On December 10, 2021, the Biden Administration released the Fall 2021 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Unified Agenda), which is a semi-annual compilation of information concerning regulations and policy...more
12/21/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Conservation ,
Critical Habitat ,
Department of the Interior ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) ,
NEPA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
On September 20, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California set aside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) negative 12-month finding (Finding) on a petition by WildEarth Guardians...more
On August 18, 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) published in the Federal Register a final rule designating more than 1,315 acres across 14 units as critical habitat (“Final Rule”) for two neotenic...more
8/27/2021
/ Conservation ,
Critical Habitat ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
ESA Listings ,
Final Rules ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Rulemaking Process ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) published in the Federal Register a proposal to list six Central Texas mussel species under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), to issue an ESA section 4(d) rule for one...more
On August 11, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted partial vacatur of an appeal brought by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) challenging a district court decision to vacate and enjoin use of...more
8/16/2021
/ Critical Habitat ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Section 7 ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Vacatur ,
Waters of the United States
On June 29, 2021, fourteen members of Congress delivered a letter to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to use its authority to list the monarch butterfly (Danaus...more
Linear infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines and transportation, have faced a number of regulatory challenges over the last year. Some of these challenges stem from changes in...more
6/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Construction Industry ,
Criminal Liability ,
Delays ,
Electricity ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Guidance Documents ,
Infrastructure ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rescission ,
Revocation ,
Risk Management ,
Transmission Lines ,
Transportation Industry ,
Waters of the United States ,
Zoning Laws
On June 4, 2021, the Biden Administration announced its intent to rescind or revise several implementing regulations for the Endangered Species Act (ESA) finalized under the prior administration. ...more
6/8/2021
/ Conservation ,
Critical Habitat ,
Delisting ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
ESA Listings ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Weyerhaeuser Company v United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has announced the next chapter in the lesser prairie chicken’s (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) (LEPC) tumultuous listing history. On May 26, 2021 the USFWS announced that it will...more
Linear infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines and transportation, have faced a number of regulatory challenges over the last year. Some of these challenges stem from changes in...more
5/26/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Construction Industry ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Criminal Liability ,
Delays ,
Electricity ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Guidance Documents ,
Infrastructure ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rescission ,
Revocation ,
Risk Management ,
Transmission Lines ,
Transportation Industry ,
Waters of the United States ,
Webinars ,
Zoning Laws
On March 10, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a biological opinion (BiOp) and incidental take statement (ITS) issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in connection with a...more
3/19/2021
/ Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Environmental Claims ,
Environmental Policies ,
FERC ,
Infrastructure ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Sierra Club
On January 20, 2021, President Biden announced his administration will review regulatory actions taken between January 17, 2020 and January 20, 2021 in accordance with an Executive Order titled “Protecting Public Health and...more
1/22/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Critical Habitat ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Navigable Waters ,
NEPA ,
Regulatory Reform ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Linear infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines and transportation, have faced a number of regulatory challenges in recent months. Some of these challenges stem from changes in...more
7/14/2020
/ Construction Industry ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Infrastructure ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
National Historic Preservation Act ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Waters of the United States ,
Webinars
On June 17, 2020, a federal court in Colorado vacated an incidental take permit (ITP) issued to the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) authorizing take of the endangered American burying beetle (ABB) that could occur in...more
On June 4, 2020, President Trump signed an executive order to provide federal agencies the foundation to speed up environmental permitting in the wake of COVID-19. ...more
6/12/2020
/ Clean Water Act ,
Construction Project ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Development ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Infrastructure ,
Marine Life Protections ,
NEPA ,
Permits ,
Regulatory Burden ,
Trump Administration
Yesterday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit the decision of a lower court to vacate nationwide permit 12 (NWP 12) until the Corps completes...more
On Monday, the United States District Court for the District of Montana issued an order amending its previous order, which had invalidated nationwide permit 12 (NWP 12) on the basis that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers...more
On April 15, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana issued an order that could impact energy and development projects across the United States. ...more
On April 8, 2020 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced its next step in conservation of the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus): finalization of the Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement for...more
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has withdrawn its 2013 proposals to list the bi-state distinct population segment of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in California and Nevada as threatened, to...more
On March 17, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Tenth Circuit) overturned a New Mexico district court decision in which the lower court upheld the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) designation of...more
This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced its opening of 5-year status reviews for 25 southeastern species and 10 southwestern species. Among the species included in the status review are the dusky...more
Recently, Lyn Clancy, Managing Associate General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor for the Lower Colorado River Authority, and I presented on the topic of Endangered Species and Water Supply at the State Bar of Texas’...more
On January 28, 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a notice and request for information in connection with USFWS’s initiation of 5-year status reviews for 66 species found in California and Nevada....more
1/29/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Conservation ,
Critical Habitat ,
Deregulation ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Review ,
ESA Listings ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Request For Information ,
Rulemaking Process ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
On August 27, 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) announced the finalization of regulations governing implementation of various aspects of the Endangered Species Act...more
9/25/2019
/ Compliance Dates ,
Conservation ,
Consultation ,
Critical Habitat ,
Delays ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Policies ,
ESA Listings ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service