Removal or Remedial? CERCLA's Most Consequential Distinction
ESG Essentials: What You Need To Know Now - Episode 18 - The Reshaping of ESG & DEI
Environmental Agencies, Superfund Cleanups, and Managing Enforcement Actions
Drinking Water on Tap: Money, Morality, and More with Tracy Mehan from the American Water Works Association - Reflections on Water Podcast
Miss the statute of limitations, and your cost recovery claim is gone. In this episode of For That Matter, Shook attorney Hannah Hamblin digs into the removal vs. remedial action framework of the Comprehensive Environmental...more
A United States District Court (“Court”) (D. Puerto Rico) addressed in a March 25th Opinion and Order (“Opinion”) an issue arising under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”). ...more
The U.S. Transportation Department sued the California Air Resources Board on Thursday in U.S. District Court in California, claiming the state’s zero-emission vehicle and tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions rules are illegal...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has released a report titled: Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Annual Results Report - Fiscal Year 2025 (“Report”)....more
The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently dealt a blow to a Metrowest company that lost a multimillion-dollar contract related to a Superfund cleanup. The plaintiff, Grafton & Upton Railroad Company (Grafton & Upton), sought...more
A coalition of health and environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this Wednesday over the agency’s repeal last week of the 2009 endangerment finding....more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on February 6, 2026, a list of significant actions that the Agency has taken in the first year of the Trump Administration to combat risks from per- and polyfluoroalkyl...more
On February 6, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a press release highlighting “major year one PFAS actions” under the Trump Administration. The press release assembles a wide-ranging list of Agency...more
The Environmental Vanguard is a quarterly newsletter from McGuireWoods, bringing key insights from leading environmental attorneys and consultants at the forefront of regulatory, litigation and policy developments. This issue...more
On December 31, 2025, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) finalized important amendments to the regulations that implement its remedial programs, including the Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP)...more
Due to an unprecedented surge in data creation and consumption driven primarily by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud services, demand for computing power is increasing and data center development has...more
As the United States seeks to maintain primacy in data processing and artificial intelligence, the Trump Administration is taking steps to reduce the regulatory burdens for development of data centers necessary to sustain...more
Maryland lawmakers have overridden the governor’s veto to enact legislation directing a statewide assessment of climate-related costs, while New Jersey lawmakers are preparing a January committee hearing for the State’s...more
On December 18, 2025, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment will hold a hearing on “Examining the Impact of EPA’s CERCLA Designation for Two PFAS Chemistries and Potential Policy Responses to Superfund...more
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recently enacted budget bill for 2025-2026 includes several important changes to the New York State Superfund program. The Superfund was created to help enforce state hazardous waste regulations and to...more
The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (“ASTSWMO”) issued an October 2025 document titled: Risk Mitigation Practices Fact Sheet (“Fact Sheet”)....more
The New Jersey Attorney General and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in the Superior Court of New Jersey entered into a Consent Judgment (“CJ”) with seven defendants pursuant to the New Jersey Spill...more
A recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to reject a proposed $57 million settlement in a False Claims Act (FCA) litigation highlights the unique challenges and complexities that...more
On October 29, 2025, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works favorably reported several nominations, including Jeffrey Hall to be an Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance...more
New statute allows the government to recover costs and natural resource damages from a broad set of PRPs. On May 9, 2025, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a broad array of amendments to the state’s...more
In advance of the government shutdown, the EPA released its contingency plan on September 29, outlining its procedures during the funding lapse. Exempted activities are “(1) those that are funded with unexpired appropriations...more
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (“Ninth Circuit”) addressed in a September 3rd Opinion an issue associated with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) term “natural resources.”...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced it will retain the Biden Administration’s rule designating two types of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and...more
On September 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will continue to defend the agency's decision to list two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals – perfluorooctanoic acid...more