The first three quarters of 2023 have seen an unprecedented number of rulemakings under the Clean Air Act. The Biden administration has released a new suite of proposed rulemakings with a particular focus on climate change...more
President Biden is pushing in 2023 to strengthen Environmental Justice (EJ) initiatives and policies from the top down. This includes ordering more action and results from relevant federal agencies and pushing for the use of...more
4/6/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
CERCLA ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
EPCRA ,
Executive Orders ,
RCRA ,
Safe Drinking Water Act ,
Underserved Locations
Environmental Justice (“EJ”) is defined by EPA as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and...more
The Biden Administration and EPA continue to strengthen and expand the federal Environmental Justice (EJ) strategy as evidenced by the President’s April 2022 Equity Action Plan (Plan) and the United States DOJ’s May 2022...more
Like everything else today, the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) ebbs and flows depending on which political party holds office. However, while the Biden Administration gets...more
10/11/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Navigable Waters ,
Obama Administration ,
Public Comment ,
Public Meetings ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States
Like everything else today, the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) ebbs and flows depending on which political party holds office. However, while the Biden Administration gets...more
10/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Bodily Injury ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Defense Strategies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Groundwater ,
Information Reports ,
Obama Administration ,
Property Damage ,
Public Comment ,
SNUR ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States
Environmental issues are inherent in many M&A transactions and require counsel’s careful assessment, explanation and guidance to manage certain technical aspects of successful deals.
In this edition of the Williams Mullen...more
When environmental lobbyists are asked to discuss the topics to watch for 2021-2022, the answer almost always includes one broadly encompassing topic: Environmental Justice. While the term “Environmental Justice” or “EJ” is...more
5/6/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Disparate Impact ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Agency Taskforce ,
President Clinton ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government
Section 402 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) prohibits the discharge of any pollutant from any point source to navigable waters (“Waters of the United States” or “WOTUS”) unless authorized by a permit (Section 402 NPDES Permits)....more
3/16/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Water Act ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Functional Equivalent ,
Groundwater ,
Hawaii Wildlife Fund v County of Maui ,
New Guidance ,
NPDES ,
Waters of the United States
Arguably, the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is one of our society’s most important numbers. The SCC is used in all climate decisions and will now be considered in all significant governmental decisions and federal actions. How...more
3/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Chesapeake Bay ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Coastal Real Estate ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Hazardous Waste ,
New Guidance ,
Obama Administration ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
US Army Corps of Engineers
Federal environmental policies are likely to undergo significant changes at DOJ and EPA under the Biden administration, including alteration of many Trump administration enforcement policies. Since many of these existing...more
1/12/2021
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
Clean Water Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Energy Sector ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Regulatory Agenda