfund
On Thursday evening, Governor Newsom issued an executive order (the “State Order”) that expanded the shelter-in-place orders already in place in each of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties broadly directing all...more
PFAS — or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — have been detected just about everywhere, and may be inside virtually everyone you know. But not everyone has heard of them, and not everyone is prepared for their regulation....more
They are all around us — and may be inside virtually everyone you know. But not everyone has heard of them, and not everyone is prepared for their regulation.
PFAS — or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — have been...more
California’s food and consumer product companies recently got some welcome relief from the onerous provisions of California’s slack-fill law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 12606. This law, which has been the basis of an increasing...more
Cannabis-derived extracts are one of the hottest trends in the consumer products industry. Sales of consumer products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are reported to exceed $510 million in 2018. Experts predict that the market...more
On January 1 of this year, California’s food and consumer product companies got some welcome relief from the onerous provisions of California’s ‘slack-fill’ law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 12606. This law, which has been the...more