Recent Updates to Federal Environmental and Natural Resource Regulations
On-Demand Webinar | Regulatory Uncertainty and Linear Infrastructure Projects: Where Are We and What’s Ahead?
On-Demand Webinar | Linear Infrastructure Redux: Adapting Your Projects to Meet the New Regulatory Climate
On-Demand Webinar | The New NEPA Regulations: A Practical Guide to What You Need to Know
How Trump's Infrastructure Plan Impacts the Energy Industry
A group of Mississippi municipalities and associations filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court (S.D. Miss.) against the United States Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) for allegedly violating the National...more
The United States House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources (“Committee”) is holding a hearing today addressing the following legislation: Building United States Infrastructure through Limited Delays and...more
The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance (“BRWA”) filed a February 21st Complaint for Vacatur of Illegal Agency Decision, Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (“Complaint”) against the United States Forest Service (“Forest Service”)...more
If “Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” It’s been a quiet term thus far for the Supreme Court, due in part to the hearing of oral arguments in many contentious cases. Below is a brief summary of some of the recent...more
These days, environmental policy is often established indirectly. While “Schoolhouse Rock” may have taught some of us “How a Bill Becomes a Law,” its insights are less relevant in the current era where things like purportedly...more
This alert looks at developments in environmental law that were at the forefront in 2022; the trend is expected to continue into 2023 as the Biden administration continues to act on its regulatory initiatives in the energy...more
The Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) published in the January 9th Federal Register a document titled: National Environmental Policy act Guidance on Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change...more
On May 26, 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of the General Counsel released EPA Legal Tools to Advance Environmental Justice (“EJ Legal Tools”). The document builds on and updates EPA’s 2011 Plan EJ 2014:...more
The Sierra Club and two other environmental organizations filed an April 28th Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (“Complaint”) against the United States Postal Service (“Service”) alleging violation of the...more
After passage in both houses of Congress, the highly-anticipated $1.2 trillion infrastructure legislation package, more commonly referred to as the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” (“Act”), has headed to President...more
Emphasis on Environmental Justice and Climate Change - The EPA's draft Strategic Plan provides the key to understanding the agency's priority goals and initiatives, including Climate Change and Environmental Justice...more
The Council on Environmental Quality published in the October 7th Federal Register at Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPR”) to withdraw certain Trump Administration revisions to its National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”)...more
EPA and OMB issue directives and propose an initial budget for the Biden Administration’s EJ initiatives - With the Biden Administration’s appointees now in place, environmental justice (EJ) is moving to the forefront of...more
The swearing-in of Michael Regan as EPA Administrator means that open questions on policy, agenda-setting, and prioritization for the Agency will soon be answered. Issues that have risen to the top of the new EPA...more
Consistent with former administrations, the Biden administration took early actions to halt or review administrative regulations. One of the earlies administrative actions taken by the Biden administration was to freeze...more
JANUARY 2020 - FEDERAL APPELLATE COURTS - U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - El Paso County, Texas, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, et al. On January 8, 2020, a divided panel of the court quickly granted a...more
Overview of the current energy mix, and the place in the market of different energy sources - Due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. total energy consumption in 2020 is on pace to decline for a second straight...more
With the 2020 election now called, though yet to be conceded, questions abound as to what the environmental regulatory landscape may look like under a Biden/Harris administration. For California, we don’t expect much of a...more
As coronavirus (COVID-19) continues its sweep across our country, clients are increasingly faced with new environmental compliance issues and realities....more
The Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) on January 10th published a Federal Register Notice promulgating for the first time in 40 years revisions to the regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act...more
The United States Department of Transportation (“DOT”) published an August 23rd Federal Register Notice announcing the availability of two interim policies for public comment. See 84 Fed. Reg. 44351. ...more
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Memphis District) (“Corps”) published an August 9th Federal Register Notice stating its intent to prepare a Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement...more
The Council of Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) is soliciting comment on potential revisions to its National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) regulations. CEQ is the Executive Branch Office that was created by NEPA to ensure...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (“Court”) addressed in a December 18th decision a challenge pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (“FAA”)...more
The White River Waterkeeper, of Arkansas, recently joined other environmental and animal rights advocacy organizations to file a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) 2016...more