Redwood City salt ponds subject to environmental protections, federal judge rules -
San Francisco Chronicle – October 5 -
A federal court ruled this Monday that an area containing salt ponds in Redwood City are waters...more
10/9/2020
/ Air Quality Standards ,
California Air Resources Board ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Toxic Substances Control ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
NASA ,
PFAS ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Trump Administration ,
Water Resources Control Board
EPA chief challenges California effort to mandate zero emission vehicles in 2035 -
Bullet Reuters – September 28 -
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Monday questioned...more
10/2/2020
/ Air Pollution ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FERC ,
Final Rules ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Public Land ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
California plans to ban sales of new gas-powered cars in 15 years -
The New York Times – September 23 -
California plans to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars statewide by 2035, Governor Gavin Newsom announced...more
Montage Healdsburg resort faces $6.4 million fine for construction stormwater-related violations -
Bullet The Press-Democrat – September 15 -
The developer of the Montage Healdsburg hotel in Sonoma County is facing...more
9/18/2020
/ Air Quality Standards ,
Bureau of Reclamation ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Oil & Gas ,
Waste Management ,
Water Quality ,
Water Quality Control Boards ,
Water Supplies ,
Watershed
Contaminated groundwater plume in north Orange County placed on federal Superfund list -
Orange County Register – September 1 -
A five-square-mile plume of contaminated groundwater in north Orange County has been...more
9/4/2020
/ Contaminated Properties ,
Department of Toxic Substances Control ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Governor Newsom ,
Groundwater ,
NEPA ,
NHTSA ,
PFAS ,
Site Remediation ,
Superfund ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
Wastewater ,
Water Supplies
Federal court blocks Interior Department’s relaxation of migratory bird safeguards -
U.S. News & World Report – August 12 -
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York this Tuesday struck down a U.S....more
8/14/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Biofuel ,
Clean Water Act ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of the Interior ,
Diesel Fuel ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Incidental Take Permits ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Navigable Waters Protection Rule ,
Oil & Gas ,
Renewable Energy ,
State Attorneys General ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Wastewater ,
Water Quality Control Boards ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Waters of the United States
Congress sends landmark conservation bill to White House -
Bullet The New York Times – July 22 -
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a measure that, for the first time, guarantees maximum annual funding...more
7/24/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Monsanto ,
Paris Agreement ,
Popular ,
Public Land ,
RCRA ,
Trump Administration ,
Water ,
Water Quality ,
Water Resources Control Board
EPA limits states’ power to review projects that affect water quality -
Bullet Courthouse News Service – July 13 -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday issued a new 401 Certification Rule under the...more
7/17/2020
/ Bureau of Land Management ,
Certifications ,
Clean Water Act ,
Conservation ,
Construction Permits ,
Dams ,
Demolition ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FERC ,
Mineral Leasing Act ,
NEPA ,
Tribal Governments ,
Trump Administration ,
Water Quality
Air Resources Board mandates big increase in zero-emission trucks -
Bullet Los Angeles Times – June 25 -
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) last week approved the nation’s toughest clean-air mandate on trucks,...more
Bayer to pay more than $10B to resolve lawsuits over Roundup, PCBs, and Dicamba -
Bullet NPR – June 24 -
Bayer will pay more than $10 billion to end tens of thousands of lawsuits filed over its Roundup weedkiller, the...more
6/26/2020
/ Air Pollution ,
Clean Water Act ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fuel Efficiency ,
Monsanto ,
Navigable Waters Protection Rule ,
Pesticides ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Tribal Lands ,
Trump Administration ,
Water ,
Water Pollution ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Wetlands
Supreme Court says pipeline may cross underneath Appalachian Trail -
Bullet NPR – June 15 -
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a new 600-mile natural gas pipeline can cross underneath the Appalachian Trail on...more
6/19/2020
/ Air Quality Standards ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Drinking Water ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
National Parks ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Popular
DOI moves forward with plan to end wild bird protections -
Bullet PBS – June 5 -
The U.S. Department of the Interior moved forward last Friday with plans to end the government’s decades-long practice of treating...more
6/12/2020
/ Dams ,
Department of the Interior ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Genetically Engineered Seed ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Public Comment ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Waste Treatment Facilities ,
Wastewater ,
Water Supplies
EPA limits states' power to stop oil and gas pipelines -
Bullet NPR – June 1 -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday issued a new rule intended to expedite the approval process for pipeline...more
6/5/2020
/ Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Section 401 ,
Trump Administration
States sue over rollback of fuel efficiency standards -
Bullet The San Diego Union-Tribune – May 27 -
California, joined by nearly two dozen other states, the District of Columbia and the City of Los Angeles, on...more
5/29/2020
/ California Air Resources Board ,
Clean-Up Costs ,
Contaminated Properties ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Superfund ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Water Quality
Federal court rejects attempt to toss endangered species lawsuit -
Bullet The Hill – May 19 -
On Monday, Judge Jon Tigar, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, denied the federal...more
Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration's California water plan -
Bullet Associated Press – May 12 -
A preliminary injunction was issued on Monday temporarily blocking the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s (Bureau)...more
5/15/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Public Comment ,
Water Quality ,
Water Supplies
California and 15 other states sue EPA over new rule reducing reach of federal jurisdiction over waterways -
San Francisco Chronicle – May 1 -
A coalition of 16 states led by California and New York sued the U.S....more
New draft SCAQMD rule imposes compliance obligations regarding indirect source emissions from warehouses -
Bullet Allen Matkins – April 24 -
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) recently released a...more
Clean Water Act covers some groundwater discharges, U.S. Supreme Court rules -
The New York Times – April 23 -
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in a 6-3 decision that federal Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction...more
4/24/2020
/ Atlantic Richfield Co v Christian ,
California Endangered Species Act ,
CERCLA ,
Clean Water Act ,
Direct Discharge ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Jurisdiction ,
Functional Equivalent ,
Hawaii Wildlife Fund v County of Maui ,
Navigable Waters ,
Permits ,
Point Sources ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Superfund ,
Vacated ,
Waters of the United States
U.S. EPA directive instructs regions to evaluate impact of COVID-19 on site clean-ups on a case-by-case basis -
EPA – April 10 -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued guidance to its eleven...more
Federal government moves to weaken fuel economy standards adopted during Obama Administration -
Bullet Los Angeles Times – March 31 -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation...more
A Note to Our Readers: Although the coronavirus and its many disruptions are dominating the news, we will continue to publish the California Environmental Law and Policy Update so long as there are newsworthy developments in...more
3/27/2020
/ Air Pollution ,
CEQA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
PFAS ,
Public Comment ,
RCRA ,
Real Estate Development ,
Toxic Chemicals
A Note to Our Readers: Although the coronavirus and its many disruptions are dominating the news, we will continue to publish the California Environmental Law and Policy Update so long as there are newsworthy developments in...more
Federal judge rules California-Quebec cap-and-trade agreement is valid -
San Francisco Chronicle – March 12 -
California’s agreement with Quebec to share cap-and-trade markets to reduce greenhouse gases survived its...more
3/13/2020
/ Cap-and-Trade ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Foreign Commerce ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proposition 65 ,
Shipping ,
Stormwater Discharge Permits ,
Trump Administration ,
World Health Organization
California approves ambitious new plan to deal with climate change and sea-level rise -
San Francisco Chronicle – February 26 -
The state's Ocean Protection Council, the cabinet-level policy body within the California...more
3/6/2020
/ Center for Biological Diversity ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
Oil & Gas ,
Recycling ,
Rising Sea Levels ,
San Francisco ,
Wastewater