New Upstream Pit Permitting Rules — Energy Law Insights
PFAS in Focus: Forever-Engineering With Trent Stober, HDR - Reflections on Water Podcast
On-Demand Webinar | Flood or Drought? A Discussion of the Election’s Potential Legislative Impacts on the Water Sector
[WEBINAR] Fairly (or Unfairly?) Traceable: Are Discharges Through Groundwater Subject to the Clean Water Act?
Water Rights with Eric Garner: Prescriptive Rights
Context is Crucial in Examining BLM’s Proposed Rule for Fracking On Federal Land
Baker Botts' 39th Annual Environmental Seminar featured two breakout sessions covering the latest environmental, safety and incident response developments and trends....more
Our Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group dives into a proposed rule to further clarify federal jurisdiction over waters of the United States (WOTUS) following the Supreme Court’s Sackett ruling....more
Federal wildlife officials on Monday denied listing the Western Coast Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act....more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Nov. 17, 2025, announced the release of a proposed rule revising the definition of "waters of the United States" (Proposed WOTUS Rule). The...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed dramatic changes to environmental regulations in recent months, including its announcement, in March, of what it called the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history.” ...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Environmental Appeals Board (“EAB”) issued a September 12th Order addressing a Petition for Review of two Underground Injection Control Permit decisions EPA Region 8...more
In the absence of federal cleanup standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in groundwater, several states have started the process of regulating PFAS in groundwater themselves....more
It has now been over a year since PFOA and PFOS – two types of PFAS – were designated as hazardous substances under CERCLA, the federal Superfund law. Among the consequences of these designations was that PFOA and PFOS...more
On September 10, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule granting Arizona primacy to administer all classes of underground injection wells under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This...more
On July 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced a direct final rule and companion proposal extending several compliance deadlines related to coal combustion residuals (“CCR”). The direct final...more
On April 28, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced "major EPA actions to combat PFAS contamination." EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said that he has "long been concerned about PFAS and the efforts to...more
Maryland has filed suit against W.L. Gore & Associates (Gore), a downstream user of PFAS-containing materials, alleging that its manufacturing processes contributed to PFAS contamination through its use of...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has extended the public comment period for the Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) (“Draft...more
President Donald Trump on Monday issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior to develop a new plan within 90 days “to route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to...more
On January 14, 2025, the EPA released for public comment a risk assessment report evaluating the potential risks associated with land application and land disposal of biosolids containing two types of PFAS, PFOA and PFOS....more
“Contaminants Compass” is a monthly newsletter that provides updates, legal observations and actionable tips to navigate the evolving legal challenges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This edition discusses the...more
Last week, EPA released two final rules under TSCA. The first rule bans all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE). The ban is subject to several temporary exemptions for certain uses under § 6(g) of TSCA. The second rule bans...more
In the absence of federal cleanup standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in groundwater, several states have started the process of regulating PFAS in groundwater themselves. As a result, states have...more
In a settlement approved by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board on November 13, the City of Oceanside agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine for two separate spills that sent raw sewage into the Buena Vista Creek...more
California officials have joined a legal effort to restore water to the Kern River after an abrupt shutoff of water dried up the river and killed thousands of fish in Bakersfield....more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Office of Water issued an August 2024 report tilted: Interagency Water Workforce Working Group Report to Congress (“Report”). ...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) has issued a report titled: The EPA Needs to Improve the Verification of Land-Use Controls at Resource Conservation and Recovery Act...more
Farmers in southern Tulare County will face greater scrutiny for groundwater pumping after the state placed the region on probation following a lengthy hearing in Sacramento on Tuesday....more
“Contaminants Compass” is a monthly newsletter that provides updates, legal observations and actionable tips to navigate the evolving legal challenges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This edition discusses how...more
A California Superior Court judge ruled last week that Sonoma County must do more to ensure responsible groundwater pumping under the state’s Public Trust Doctrine, which holds that rivers, creeks, and other waterways are...more