On April 24, 2025, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order aimed at fast-tracking deep-sea mining. ...more
The final rule on the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 10, 2024. This Update summarizes...more
After nearly two years of public comments and deliberation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a Final Rule on Mandatory Climate Disclosures (Final Rule). While less sweeping than initially proposed,...more
3/19/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan signed two proposed rules related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the agency’s corrective action authority under the Resource...more
All Member States of the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) reached an agreement on March 4, 2023, regarding an international treaty governing...more
Two climate-related regulatory programs affecting business and industry in Washington state took effect on January 1, 2023. First, the Climate Commitment Act introduces an economywide emissions cap-and-invest program. Second,...more
The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently released a focus sheet that provides Ecology’s recommended soil and groundwater cleanup levels for a group of chemical compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on March 14, 2022, issued both a final rule incorporating revised ASTM International standard practices, ASTM International’s E1527–21 ‘‘Standard Practice for Environmental Site...more
After a lengthy committee process, ASTM International revised its standard practice for Phase I environmental site assessments (ASTM E1527) for the first time since 2013. Phase I environmental site assessments facilitate...more
On November 3, 2021, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) published its final PFAS Chemical Action Plan (Plan), which provides a roadmap for addressing uses and releases of those chemicals in Washington State to...more
11/11/2021
/ Contamination ,
Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
New Guidance ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Legislatures ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Washington ,
Waste Management
In response to a petition from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on October 26, 2021, that it will take steps toward regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances...more
Colonial Pipeline shut down 5,500 miles of its East Coast pipeline on May 7, 2021, in an effort to contain a security breach resulting from a ransomware attack. Colonial’s pipeline is one of the nation’s largest and carries...more
5/18/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
FERC ,
GAO ,
Hackers ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
NERC ,
New Legislation ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Security Breach ,
Transportation Security Administration
In April 2019, the Washington legislature amended the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) to allow the Washington State Department of Ecology to create an expedited version of the existing Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP). The VCP...more
Washington state’s Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB) ruled on February 26 that the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) exceeded its Clean Water Act (CWA) authority by inserting a permit condition in the Aquatic...more
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a proposed rule on January 30, 2020, that narrowly interprets the protections afforded by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The new rule would provide that the MBTA prohibits only the...more
2/10/2020
/ Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act ,
Comment Period ,
Department of the Interior ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Incidental Take Permits ,
Memorandum of Guidance ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proposed Rules ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
In a split decision issued on January 16, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the Department of Ecology (Ecology) lacks authority under the state’s Clean Air Act (the act) to cap greenhouse gas emissions from...more
1/24/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Cap-and-Trade ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Imports ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Petroleum ,
Rulemaking Process ,
WA Supreme Court