Eleven years after the closure of the Exide lead-acid battery recycling facility in the Vernon area of Los Angeles, researchers found excessive lead levels in soil samples collected from homes both within and outside the...more
The “catalyst theory” of California law governing attorney’s fees sometimes allows a plaintiff to obtain fees even in the absence of a favorable judgment, if the plaintiff can show that the lawsuit was the catalyst for a...more
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) provides critical protections for commercially sensitive information related to a company’s business, processes, and chemicals. The 2016 Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st...more
Legal Updates on Substances of Emerging Concern keeps clients informed on the latest legal, regulatory and scientific developments related to substances of emerging concern....more
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) released on February 25, 2026, a draft Product-Chemical Profile for Floor Maintenance Products Containing Perfluoroalkyl or Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)...more
President Trump has signed an executive order seeking to move certain permitting authority from California and Los Angeles to the federal government, saying California and local agencies are moving too slowly on helping...more
The California Board of Environmental Safety on November 17 approved the state’s first hazardous waste management plan despite sharp criticism from environmental groups who say several aspects of the plan could invite...more
The California Senate recently passed a bill, SB 682, that would essentially eliminate the use of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” in food packaging within the state, as of January...more
Various state housing bills are currently making their way through the California State Legislature that are expected to benefit mixed-income multifamily housing developers. The following summaries reflect the status of the...more
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
On February 21, 2024, State Sen. Nancy Skinner introduced SB 903 – the “Ending Forever Chemicals Act.” SB 903 follows in the footsteps of similar laws already passed in Maine and Minnesota, and, if passed, will prevent the...more
In American Chemistry Council v. Dept. of Toxic Substances Control (Nov. 18, 2022, F082604) __Cal.App.4th__ [2022 Cal. App. LEXIS 1004], the Fifth District Court of Appeal found a CEQA challenge to the regulatory decision of...more
In July 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 158 into law, which established the Board of Environmental Safety (BES)—an agency charged with overseeing the Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC) hazardous waste...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
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
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has completed the relaunch of an emergency rulemaking to refine the process by which metal shredding facilities determine when hazardous waste management...more
California appellate court overturns Monterey County fracking ban - Courthouse News Service – October 12 - A California appeals court on Tuesday set aside a Monterey County measure banning hydraulic fracturing, or...more
EPA to propose first-ever PFAS discharge limits - The Hill – September 8 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday that it will propose a rule to set the first-ever limits on the...more
The California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) recently launched an emergency rulemaking amending California’s definition of scrap metal to align it with federal requirements and clarifying the process by which...more
U.S. EPA recommends testing wastewater for PFAS - Bullet Chemical & Engineering News – December 1 - Certain facilities may have to test for the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their...more
Trade groups sue California to stop threatened species listing for Western Joshua Tree - Bullet Desert Sun – October 27 - Several trade groups and a high desert town sued in Fresno County Superior Court on October 21 over...more
Redwood City salt ponds subject to environmental protections, federal judge rules - San Francisco Chronicle – October 5 - A federal court ruled this Monday that an area containing salt ponds in Redwood City are waters...more
Contaminated groundwater plume in north Orange County placed on federal Superfund list - Orange County Register – September 1 - A five-square-mile plume of contaminated groundwater in north Orange County has been...more
While some have been enjoying the return of baseball, albeit without fans in the stands, the Oakland A’s are moving forward with their game plan for a new stadium in the Port of Oakland. However, relations with their...more
On February 14, 2020, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) issued a public notice regarding the release of Draft Supplemental Guidance: Screening and...more